Barbe product and LSU signee Brody Drost named Gatorade Player of the Year
LAKE CHARLES—Although his final season was cut down to only 14 games because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brody Drost was recognized as the state’s top baseball player for the 2020 season.
The left-handed hitting and pitching Barbe senior was recently named the 2019-2020 Gatorade Louisiana Baseball Player of the Year; the third recipient from the premier baseball program in the state to receive the award.
“It’s definitely exciting to win an award as prestigious as this,” Drost said. “I feel like I would have been just as excited if I had gotten to play the entire season and won this as well. I’m honored to represent the state as it’s player of the year. I just try to control what I can control and I can’t control what has happened (COVID-19) pandemic. I’m just looking as the positive of winning the player of the year award.”
The 6-2½, 205-pound senior outfielder and left-handed pitcher batted .390 with a pair of home runs, nine RBI and a 1.169 OPS for the Bucs this spring prior to the cancellation of the 2020 season. The state’s top-ranked prospect as ranked by Perfect Game, Drost also compiled a 3-0 record on the mound with a 0.89 ERA and 21 strikeouts in 15.2 innings. A 2019 First Team All-State selection, he was MVP of the 2019 state championship game.
“Honestly (winning the award) hasn’t really sunk in too far yet,” he said. “I know what happened, but it’s really special. I’m very thankful to everyone that has helped me reach this point.”
Verbally committed to LSU since Oct. 2017, Drost said there was really never any doubt where he was going to continue his baseball career.
“It’s always been LSU for me,” he said. “I’ve been an LSU fan since I was three years old. My entire family has always loved LSU and I’ve always been a diehard LSU fan in all sports. LSU gave me the best (scholarship) offer and I couldn’t pass it up; I had to take it.”
While they don’t throw and hit from the same side, Drost said he grew up pretending to be a former LSU Tiger.
“Alex Bregman and I don’t have a lot in common, but I loved watching him play,” Drost said. “I love watching everything he did and watching his work ethic. (LSU assistant coach) Nolan Cain was actually telling me stories about how people were wondering why the lights at Alex Box Stadium were on so late every night and it was Bregman taking ground balls for hours.”
Not known for having too many players who pitch and hit during his tenure at LSU, Tigers coach Paul Mainieri according to Drost will give him an opportunity to do both at LSU.
“I’m projected to do both (hit and pitch) and I hope I can continue to do both for as long as I can,” Drost said.
Drost plays the outfield when he is not pitching.
“When (Mainieri) offered me, he told me I could be a two-way threat,” he said. “I can play both and that is something I really wanted to do in college. That was of course another driving factor in why I chose to attend LSU.”
For the LSU baseball fans that have never seen Drost play, he gave a quick scouting report on himself. “(on the mound) I’d rather be more of the closer/reliever type of pitcher,” he said. “I just want to fit for my team in any way I can. Whatever they want me to do I’m going to do.
“(at the plate) I’m the type of player that is going to try and hit some home runs. I have a two-strike approach when I need to, but other than that I do consider myself a power hitter.”
Gatorade contributed to this story