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High School  | Rankings | 9/20/2007

PG Blowing Off Some Steam!

Perfect Game Staff
First of all let me qualify that some of this doesn’t necessarily pertain to only Perfect Game.

Nearly every day we hear from parents all over the country. Whenever the rankings are updated we get inundated with calls and emails from less than happy parents. We field many questions about the value of showcases, rankings, tournaments, etc. Often we get contacted about new information regarding players who we have never seen.

Following are a few examples and thoughts from our side of the fence.

We recently received an email from a parent making a case for their son. “Why is he ranked so low? Here is some added information that you guys should know about. This past spring (our son) pitched against so and so. He pitched all 7 innings, gave up 3 hits, 1 walk and struck out 9. This was against one of the top teams in our area and I see there is a player on that team that you have ranked higher than my son! My son struck him out and didn’t give up a hit to him. You guys need to do a better job.”

Our side of things: On any given day in America there are thousands of kids who pitched a great game. There are even more kids who played a great game. I can’t even imagine how many times a pitcher gets a good hitter out. These things mean much more to the kids parent than they mean to the rest of the baseball world.

Here’s another thing we hear quite often…

“My son does not need to go to showcases or high level tournaments because everyone already knows how good he is. The best players do not need to go to showcase events or these big tournaments.”

Our side of things: Guess it’s true that some players are so well known and scouted that they don’t need to do anything. However, the fact is that nearly every high draft pick and a very large number of those who are Major League players did in fact go to the showcase events and the most scouted tournaments. David Wright, Prince Fielder, Alex Rodriguez, Scott Kazmir, the list goes on forever of those who did attend the top showcases and played in the top tournaments.

That said, the question remains… Did they need to do that? We don’t have any way of knowing the answer to that question. We only know that they did and we also know what happened after that. We can say that none of these events helped them, but that just wouldn’t be true. We actually know that attending these events led to answering big questions that every scout might have about a player. How do they perform on a bigger stage against the best competition? Geez, what scout would care about that? How do they act when they’re just another player rather than the local hero? What scout would want to know that? How consistent are they in their actions and performance? Think any scout would care about that? How do they react to failure? Surely scouts don’t need to know that? There is a lot that goes into a player’s evaluation besides the normal tearing up the local high school scene.

Does any of this mean a player who does not showcase or play in high level tournaments will fail? Of course not, but it does say a lot about who is most likely to succeed at the highest levels.

Back to the rankings…

Some say the rankings mean nothing and to a certain extent they might be correct. Because in the very end the rankings don’t really mean much to anyone other than us. However before reaching that very end they are extremely important. We can go on record as saying that if a player is one of the top 200-300 prospects in the country, there is a more than 99% chance we know about him and have him ranked. The past track record proves the above statement correct.

Of course, we are not perfect and have under rated or over rated some players over the years. Here is what is important… If we think a player is one of the top prospects then the entire baseball scouting and recruiting community also will know it. This in itself does not guarantee high draft picks or highest level DI scholarships, but it does guarantee that the ranked player will be followed closely. We rank them and then others determine the players’ value to their organization or program. The reason our rankings are followed so closely is because of an outstanding track record of being extremely accurate. Once again, not perfect, but about as good as it gets.

So in the end, being a low ranked or unranked player doesn’t mean that player will have no options. Being a ranked player just means there are likely to be many more options.

It amazes us how sometimes a parent will make comments like…

“My son being ranked (#500 or you pick the number) is outrageous. He should be at least ranked (#100 or you pick the number). If this wasn’t so serious it would be funny. It’s amazing how sometimes a dad or mom can be more accurate on the rankings than we are. Guess it’s not really important whether they actually see all these players. They don’t even know who all the players are, but they do know their son should be ranked ahead of them. We spend endless hours, days, weeks, years, doing this and someone’s mom has more accurate rankings.

We do understand what causes this phenomena, it might be called “selective” reasoning. You see, we don’t really care about one player more than another. We only think in terms of how players rank, not how my son ranks. There are a lot of players out there. We have hundreds of people trying to find the best ones every year and we still miss a few. It’s odd that there are parents who haven’t missed a one of them and know exactly where their son ranks on the national list.

One last thing, for now…

In June we came out with our player rankings. Just last week we updated and expanded that list. Over 300 new players were added. Well when the new rankings came out we once again started getting the emails. “How can you drop my son that far? He has done very well all summer! What has he done to deserve this?”

Our side of things…

We didn’t stand around doing nothing for the past three months. We have seen some 30,000 players from coast to coast, Canada and Latin America. If your son moved down 50 spots, it might be because 50 of those 30,000 players were placed in front of him in the rankings. Also there are players who move up on the list based on their ability. Ability that was observed since the last rankings. So usually it’s not a case of a player moving down. It’s a case of other players moving up or being discovered.

Here are examples…

Our present #3 ranked player in the 08 class wasn’t ranked very high before June. So the player ranked #200 or lower in June automatically moves to #201 or lower. Our present #10 ranked player was ranked in the 500s before last June. He is a 6’7 pitcher who throws in the mid 90s with a tremendous slider. He could be considered a probable first round pick. So now the player mentioned moving to #201, moves to #202. Player #22 in our new rankings wasn’t even on our list in June, so now #202 moves to #203. We didn’t know back in June that present #65 would throw 93 with a great breaking ball at East Coast Pro, but we do now and so player at #203 goes to #204. Players at #71, #77, #92, #122, #135, #171, #175, #184, #189, are all new to the list, so that moves #204 down to #213. Then there were some 25 players who moved up into the top 200 based on what we saw over the past three months. So now the player (just an example rather than actually that player) that was formerly #200 on the old list is now #238 on the new list.

Did we think any less of his ability? Not at all, we think about the same regarding his ability and that is, he is very talented. He didn’t move down in our opinion, he just changed numbers. And after all that, we might be wrong and he might end up being drafted before a lot of those we have in front of him. In some ways, 200, 300, 400, 500 are all so close to the same in our mind. It’s just someone has to be 200 and someone has to be 500, we just don’t have any personal feelings involved and put them where we think they belong.

There are many other things we could mention, but we will save that for another time. It should be said, that we surely do understand that parents are more interested in just one player than we are. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it should be!

Thanks for reading this, if you actually got this far. Just thought it might give a little perspective to our side of things.
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High School | General | 7/1/2026

PG High School All-Americans
Tyler Russo
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High School Top 50: Final Update With the High School season all wrapped up, today we take a look at our First, Second and Third Team All-Americans from around the country. Below you'll find three teams with stats that seem otherworldly from players who'll likely hear their names called in the coming week's MLB Draft. Within the "Notable Stats" section you'll see the individual award winners as well. First Team All-American Pos.  Name Class School State Commitment Notable Stats C Cole Prosek 2026 Magnolia Heights MS Ole Miss .595 BA, 18 HR, 79 RBI 1B Will Adams 2026 Hoover AL LSU .489, 13 HR, 52 RBI IF James Tronstein 2026 Harvard-Westlake CA Vanderbilt .531, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 21 XBH IF Grady Emerson 2026 Fort Worth Christian TX Texas .508, 8 HR, 56 RBI, 34/35 SB, National POY IF Jacob Lombard 2026 Gulliver Schools FL Miami .477, 10 HR, 52 R, 42 H, 14 SB OF Martin Shelar 2026 Marist GA...
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All American Game | Story | 7/3/2026

Initial 2026 All Star Game Roster Reveal

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We are excited to announce the first selections for the 2026 PG All Star Game from both the Perfect Game Junior and Sophomore National Showcases. The PG All Star Game will be held on Friday, August 14th at Citizens Bank Ballpark, the home of the Philadelphia Phillies, and will feature roughly 40 of the top players, predominately from the 2028 class with a few of the very best 2029s also selected. A watchlist has been created from the Junior National Showcase and another group of players will be selected from that showcase towards the end of July as we continue to evaluate players at the major Perfect Game tournaments this summer. The final wave of selections we be made at the PG Underclass All American Games August 5-7 at the UCSD in San Diego, CA. PG Underclass All American Games   Junior National Selections Dexter McCleon Jr. OF Suwanee, GA USA Prime Cullen Scott RHP/3B Melissa,...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/2/2026

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Alyssa Golden
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More than 30 teams from the 14U-18U age divisions will head to Fort Myers, Florida this Fourth of July weekend for the seventh annual Perfect Game Freedom Classic. The tournament, running July 3-6, features several nationally ranked prospects from across the country as teams look to compete for a championship. Headlining the field are twin brothers Derek and Ryan Yormark of Merrick, New York. Right-handed pitcher Derek Yormack is the No. 51-ranked player in the class of 2027, the No. 1 player in New York and the No. 5-ranked right-handed pitcher in the country. First baseman Ryan Yormark comes in just behind his twin brother as the No. 3 overall player in New York, the No. 5 first baseman in the nation and the No. 90-ranked player nationally. Both brothers are committed to Vanderbilt. Derek Yormark has established himself as one of the top two-way prospects in the 2027 class. He has run...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/2/2026

14u West World Series Scout Notes

Quinton Hall
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Asher Contreras (2030 | Las Vegas, NV) The 5-foot-10, 170-pound right-handed hitter and outfielder was one of the most dangerous hitters in the tournament for Wow Factor Nv 2030, stuffing the stat sheet while displaying an impressive combination of power and speed. He finished the weekend with 9 hits, including two doubles and a home run, while driving in seven runs and scoring five more. He also swiped three bases and worked three walks, consistently putting pressure on opposing defenses while showing feel for the zone with just one strikeout all weekend. His ability to hit for extra bases while also creating offense on the bases made him one of the most impactful offensive performers at the event.    Braylen Silva (‘30 | NV) RBI 2B for GBG Vegas 14u Red. Direct path, quick trigger, & barrel feel. Solid 2-hole stick creating offense all day #14UWestWS...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/1/2026

16u Elite Scout Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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16u Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2  ‘28 AJ Bonnette (TX) with 7 Ks thru 4 IP thus far, living 89-91 w/ heavy traits. Filling up all four quads & attacking hitters early in counts. Mixing a slurvy breaker & turning the CHG over well. @PG_Uncommitted #NatElite @Texas_PG pic.twitter.com/oz2XXoKHvt — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 30, 2026 Aj Bonnette (2028, Keller, Texas) showed out on both sides of the ball at the National Elite Championship, but really stood out on the mound Tuesday. He toed the rubber in round two of the playoffs, proceeding to toss six innings with eight punchouts and zero earned runs allowed. The 6-foot southpaw filled up all four quadrants of the strike zone, attacking hitters early and often with his fastball. The heater lived in the 88-91 mph range with heavy traits, often setting up his slurvy breaking ball. Bonnette showed good feel...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/1/2026

Performance Baseball Rolls On

Kinley Kitchens
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Championship teams often reveal themselves when the game isn’t going their way. Performance Baseball 2028/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team did exactly that. Trailing Florida Burn 2028 Scout through four innings, the Brewers refused to panic. Instead, they relied on timely hitting, consistent pitching, and an unselfish approach at the plate, rallying a five-run fifth inning before pulling away for a 9-5 victory to clinch their spot in the semifinals. The comeback was fueled by contributions throughout the lineup. Six different players drove in runs, including two RBIs each from Aiden Capobianco and Cameron Massey, while Matthew Heredia, Parker Weston, Ethan Smith, and Aj Bonnette each added an RBI of their own. On the mound, Derek Wenzel set the tone with 3.2 solid innings before Ethan Smith shut the door in relief, helping preserve the comeback victory. Although the Brewers have had a...
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Tournaments | Championship | 7/1/2026

JK Select Hawaii Tackles 14u West WS

Emily Hicks
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JK Select Hawaii capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating GBG Vegas 14u Red14-4 in the championship game on Sunday at Goodyear Ballpark, claiming the 14u West World Series title. From the opening pitch, JK Select controlled the pace of the game. The offense jumped out early, scoring 6 runs in the 1st inning after timely hits from MVP Sean Shindo and Kade Manarpaac. The early lead gave the pitching staff confidence as they worked efficiently through the opposing lineup. “I've worked hard to get better at my game for the past few months; it means a lot that I did well and performed in a tournament like this” said Shindo. Starting pitcher Maddox Prones turned in a strong performance, allowing 3 runs while striking out 5 batters over 3 innings. The defense backed the effort with great plays in the middle infield, preventing GBG Vegas from building momentum....
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Tournaments | Story | 7/1/2026

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Kinley Kitchens
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On the second day of the 2026 Perfect Game National Elite Championship, one swing turned heads across the ballpark. The next one brought everyone to a stop. With Wow Factor Nation 16U trailing midway through its matchup against Sandlot Scout Team 2028, Micheal O'Connor launched a solo home run to spark the offense. Just one batter later, Aaron Frink stepped into the box and sent another ball over the fence, delivering back-to-back home runs that quickly became one of the most talked about moments of the tournament’s opening days. Parents gathered along the nets, players from previous games stopped to watch, and college scouts turned their attention toward the action as the two towering swings energized the crowd and brought new life to the game. Although Wow Factor Nation ultimately lost 5-3 after a hard-fought performance, the back-to-back home runs served as a reminder of the...
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Will Dembo
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Following a jam-packed week of entertainment at the 17u WWBA Championships, the top nationally ranked program, USA Prime 17u National/Detroit Tigers Scout Team, faced off against Stacked Baseball 17u (No. 80 nationally) in the highly anticipated championship matchup as both teams looked to earn one of the most prestigious titles in all of travel baseball. Each talented squad entered the finale undefeated, but Stacked Baseball continued their dominance throughout the tournament, defeating the Detroit Tigers Scout Team 10-2 in mercy rule fashion to become national champions behind explosive bats and impressive pitching. Stacked Baseball was the overwhelming top team throughout the week as the WWBA Champions outscored opponents by an absurd 117-12 during their 11-0 run. “We got some talented kids, but we played against a little bit of Goliath over there,” Stacked Head Coach Mike...
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Tournaments | Story | 6/30/2026

17u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 7

Perfect Game Staff
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17u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4  Day 5 | Day 6 Shea Corona (2027, Brooklyn, N.Y.) showcased some loud stuff out of the bullpen for MLB Breakthrough Series 2027. The New York native and primary shortstop topped out at 93 with the fastball, sitting comfortable in the 90-92 range. Corona paired it with a sharp and tight slider at 81-83, staying on the same plane until late. The pitch plays well already and the delivery is very athletic. The uncommitted right-hander went three scoreless and was in the zone plenty, striking out two while not allowing a walk. '27 SS Moises Gudino (FL) continues to stay red hot, working a long AB & cracking an oppo 2B on the 8th pitch. Really seeing ing well. #WWBA @Florida_PG https://t.co/OjNJ8Bmzao pic.twitter.com/WoDDp35EI1 — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 30, 2026 Moises Gudino (2027, Tampa, Fla.)...
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