THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Minors  | General | 12/14/2015

PG in the Pros: NL West

David Rawnsley
Photo: Perfect Game

As part of Perfect Game's recurring 'Before They Were Pros' series David Rawnsley will take a look at some of the top prospects in minor league baseball and their impact on the sport prior to their professional careers. This will be done in a six-part series, one feature for each division in Major League Baseball while identifying one of the top prospects for each team. Links are provided below to past installments of the 'Before They Were Pros' series for other reports on prospects, both past and present.


Arizona Diamondbacks

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Archie Bradley, Chris Owings, Stryker Trahan
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Braden Shipley, Aaron Blair, Brandon Drury

Pete O'Brien, OF/C

O'Brien grew up in the Miami area and went to two Perfect Game showcases while in high school, the 2007 Sunshine East Showcase and the 2008 World Showcase. He received an 8.5 PG grade at both events. O'Brien was a power/power prospect with an extra strong and chiseled build. He threw up to 81 mph from behind the plate to show his raw arm strength and had a lofted righthanded swing that could launch the ball a long way when he squared it up. O'Brien also ran a 7.66 and a 7.96 in the 60-yard dash at the two events and showed enough slow-twitch athletic tendencies to prevent him from being considered a high level catching prospect.

O'Brien attended Bethune-Cookman for three years, hitting .386-20-56 as a sophomore and standing out that summer for the USA Collegiate National Team. He was drafted in the third round by the Colorado Rockies following a .304-13-69 junior season but decided not to sign. In what ended up being a long and drawn out controversy with the NCAA, O'Brien decided to enroll at Miami for his senior year and applied for immediate eligibility based on the NCAA's hardship rules, as O'Brien's mother was in failing health back in Miami. The NCAA eventually did allow O'Brien to bypass the regular one-year waiting period after a transfer just before the 2012 spring season began.

O'Brien went on to hit .340-10-40 in 41 games for Miami and impressed scouts with improved mobility and overall actions behind the plate. The New York Yankees selected him in the 2nd round with the 94th overall pick and traded him during the summer of 2014 to the Diamondbacks for Martin Prado.


Colorado Rockies

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Eddie Butler, David Dahl, Kyle Parker, Trevor Story
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Jonathan Gray, Ryan McMahon

Forrest Wall, 2B

Wall started playing in WWBA 18u events in 2010 as a 14-year old with the Orlando Baseball Academy and hit .404-4-22 as a freshman at Orangewood Christian High School, putting himself firmly on the prospect map at a very young age. However, the former shortstop underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder and missed almost the entire 2011-12 high school season. He came back to hit .514-4-27 with 27 steals as a junior but was struggling to regain his arm strength and comfort throwing.

Forrest Wall
When this scout saw Wall play for four days at the 2013 East Coast Professional Showcase in late July it was an especially difficult evaluation. In addition to his 60-plus grade raw speed and obvious athleticism, Wall also clearly showed a first round bat from the left side. His swing was abnormally short and direct to the ball but he had plus bat speed and the ball exploded off the barrel with authority. It was a swing that left little doubt as to whether it would translate to the professional level successfully.

It was equally obvious that there was a big issue with Wall's arm and either his physical or mental ability to throw the baseball. Aside from the 20 grade raw arm strength, Wall looked very hesitant to cut loose, much like a player with the yips throwing the ball. As exciting as his every at-bat was for the scouts it was equally difficult when he fielded a ground ball in drills or a game.

That dichotomy was on every scout's mind entering the spring. Wall gave everyone a scare when he missed time in early March with a slightly separated left shoulder, but threw the ball well enough and with enough freedom that scouts were optimistic he could play second base at the professional level. The bat and the speed were already established plus tools. Center field was the obvious backup option defensively.

The Rockies took Wall with the 35th overall pick in the 2013 draft and spent an above slot $2.2 million to sign him out of his North Carolina scholarship.


Los Angeles Dodgers

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Corey Seager, Joc Pederson, Zach Lee
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Chris Anderson, Scott Schebler

Cody Bellinger, 1B

Bellinger is the son of former big league infielder Clay Bellinger, now a firefighter in the Phoenix area. As one can expect of the son of a ex-big leaguer, Bellinger grew up in a baseball environment and had a batting cage next to his house. He was an easy hitter to scout thoroughly because there was plenty of video posted online of his hitting in that cage.

The Arizona native also played with the kind of polish and comfort that you'd expect with that background. He slowed the game down very well, whether that be at the plate, in the field or on the pitcher's mound. About the only thing working against the lefthanded hitter and thrower was that while he was listed at 6-foot-4, 180-pounds, about 20 pounds of that weight looked to exist in someone's imagination. He was very slender and physically immature, even as a high school senior.

Bellinger came to the 2012 National Showcase and showed all his tools and was especially impressive offensively. One PG scout put in his notes: "My pick to click in the 2013 class, Christian Yelich comp, will be 1st round pick out of college if he doesn't sign out of HS.," a sentiment shared by many of the scouts there.

This scout's report from the event read:

Long and lean slender build, extremely projectable. Lefthanded hitter, tall stance, loose aggressive swing with plus bat speed, sound hitting mechanics, ball comes off the bat very hard, can dream on his bat speed with 20-30 more pounds of strength. 6.82 runner, smooth actions at first base, good range, soft hands, has tools to play corner outfield with no problem, lots of arm strength. Also pitched, raw mechanics with some effort, long arm action, loose out front, fastball topped at 88 mph, some spin and bite on 74 mph curveball. High ceiling athletic talent, defines projection in a hitter.

Bellinger hit .429-1-19 his senior year while also going 4-0, 1.21 on the mound. That one home run, and only 12 total extra-base hits in 28 games, tells the story of where his slender build was at that point. It also puts into perspective his early professional career and breakout 2015 season. If Bellinger would have gone to Oregon, 2015 would have been his junior draft season. Taking into context Bellinger's .264-30-103 year in the High-A California League this past season, there is no doubt he would have projected as a very high first round pick.

Instead, the Dodgers got what looks to be a steal in 2013, signing Bellinger for $700,000 as a fourth round pick.


San Diego Padres

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Austin Hedges, Matt Wisler, Max Fried, Joe Ross
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Hunter Renfroe, Taylor Lindsey

Colin Rea, RHP

Rea was raised in Cascade, Iowa, a town of about 2,200 people located 50 miles northeast of Cedar Rapids, the home of Perfect Game. He participated in the Iowa Spring and Fall Leagues run by Perfect Game while in high school and also competed at the 2008 Pitcher/Catcher Indoor and 2008 Spring Top Prospect Showcases during his senior year. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound righthander topped out at 86 mph with a slider and splitfinger changeup and was graded an 8.5 by the PG scouts.

Rea went to Northern Iowa as a freshman, going 3-1, 6.55 in 34 innings, but Northern Iowa dropped their baseball program that year and Rea transferred to St. Petersburg JC in Florida, where he went 0-0, 7.15 in 22 innings as a sophomore. With his still projectable frame and a fastball that was now reaching the low-90s with lots of sink, although with limited command, Rea was able to get a scholarship to Indiana State and blossomed during the spring of 2011, going 8-4, 3.68 in 95 innings, allowing only 69 hits.

The Padres took Rea in the 12th round of the 2011 draft and started him on his professional journey. And it's been quite a journey, as Rea has now played for nine different teams, including his three colleges and every stop in the Padres system, since 2009.

There have been plenty of future big leaguers who were graded out as a 8.5 on the PG scale and topped out at 86 mph in high school. There have been others from towns smaller than Cascade, Iowa. And there have even been future big leaguers who had worse than a 7.15 ERA as a college sophomore. But there haven't been too many, assuredly, who combine all three of those career markers to pitch in the big leagues.


San Francisco Giants

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Andrew Susac
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Christian Arroyo, Steven Okert, Clayton Blackburn

Tyler Beede, RHP

Beede hails from Massachusetts, where pitchers have been known to pop up at the last minute, whether at draft time or in the college recruiting process. It was the exact opposite for Beede, who made his national debut pitching for Farrah's Builders during the fall of his sophomore year at both the WWBA Underclass World Championship and two weeks later in Jupiter. The then 15-year old righthander sat steadily in the mid-80s with a hard mid-70s curveball.
Tyler Beede
Beede's real breakout on a national level came as a rare sophomore pitcher at the 2009 Area Code Games. Here are this scout's notes from that event:

Angular build, very loose arm, projects big time, full arm action, Big breaking CB flashed snap, feel for changeup, 92 mph comes easy, tries to spot all pitches, works outside corner well. Many scouts liked as much as Bundy/Bradley. Very high ceiling potential.

Beede would go on to become a 2010 Perfect Game All-American and the Toronto Blue Jays selected him with the 21st overall pick in the 2011 draft despite Beede and his family sending a letter to all Major League clubs before the draft saying that he was firmly committed to Vanderbilt and to not draft. Toronto ultimately got their offer up to a reported $2.5 million but Beede didn't budge and became the only first rounder in 2011 not to sign.

Vanderbilt proved to be a roller coaster for Beede, with mediocre freshman and junior years bracketing an outstanding sophomore year. Beede went a combined 9-13 with an ERA over 4.00 in those two bad seasons but was 14-1, 2.32 in 2013, although he notably did issue 63 walks in 101 innings. Scouts were as perplexed as the Vanderbilt coaching staff must have been, as Beede was always healthy and would show three solid plus pitches at times.

Going into the 2014 draft Beede was one of the true wild cards. There wasn't any real worry about signability this time around, just whether a team would be getting the potential top-of-the-rotation starter or the mystery pitcher. The Giants, whose reputation for developing pitchers precedes them, took Beede with the 14th overall pick and signed him for $2.65 million.
Give us your feedback
Minors | General | 12/13/2024

PG Down on the Farm: NL West
David Rawnsley
Article Image
It’s the time of the year again (i.e. the off-season) for the annual PG Down on the Farm feature.  We identify a top prospect in each of the 30 Major League organizations with as much Perfect Game background as possible and delve into that PG history for some insight into his development as a prospect.  Some of them might be high profile, high draft pick, ex-PG All-American talents who fans have been long familiar with.  Others might be more obscure prospects who have significantly improved either in college or as professionals.  Note that players who have used up their rookie eligibility are not considered. The idea isn’t to necessarily pick the best PG background prospect in each organization but the one who might be closest to the big leagues.  Sometimes that is the same player, other times not. And there is plenty of variation among organizations...
Read More
High School | General | 2/13/2026

Mid-Atlantic Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Mid-Atlantic All Region & Top Tools Rk Mid-Atlantic  Record 1 Delbarton (NJ) 24-5 2 DePaul Catholic (NJ) 21-7 3 Gloucester Catholic (NJ) 24-3 4 Malvern Prep (PA) 32-5 5 St. Augustine Prep (NJ) 18-8 6 Archbishop Spalding (MD) 22-16 7 Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 26-3 8 Cedar Cliff (PA) 21-6 9 St. John's College (DC) 30-1 10 Seton Hall Prep (NJ) 22-2 11 St. Joseph's Prep (PA) 10-11 12 Christian Brothers (NJ) 22-5 13 Hazelton Area (PA) 18-6 14 Sussex Central (DE) 16-6 15 Ranney (NJ) 12-10 16 Calvert Hall (MD) 20-10 17 Radnor (PA) 11-4 18 Governor Livingston (NJ) 28-0 19 The Haverford School (PA) 5-11 20 Bergen Catholic (NJ) 16-8 21 Holy Ghost Prep (PA) 10-9 22 North Hunterdon (NJ) 14-12 23 Northern Burlington (NJ) 28-2 24 St. Albans (DC) 23-14 25 Urbana (MD) 21-4
Read More
High School | General | 2/12/2026

Mid-Atlantic All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
The Mid-Atlantic Region lost its only Perfect Game All-American when catcher Andrew Costello left his Pennsylvania high school early and enrolled at Wake Forest for the spring semester.  The Region ends up being dominated by underclassmen, with seven juniors and even a pair of talented sophomores getting recognition. The story of the spring could very well be watching the young power arms in the Region come outdoors and show their talents on the mound.  Pennsylvania juniors Cole Kuhn and Trent Lutz have been getting lots of off-season attention along with New Jersey senior Alex Weingartner. New Jersey has a trio of high schools represented in the Perfect Game Pre-Season Top 50 High School Rankings.  Delbarton HS, behind a very strong junior class, leads the group at 29th overall, followed DePaul Catholic HS at 41st and Gloucester Catholic at 46th. C – Braeden Lipoff...
Read More
High School | General | 2/12/2026

Coastal Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Coastal All Region & Top Tools Rk Coastal Record 1 Charlotte Catholic (NC) 22-6-1 2 Metrolina Christian Academy (NC) 28-3 3 James Island Charter (SC) 30-4 4 Battlefield (VA) 23-3 5 Charlotte Christian (NC) 26-6 6 Dorman (SC) 22-7 7 Marvin Ridge (NC) 21-8 8 Grace Christian (NC) 23-7 9 Berkeley (SC) 22-10 10 T.C. Roberson (NC) 27-6 11 Lexington (SC) 22-11-1 12 Providence (NC) 23-6 13 Southside Christian Schools (SC) 33-2-1 14 Bishop O'Connell (VA) 20-6 15 Cuthbertson (NC) 26-6 16 Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) 18-11 17 Blythewood (SC) 24-7 18 The Miller School (VA) 34-6 19 Stratford (SC) 22-6-2 20 Laney (NC) 25-7 21 Gaston Christian (NC) 18-4 22 Airport (SC) 27-6 23 Hurricane (WV) 28-7 24 Gainesville (VA) 23-4 25 Oceanside Collegiate Academy (SC) 27-8
Read More
High School | General | 2/12/2026

Coastal All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
COASTAL REGION (NC, SC, VA, WV)  The first thing that stands out about the players on the Coastal Region team is that this is undoubtedly the fastest All-Region Team in the country.  There are four or five players who could legitimately have 80 grades on their running speed from the region and all have other tools to back up their speed. Another thing that jumps out is the quality of the juniors on the team.  While the region features only one 2025 PG All-American in left-handed pitcher Carson Bolemon, there are six juniors on the All-Region team who are ranked in the top 34 in the 2027 class, with plenty more talented underclassmen just behind them.  Three region high schools break into the Top 50 in the Perfect Game Pre-Season High School Rankings.  Charlotte Catholic at 33rd overall and Metrolina Christian Academy at 42nd represent the North Carolina schools...
Read More
College | Story | 2/12/2026

2026 Staff Picks: College Edition

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
2026 College Preview Index With the D-I season opening up right around the corner, our staff came together and took a shot at who they'd pick within 7 different categories. Most are self explanatory while the "Sleeping GIant" category is in reference to a draft prospect outside of our latest Top 50 on the MLB Draft Board. It's also worth noting that once a player was selected for a category, he was unavailable for others to choose, outside of the Golden Spikes category, where we do see some double-ups.  Enjoy the weekend, there's sure to be plenty of excitement as baseball is officially back across the country at all collegiate levels!  Category Cohen Sutherland Cervino Billock Henninger Rankin Russo Impact Freshman Mason Braun Angel Cervantes Cooper Underwood Marcos Paz JD Stein Alec Blair Sam Cozart Impact Transfer Jake Schaffner Will Gasparino Brady Frederick Andrew Whalen...
Read More
High School | General | 2/11/2026

Southwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Southwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Southwest Record 1 Casteel (AZ) 23-10 2 Basic (NV) 25-7 3 Corona Del Sol (AZ) 27-6 4 Faith Lutheran (NV) 22-18 5 Brophy College Prep (AZ) 16-13 6 Regis Jesuit (CO) 22-9 7 Queen Creek (AZ) 18-13 8 Spanish Fork (UT) 18-17 9 Mountain Ridge (UT) 20-12 10 Liberty (AZ) 17-13 11 Bishop Gorman (NV) 19-14 12 Rio Rancho (NM) 23-7 13 Cherry Creek (CO) 23-5-1 14 Palo Verde (NV) 24-10 15 Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) 21-12 16 Pleasant Grove (UT) 23-6 17 La Cueva (NM) 25-4 18 Desert Mountain (AZ) 16-12 19 Snow Canyon (UT) 23-8 20 Hamilton (AZ) 25-9 21 Millennium (AZ) 21-10 22 Centennial (NV) 24-9 23 Valley Christian (AZ) 29-2 24 Mountain Vista (CO) 15-9 25 Williams Field (AZ) 15-11
Read More
High School | General | 2/11/2026

Southwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
SOUTHWEST REGION (AZ, NM, NV, UT, CO)  The most dominant tool in the Southwest Region for the 2026 season is undoubtedly power at the plate, as most players featured below not only have the size and bat speed to drive the ball but have put up the numbers as well.  While that isn’t exactly surprising given that virtually the entire region plays at elevation, it certainly stands out on the individual top prospects. The Region features four Perfect Game All-Americans in OF Ryan Harwood, IF Rookie Shepard and C Alain Gomez-Gudino and RHP Dylan Blomker.  The 2027 class is looking very promising as well, with four juniors gaining mention on the All-Region team below and Arizona in particular having a very talented class.  Keep an eye out especially for 2027 3B Colton Floyd (Corona Del Sol HS, Ariz.), one of the best and biggest power hitters in that class. Two Region...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 2/11/2026

Perfect Game Partners with Goodles

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 ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP WITH GOODLES    Sanford, Florida (Wednesday, February 11, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with  GOODLES, the brand that reimagined boxed mac and cheese, naming the brand the Official Mac & Cheese of Perfect Game. The collaboration will bring delicious, nutrient-packed mac and cheese to families and players during premiere events and tournaments.    While practice makes perfect, a player’s diet can’t be...
Read More
College | Rankings | 2/11/2026

DII Top 25: February 11

Nick Herfordt
Article Image
Preseason rankings are less about certainty and more about expectation. Experience, continuity, and proven production tend to win in Division II baseball, but every spring reminds us how thin the margins can be. The teams below enter 2026 carrying varying combinations of momentum, pressure, and opportunity. Some are defending a standard. Others are chasing it.  At this level, projection is rarely about raw talent alone. It is shaped by familiarity, by the players who have been through a season together, by staffs that know how to manage the quiet stretches as well as the loud ones. Injuries, turnover, and postseason moments leave marks that don’t always show up in the numbers, but they shape how teams respond when games tighten.  The programs at the top of these rankings carry more than returning statistics. They carry memory and momentum. They remember what it felt like...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 2/10/2026

Texas Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Texas All Region & Top Tools Rk Texas Record 1 Grapevine 36-3 2 Memorial 28-6-1 3 Lake Travis 28-12-3 4 Kingwood 39-4 5 Aledo 31-8 6 Atascocita 33-12-2 7 Calallen 35-2 8 Pleasant Grove 36-6 9 Prestonwood Christian 25-5 10 The Bennett School N/A 11 Lovejoy 30-9 12 Allen 16-16-1 13 Prosper 33-10-1 14 Flower Mound Marcus 30-13 15 Tomball 34-7-1 16 Waco Midway 35-8 17 Dallas Jesuit 23-9-1 18 Flower Mound 21-12 19 Buda Johnson 26-13 20 The Woodlands 29-6-1 21 Katy Taylor 26-13-1 22 Rockwall Heath 15-9 23 Rockwall 29-10 24 Lutheran South 34-3-1 25 Keller 29-11
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.