CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – More than 300 of the nation’s top prospects in the national high school class of 2018 are slated to overtake JetBlue Park, Spring Training home of the Boston Red Sox in Fort Myers, Fla., for the 17th annual Perfect Game National Showcase next June 16-21 (Friday-Wednesday).
Since its inception in 2001, the Perfect Game National Showcase has grown to be regarded as the most prestigious and highly anticipated scouting showcase in all of amateur baseball. Occurring on the heels of the current year’s MLB June Amateur Draft, it allows the 30 teams’ front office personnel and scouting departments their first opportunities to knuckle-down and get serious in their evaluations of next year’s top high school seniors.
In the days leading up to the National Showcase more than 175 of the top rising high school juniors and sophomores (classes of 2019 and 2020) are set to take over JetBlue Park Monday, June 12 through Thursday, June 15, for the 12th annual Perfect Game Junior National Showcase.
The prospects at the PG National Showcase will be working to join an exclusive alumni club that features a membership including many of the best players in the game today. By the end of the 2016 season, 271 former PG National standouts had made their Major League Baseball debuts, including 2016 National League MVP Kris Bryant, 2016 American League Cy Young Rick Porcello and 2016 National League Rookie of the Year Corey Seager.
The alumni list also includes former MVPs Buster Posey, Joey Votto and Andrew McCutchen. Past MLB Rookie of the Year Award winners include PG National alumni Jeremy Hellickson, Wil Myers, Jose Fernandez, Carlos Correa, Bryant and Posey.
Since the event began in 2001 1,949 PG National Showcase participants have been selected in the draft, including 190 first-rounders. Those first-round picks include seven selected with the No. 1 overall pick: Justin Upton, Tim Beckham, Gerrit Cole, Correa, Mark Appel, Brady Aiken and Mickey Moniak.
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 Bryce Harper, Nolan Arenado, Addison Russell, Lance McCullers Jr., Francisco Lindor and Joc Pederson.