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| 2,496 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,496 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Draft  | Story | 5/18/2018

2018 MLB Draft: Top Tools

Photo: Xavier Edwards (Perfect Game)




2018 MLB Draft Preview Content | Mock Draft v. 2

An annual exercise as part of Perfect Game's MLB Draft content, PG's staff of draft experts combined to assemble a list of the top individual tools available for this year's draft.


2018 Top Tools: Hitter

High School
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Nolan Gorman 3B Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ)
2 Jarred Kelenic OF Waukesha West (WI)
3 Xavier Edwards SS North Broward Prep (FL)
4 Connor Scott OF Plant (FL)
5 Jeremiah Jackson SS St. Lukes (AL)
College
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Nick Madrigal 2B Oregon State
2 Jonathan India 3B Florida
3 Steele Walker OF Oklahoma
4 Alec Bohm 3B Wichita State
5 Travis Swaggerty OF South Alabama


2018 Top Tools: Power

High School
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Nolan Gorman 3B Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ)
2 Grant Lavigne 1B Bedford (NH)
3 Triston Casas 1B/3B American Heritage (FL)
4 Jordan Groshans 3B Magnolia (TX)
5 Nick Decker OF Seneca (NJ)
College
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Alec Bohm 3B Wichita State
2 Trevor Larnach OF Oregon State
3 Bren Spillane 1B Illinois
4 Joey Bart C Georgia Tech
5 Seth Beer 1B/OF Clemson


2018 Top Tools: Speed

High School
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Max Marusak OF Amarillo (TX)
2 Jordyn Adams OF Green Hope (NC)
3 Xavier Edwards SS North Broward Prep (FL)
4 Levi Usher OF Prairie (IA)
5 Isaiah Thomas OF The Benjamin School (FL)
College
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Kyler Murray OF Oklahoma
2 Jake Mangum OF Mississippi State
3 Charlie McConnell OF Northeastern
4 Nick Madrigal 2B Oregon State
5 Jake McCarthy OF Virginia


2018 Top Tools: Arm

High School
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Will Banfield C Brookwood (GA)
2 Blaze Alexander SS Bishop Verot (FL)
3 Joe Gray Jr. OF Hattiesburg (MS)
4 Kendall Logan Simmons 3B Tatnall Square Academy (GA)
5 Connor Pavolony C River Ridge (GA)
College
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Joey Bart C Georgia Tech
2 Josh Breaux C/RHP McLennan
3 Griffin Conine OF Duke
4 Tanner Dodson RHP/OF California
5 Matt Vierling OF/RHP Notre Dame


2018 Top Tools: Defender

High School
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Will Banfield C Brookwood (GA)
2 Xavier Edwards SS North Broward Prep (FL)
3 Mike Siani OF William Penn Charter (PA)
4 Joe Gray Jr. OF Hattiesburg (MS)
5 Alek Thomas OF Mt. Carmel (IL)
College
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Jake Mangum OF Mississippi State
2 Nick Madrigal 2B Oregon State
3 Trey Dawson SS Kentucky
4 Cadyn Grenier SS Oregon State
5 Jameson Hannah OF Dallas Baptist


2018 Top Tools: Athlete

High School
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Jordyn Adams OF Green Hope (NC)
2 Xavier Edwards SS North Broward Prep (FL)
3 Levi Usher OF Prairie (IA)
4 Mason Denaburg RHP Merritt Island (FL)
5 Alek Thomas OF Mt. Carmel (IL)
College
Rk. Name Pos. School
1 Kyler Murray OF Oklahoma
2 Zach Watson OF LSU
3 Jake McCarthy OF Virginia
4 Jameson Hannah OF Dallas Baptist
5 Nick Madrigal 2B Oregon State


2018 Top Tools: Fastball

High School
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Ethan Hankins RHP Forsyth Central (GA)
2 JT Ginn RHP Brandon (MS)
3 Mason Denaburg RHP Merritt Island (FL)
4 Kumar Rocker RHP North Oconee (GA)
5 Matthew Liberatore LHP Mountain Ridge (AZ)
College
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Shane McClanahan LHP South Florida
2 Casey Mize RHP Auburn
3 Brady Singer RHP Florida
4 Reid Schaller RHP Vanderbilt
5 Tanner Dodson RHP/OF California


2018 Top Tools: Curveball

High School
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Carter Stewart RHP Eau Gallie (FL)
2 JT Ginn RHP Brandon (MS)
3 Landon Marceaux RHP Destrehan (LA)
4 Matthew Liberatore LHP Mountain Ridge (AZ)
5 Austin Becker RHP Big Walnut (OH)
College
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Ryan Rolison LHP Ole Miss
2 Tim Cate LHP UConn
3 Logan Gilbert RHP Stetson
4 Durbin Feltman RHP TCU
5 Konnor Pilkington LHP Mississippi State


2018 Top Tools: Slider

High School
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Garrett Wade LHP Hartselle (AL)
2 Garrett McDaniels LHP Pee Dee Academy (SC)
3 Grayson Rodriguez RHP Central Heights (TX)
4 Adam Kloffenstein RHP Magnolia (TX)
5 Lineras Torres Jr. RHP Beacon (NY)
College
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Griffin Roberts RHP Wake Forest
2 Riley Thompson RHP Louisville
3 Shane McClanahan LHP South Florida
4 Casey Mize RHP Auburn
5 Jason Bilous RHP Coastal Carolina


2018 Top Tools: Changeup

High School
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Jonathan Gates LHP Nature Coast Technical (FL)
2 Landon Marceaux RHP Destrehan (LA)
3 Ty Madden RHP Cypress Ranch (TX)
4 Brandon Dieter RHP South Hills (CA)
5 Cole Wilcox RHP Heritage (GA)
College
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Casey Mize RHP Auburn
2 Jackson Kowar RHP Florida
3 Nick Lee RHP Louisiana
4 Josh Hiatt RHP North Carolina
5 Shane McClanahan LHP South Florida


2018 Top Tools: Command

High School
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Ryan Weathers LHP Loretto (TN)
2 Mike Vasil RHP Boston College HS (MA)
3 Cole Winn RHP Orange Lutheran (CA)
4 Gunnar Hoglund RHP Dayspring Christian Academy (FL)
5 Jonathan Gates LHP Nature Coast Technical (FL)
College
Rk. Name Throws School
1 Casey Mize RHP Auburn
2 Nick Sandlin RHP Southern Miss
3 Konnor Pilkington LHP Mississippi State
4 John Rooney LHP Hofstra
5 Luke Heimlich LHP Oregon State




Draft | Mock Draft | 7/6/2026

MLB Mock Draft: 4.0

Tyler Henninger
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MLB Draft: Top 500 Update Pick Team Name Pos. School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 8 Athletics Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals AJ Gracia OF Virginia 14 Miami Marlins Derek Curiel OF LSU 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 16 Texas Rangers Liam Peterson RHP Florida 17 Houston Astros Justin Lebron SS Alabama 18...
Tournaments | Story | 7/9/2026

Windy City Scout Notes: Part 1

Donovan May
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’28 RHP Jack Potsma (IL) went 4.0 IP w/ 4 K, running the FB up to 91 mph. Quick, whippy arm w/ a tall, projectable frame. FB had quality arm-side run, while adding a SL. Good control in the delivery w/ the ability to fill up the zone. FB: 87-91 | SL: 68-73 #WCOpen @RaysIllinois pic.twitter.com/8HfMEeamIC — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) July 6, 2026 Jack Postma (2028, Barrington, Ill.) is a tall, projectable 6-foot-5, 195-pound pitcher with a quick, whippy arm and loose, athletic actions. The GRB Rays 16U Illinois Green right-hander ran his fastball up to 91 mph with heavy arm-side run while filling up the zone and inducing weak contact. Postma complemented the fastball with a slider and mixed in a fading changeup, giving him a quality three-pitch mix to build upon. Over 4.0 innings, Postma struck out 4, allowing 4 hits while throwing 66% strikes.  ’27 RHP...
Press Release | Press Release | 7/9/2026

SHIVERSTICKS NAMED OFFICIAL POPSICLE OF PERFECT GAME

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   SHIVERSTICKS NAMED OFFICIAL POPSICLE OF PERFECT GAME   Former MLB All-Star Vernon Wells to Make Select Appearances at Perfect Game Events to Promote the Partnership   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, July 9, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with ShiverSticks, naming the Texas-based company the Official Popsicle of Perfect Game. Throughout the travel baseball season, ShiverSticks products will be featured across Perfect Game’s premier events and facilities, with onsite activations, concession integration, digital promotions and social media content designed to introduce players and fans to the...
Tournaments | Story | 7/9/2026

16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 3

Perfect Game Staff
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16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Carlos Acuna (2028, Sylmar, Cal.) turned in an impressive start on Wednesday, tossing four shutout innings with six strikeouts and just one hit allowed. The 6-foot-1 right-hander filled up all four quadrants of the strike zone with his fastball, which lived in the 86-87 mph range and touched 88 a couple of times. He mixed in a true 12-6 curveball with huge depth down in the zone, and showed comfortability doubling up on the breaking ball. ‘28 Francis Conners-Schmid (NY) was dominant out of the ‘pen, 6 Ks in 2 hitless inn of work. Lived 88-89 & touched 90 multiple times. Sharp horz break to the SL w/ teeth & tight spin (clip). Athletic mover w/ serious 2-way upside. @JKselectBSB #WWBA @PGMidAtlantic pic.twitter.com/z859j3UCEq — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 8, 2026 Francis Conners-Schmid (2028, East Chatham, N.Y.)...
Tournaments | Story | 7/9/2026

Future Stars Take Center Stage at 14U BCS

Alyssa Golden
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The 21st annual 14U BCS National Championship returns to Fort Myers, Florida this Thursday through Monday, bringing many of the nation’s top teams to compete for one of the summer’s premier titles. Seven nationally ranked teams, featuring some of the top prospects in the class of 2030, will take the field looking to prove why they rank among the country’s elite. Headlining the field is No. 25-ranked outfielder James Watson of Canton, Georgia. The No. 9 outfielder in the nation has been one of the most productive hitters in the field this season, posting a 1.227 OPS while batting .394 with eight home runs, 69 RBI and 32 stolen bases over 84 games. Watson has also excelled on the mound, recording a 3.50 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 44 innings while holding opposing hitters to a .181 batting average. The athletic two-way player owns a 94 mph exit velocity, an 88-mph outfield...
Tournaments | Story | 7/8/2026

Premier Invite Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Tripp Merren (‘29 TX) with a pair of missiles off the barrel today including a no-doubt 2-run 💣 and triple later both to RCF. Electric bat speed with easy strength off the barrel. Can really scoot around bases. #PremierInvite pic.twitter.com/VUEHQZ0bmM — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) July 3, 2026 Tripp Merren (2029, Houston, Texas) took home MVP honors enroute to a big championship win for the Houston Texans Astros Scout Team. Merren stands in at 6-foot-0 from a pretty physical frame at this age. He has the athleticism to go with it and already looks like he has filled out a good bit. Merren fits the mold as a true power hitting corner guy but can play all over on the dirt. He finished the week going 9-15 that included two doubles, a triple, and two homers. He also drove in seven runs and scored nine times. Talk about a complete week and Tripp was simply in the heart of...
Tournaments | Story | 7/8/2026

16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 2

Perfect Game Staff
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16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 ‘28 Rylan Jenkins (GA) hits the bottom of the CF wall for a 2-RBI double; great rhythm to the stroke w/ lots of easy strength in the barrel. 6.46 runner. @BravesScout16u #WWBA @PG_Georgia pic.twitter.com/oxSt7fvsUw — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 7, 2026 Rylan Jenkins (2028, Tennille, Ga.) found a few loud barrels Tuesday morning, sending a pair of hard liners off the outfield wall. He drove in four runs and crossed home three times himself. The 5-foot-9 lefty hitter takes a smooth path to the baseball with excellent rhythm to the operation. He generates lots of easy strength at the point of contact and consistently produces high exit velocities to the pull-side and middle of the field. Jenkins is extremely twitchy and gets down the line in a hurry. He runs a 6.46 sixty and turns doubles into triples often. Tripp Sapp (2028, Loganville,...
College | Story | 7/7/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stripes

Craig Cozart
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Collegiate National Team: Stars Notes Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stripes Position Players  Nico Partida ...
Tournaments | Story | 7/8/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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13u World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Chaysten Fuentes (2030, Ewa Beach, HI) worked really well from the right side of the plate ending up with five hits and a double in the last two days. The right handed hitting Hawaiian has a ton of strength to the body. The hands work directly to the ball and can hit to all fields in the approach. Has done an incredible job getting the barrel to almost everything and gets on plane in the turn.  Triston Valdez (2031, Castaic, CA) was electric on day four batting .500 with a double, triple, and five rbis. The barrel is really quick to the ball and works with a level path. Against NY Gotham 13u Ghost, Valdez would not be denied demolishing the bases clearing triple way back into the RCF gap. Stays inside the baseball consistently with the hands and torques it hard.  Christopher Julian Leija (2031, Weslaco, TX) really showed out the last two...
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

Two Day Rewind at 15u National Elite

Kinley Kitchens
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Two days into the 2026 Perfect Game 15U National Elite Championship, the storylines are already beginning to take shape. As one of the summer’s premier invite-only events, the tournament annually brings together many of the nation’s top 15U clubs, with 100 elite teams traveling to Hoover in pursuit of a championship. While there is still plenty of baseball left to play, the opening rounds have already produced breakout performances, dominant team victories, and plenty of excitement heading into bracket play. Several nationally recognized organizations entered the week as favorites, including MTBA Dawgs, ranked No. 3 nationally, Wildcatters Baseball at No. 10, and 5 Star Mafia, ranked No. 12. Meanwhile, newer programs like Jason Kidd Select Team have quickly shown they are capable of making noise against the nation’s best. One of the biggest storylines through the first...
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

15u Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Troy Sutherland
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Tristan Barton (‘29, TX) has struck out three over three scoreless innings of work, getting a lively FB up to 89. Mixed in a sharp vt CB w/ late bite. Operates from a projectable RH frame w/ length + room to fill. #NatElite @Texas_PG pic.twitter.com/LXfkLOtxdo — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 5, 2026 Tristan Barton (’29, Gunter, TX) turned in a strong start on Sunday, lasting four innings of one run ball, striking out four. Barton operates from a bigger lengthy right-handed frame with considerable room to fill. He starts with a mid-body handset before working to the belt and into a high compact leg lift. Barton fires down via a compact arm action and high three quarters slot. The Texas native got a run/ride fastball up to 89, living in the mid-80s throughout the outing. He mixed in a sharp 12-6 curveball with vertical depth and late bite. Jack Graviss...
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