Brandon grad shows he really has power

Myron Leslie sets a home run record at an all-star tournament.

By KEITH NIEBUHR

© St. Petersburg Times, published June 28, 2000

Despite his lack of significant power numbers in high school, Myron Leslie knew he could hit the long ball.

He finally proved it.

In a hitting display that established a new single-game tournament record, Leslie slammed home runs in three consecutive at-bats at last week's Sunbelt Classic, a high school-aged all-star event in Shawnee, Okla. Leslie, a 2000 Brandon graduate, was an all-tournament selection after hitting five homers in eight games.

He hit three as a senior and seven during his four years as a Brandon starter.

"I just saw the ball real well," Leslie said. "When I hit them, I knew they'd be gone."

Gaither's Matt Fisherman and Paul Williams and Brandon's Tawan Chilsom and Joey Watts also represented Team Florida, which went 5-3 and finished third in the eight-team field. Fisherman had a tourney-record 17 hits.

The team was coached by Brandon's Greg Parris.

"I knew it was something I could do," Leslie said. "I've always hit hard line drives. So I knew that all I had to do was get the ball up in the air and I could hit home runs."

A 6-foot-3, 195-pound shortstop/third baseman, Leslie was a Times all-Hillsborough County first-team pick after hitting .381 and leading the county's Class 3A-6A schools with 29 RBI.

He signed with South Florida in May and was a 14th-round pick of the Texas Rangers earlier this month. The Rangers have not made an offer, and Leslie is undecided about his future.

"I'm not sure yet what I'm going to do," Leslie said. "I want to play (with the Rangers). I want to sign, but they haven't made an offer."

While Leslie waits for the Rangers to make their pitch, he will spend the summer playing American Legion ball.

"I'm playing much better now (than during the 2000 season)," Leslie said.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

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