FORT MYERS, Fla. – More than 175 of the top rising high school juniors and sophomores (classes of 2018 and 2019) are set to take over JetBlue Park Saturday, June 11 through Tuesday, June 14, for the 11th annual Perfect Game Junior National Showcase. The event has been lengthened to four days, with each day’s schedule set to conclude by mid-afternoon with the hope of avoiding the area’s persistent and predictable late afternoon thunderstorms.
The nearly 200 prospects, the majority from the class of 2018, are divided into eight teams. Teams 1 through 4 will take part in their workout sessions and play games on Saturday and Sunday; Teams 5 through 8 follow suit on Monday and Tuesday.
At least 15 of the prospects in attendance are ranked in the top-30 nationally in their respective graduation year class, and at least 60 are ranked in the top-200. Only about two dozen don’t appear in Perfect Game’s national prospect rankings at all, but that could easily change following their performances at the PG Jr. National.
The eyes of hundreds of scouts and college recruiters will be trained on the players over the event’s four-day run. The top guy coming in is 2018 right-handed pitcher/first baseman Kumar Rocker from Watkinsville, Ga. Rocker, ranked No. 1 nationally in his class, plays his summer ball with Team Elite Prime and has not yet committed to a college.
No. 3-ranked outfielder/left-hander Jarred Kelenic from Waukesha, Wis. (Rawlings Hitters, U. of Louisville); No. 6 outfielder/third baseman Elijah Cabell from Winter Park, Fla. (Central Florida Gators, Louisiana State) and No. 11 right-hander/outfielder Levi Kelly from Saint Albans, W.V. (LSU), all 2018s, also headline the show.
Other top 2018s include No. 14 right-hander/corner-infielder Will Banfield from Lawrenceville, Ga., (Team Elite Prime, Vanderbilt); No. 17 outfielder/left-hander Connor Schott from Tampa (2017 Scorpions Prime, Florida); No. 18 outfielder/left-hander Alek Thomas from Chicago (Chicago White Sox ACE, uncommitted) and No. 19 third baseman/shortstop Hunter Watson out of Denison, Texas (Houston Banditos Black, Texas A&M).
The top 2019s include No. 4 catcher/outfielder Jake Holland from Miramar, Fla. (Elite Squad 16u Prime, U. of Miami); No. 19 Adrian Colon from Humacao, P.R. (Las Lomas Potros, uncommitted) and No. 25 middle-infielder/third baseman Tyler Callihan from Neptune Beach, Fla. (Central Florida Gators, uncommitted).
The short history of the PG Jr. National Showcase is already a rich one. Eighteen of its former participants have already made their big-league debuts, including the Nationals’ Bryce Harper, the Rockies’ Nolan Arenado, the Cubs’ Addison Russell, the Astros’ Lance McCullers Jr., the Indians’ Francisco Lindor and Dodgers’ Joc Pederson.
Before the 2016 MLB First-Year Player Draft got underway this week, 36 alumni of the event had gone on to become either first-round or first-round compensation picks and a total of 285 had been drafted overall; more than 1,050 prospects have made college commitments.