The sun had barely set on the 2007 draft, but the Atlanta Braves scouting staff was there in full force a week later at the University of Cincinnati for Perfect Game’s National Showcase—unofficially the first event of the 2008 scouting season. Braves scouting director Roy Clark said, “The last thing I wanted to do was put our guys through 16-hour days in 95 degree heat so soon after the draft, but this event is invaluable to how we approach the draft as an organization. It brings all the best kids together and gives us a chance to identify who we want to bear down on the rest of the summer. We do the screening process here. In weeks to come, our guys will know exactly who to bear down on.”

More than 200 of the nation’s top rising high school seniors were on hand for the three-day event, staged June 15-17 at the University of Cincinnati’s Marge Schott Stadium. Also on hand were more than 300 scouts and college recruiters, including 11 Braves scouts.“This showcase is the best of all the summer showcases because almost all the top kids are here,” Clark said. “You don’t get that at the East Coast Pro Showcase or the Area Code Games later in the summer. A lot of the top kids don’t go to those events. Besides, this time of year is good because most of these kids are fresh. You get to see them at their best.”

Often the best measuring stick of the talent in attendance at showcase events is the number of pitchers who throw at 90 mph, or better. Among the 127pitchers who worked at the PG National, 101 (or 79.5 percent) were clocked at that velocity. That compares favorably to the 2006 PG National, which went on to produce six first-round pitchers in this year’s draft. Another measuring stick is speed, 21 players were clocked under 6.60 seconds in the 60-yard dash, led by Georgia’s Xavier Avery (6.17), Joseph Austin (6.20), and Tim Beckham (6.33).