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2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
PG Series  | PG Series Classic | 8/4/2017

Aruba at home in PG debut

Photo: Perfect Game

FORT MYERS, Fla. – The country of Aruba certainly doesn’t stick out on the map. With a population of just over 100,000 people, the Caribbean land only measures 20 miles from its northern most point down south and six miles across.

Baseball has become almost by default the most popular sport at the moment because of a young shortstop who does his preparation for the Boston Red Sox. And he does so on the same grounds that the 14 and 15 year olds that make up the Aruba roster taking part in a Perfect Game event for the first time in the country’s history at the Freshman PG Series Classic.



Xander Bogaerts was discovered in Aruba by the Red Sox as a 16-year old, and was signed in 2009 and began to climb through the minor league system. Called up to the major leagues as a 20-year old and playing a large part in the 2013 World Series victory for the Red Sox, Bogaerts has solidified his place as the starting shortstop now and much further into the future.

Rachelle De Cuba, who orchestrated the trip for the players and their families, said that the goal of the trip is for the players to be challenged by the competition that they will see from across the world compared to the teams they play in and around their homeland.

“A lot of these kids aren’t used to losing, coming up through the ranks in Little League that you would see on TV along with Curacao,” De Cuba said. “Playing here is almost a perfect moment for the kids being at JetBlue Park, they got to walk around and see the locker rooms. It’s like they’re in heaven.”

Almost all of the Aruba roster hails from Bogearts’ hometown of Oranjestad, outside of two players from the neighboring country of Curacao.

A special moment happened just this past Tuesday, as Brandon Rincones, a product of the Aruba Baseball Academy where the kids are from, signed a professional contract with the Red Sox, adding to the excitement of the week for everyone involved.

“Brandon was actually slated to play in the Sophomore Series event this week down here, but everything developed and he ending up signing down here,” Aruba coach and Brandon’s father, Elwin Rincones said.

Almost all of the players from Aruba are much younger than the class of 2020 participants taking part this week by design to get exposed to the talent they’ve seen so far this week.

“This has been a great experience for the kids to learn and develop,” De Cuba said. “We are planning on bringing the same group back to this event next year along with getting a 12-year old group to compete in events to get more kids a chance to experience all of what Perfect Game offers.”

Through four games, Aruba sits with a record of 0-4, but two of the contests were one-run defeats to go along with a 3-0 loss. For many of the players, this is the first time they have ever had to use wood bats in their lives and the adjustments have not been easy to make.

Jamal Zalm (2020, Willemstad, CU) is the lone Aruba player with more than two hits through four games. Zalm is batting .556 (5-for-9) and has the lone extra-base hit for the team with a double.

“Seeing the velocity we have had combined with the wood bats, it been a challenge for the kids,” Rincones said. “Hopefully as the week goes on, we can improve at the plate. We’ve played well and been right there in most of the games.”

Pitching has been a strength as Aruba has allowed 19 runs in the four games. Ericson Irausquin (2021, Oranjestad, AA) has struck out six batters in five innings of work and Antwone Tromp (2021, Oranjestad, AA) has five strikeouts in five innings to lead the way on the mound.

For two players, the week will spill into the PG 14u National Showcase starting Saturday, August 5. Ethan De Cuba (2021, Oranjestad, AA) and Jean Marc Van Der Linden (2021, Oranjestad, AA) will take part in the festivities to test their abilities against the top 14-year olds across the country.



PG Series | PG Series Classic | 8/2/2019

Deep South captures Series

Autumn Jones
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FORT MYERS, Fla. – A gloomy Friday afternoon in Fort Myers unified more than merely individuals contesting collectively, but two talented Freshmen teams that displayed a great deal of sportsmanship. Deep South slid past Puerto Rico in the title game of the Freshman PG Series Classic, 5-1. Considering their rough start in pool play, going 0-3, Deep South came out relentless in the playoffs defeating opponents in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds and closed the feat with a championship victory against Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico was up first on the board in the bottom of the first scoring their single run in the game that came from Jose Torres Rivera (2022, Puerto Rico).  Deep South doubled that shortly after in the top of the second with runs scored by Yoel Tejeda Jr (2022, Davie, Fla.) and Xavier Vergne (2022, Miramar, Fla.). Tejeda Jr and Vergne each went 2-for-3 in the game...
High School | Rankings | 3/31/2026

High School Top 50: March 31

Tyler Russo
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Another pair of weeks has gone by this high school season and with that we have another High School Top-50 Update. Southern states are within a few weeks of the end of the season while some northern states are just getting started this week. Through the end of the spring, we will be bringing you updates to the Top-50 along with state rankings updates coming soon. For the first time in 2026, we have a new #1 in the country as Orange Lutheran (CA) takes over the top spot after winning the NHSI. Venice (FL) came in second place at the NHSI after a thrilling game against Orange Lutheran and comes in at #2. Previous #1 team in the country St. John Bosco (CA) rounds out the top-3 and will have a big showdown against Orange Lutheran starting tonight. Barbe (LA) boasts a 26-1 record and comes in at #4 while Corona (CA) continues to string together wins and holds down the #5 spot in this update....
College | Story | 3/31/2026

PG Collegiate Midseason Awards

Vincent Cervino
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Midseason Awards  Perfect Game Midseason Player of the Year:  Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State  The season sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston is putting together is generational, even amongst the Hall of Fame talent Arizona State has fielded over the years.  Hairston, the 5-11/195 sophomore outfielder from Queen City, AZ has his club on track for another postseason appearance and they will make plenty of noise in the Big 12 regular season.  To put things in perspective on Hairston’s season, he is currently 5th in the nation in batting average, 3rd in hits, 8th in hits per game, tied for 2nd in home runs, tied for 5th in runs scored and is 4th in runs batted in so far.  He holds a batting average of .469 while slugging 1.027 and reaching base over half the time with an OBP of .551.  Hairston walks more than he strikes out and has 12 doubles, 17...
Tournaments | Story | 3/31/2026

14u East Spring Opener Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Roman Keister (2030, Dade City, FL) Could not miss the barrel this weekend tallying 6 hits including 2 triples and 4 RBI. Starts the load early and controls his body well, the up the middle approach really plays in game. Also worked from off the mound for an inning and picked up a punch out.  Colton Russo (2030, Coral Springs, FL) Showed off the power burning outfielders all weekend. 5 hits including two triples that carried over the CF and RF heads. Has a good understanding about using the lower half in the swing and the bat to ball skills really impressed.  Karson Blakney (2030, St. Augustine, FL) Made his impact in a big way this week, collecting the win in the quarterfinals. In his outing he went 5 shutout innings and struck out 5 while only allowing 2 hits. Worked in the mid 70s with the FB and topped out at 78. Also produced on offense driving in 5 RBI on 4 hits. ...
College | Story | 3/31/2026

College Players of the Week: March 31

Vincent Cervino
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March 31st Perfect Game/Co-Players of the Week:  Landon Hairston, OF, Arizona State  The Arizona State Sun Devils (20-8) went (3-2) last week and now sit at No. 18 in our latest Top 25 poll.  They are proving that they are legitimate Big 12 contenders and Landon Hairston is making a strong case for National Player of the Year at the halfway point in the season.  The 5-11/195 sophomore outfielder from Queen City, AZ is putting up such loud numbers that they are almost hard to fathom.  In five games last week, the lefthanded hitter collected 12-hits in 19 Abs, scoring 13 runs on 6 walks, a double, 5 home runs and he drove in 11 runs on his own.  For the season, he has put together a slash line of .468/.991/.553 with 12 doubles, 15 round trippers, 45 RBIs, a 12:18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and he has swiped 8 bags so far.  It has been a special year for the...
College | Rankings | 3/30/2026

College Top 25: March 30

Vincent Cervino
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Well college baseball fans, we are officially at the half-way point of the 2026 season and what an incredible ride it has already been.  While there is some separation at the top as we start to look at programs that could be potential NCAA tournament hosts, things continue to change as clubs revitalize their seasons by winning massive series in league play.  The Top 25 seems to be getting more volatile as we reach the midway point, and the second half is setting up to be something special.  The one thing that will remain the same as it has for a month now, is that the UCLA (25-2) will still be the No. 1 team in the nation.  The Bruins are winners of 19-consecutive games and have started off Big Ten league play by sweeping 4-straight series.  The Texas Longhorns (23-4) hold tight at No. 2 this week after sweeping previous No. 11 Oklahoma (19-8) and sit atop the...
High School | General | 3/27/2026

High School Notebook: March 27

Vincent Cervino
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Hudson December (2027, Woodland Hills, Calif.) showed flashes of his upside despite a somewhat uneven three-inning outing. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound right-hander struck out three while working through a couple of tough jams, though his command was inconsistent at times. He ran his fastball up to 87 mph on a pair of occasions and generally sat in the 83–85 range. He mixed in an upper-70s slider with varying shape and execution where it was most effective when thrown with proper intent, showing shorter, tighter depth. He also flashed a changeup against a few left-handed hitters. Mechanically, there’s a blend of positives and areas for development. He incorporates his lower half fairly well and moves down the mound with some pace and intent. The arm is quick, though it can be late getting up at times, and his taller finish limits full torso extension through release. With...
Draft | Mock Draft | 3/27/2026

2026 MLB Mock Draft: V 2.0

Tyler Henninger
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The spring season is well underway and the board is starting to take shape. Last week, the draft team put together the Top-300 and this week we take a stab at our first mid-season mock draft. While there still is plenty of time for things to shake out differently, here is how we see things shaping up at this point in the draft cycle.  Pick Team Selection Position School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Justin Lebron SS Alabama 3 Minnesota Twins Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 4 San Francisco Giants Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Ace Reese 3B Mississippi State 8 Athletics Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 9 Atlanta Braves Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 10 Colorado Rockies AJ Gracia OF Virginia 11 Washington Nationals Gio Rojas LHP...
Juco | Rankings | 3/25/2026

JUCO Top 25: March 25

Blaine Peterson
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Another strong week of Juco baseball for teams in our Top 25, and as you may see, our field is the same from a week prior with each and every team handling business in their weekend sets to hold fast to their spots on the board. Some notable movement though inside the Top 5 with Gaston jumping up to number 2 after a 33-2 start to the 2026 season as well Cloud County cracking the Top 15 for the first time all year. Looking forward to watching conference play around the country as we approach the final stretch of the regular season. Rk. School Record 1 Johnson County (KS) 30-2 2 Gaston (NC) 33-2 3 Florida Southwestern (FL) 26-7 4 Walters State (TN) 26-6 5 Chipola (FL) 29-5 6 Florence-Darlington (SC) 29-6 7 Blinn (TX) 22-8 8 McLennan (TX) 20-7 9 Cochise (AZ) 28-6 10 Pearl River (MS) 25-7 11 Georgia Highlands (GA) 30-8 12 Southern Nevada (NV) 24-6 13 Northwest Florida (FL) 21-12 14 Cloud...
College | Rankings | 3/25/2026

DII/DIII/NAIA Rankings Update: March 25

Nick Herfordt
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Every preseason, analysts and voters pour enormous effort into ranking the small college baseball landscape — poring over returning rosters, transfer additions, coaching changes, and historical trends to assemble the most accurate picture they can of who will be contending when the postseason arrives. And most years, they get it largely right. But the nature of college baseball, with its massive rosters, unpredictable development arcs, and ever-churning transfer portal, guarantees that a handful of genuinely elite programs will slip through the cracks every spring. A team loses too many seniors. A key transfer hasn’t yet suited up. A new coaching staff hasn’t had the chance to prove itself. The voters see the question marks and leave the blank space, and then the season begins and the blank space starts filling itself in — loudly. As the 2026 season heads into its...
College | Story | 3/24/2026

College Players of the Week: March 24

Vincent Cervino
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March 24th Perfect Game/Player of the Week: Quinton Coats, IF, Cincinnati The Cincinnati Bearcats (19-7) are on the cusp of the Top 25 and are playing their best ball of the season. The offense has been the driving force behind their success, and it has been incredibly consistent having averaged 8.5-runs per game. In the middle of it all, Quinton Coats, is on pace for a historic season both within the program and on a national level. The 6-3/225 infielder from Olathe, KS has been launching home runs at a record pace and opponents seem to be powerless to stop his onslaught. With incredible strength in his hands, Coats creates easy loft and in 5 road games last week he collected 9 hits in 20 at-bats, with 4 home runs, 9 runs scored, and he drove in a total of 9 runs as well. As for his pursuit of history, the modern day BBCOR bat standard single season home run record is 34, set back in...
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