Agoura baseball standout named finalist for Aflac National Player of the Year honor

Agoura High's Robert Stock, a star pitcher and catcher on the Charger varsity baseball team, is one of six nominees for the third annual Aflac National High School Player of the Year Award, given to the country's top prep baseball player.

The Player of the Year recipient will be presented the Jackie Robinson Award, a trophy named in honor of the late Hall of Famer. Rachel Robinson, his widow, will present the award at the Aflac All-American Awards Dinner held at the Town & Country Resort and Convention Center on Aug. 11 in San Diego.

Also on hand for the ceremony will be Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, honorary chairman for the 2006 Aflac All-American Baseball Classic.

The inaugural Jackie Robinson Award, presented in 2004, went to Aflac All-American alumnus Justin Upton, a

shortstop from Great Bridge High School in Chesapeake, Va. The Arizona Diamondbacks made Upton the No. 1 overall pick of the 2005 Major League Baseball draft.

Last year, Cody Johnson, a first baseman/outfielder from Mosley High School in Panama City, Fla., won the award. Johnson was taken No. 24 in the first round by the Atlanta Braves in this year's MLB June draft. The Jackie Robinson award, named after the first player to break the Major League Baseball color barrier, recognizes the nation's top rising senior who demonstrates outstanding character, exhibits leadership and embodies the values of a student-athlete. "I am proud to have Jackie Robinson's name associated with this prestigious award," Rachel Robinson said in a statement. "The award stands for all the ideals Jack symbolized and celebrates the student athletes who strive for excellence and

give back to the community." The nominees were determined by official Aflac AllAmerican Baseball Classic selection partners Perfect Game and Baseball America. "These are six outstanding players and most worthy of their selection as Jackie Robinson Award finalists," said Al Johnson, second vice president of advertising and branding at Aflac. "They represent the best of the best on the field and in their communities." The fourth annual Aflac AllAmerican High School Baseball Classic will be played Sat., Aug. 12 at San Diego State's Tony Gwynn Stadium.

The event is the nation's elite high school baseball showcase featuring the top 38 rising senior players in an East vs. West matchup. The game will be televised live nationally on Fox Sports Net at noon.

The above information cour- tesy of Danny Ferrauiola.