SAN DIEGO – Perfect Game CEO Brad Clement was on hand at Petco Park on
Friday, June 23 to announce that two players have been selected to play in the Perfect
Game All-American Classic at Petco Park; Brice Turang and Blake Burzell.
Many other representatives were present for the announcement
including Carly Rickard and Kourtney King, Corporate and Community Development
Officers for Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation, Tony Gwynn Jr. of the San
Diego Padres, and Dave Gallegos, the head coach of Eastlake High School in Chula
Vista, Calif., who was announced as the head coach of the West squad.
Turang and Burzell will be joined by the top 50 high school
players in the country, who will come together and play on high school baseball’s
biggest stage at Petco Park on Sunday, August 13. It will be the ninth straight year the event will
be hosted at Petco Park, and the game will be televised on the MLB Network. In addition to the game, an awards banquet, a home run derby and lunch
with Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman are just some of the other baseball related
activities that the players in attendance will partake in.
Not only is the event an opportunity for players to gain
exposure and meet other top prospects, it is a way to give back and make a
difference in the lives of others. Players from the Classic visit with children
from Rady Children’s Hospital, playing games, hanging out and doing other
activities with the children, while learning what Rady does for these children
around the country.
In its 15th season, the Perfect Game All-American
Classic has produced 188 first round picks, 139 Major Leaguers and nine No. 1
overall picks, including the 2017 No. 1 overall pick, Royce Lewis. Last year, Nick
Allen and Kyle Hurt were in the shoes of Turang and Burzell, who were both in
attendance for the announcement on Friday. Both players have stood out with
their respective talents, and are well deserving of the nominations.
Turang, the No. 2 ranked prospect in the class of 2018, has
stood out for his talents in the field and at the plate. The 6-foot-1,
165-pound shortstop possesses a nice left-handed swing that projects well and
is a top-notch athlete in all aspects of the game.
“It was about 2-3 weeks ago that I found out that I was
actually going to play,” Turang said about being named to the Classic’s roster.
“I’m very excited to play in this game that they hold. It will be a great
experience, I’m very happy, and I’m very excited.”
Brianna Turang, Brice’s sister, is a nurse in a District of
Columbia hospital and works with children with cancers similar to those in Rady.
He said that visiting with the kids at Rady’s will mean a little more to him after
seeing the work that his sister does.
“Some people can’t play,” Turang said. “There’s kids that
are at the hospital that can’t play the game, and I’m going to play for them.
I’m not just playing for myself, I’m playing for every kid who can’t and
everybody who’s never had a chance. I really respect that Perfect Game does
that.”
The 17-year-old attends Santiago High School in Corona,
Calif., and has been named to the Rawlings-Perfect Game Preseason All American
1st Team for two straight years. He is committed to Louisiana State
University where he will have the opportunity to play under head coach Paul
Mainieri. Turang said that he has friends who have played in the Classic in the
past, and is excited for the opportunity to be around such great players.
“I’ve watched it before, I know a lot of people that did it
last year, and so I know what it’s all about and I know how fun it is. I talked
to some of the players and they liked it a lot, so I’m very excited,” Turang
said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new people, I haven’t met a lot of the
2018 class, so I’m looking forward to meeting new people, competing against new
people and just having fun, that’s really why I’m doing it, because it’s
something that I’m going to enjoy and I’ll have a blast doing it.”
Burzell, on the other hand, has burst onto the scene over
the past week due to his strong showing at the PG National Showcase in Fort
Myers, Fla. He touched 94 mph with his fastball, while sitting in the low-90s
the whole event. Although he came into the event ranked as the No. 118 overall
player in the class of 2018, that is something that will likely change due to
him finally gaining exposure in front of PG scouts.
“I went out there and just competed,” Burzell said of his
performance at PG National. “I guess I
caught people’s eyes. I didn’t know how hard I was throwing, but when I heard I
threw 94 mph, I was pretty happy. I know I’m good enough to be in this All-American
game, but I didn’t really have the opportunity to show people what I could do,
so I’m glad I got that opportunity.”
He was named to the PG All-American Classic roster right
after one of his starts at the showcase, something that surprised even Burzell
himself, who would never have thought that he would be picked to represent his
peers at the press conference.
“I found out right after I pitched in the PG [National
Showcase] and I just felt like ‘Is this really happening to me?’” I didn’t even
know if I was going to be selected or not. I was ecstatic. I had to get on a
plane for a couple hours, but for that whole plane ride, I was pretty happy
that I was selected out of all the kids there,” Burzell said.
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound righty took the next step last
summer when he put on 15 pounds, which he said helped him increase his
velocity. The Duke commit and Laguna Beach, Calif. native said that he is
excited for the opportunity to play against top-level competition in addition to
the other opportunities that the Classic presents.
“I’m excited for just everything,” Burzell said. “The whole
weekend, just being able to spend time with all of the top kids in the country
and being able to hang out with the kids in the children’s hospital, and just
have a whole weekend of fun, and also the business part of being able to
compete against these guys and go at it.”
With the completion of the 2017 Perfect Game National Showcase, conducted June 16-21 at JetBlue Ballpark in Fort Myers, Fla., below is a list of players that have been placed on the watch list for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic. The rosters will be unveiled on Tuesday, July 11 at 11:00 a.m. ET as part of the Selection Show which will be streamed online at MLB.com. The show will be a part of the MLB All-Star Game FanFest in Miami, Fla.
Player |
ST |
|
Player |
ST |
Randall Abshier |
CA |
|
Dexter Jordan Jr. |
MS |
Cory Acton |
FL |
|
Jarred Kelenic |
WI |
Franco Aleman |
FL |
|
Levi Kelly |
FL |
Blaze Alexander |
FL |
|
Adam Kloffenstein |
TX |
Kristofer Armstrong |
FL |
|
Paul Komistek |
TN |
Braxton Ashcraft |
TX |
|
Grant Lavigne |
NH |
Keyshawn Askew |
GA |
|
Matthew Liberatore |
AZ |
Will Banfield |
GA |
|
Yeankrlos Lleras |
PR |
Luke Bartnicki |
GA |
|
David Luethje |
FL |
Austin Becker |
OH |
|
Ty Madden |
TX |
Ian Bedell |
IA |
|
John Malcom |
MI |
Andrew Benefield |
TN |
|
Justyn-Henry Malloy |
NJ |
Bo Blessie |
TX |
|
Parker Meadows |
GA |
Ryan Bliss |
GA |
|
Jake Moberg |
CA |
Brandon Birdsell |
TX |
|
Cole Moore |
TX |
Julian Bosnic |
FL |
|
Hueston Morrill |
FL |
Grant Burton |
CA |
|
Noah Naylor |
CAN |
Bryce Bush |
MI |
|
Brandon Neeck |
NY |
Isaiah Byars |
GA |
|
Nicholas Northcut |
OH |
Elijah Cabell |
FL |
|
Kameron Ojeda |
CA |
Kendrick Calilao |
FL |
|
Connor Pavolony |
GA |
Jack Carey |
NJ |
|
Roberto Pena |
FL |
Triston Casas |
FL |
|
Marcelo Perez |
TX |
Slade Cecconi |
FL |
|
Michael Perez |
CA |
Johnathan Childress |
TX |
|
Jack Perkins |
IN |
Chase Costello |
FL |
|
Dominic Pipkin |
CA |
Ryan Cusick |
MA |
|
Jared Poland |
IN |
Nander De Sedas |
FL |
|
Carter Raffield |
GA |
Nick Decker |
NJ |
|
Tyler Ras |
NJ |
Lency Delgado |
FL |
|
Bryce Reagan |
NH |
Raynel Delgado |
FL |
|
Lyon Richardson |
FL |
Mason Denaburg |
FL |
|
Erick Rivera |
PR |
Chance Denson |
MS |
|
Kumar Rocker |
GA |
Brandon Dieter |
CA |
|
Grayson Rodriguez |
TX |
Xavier Edwards |
FL |
|
Emilio Rosas |
CA |
Austin Elliot |
DE |
|
Alec Sanchez |
FL |
Justin Fields |
GA |
|
Nicholas Schnell |
IN |
Jack Filby |
CA |
|
Christian Scott |
FL |
Lane Flamm |
OH |
|
Connor Scott |
FL |
Jonathan Gates |
FL |
|
Anthony Seigler |
GA |
Mateo Gil |
TX |
|
Kendall Simmons |
GA |
Manny Gonzalez |
PR |
|
Ethan Smith |
TN |
Nolan Gorman |
AZ |
|
Carter Stewart |
FL |
Joe Gray Jr. |
MS |
|
Justin Stewart |
FL |
Ryder Green |
TN |
|
Alek Thomas |
IL |
Jordan Groshans |
TX |
|
Isaiah Thomas |
FL |
Sean Guilbe |
PA |
|
Lineras Torres |
NY |
Steve Hajjar |
MA |
|
Vinny Tosti |
CA |
Seth Halvorsen |
MN |
|
Luca Tresh |
FL |
Ethan Hankins |
GA |
|
Levi Usher |
IA |
Trae Harmon |
KY |
|
Kevin Vargas |
PR |
Ben Harris |
GA |
|
Devin Warner |
GA |
Preston Hartsell |
CA |
|
Hunter Watson |
TX |
Jack Herman |
NJ |
|
Cabrera Weaver |
GA |
Jeffrey Holz |
WI |
|
Austin Wells |
NV |
Brandon Howlett |
FL |
|
Patrick Wicklander |
CA |
Albert Hsiao |
CA |
|
Cole Wilcox |
GA |
Jeremiah Jackson |
AL |
|
Basiel Williams |
LA |
Justin Jarvis |
NC |
|
Chris Willis |
LA |
Osiris Johnson |
CA |
|
Justin Wrobleski |
GA |
Hayden Jones |
IN |
|
|
|