The Perfect Game National Showcase is the unofficial beginning point of the 2016 summer circuit with the top prep players then making their way from the Tournament of Stars, to the 17u WWBA World Championship, and eventually to the East Coast Pro, Area Code Games and the PG All-American Classic (for the very best). Of course, these are for the high school players and it's on Cape Cod that you'll find most of the top collegiate players, several of whom have already been deemed as "must sees" for the 2017 MLB draft despite still being a full calendar year away. Jheremy Brown will be on hand and to provide several recaps throughout his two weeks in what become the pinnacle of college baseball with top talent (and scouts) coming in from all over the country.

* All references to graduation class refer to their standing in the upcoming school year.


He may have been the last pitcher to throw in the game, but Notre Dame righthander Peter Solomon is where we’re going to begin. We’re still pretty much a calendar year out from the 2017 MLB Draft so obviously anything can and will happen but the early hype surrounding the draft is the incredible depth of SEC pitching, and rightfully so. But if my initial one inning clip of the Notre Dame junior is any indication of things to come then scouts and cross checkers alike will be making their way to South Bend this spring.

Again, this was a quick look but Solomon quickly checked all the boxes with even his first warm up pitch that came across at 93 mph. The arm action is a thing of beauty as it’s plenty loose, easy, and free moving when coming through the backside. When you take all those ingredients, put it on an extremely projectable and highly athletic 6-foot-4, 195-pound frame then you’re cooking and it becomes of little shock when the end results are loud.

Earlier in the week Solomon spun six innings as a starter with reports of a similar mid-90s fastball which he maintained well over the course of the outing though more impressive were his zero free passes he issued compared to nine punch outs. This past spring Solomon walked 42 batters in 57 2/3 innings and though he did walk one in my look, everything was located down and around the plate.

Now speaking to his pure stuff, Solomon didn’t need but 12-to-15 pitches to retire the side, a majority of which were fastballs and came across the plate in the 93-95 mph range. With solid extension out front the righthander was able to get on top of everything he threw rather well and when he finished to his glove side he was able to generate some hard cutting life. And though he worked comfortably off of his heater Solomon did show both a curveball and slider, the latter of which is a present above average offering with very tight rotation and two-plane tilt up to 86 mph. The curveball isn’t a typical “third” offering either as it featured 11-to-5 shape with late snapping depth at 84 mph.

While getting another glance at Mr. Solomon is a high priority during my time on the Cape, the first look is something that will resonate for a bit.

As a freshman Pavin Smith helped the Virginia Cavaliers take down the championship in Omaha and immediately put himself squarely on the national scene which in turn has made him a household name for next June’s draft. And I think it’s safe to say there was no “sophomore slump” for the lefthanded hitting Smith as every offensive category moved in the right direction from 2015 to 2016, including both walks and strikeouts along with a healthy jump in batting average.