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All American Game  | Story | 9/8/2025

Big-league wisdom is served at PGAAC

Photo: Mike Sweeney (Perfect Game)
Big-league wisdom is served at PGAAC

SAN DIEGO – For Denard Span, it was a full-circle moment.

Before serving as a coach at the DICK’s Perfect Game All-American Classic last month, he had not participated in a PG event in 24 years, since he attended a showcase at Tropicana Field as a high school prospect from Tampa Catholic in 2001.



Back then, Span shared a field with future major-league talents Prince Fielder, B.J. Upton, Scott Kazmir and Zack Greinke.

Now, he was at Petco Park working with young phenoms such as Grady Emerson, Jacob Lombard, Malachi Washington and Aiden Ruiz.

“I’m amazed at what PG is doing here, amazed at how the whole operation has grown,” Span said after watching batting practice. “The talent here is incredible. These kids have it all. I’ve been away from the amateur game for a little bit so to come back and see the size of these young guys, the speed, the arm strength, the explosiveness, the athleticism, the ability to hit for power.

“They’re way more advanced than me 20-plus years ago. They’re on another level. These guys are low-key professionals already at 17 and 18 years old.”

Perfect Game brought its top 62 rated players, all 2026 draft eligibles, to San Diego for its 23rd annual Classic.

The guest list also included an All-Star roster of coaches, instructors and ambassadors, guys who had enjoyed successful major-league careers and were eager to help a new generation of talent follow its dreams. Hall of Famer Trevor Hoffman managed the West club. Former World Series champ Ryan Klesko managed the East club. The West squad won the game, but competition was only part of the event. https://www.perfectgame.org/Articles/View.aspx?article=23834&src=hmrep

Hitters benefitted from coaching tips provided by former American League MVP Mo Vaughn and All-Stars Mike Sweeney, Phil Nevin and Mark Loretta, as well as Jason Phillips and Span, a 2002 first-round draft pick who played 11 seasons in the majors. Pitchers were able to tap into the experiences of former All-Star Tom Gordon, 20-game winner Scott Erickson and longtime big-league reliever Todd Coffey.

Sweeney and Nevin were both in uniform for the first time at a PG event. Sweeney works in leadership development for the Kansas City Royals. Nevin works in player development and scouting for the Chicago White Sox. Both were impressed by the talent at the PGAAC.

“You see kids coming into minor-league baseball out of high school at such a young age and yet they’re so developed,” Sweeney said. “You think, ‘Man, how are these kids getting so big and so strong and so athletic so quickly?’ With PG, you get a taste of it right here. These kids are just starting their senior years in high school and they’re hitting the ball like big-leaguers. It’s incredible. The bodies, the skill sets, the bat to ball. PG is putting on a show.”

During batting practice, Sweeney enjoyed talking hitting with infielder Trey Ebel of Rancho Cucamonga, California.

“We talked about some of the life lessons I learned in the cage after games in Wilmington, Delaware, trying to figure it out till 1 in the morning,” Sweeney said. “Back then I was thinking, ‘Am I ever going to get out of A ball?’ Then you figure something out with your swing and you’re like, ‘Oh, this is a little golden nugget that no one ever told me.’ I got to share those golden nuggets with Trey and he’s taking it to the cage to see if it works for him. It’s great to share little nuggets with these guys.”

Nevin was the first overall pick in the 1992 draft out of Cal State Fullerton. He struggled to reach his potential early in his career before becoming one of the game’s top run producers with the San Diego Padres in the early 2000s. Later on, Nevin coached in the majors with the San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels. He also managed the Angels. Clearly, he had a wealth of experience to share with the young players.

“Listen,” Nevin said when asked what advice he was most eager to share with players. “Use all the resources around you. It took me a while to realize that people were always there to try to help me. Thankfully, I got another chance to apply those teachings and learnings throughout my career and was able to put together some good years at the end, but it certainly didn’t start off right away like that for me. I wouldn’t want to see these kids not take advantage of the situation and be at their best when they should be.”

Nevin also addressed work habits with players.

“Make sure every rep you take, every swing you take, every throw you make is done with meaning and the purpose of getting better every day,” he said.

And on top of everything …

“Keep it fun,” he said.

That wasn’t a problem for the 62 young men in San Diego. Hoffman, who has a long affiliation with PG, both as an investor and Honorary Chairman of the Classic, renewed a tradition he started years ago when he invited all the players to his beach house for a couple of hours of fun in the sun. Players swam, surfed, tossed footballs and enjoyed a catered lunch from Hodad’s, the famous San Diego burger spot.

“Kids are coming from all over the country for this event, which is great,” Hoffman said. “They all bring a different experience to San Diego. And, so, it’s an opportunity for them to see something that I truly cherish and that’s living close to the water. To be able to give them that opportunity on a mid-summer August day to take their minds off the stresses that surrounds this game, even at their level -- I like to be able to do that.”

The memories stay with the young players forever. Years after participating in the 2015 PGAAC, major leaguer Josh Naylor approached Hoffman at Petco Park and said, “Hey, Mr. Hoffman, I had a blast at your house.”

Back at the ballpark, players ate up advice like they ate up those burgers at Trevor Hoffman’s beach house.

“Stay disciplined, be consistent and have the heart and the grit and the ability to persevere,” Span said. “It’s a difficult game. It can tear you down at times. But if you stay disciplined to the work and stay disciplined to your craft and keep your nose clean, I believe you will put yourself in a position to be successful.”

All American Game | Story | 9/15/2025

PG Athletes Raise Money For Charity

Perfect Game Staff
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    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

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Steve Fiorindo
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Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

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Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

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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

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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

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AJ Denny
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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

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John McAdams
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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
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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

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Tyler Russo
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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...
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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...
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