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| 2,603 MLB PLAYERS | 16,395 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,603 MLB PLAYERS | 16,395 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
High School  | Rankings | 1/30/2017

2017 National HS Rankings: 6-10

Photo: Perfect Game



2017 Perfect Game High School Preview Index


6. American Heritage Patriots


Christian Santana
Plantation, Fla.
FHSAA Class 6A District 15
Head Coach: Bruce Aven
2016 Result: 19-5, 6A Regional Semifinals

Key Losses: MIF Gary Mattis (Florida Atlantic), RHP Taylor D’Agostino (Christopher Newport), RHP Michael Cortelli (Amherst), MIF Kyle Carter (Bates)

Top Players: SS Mark Vientos (Miami), RHP Christian Santana (Florida International), 1B/3B/RHP Triston Casas (Miami), MIF Cory Acton (Florida)

American Heritage slots in at the No. 6 spot after making it to the 6A regional semifinals last season and falling to eventual state champion Archbishop McCarthy.

The Patriots are a deep team and they are led with star power as high ceiling infielder Mark Vientos, a PG All-American and Miami commit, and hard-throwing righthander Christian Santana, a Florida International commit, will anchor the team in the lineup and in the pitching rotation respectively.

One of the younger, and more intriguing, players for the Patriots is recently reclassified 2018 graduate Triston Casas, a Miami commit, who will be asked to anchor the middle of the lineup and pitch for American Heritage. Playing on the varsity team as a freshman, Casas is one of the most potent hitters in his class, evidenced by his .453 batting average last season, with big power and can also bump the fastball up in the low-90s from the mound. He has recently re-classified to the class of 2018, making him draft eligible a year earlier than expected.

Infielders Cory Acton, a Florida commit, and Devyn Munroe round out the athletic infield as the pitching staff should have a reliable defense behind them. Acton was a force with the bat in 2016 hitting .500 for Westminster Academy. Losing two starting pitchers to graduation hurts but American Heritage should have the depth to replace those players and the pitchers will need to step up if the Patriots want to reach the state finals.


7. Barbe Buccaneers

Adam Goree
Lake Charles, La.
LHSAA 5A District 3
Head Coach: Glenn Ceccini
2016 Result: 35-6, 5A State Champions

Key Losses: OF Tyler Booth (Southeastern Louisiana)

Top Players: LHP Adam Goree (uncommitted), IF Antonio Gauthier (uncommitted), OF/RHP Damon Fountain (uncommitted), RHP Brandon Rushing (uncommitted)

As has been the case in the past with Barbe High School, this team is led by a combination of depth and a strong senior class. Turning in a remarkable 35-win season in 2016, the Buccaneers powered their way to the 5A State Championship and finished No. 5 in the Perfect Game Top 50.

The key loss for the Buccaneers came in the form of graduating senior outfielder and lefthanded pitcher Tyler Booth, who now attends Southeastern Louisiana, but aside from Booth this team retained a lot of talent and is led by a strong senior pitching staff.

The Bucanneers will have seniors Adam Goree, Brandon Rushing and Slate Fuller to round out a pitching staff that has a lot of experience up to this point. Goree, the highest ranked senior according to PG, is lefthanded and has been up to 88 mph with his fastball. He led the staff last season going 8-1 with a 1.17 ERA.

Damon Fountain is one of the more interesting pieces on this team as he is only a sophomore but is immensely talented. He’s a 6.8 runner in the 60-yard dash with strong tools on both offense and defense. Fountain pitches as well and should have no problem finding playing time.

The seniors on the roster come in the form of 12 players and their experience should be invaluable in leading the lineup. The offense will be the question mark entering the season but the leadership and experience should help the Bucanneers make a run to defend their state title.


8. Merritt Island Mustangs

Brady McConnell
Merritt Island, Fla.
FHSAA Class 6A
Head Coach: Greg Plecki
2016 Result: 20-8, 6A Regional Quarterfinals

Key Losses: OF Jackson Muldowney (Greenville), MIF Trent Taylor (Belmont Abbey), RHP Tyler Stephens (Shorter)

Top Players: SS Brady McConnell (Florida), C/RHP Mason Denaburg (Florida), 1B Connor Allen (Miami), MIF Ricardo Diaz (uncommitted)

The Mustangs return a strong collection of talent for the 2017 season led by a pair of Florida commits. Perfect Game All-American Brady McConnell returns as the starting shortstop and should be the catalyst near the top of the lineup. McConnell has a quick bat with advanced actions in the field and is one of the top draft prospects for the 2017 class.

Perhaps one of the most talented underclassmen in the country is fellow Florida commit Mason Denaburg. A legitimate two-way prospect, Denaburg has big power from the right side and can pump his fastball in the low-90s on the mound. Denaburg is joined in the lineup by lefthanded first baseman Connor Allen, a Miami commit. Allen is a power bat from the lefthand side who completes a strong "big three" in the lineup alongside Denaburg and McConnell.

Merritt Island has some 2017 arms returning but will need to find consistency from the rotation as the season goes on. Pitching can make or break a season but the Mustangs have enough talent on their roster to figure it out in the early part of the season. The Mustangs are no doubt a talented squad and should find themselves competing for their first state championship since 2000.


9. Walton Raiders

Jason Rooks
Marietta, Ga.
GHSA Class 6A
Head Coach: Shane Amos
2016 Result: 32-4, 6A State Champions

Key Losses: SS Carter Kieboom (MLB Draft, Nationals, first round), RHP Zac Kristofak (Georgia), C Drake Frix (College of Charleston), MIF Parker McCoy (Georgia Tech)

Top Players: LHP Luke Bartnicki (Georgia Tech), OF Jason Rooks (Georgia Tech), RHP Jacob Riordan (Uncommitted), OF Michael Guldberg (Georgia Tech)

Walton finished out the 2016 season not only as the No. 2 team in the Perfect Game Top 50 but carried their momentum all the way to becoming 6A state champs.

The big loss for the Raiders came as Carter Kieboom graduated and was selected in the first round of the 2016 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals. Walton also graduated seniors from the infield, rotation and outfield.

Walton is not short of depth and will have many players willing to step up. The Raiders boast two of the top arms in the state with juniors Luke Bartnicki, a Georgia Tech commit, and Jacob Riordan. The lefthanded Bartnicki is coming off a very impressive outing at the WWBA World Championship where he threw 92-95 mph with his fastball and a tight slider in the upper-70s to low-80s.

The question for Walton is not the pitching staff but who will replace Kieboom’s presence in the lineup. Senior outfielder Jason Rooks, a Georgia Tech commit, should anchor the lineup but Walton will be expecting contributions from fellow seniors Jason Avers, an Appalachian State commit, and Chris Rolick, a Georgia College & State commit.


10. Marjory Stoneman Douglas Eagles

David Vazquez
Parkland, Fla.
FHSAA Class 9A
Head Coach: Todd Fitz-Gerald
2016 Result: 27-2, 9A State Champions

Key Losses: LHP Jesus Luzardo (MLB Draft, Nationals, third round), 3B Colton Welker (MLB Draft, Rockies, fourth round)

Top Players: MIF David Vazquez (NC State), OF Rafael Santos (Florida International), SS John Rodriguez (Florida International), LHP Brandon Kaminer (Miami)

Coach Todd Fitz-Gerald turned in an excellent season for the Eagles as they finished 8-0 in their district and eventually captured the school’s first state title. The team battled through some adversity and a season-ending injury to ace Jesus Luzardo before putting together a strong late season run to come away as champs.

The Eagles will have to make up for two big holes left by the lefthanded Luzardo, who was drafted in the third round by the Nationals, and third baseman Colton Welker, who was drafted fourth round by the Rockies. The pitching staff will also need some players to step up as the loss of Luzardo and fellow senior pitchers Brady Norris, Kyle Sha, and Jeremy Szozda leaves some holes.

Senior lefty Brandon Kaminer, a Miami commit, will lead the rotation and he has proven he has what it takes to be a staff ace. Last season Kaminer finished 11-0 with a 1.28 ERA and struck out 90 batters to step up when Luzardo went down with injury. The team will also certainly have some strength throughout the lineup. Seniors David Vazquez, a North Carolina State commit, and Rafael Santos, a Florida International commit, will anchor the lineup. Junior middle infielder John Rodriguez, another Florida International commit, is very smooth defensively and will be able to add some pop to the lineup as well.



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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

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All American Game | Story | 8/16/2026

Romero Slams His Way to Classic MVP

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A Philly Dream for Steingall

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Carson Steingall had been to Citizens Bank Park many times over the years. After all, he hails from Nazareth, Pa., about 90 minutes up the road from the home of the Philadelphia Phillies and he counts himself as a big fan of the team. Zack Wheeler is his favorite. Steingall realized a dream when he pitched from the same mound that Wheeler does in Perfect Game’s fourth annual All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors on Friday. The dream got even better when Steingall, a 16-year-old right-hander, was named Most Valuable Pitcher after striking out the side in the third inning of the National team’s 6-1 victory over the American team. “It’s just an honor to be here,” Steingall said after receiving his trophy. “This event is the best of the best. It’s really cool to win something like this.” Steingall, who’ll...
Showcase | Story | 8/13/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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Perfect Game to honor Pat Gillick in new Philadelphia Showcase  By Maya Heyman Perfect Game is bringing its elite showcase experience to Philadelphia’s FDR Park for the inaugural Philly Stars/Pat Gillick Showcase this weekend, honoring one of the greatest executives in MLB history in the city where he constructed his final of three World Series winners. The event will take place on Sunday, the same day as the DICK’S All-American Classic, taking place just across the street at Citizens Bank Park.  The showcase will allow Philadelphia-area players to gain exposure and will also honor Gillick, who has been a tremendous influence in both professional and amateur baseball.   Jered Goodwin, Vice President of Scouting Operations for Perfect Game, said the idea came naturally.  “Going to Philly made a lot of sense to honor Pat Gillick, who's been a...
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PG All-Star Game Heads to Philly

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For the fourth time since its inception in 2023, two rosters comprised of the best rising juniors (and a handful of rising sophomores) will step out onto the field Friday afternoon, kicking off the All-American weekend. While the Perfect Game All-American Classic is slated for a 1:35 first pitch at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, 36 future hopefuls of the Classic will go up against one another in an American vs National clash at 11 AM Eastern, Friday morning.  With 36 players from across the country descending on Philadelphia, there will be plenty of familiar names in attendance as 24 of the 36 played in at least one PG Select Festival and all 36 attended either the he Sophomore National, Junior National, or the PG Underclass All-American Games this summer. Leading the charge are a pair of No. 1s in 2028 dynamic talent Dexter McCleon Jr and 2029 Macgraw VanWormer, a do-it-all...
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Realistic Expectations of a 1:1 Pick

Tyler Henninger
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Over the 2026 draft cycle, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was the projected No. 1 pick throughout the entire cycle. White Sox fans began #RochWatch and were already talking about when he will make it to Chicago. Now that he has been selected, Cholowsky has immediately become a Top-10 prospect in all of baseball. There is no denying the hype, and the pressure, for Chowlosky to get to the big leagues and produce at a high level.  But how realistic is that? Let’s take a look back at past 1:1 selections and see what you can expect from a No. 1 overall selection.  For this exercise, we’ll look at No. 1 overall picks from the bonus pool era, excluding Eli Willits from 2025 since this is his first full year of pro ball. That gives us 13 players selected from 2012 through 2024.  Almost All Become Big Leaguers The first thing that stands out is how successful No. 1 picks...
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