THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
All American Game  | Story | 6/9/2016

Phillies snag Moniak at No. 1

Photo: Perfect Game



Rady visit reveals real heroes
Perfect Game 2016 MLB Draft Preview Index

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – At an MLB First-Year Player Draft lacking a consensus No. 1 overall pick going in, the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday decided to go with young and burgeoning star power and used the top pick to select San Diego-area high school outfield prospect Mickey Moniak.

Moniak, a recent graduate of La Costa Canyon High School who calls Encinitas, Calif., home and celebrated his 18th birthday May 13, is the third San Diego-area prospect taken 1-1 (first pick-first round) in the MLB Amateur Draft since 2009, and the fourth from Southern California. San Diego natives Stephen Strasburg (Washington Nationals) and Brady Aiken (Houston Astros) were the top picks in 2009 and 2014, respectively; Newport Beach, Calif., native Gerrit Cole went No. 1 overall to the Pittsburgh Pirates in 2011.

"It's insane," Moniak told MLB Network in the moments after he was announced as the No. 1 pick. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to be picked by the Philies. I'm excited to hopefully prove the Phillies right and be honored as this No. 1 pai

The selection marks the 13th time in the last 14 years a former Perfect Game prospect has been chosen No. 1 overall, dating back to Delmon Young in 2003 (Tampa Bay Devil Rays). Moniak becomes the eighth alumnus of the PG All-American Classic and the sixth alumnus of the PG National Showcase taken with the draft’s top pick.

He joins Matt Bush (San Diego Padres, 2004), Justin Upton (Arizona Diamondbacks, 2005), Tim Beckham (Tampa Bay Rays, 2008), Bryce Harper (Washington Nationals, 2010), Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh Pirates, 2011), Carlos Correa (Houston Astros, 2012) and Brady Aiken (Houston Astros, 2014) as former PG All-Americans selected No. 1 pick.

His selection at 1-1 didn’t surprise everyone, of course. In a draft breakdown written by former MLB general manager Jim Duquette and published on MLB.com June 7, it was stated: “Moniak is a two-way player who has the approach to be an above-average hitter and plus-defender in the majors. He as excellent baseball IQ and plays hard. Moniak shows the maturity to handle the additional pressure of being the No. 1 selection.”

A 6-foot-2, 190-pound primary centerfielder with a 90 mph outfield arm and 6.5-second speed in the 60-yard dash, Moniak is a veteran of 18 Perfect Game events, including appearances that produced perfect 10.0 PG Player Grades at both the 2015 PG National Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla., and the 2015 PG All-American Classic in San Diego.

He was named to the Top Prospect List at the 2013 Sunshine West Showcase, his first PG event. He was also named to the TPL at the 2014 PG Underclass All-American Games and the 2015 PG National, and received all-tournament team recognition at five PG WWBA events, all while playing with the prestigious San Diego Show organization.

Moniak, ranked the No. 6 overall prospect in the national class of 2016 and a UCLA signee, enjoyed a terrific senior season at La Costa Canyon HS, one that ended for the Mavericks with a 23-7 record after a pair of losses at the CIF San Diego Section Division-I playoffs. Moniak slashed .476/.540/.942 and counted seven home runs, 12 triples and four doubles among his 50 hits; he drove in 46 runs, scored 40 and stole 11 bases.

In total, 74 of the 77 (96 percent) players selected on the first day of the 2016 MLB Draft (top two rounds) had previously attended a Perfect Game event. 15 Perfect Game All-Americans were selected in the first round of the draft, 11 of which participated in the 2015 Classic. Twenty-four total PG All-Americans were taken on the first day of the draft, 15 of which played in 2015. In addition, 21 of the first-round picks had previously attended a PG National Showcase, with 19 more National alumni being taken in round two.

Here are all of the former PG All-Americans (24) that were selected on the first day of the 2016 MLB Draft:

Rd. Pick Player Team Year*
1 1 Mickey Moniak Philadelphia Phillies 2015
1 3 Ian Anderson Atlanta Braves 2015
1 6 A.J. Puk Oakland Athletics 2012
1 7 Braxton Garrett Miami Marlins 2015
1 9 Matt Manning Detroit Tigers 2015
1 10 Zack Collins Chicago White Sox 2012
1 12 Jason Groome Boston Red Sox 2015
1 13 Joshua Lowe Tampa Bay Rays 2015
1 15 Alex Kirilloff Minnesota Twins 2015
1 18 Blake Rutherford New York Yankees 2015
1 20 Gavin Lux Los Angeles Dodgers 2015
1 30 Cole Ragans Texas Rangers 2015
1S 36 Jordan Sheffield Los Angeles Dodgers 2012
1S 38 Robert Tyler Colorado Rockies 2012
1S 41 Nick Lodolo Pittsburgh Pirates 2015
2 42 Kevin Gowdy Philadelphia Phillies 2015
2 43 Chris Okey Cincinnati Reds 2012
2 50 Joe Rizzo Seattle Mariners 2015
2 53 Ryan Boldt Tampa Bay Rays 2012
2 55 Nolan Jones Cleveland Indians 2015
2 56 Ben Rortvedt Minnesota Twins 2015
2 58 Sheldon Neuse Washington Nationals 2012
2S 71 Reggie Lawson San Diego Padres 2015
2S 75 Mario Feliciano Milwaukee Brewers 2015

Fourteen more PG All-Americans were drafted on the second day of the 2016 MLB Draft (rounds 3-10):

Rd. Pick Player Team Year*
3 78 Cole Stobbe Philadelphia Phillies 2015
3 85 Mason Thompson San Diego Padres 2015
3 96 Nonie Williams Los Angeles Angels 2015
3 103 Khalil Lee Kansas City Royals 2015
4 124 Nick Banks Washington Nationals 2012
4 131 D.J. Peters Los Angeles Dodgers 2013
4 136 Jeremy Martinez St. Louis Cardinals 2012
5 151 Alexis Torres Baltimore Orioles 2015
5 161 Devin Smeltzer Los Angeles Dodgers 2013
5 162 Cavan Biggio Toronto Blue Jays 2012
5 166 Walker Robbins St. Louis Cardinals 2015
6 176 Luis Curbelo Chicago White Sox 2015
8 231 Francisco Thomas Milwaukee Brewers 2015
9 267 Jason Goldstein Seattle Mariners 2011

Nineteen PG All-Americans were drafted on the third and final day (rounds 11-40) of the 2016 MLB Draft, bringing the total to 57.

Rd. Pick Player Team Year*
11 328 Nicholas Quintana Boston Red Sox 2015
17 498 Mitchell Traver Cincinnati Reds 2011
20 595 Clate Schmidt Detroit Tigers 2011
20 602 Ben Baird Cleveland Indians 2015
20 610 Carlos Cortes New York Yankees 2015
26 783 Greg Deichmann Minnesota Twins 2013
26 787 Avery Tuck Houston Astros 2015
27 798 Dion Henderson Cincinnati Reds 2015
28 829 Nick Shumpert Atlanta Braves 2014
28 846 David Hamilton Los Angeles Angels 2015
30 898 Tyler Fitzgerald Boston Red Sox 2015
32 958 Jeff Belge Boston Red Sox 2015
33 992 Blake Sabol Cleveland Indians 2015
35 1058 Zachary Hess New York Yankees 2015
36 1075 Drew Mendoza Detroit Tigers 2015
36 1076 Reese Cooley Chicago White Sox 2013
37 1110 Ryan Zeferjahn Tampa Bay Rays 2015
38 1138 Austin Bergner Boston Red Sox 2015
40 1203 T.J. Collett Minnesota Twins 2015

*Indicates year player participated in the PG All-American Classic



All American Game | Story | 9/15/2025

PG Athletes Raise Money For Charity

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME ATHLETES RAISE MORE THAN $130,000   FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITIES THROUGHOUT AUGUST    Sanford, Florida (Monday, September 15, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that its athletes raised a combined $130,195 for children’s charities during its August 2025 showcase events throughout the country.    The fundraising efforts took place at Perfect Game’s Select Festivals and the DICK’S All-American Classic, with each age group rallying behind a cause that supports children in need. The 11U and 12U Select Fests each benefited Elite Development Academy out...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
Article Image
Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
Article Image
Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
Loading more articles...