2016 Perfect Game/Rawlings Finest in the Field: Class of 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020
Also see: Golden glove, great gifts
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Nick Allen has been garnering accolades for his play on the field for quite some time. Now 18 years of age, Allen started attending Perfect Game events in the fall of 2012 at the age of 13, before he had even entered high school, and will wrap up his prep career not only as a PG All-American but as the 2016 Perfect Game/Rawlings ‘Finest in the Field’ Defensive Player of the Year.
The honor could just as easily be a lifetime achievement award. Allen was named to six PG all-tournament teams and garnered Most Valuable Player honors at two different tournaments: The 2014 California Underclass World Series and the 2015 PG/EvoShield Upperclass National Championship. The one in California was of particular mention as he received the honor on the strength of his defense, not his offensive contributions, the first time that had happened in recent memory at a Perfect Game tournament event.
Despite a smaller stature (5-foot-9 and around 150-pounds) Allen’s tools play up given his incredible feel for the game. At the 2016 National Showcase last June in Fort Myers, Fla., Allen ran a 6.73-second 60-yard dash and threw 91 mph across the infield. He has continued to add strength and has enough patience, bat speed and bat-to-ball skills to be a productive on-base threat near the top of a batting order.
“Nick has all the tools required to be a future big league middle-infielder. Every once in a while we see someone that simply has a better feel for the game than others and that's what Nick Allen has; his instincts really stand out,” said Perfect Game President and Founder Jerry Ford of Allen’s unique talents. “He is a true baseball player with rare defensive skills. We have seen some of the very best major league shortstops while they were in high school; (Carlos) Correa, (Francisco) Lindor, (Corey) Seager, (Addison) Russell, (J.J.) Hardy, just to name a few, (but) Nick might be the best defensive middle-infielder we've seen in over 20 years.”
Allen has been a mainstay of the successful CBA Marucci program, based out of Southern California, for quite some time. He has been a part of four PG tournament championship teams with CBA and has played in countless bracket-play games. In addition to the tournaments listed above where Allen was named MVP, CBA also won the 2014 16u PG/MLK Championship and the 2015 17u WWBA National Championship.
The 17u WWBA National Championship is the one even the CBA coaches would point to as the program's crowning achievement, and Allen did it all on the fields of LakePoint in Cartersville, Ga., during the event, hitting .286 with a .429 on-base percentage, scoring eight runs and stealing nine bases while displaying his usually spectacular defense.
“You can’t control everything at the plate but when you’re in the field you just try to do the best you can, and that’s where I really put my focus,” Allen told Perfect Game’s Jeff Dahn at 2015 Perfect Game Underclass All-American Games in San Diego. “If I’m not hitting, I’ll just go out and play the best defense that I possibly can and keep myself going, so when I get the next chance to go out and hit I’ll hopefully do well there.”
Following his performance at the PG National Showcase, Allen was selected to participate at the 2016 Perfect Game All-American Classic at Petco Park in his hometown of San Diego. In the first inning he made an incredible diving stab of a ball hit deep to the hole and quickly jumped to his feet and delivered a strike to first base to throw the runner out. He also was part of the second out of that first inning, delivering yet another strong throw, this time to home plate, on an attempted double steal to nail the runner and keep the East squad off the board.
Serving as the leadoff hitter for the West squad, Allen finished 2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI in a 13-0 route of the East. He also was named the Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year at the Classic's annual Awards Banquet.
If you visit Allen’s Trophy Room on his player profile page you get a sense for just how talented he is on the baseball field. Read some of the related articles, especially from the daily recaps at the tournament events he has attended, and you will find some common themes.
Many of those themes have to do with the creativity in which he plays and the imagination and instincts that he uses on the field defensively. His size has drawn comparisons to players including Dustin Pedroia and David Eckstein, while Allen himself says he has looked up to Khalil Greene and Derek Jeter while growing up. His impact on the field at the high school level may be most similar to that of another Southern California native, Ozzie Smith, who was inducted into the MLB Hall of Fame almost entirely based on his defensive talents.
“I take a lot of pride in doing (everything) well,” Allen also told PG’s Dahn. “I know that I’ve been recognized for my defense but I’ve really worked hard in all aspects of my game. Even with my base-running, I really try to work on that a lot and I try to show my speed as much as I can. It’s really about working hard and practicing a lot and putting the time in.”
Regardless of the comparisons people may choose to use to help paint a picture of this truly unique talent, the fact remains that every time Nick Allen steps onto a baseball field he dazzles onlookers with an amazing defensive play. He helps his teams win, on both sides of the ball, and as a result he was an easy choice for the 2016 Perfect Game/Rawlings ‘Finest in the Field’ Defensive Player of the Year.