Record Number 823 PG Participants Drafted

Including 36 First Round Picks
How does this happen?

In the past four years 2,129 players who attended Perfect Game events have been selected/drafted by Major League clubs. The numbers at the bottom of this article might be amazing to some people. Major League Scouting Departments and top College Programs caught on several years ago. Perfect Game has more talented players attend their events than all other organizations combined. The proof is always in the results! These days, other organizations seldom claim the number of draft picks that attended their events. It's because they pale in comparison when it comes to the number of outstanding prospects that attend the events.

Don't just believe us. Listen to what the top people in baseball have to say. Here are some questions and answers from previously published interviews with Roy Clark, Dan Jennings, Roger Clemens, Bob Goeghan, coaches and parents of high draft picks... by Patrick Ebert from brewerfan.net.

Roy Clark is the Director of Scouting for the Atlanta Braves. He is recognized as one of the very best in the business in heading a Major League Scouting Department. 13 straight Division Championships prove to be very revealing.

Patrick Ebert: What are some of the things about your job that people may not know about?

Roy Clark: Absolutely the worst thing about this job is the travel and being away from family. I have a wife and three wonderful children, the kids are all active in sports and it's very difficult to up and leave and miss them growing up. We're no different than most working people. In this organization we work 12 months out of the year. We don't take time off whether it's going to Latin America or the Arizona Fall League. We just came back yesterday from the Perfect Game World Showcase down in Ft. Myers (Florida).

Patrick Ebert: Speaking of Perfect Game, what areas do they specifically help you and other scouting directors out there identify and evaluate players?

Roy Clark: Jerry (Ford) and his staff do an outstanding job. We feel that they put on, and it's not even close, the best showcases and tournaments of anybody. They're so well organized. Jerry has tremendous knowledge of scouting. They have a lot of former professional and college baseball people in their organization. Since they put on the best showcases and tournaments, naturally they're going to get the best players. We are pretty much a high school oriented organization, so where the best players go we will be there. We have sometimes up to 10 or 11 scouts covering Perfect Game events. It gives athletes the chance to compete at the highest level of their age group, in a team or showcase format, in some of the best facilities in front of both colleges and scouts. They're (Perfect Game) the best and the top colleges and the highest level scouts know it.

Dan Jennings is Vice President/Director of Player Personnel for the Florida Marlins. Before taking that position he was the Scouting Director for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. With the D'Rays he drafted many players who had attended and he had seen at Perfect Game events. Here is part of his interview with Patrick Ebert.

PE: How valuable are Perfect Game's showcases and tournaments to you?

Dan Jennings (DJ): I can take you back to when Jerry (Ford) started PG, and if you have ever been to any of Perfect Game's events you will see that they run them like a big-league camp. Hands down they have the best showcases and tournaments, period.

Kids from all over the world get tremendous exposure, and they have every opportunity to showcase their tools and all of their skills. We put a lot of value in those events and Perfect Game is like a partner to Major League Scouting Departments and College programs.

They have the experience and know how to evaluate talent. They are real baseball people who do everything they can to help young players.

PE: Much is made of Carl Crawford's emergence during Perfect Game events, and how the Devil Rays plucked him away from a very tough commitment to Nebraska to play football. Can you further explain how the Perfect Game experience helped make your decision to take Crawford so early?

Dan Jennings (DJ): The biggest thing that they (PG) did was to get Carl to a showcase that they hosted in Ft. Myers (Florida) in the winter and a Pre-Draft Camp the next spring. His high school program was poor, and they played against poor competition. However, the fact that Carl Crawford showed up at these events and played against very good competition with a wood bat went a long way in answering questions about how much baseball meant to him and how he looked against the better players in the nation, which eliminated a lot of the guess work.

PE: Were there any other players whose attendance in Perfect Game events affected your decision in a similar fashion?

Dan Jennings (DJ): There have been a lot of them. Rocco Baldelli comes to mind. Some of the answers that Perfect Game was able to provide solidified in my mind that Rocco Baldelli was going to play baseball.

Roger Clemens (Needs no introduction) attended the PG/BA World Championship last fall. His son Koby played with the championship Houston Heat team. Here are some comments by the "Rocket" from a story written by Eddie Williams.

It was October (World Series time) the only person in the Roger Clemens family playing baseball was young Koby Clemens. Roger pitched and the Astros were knocked out of last year's World Series by the Cardinals in St Louis the night before Koby and the Houston Heat played their first round game in the Perfect Game/Baseball America World Wood Bat Championship in Ft Myers, Florida. The 80-team event, featuring almost 1,600 top players from across the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic is the biggest scouting event in amateur baseball.

"Obviously I would love to be pitching (in the World Series) but it didn't work out. We were going to be here regardless," said Clemens. We had this on our schedule and the team (Astros) knew it. Even if the team had advanced, I'd still be here at Perfect Game." Note: Roger Clemens wasn't scheduled to pitch the first two games in Boston.

"The guys they run out there were incredible," Roger Clemens said. "I knew I was going to see some nice players but I was really impressed with this whole tournament. I had heard a lot of good things about Perfect Game and now I see why. They are great for young players and I couldn't believe the number of scouts and college coaches." Note: There were well over 600 scouts and college coaches in attendance.

"I got to see a few old team mates who had kids playing and some who are here with Perfect Game. I remember Ben Ford whose dad runs Perfect Game from being with the Yankees. He is a good kid."
Note: Koby signed with the U of Texas and was recently selected in the 8th round of the MLB draft.

Allan Simpson is the founder and senior editor of Baseball America. He is one of the most respected people in all of baseball. Here's what Simpson had to say in an interview with Patrick Ebert.

PE: How did Baseball America's relationship with Perfect Game USA begin?

Allan Simpson: We were aware what Jerry (Ford) and Andy (Ford) were doing with Perfect Game at a time when showcases were becoming prominent in the 90s. The Area Code Games was the originator of the showcase concept of seeing top players and it was a natural evolution of what the Area Code Games were trying to do that Jerry, Andy, Jason (Gerst) and Tyson (Kimm), and everyone over at Perfect Game, would produce more showcase events.

Our association with Perfect Game was a desire on our part to be a little more pro-active in terms of having a scouting presence with Baseball America. For the most part we have journalists here, and we didn't have a scouting wing that could see and evaluate all the top high school players. We looked closely at the Area Code Games, Team One (Baseball) when they were a little bit more active, and Perfect Game. We just liked the way Perfect Game operated.

They have a great staff of people with lots of professional and college experience. They have the best reputation with professional scouting departments and the top college programs. We came to the realization that we saw more potential with Perfect Game than anybody, and that goes back six or seven years now.

We're not surprised that Perfect Game has evolved into the premier showcase company at this point, because you could see it coming. You could see how they did their events, and the care that they put into them. So we really made an effort to align ourselves with Perfect Game, for them to do the scouting of our high school players, because we were in that business to some degree. We in turn can help them out in a few areas as well, and I think it's been a good partnership.

PE: For people that don't know, could you explain some of the things that Perfect Game USA does for Baseball America specifically, such as providing the scouting reports for your Prospects Plus publication?

Allan Simpson: The partnership we have is through Prospects Plus, trying to identify the top players in the country and provide scouting reports to major league clubs, and probably more than anyone, for colleges that don't get a chance to go to all the different events.

Perfect Game certainly has a number of their own events, and they scout other events as well. If you're a coach on a limited budget and you can maybe go to only two or three events a year, the intent is to do the scouting for the college. If you can't afford a thousand bucks to go out to the Area Code Games or the Perfect Game National you can maybe spend some money on Prospects Plus and let Prospects Plus do the scouting for you.

Bob Geoghan is the President, CEO and founder of Sports America Inc. In addition to holding the McDonald's High School Basketball All Star game televised on ESPN each year. They also started the nationally televised Aflac All American Baseball Classic which has been a huge success. Here is what Mr. Goeghan had to say about Perfect Game. Also included is part of an interview with Dan Sabreen, Public Relations Manager for Sports America.

Bob Goeghan quotes

In two short years, the AFLAC All-American Classic has already staked it's claim in high school baseball as the best national all-star game, gathering the top 40 soon-to-be high school seniors for a week long event that ends with a game that is televised nationally on Fox Sports Net. Perfect Game has joined Sports America, the corporation that produces the event, as the official selection organization.

"Perfect Game is the leading prep baseball scouting organization in the country, and at the forefront of baseball innovation," said Bob Geoghan, President, CEO and founder of Sports America, Inc. "Jerry Ford and his staff have been running the Aflac Classic game week workouts since its inception and have done a terrific job."

"In addition, Perfect Game does an amazing job selecting all the players. They have a tremendous eye for talent, evidenced by the players who have attended the Aflac Classic over the first two years."

"Perfect Game has helped elevate the Aflac Classic to the elite prep baseball event and we look forward to working with their organization each year. We are thrilled to have Perfect Game associated with the Aflac All-American Classic."
Interview with Dan Sabreen

Dan Sabreen quotes

PE: What brought you to getting involved with Perfect Game USA, and was it the decision of Sports America to have Perfect Game USA choose the participants of the AFLAC All-American Classic?

Dan Sabreen: Once the decision was made to do the baseball game, as with any event that we do, we try to align ourselves with the leading organizations in that specific field. Perfect Game was obviously one of the first companies that came to mind as the premier prep scouting service in baseball.

Jerry (Ford) and his staff have really helped elevate the game to the next level, from selecting all the top athletes (for the Aflac game) and also promoting the event through its vast network and resources. Perfect Game has been tremendous to work with, and we look forward to a great partnership moving on throughout the years.

PE: Since you mentioned that branding, how important is it to have Perfect Game USA involved with the selection process year after year?

Dan Sabreen: Perfect Game is the premier prep scouting service, and they are the organization that people associate with youth baseball. They do hundreds of events year-round, they have insight on all the players and they are respected across the country by all Major League Baseball teams and scouting directors. They are equally respected by the top college programs.

Once you mention Perfect Game's name, and Jerry Ford's name, it brings instant credibility to your event. In addition, Baseball America adds the credibility as the top industry-wide publication in the baseball world. Having those two organizations involved with our event is great, and we think it's going to help continue the tremendous success of the game.

Here are parts of an interview Patrick Ebert did with Justin and BJ Upton and their father Manny Upton. BJ was the 2nd pick of the 2002 draft and Justin was recently selected #1, the first pick in the 2005 draft.

The Upton's Perfect Game experience

The need for repetition prompted Manny to pursue the ventures of Perfect Game USA, knowing that both B.J. and Justin would benefit playing with and against the best players in the country. B.J. in particular was helped by the exposure he received by playing in Perfect Game showcases and tournaments.

"Nobody knew about B.J. until he went to a Perfect Game event," Manny said. "For any young player, if they want the exposure, whether you're going to play Division I, Division II, Division III or professional baseball, you have to play against that type of competition. Perfect Game provides that for every player, regardless of where that player is going to end up playing. They were certainly instrumental in helping B.J. get to where he is today."

B.J. echoed that thought: "It played a big part of my career. I think I went to four or five Perfect Game showcases and that pretty much got my name out there. Playing with the caliber of players there: Delmon Young, Zach Greinke, Scott Kazmir (etc.), there are still a lot of guys that I am playing with and against today that I played with and against at Perfect Game events. With all of the scouts and college coaches there it's a great place to be if you want to be exposed."

"When you have that many eyes on you it helps get you ready for what you want to do," B.J. continued. "Every baseball player eventually wants to be in the Major Leagues, to be in the Major Leagues you have to be able to play in front of 50,000 people. You've got to be able to play in Yankee Stadium and Fenway, where the fans are heckling you. Being at Perfect Game at that age is kind of the same thing playing in front of scouts and all of the people that are there."

Justin has been well known for several years now, partially in part to his big brother, but that doesn't mean the Perfect Game experience wasn't beneficial to him as well. "You learn how to play against best competition and you learn how to play in the spotlight," Justin said. Justin has attended six or seven Perfect Game events and PG has ranked him #1 in his class for four years.

Justin's stature as a prospect led him to being selected by Perfect Game to participate in the 2004 AFLAC All-American Classic in Aberdeen, Maryland. The younger Upton was the talk of the event, as he showcased his amazing physical talents. "The game itself was a lot of fun," Justin said. "Hanging out with all of the top players from around the nation was a blast."

While B.J. was playing under the guidance of Lou Piniella with some of the veteran players mentioned above along with young stars such as Carl Crawford, Rocco Baldelli and Scott Kazmir in early August, Justin along with his talented prep teammates were receiving words of wisdom from baseball legend Cal Ripken, Jr. "That was a huge thrill," Justin said of the experience meeting the 'Iron Man' of baseball. "He told us that if you ever get the opportunity to play professionally, you have to keep a cool head because you only get so many chances."

And Justin received the biggest honor of all as part of the festivities at the AFLAC All-American Classic: The Inaugural Jackie Robinson award, presented by both Cal Ripken, Jr., and the widow of Jackie Robinson, Rachael, which according to Justin was, "the biggest highlight I've ever had in my life."

"Of any award that you can receive, that's the best one," the proud father Manny added. "It not only encompasses what they do on the field but what they do off the field as well."

Manny added about the entire experience, "Perfect Game was great for us. It wouldn't have mattered if my kids were going to a Division III college or going pro. They do it the right way, and they treat people fairly."

Here are parts of another Patrick Ebert interview with 2003 1st round pick, 5th overall, Chris Lubanski and his father Wally.

With Delmon Young flashing his bat in Southern California, and both Lastings Milledge and Ryan Harvey showcasing their skills in the sunshine state year-round, Chris Lubanski did it all coming from a small town in Southeast Pennsylvania called Schwenksville. If you're good enough, teams will find you, and certainly showcase events like the ones Perfect Game host go a long way helping young players not only reach their dreams on the collegiate and professional level, but to offer a platform for young players to showcase their skills for other national programs, such as Team USA.

Lubanski benefited from this as well, as his involvement and the exposure he received from Perfect Game showcases allowed him to play for Team USA. His involvement with the USA Baseball program has continued to this day, as Lubanski recently was named to the USA Baseball Board of Directors, joining fellow former USA players and current professionals Huston Street and Mark Prior.

Chris' proud father, Wally Lubanski, enjoyed and appreciated the opportunities Perfect Game USA gave his eldest son, and last year he made sure the next Lubanski in line, 14-year old Mike, attended a Perfect Game event knowing it could only help to get his name out there. While Mike Lubanski doesn't graduate from high school until 2009, he displayed his powerful bat at the Perfect Game Pennsylvania ID Camp in March 2004, and didn't look much like a seventh-grader in the front of dozens observers.

Wally Lubanski quotes

"Perfect Game puts out a great product," Wally said. "They have tons of credibility with everyone involved with amateur and professional baseball: The scouts, coaches, recruiters, families, and the players themselves."

"They have been great to Chris," Wally continued. "I get the impression that they really enjoy what they do and get a lot of satisfaction helping young players. We really value their (Perfect Game's) opinions because they have never steered us wrong. You can't get more down to earth than they are."

Chris Lubanski quotes

PE: How did Perfect Game USA help you as a player and as a person?

Chris Lubanski: Perfect Game helped me out tremendously. They put me on the map when I was 15, 16 years old. It gives players like me from the Northeast, and across the country, the opportunity to show your stuff in front of college coaches and professional scouts.

If it wasn't for Perfect Game, Team USA probably never would have heard of me and I probably would have ended up going to some local university. I tell young people when they ask me what they should do that they have to go to (Perfect Game) showcases. You still have to go there and perform, but Perfect Game gives you that opportunity. I can't thank Perfect Game enough for what they did for me.

Tony Rasmus is the coach of the #1 final ranked high school team in the country Russell County (AL) His son Colby was selected in the first round of the draft this year. Tony's other son's also play for him. Cory is one of the top prospects for next years' draft. Here is a small part of Patrick Ebert's interview with Tony Rasmus.

PE: Since you brought up the importance of exposure to scouts, how valuable are the services, showcases and events that Perfect Game USA hosts, to not only you as a coach, but to the players on your team, including your sons?

Tony Rasmus: I believe it's a huge tool. I told Jerry (Ford) awhile back, "I'm not trying to blow sunshine up your rear-end, but you guys do a great job." If you're a great talent, people are going to try and find you. But they (Perfect Game) provide the venue for these kids to match up against other top players. Every kid likes to think he's a good player, but how do you test yourself? How do you matchup with those good teams? How do you fare against a 95 mile-per-hour heater from someone like (Kyle) Drabek in Texas. Well, you need some kind of venue, and Perfect Game provides that venue.

I can't say enough positives about it, and like I told Jerry, it's not because Perfect Game made Colby Rasmus, Kasey Kiker or Cory Rasmus great players, but boy did they provide a player a place where they can play against other great players and showcase their skills. I have said this to my good friends that I played with in college, I wish we had something like Perfect Game when we were young. We had American Legion baseball and that's it. They provide a service to all of these kids that no one else can match.

There are many other top baseball scouts and executives, recruiters, parents, players, coaches, etc. who echo the comments above. There's a very good reason for the numbers below!

By The Numbers

In 2002 Perfect Game broke the record for all organizations for the most participants drafted with 364 Draft picks.

In 2003 Perfect Game again broke the record when 409 PG participants were drafted by MLB Clubs.

In 2004 Perfect Game once again broke the record when 533 PG participants were drafted by MLB Clubs.

And again this year Perfect Game shattered it's own record when an astounding 823 PG participants were selected in the 2005 MLB draft. For the first time ever, one single organization had ties with well over half of all the players selected in the draft.

Over the four year span Perfect Game has seen 2,129 players drafted who attended Perfect Game events.

In that same four year period, Perfect Game has seen 102 first round picks who had attended PG events. That includes an amazing 36 this year who were selected in the first round and supplemental 1st round.

Add to the above totals over 70 Latin and other Free Agent signings that have come out of Perfect Game events.

Truth is... There is no other organization in all of baseball who can claim even a small fraction of these numbers.

It has been estimated that by year 2008 over half of all the players in the Major Leagues will have attended Perfect Game events.

Here is the break down from the first day of this year's draft

First Round ...........24 had attended a PG event
First 21 picks .........17 had attended a PG event
1st Rd Sup ............12 had attended a PG event
Total 1st rd ...........36 had attended a PG event
Total 2nd rd ..........21 had attended a PG event
2nd rd sup ..............3 had attended a PG event Total
2nd rd ..........24 had attended a PG event
1st 2 rds ................60 had attended a PG event
1st 100 picks .........77 had attended a PG event
1st 5 rds ..............122 had attended a PG event
1st 10 rds ............201 had attended a PG event
1st day 18 rds (560 total players) - 325 have attended a Perfect Game event

Least number of PG participants drafted (9 each in round 48 and 37)
Highest number of PG participants drafted (24 in round 1)

Total PG participants drafted from all 50 rounds - 823
Total PG participants drafted in past 4 years - 2,129

People sometimes think that Perfect Game is only for those prospects who are going into professional baseball. The number of Perfect Game participants who play at the college level is much, much larger than the draft totals.

In the 2004 NCAA DI College World Series, the 8 team rosters included 155 former PG participants. This year the number is even higher at the 2005 College World Series. Many of the top college programs in the country have nearly all former PG participants on their rosters. This includes the two teams playing for the National Championship. Perfect Game also has many players who are continuing their baseball careers at Junior Colleges and other Small Colleges.

Note: Often the PG naysayers get upset when we release these figures. However, they are a very important part of our business. We ask, if anyone else could claim these numbers, would they keep it confidential?

We used to refer to all these draft picks as PG Players. Please everyone, understand that we are not laying claim for these players getting drafted. Our job is to identify talented players, not to develop them, draft them or recruit them. That is why we use the term "attended PG events" rather than "PG Player". We don't deserve any credit for the vast majority of talented players who attend our events and go on to get College Scholarships or become draft picks. We understand that Justin Upton would have been what he is, with or without PG. For the most part, we didn't make them outstanding players. We just were lucky enough to watch them perform.

The credit should go to the many coaches, teams, teammates, instructors, parents and most of all, to the individual players themselves. Many of these players play in excellent summer and fall programs. Some of these draft picks owe a lot to those outstanding high level programs. Without those programs PG would miss a lot of talented players.

Last, but not least, people should really appreciate those who are involved in scouting for Major League Clubs and the many college coaches who scout and recruit hard. Without these people, we would all be wasting our time.

MLB Scouts and College Coaches are the most important people in this whole process. They are the people who make the most important decisions! Lucky for us is that they follow what we do very closely, whether they actually attend the events or not.

We work very hard and we are very lucky!

We fully expect the record numbers to keep climbing!