THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,805 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 6/4/2018

PG East Cobb Days 3-5 Scout Notes

Photo: Logan Tanner (Perfect Game)

PG/East Cobb Invitational Days 1-2 Scout Notes



Max DeJong (2020, Powder Springs, Ga.) has progressed nicely as a pitcher over the course of the last year. DeJong, a rising junior from Hillgrove High School touched 92 mph with his fastball. He creates plenty of angle on his fastball from an over the top arm slot. He pitches exclusively from the stretch balancing nicely on his back leg before moving downhill to home plate. From the human eye, the ball really jumps out of DeJong’s hand. He throws with little effort getting repeated upper-80s velocity on his pitches. He also showed his full arsenal of pitches with a curveball and changeup as well. The curveball showed 12-to-6 break in the low-70s, but the changeup was the better of the two secondary offerings. The changeup showed short sinking action up to 79 mph. DeJong is still uncommitted, but with the velocity he showed on Saturday and the number of college coaches in attendance that uncommitted label may not last too much longer.

Hurston Waldrep (2020, Thomasville, Ga.) made a considerable leap in velocity on Saturday from his last time pitching in a Perfect Game event. 11 months ago Waldrep’s fastball topped out at 85 mph and on Saturday his fastball sat 89-90 mph early on. The fastball did lessen in velocity as the game went on, but the first inning was very eye-opening. Waldrep not only featured an upper-80s fastball, but his delivery is very clean for his age.

The uncommitted rising junior has plenty of tempo to his delivery with a clean arm action. He generates plenty of arm speed and gets good use of his lower half. The most noticeable and intriguing aspect of his delivery is the amount of extension he gets out in front. Getting up to eight feet of extension out in front of his 6-foot-1, 163-pound frame, Waldrep gets an effective velocity of up to 93 mph to hitters meaning it appears that hard to the batter in the box. He also mixed in a 12-to-6 curveball that flashed hard biting action as well. Waldrep has developed nicely in a year’s time and is a very interesting uncommitted arm in the 2020 class.

Austin St. Laurent (2020, Elon, N.C.) has been impressive all weekend long with his bat and foot speed. The commitment to East Carolina had a pair of doubles today to help lead his Team Elite Prime 16U team to a 9-1 victory. The early Saturday morning game was highlighted by an offensive showing by Team Elite. St. Laurent’s raw bat speed and loud pop was a big part of that. Sunday, St. Laurent showed his speed on the base paths as he sprinted down the first baseline recording a 4.26 second time from home to first base. Laurent is a legitimate two-way talent that has reached up to 90 mph on the mound in the past as well.

Andrew Burns (2022, Albertville, Ala.) is one of the more standout 14 year old players of the weekend. Burns showed at the Main Event Showcase in December that he has true bat speed and can handle the bat very well. For his young age, Burns’ bat speed is noticeable and truly raw. He matched that bat speed with strength to his swing on a 1-0 fastball that he connected on and drove out of the park. The rising freshman squared up the baseball as it left his bat at 91 mph and 340 feet over the left field fence. He also plays a solid third base with quick actions and good hands. The ceiling is high for Burns as he still has plenty of time to continue to improve on his all-around game.

Zachary Maxwell (2019, Acworth, Ga.) is an invitee to the Perfect Game National Showcase and he showed why on Saturday. Maxwell retired nine hitters via the strikeout in four innings of no-hit baseball. The Georgia Tech ran his fastball up to 93 mph while mixing in a slider with a high spin rate. The slider featured a spin rate up to 2600-rpms in the 76-79 mph range. Maxwell is a physical pitcher standing at 6-foot-6 235-pounds. He throws really easy as well with the baseball jumping out of his hand. Maxwell pitched really well and left the game in line for the win. There are lots of aspects of Maxwell’s repertoire to like as there is still velocity left in there just how much and when will it pop up is the real question.

Marquis Grissom Jr. (2020, Atlanta, Ga.) opened up Sunday morning’s playoff action really filling up the strike zone nicely to both side of the plate with an upper-80s fastball and a mid-70s straight changeup. The son of a former Major Leaguer has a really quick arm on the mound and it’s evident in the velocity he produces. Grissom’s fastball topped out at 89 mph and his changeup topped out at 76 mph early on in the contest. The uncommitted righthander pitched a very impressive 6 1/3 innings striking out seven batters and only allowing two hits. He was very efficient as well reaching 79 pitches during the outing. Grissom’s quick arm and the athleticism he has in his delivery would be a nice addition to a big-time program’s 2020 recruiting class.

The strong showing of 2020 graduate arms continued on through Sunday’s playoff action with Wyatt Crowell (2020, Cumming, Ga.) of Team Elite Prime 16u. Crowell, taking the unfortunate no decision, was really dominant in his start on the mound and showed good stuff in doing so. Topping out at 88 mph and showing an average velocity of 86 mph, the lefthander throws a hard fastball to square up as it shows life to armside throughout the trip to the plate. His fastball tails away from righthanders and he mixed in a slider that showed lots of depth up to 77 mph from his crossfire delivery. There’s plenty of tempo to his delivery as he coild at the balance point of his windup. The arm works nicely through the back with plenty of quickness and looseness to it. Crowell stands at 5-foot-11, 150-pounds but with some added strength and continued growth, there is reason to think that Crowell still has more in the tank.

Michael Fowler (2020, Trussville, Ala.) was hit some against a Georgia Jackets team that went on to finish runner up in the event, nonetheless the righthander featured a fastball up to 90 mph. His fastball also flashed sink at times as well. Fowler has a loose arm action that works nicely coming from an online delivery that has a big leg lift at the balance point. Fowler’s arm works and there is some effort as he releases the baseball, but he stands at a projectable 6-foot-1 155-pounds and can land both of his pitches for enough strikes. His curveball showed different break depending on the spin showing short break at times and depth at other times. His curveball was best when having 11-to-5 shape with depth in the mid-70s. Adding to the large amount of uncommitted and projectable pitchers, Fowler is another name to follow for the 2020 class.

Tyler Olenchuk (2020, Irmo, S.C.) came into close out the final two innings of the East Cobb Astros 8-0 run-rule victory to start the playoffs. Olenchuk added his name into the mix of multiple 2020 arms that showed big-time potential on the mound during this weekend’s event. Olenchuk, a commit to Clemson, struck out three of the seven batters he faced and filled up the strike zone with his fastball and his curveball. His fastball sat 88-90 mph and averaged 88 mph during his two-inning stint. His curveball was an above average secondary pitch with late 12-to-6 break up to 78 mph.

Nathan Hickey (2019, Jacksonville, Fla.), a teammate of Olenchuk unloaded on a baseball early on in the first round playoff game. The second hitter of the bottom half of the first inning connected on a fastball and did not miss it. The Florida commit struck it to his pull side at 99 mph off of his bat. The home run traveled 402 feet to right field into the parking lot next to Field 9 at LakePoint. Hickey features raw strength to his swing and bat speed that generates high exit velocities off of his bat.


 

Logan Tanner (2019, Lucedale, Miss.) showed the stuff of the tournament during his start on the mound Sunday. As the No. 14 seed Team GA/MBA 17u Gold began their playoff run, Tanner gave them no concerns that they were going to win game one. Tanner featured the top fastball velocity of the tournament as he peaked at 95 mph and sat in the 91-94 mph range. His fastball has plane and lived mostly down in the zone. His curveball was slightly inconsistent, but certainly showed potential with short break and very tight spin. His curveball velocity topped out at 79 mph. Tanner was virtually untouchable throughout his outing going four strong innings of no hit baseball with five strikeouts and being one walk away from a perfect start. Tanner will also be at Perfect Game National and is always a treat to watch pitch.




Jerrion Ealy (2019, Carthage, Miss.) has plus speed and showed it during a pair of instances Sunday. On a triple to right center field, Ealy burned around the bases and clocked a 4.19-second home to first base time with a turn. Ealy posted the same time later on a groundout to shortstop while being with a slight pull up at the end. The commitment to Mississippi has elite speed and a hit tool that plays as well. The #8 player in the 2019 class is a high level player whose physical presence and overall skillset are fun to watch play. 

Josh Shuler (2020, Suwanee, Ga.) flashed serious barrel control and raw bat speed in the semifinal of the 16u PG East Cobb Invitational. Shuler connected on a fastball out over the plate and did not miss it. The 22nd ranked player in the 2020 class squared up the pitch for a very loud triple deep to center field. The extremely athletic outfielder burned around the bases making it into third base easily. Earlier in the contest, he just missed a pitch that he flew to left field with a hang time of just under six seconds at 5.93-seconds exactly. Shuler is a fun player to watch as he is extremely athletic. He also is the top ranked uncommitted player from the state of Georgia for his 2020 class.

Gregory Gerard



 
Landon Russell (2022, Phenix City, Ala.) performed well on Saturday, stroking two hits, including an RBI triple. He has a quick bat through the zone and quick hands to the ball and is an advanced hitter and defender as he is only 14 years old. He tracks and stays with the ball in the box and is a solid baserunner. At third base, he has a strong arm and good hands, he is also patient and lines up his throws well. At the plate, he is not afraid to go to the opposite field, patiently wanting on the right pitch and taking it the other way.

Russell’s teammate on 14u Team Elite Premier, Will Cannon (2021, Smiths, Ala.), put together a solid start on the mound. Cannon threw 74-77 on his fastball and has smooth mechanics on the hill. Cannon also has a good feel for a tight curveball that he can drop in for a strike occasionally. He pushes off the mound well with his high leg kick and shows good command of the zone as well. He only allowed one run and two hits on his line score, generating consistent soft contact. The 5-foot-7, 130-pounder will continue to add velocity as he gets stronger to go along with his impressive pitchability.

Jonathan Vigoa (2022, Rome, Ga.) showed a couple of potential plus tools on a good day for his Georgia Scorpions 14u squad. He flashed a quick bat on an opposite field RBI single and demonstrates good speed and good instincts on the base paths. He is patient at the plate as well, drawing a walk. Although he is primarily a catcher, he showed his strong arm today at right field and showed good feel for the position.

Lawrence Hammonds (2020, Hoover, Ala.) showed an advanced approach at the plate for his Excel Blue Wave squad on Saturday. He displays solid bat speed and garners consistent hard contact, as evidenced by a hard hit double to left-center. He is also patient and waits for his pitch with a good approach. He really gets the bat head out in front of the baseball and gets on base, with four total bases on the day. Lawrence is the 19th-ranked player in the state of Alabama for the 2020 class.

Playing for 16u Triton Rays Prime, Trey Marshall (2019, Lawrenceville, Ga.) stood out mainly because of his plus arm and defense in right field. He is agile and athletic, simply making it look easy in the outfield. At the plate, he has an inside-out swing and makes hard contact, evidenced by a laser single to center. His plus speed also shows on the base paths, with two stolen bases on the day. The 5-foot-10, 165-pound rising senior should continue to add strength as well, and profile some more gap power in addition.

In an excellent display of power, Johnny Ceccoli (2020, Tyler, Texas.) showed his plus hitting ability with a homerun over the right field wall for his Knights Baseball 16u Premier team. His bat flies through the zone with ease and his swing is effortless. At first base, his defense is smooth and he picks the ball very cleanly. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound Auburn commit is a very impressive prospect and will only continue to get better as he matures.

Matthew Brothers




Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap

Perfect Game Staff
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‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
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...
College | Recruiting | 3/23/2026

Recruiting Notebook: March 23

Ryan Miller
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High speed look at the FF-SL from '27 SS/RHP Harry Chubb Jones Jr. (GA)... #BeastoftheEast @PG_Uncommitted @PG_Georgia https://t.co/zXWgDJjU0y pic.twitter.com/GUIUN4tWmw — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 25, 2025 Harry Chubb Jones Jr., RHP/SS, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Jones recently flipped his commitment from Clemson to Alabama, landing Rob Vaughn and staff a high-end two-way talent in the ’27 class. The Georgia native possesses tremendous upside on the mound, working from a long and lean right-handed frame that displays projection and athleticism. Jones starts over the face before working to the belt and into a higher pronounced leg lift. He fires down the mound via a standard-length arm action and high three-quarters slot. Chubb’s fastball/slider combination and feel for the zone, with the heater showcasing run/ride traits and power into the high-90s....
College | Rankings | 3/22/2026

College Top 25: March 23

Vincent Cervino
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Time flies when you are having fun and the fact that we are almost to the halfway point of the 2026 season, proves just how entertaining things have been to this point. In what was an ultra-impactful week on the national landscape, there are some clubs fading out of the limelight while others are emerging from the shadows and showing they are a force to be reconned with. Conference play always makes the big picture come into view and we are now getting a feel for who the true contenders may be as the grind begins. The UCLA Bruins (21-2) keep their stranglehold on the top spot in the land as they remain unchallenged since the start of Big Ten play and finished the week with a (4-0) record. The Texas Longhorns (20-3) did lose back-to-back games this week but showed their resilience by winning an intense road series against now No. 7 Auburn (19-4). Georgia Tech (19-5) also had a (2-2) week...
Draft | Rankings | 3/20/2026

2026 Draft Board: Top 300

Vincent Cervino
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The 2026 MLB Draft class is shaping up to be one of the better in recent memory and, potentially, the best class in the last decade. It’s led by UCLA superstar shortstop Roch Cholowsky, a true five-tool prospect who’s the early favorite for 1:1. One of the most popular pieces of industry feedback when constructing this list was some variation of “Roch is too low” or “go up on Roch” and he’s the best college prospect since 2019 when Adley Rutschman (Oregon State, Orioles) was the consensus No. 1 prospect. Similarly to 2019, there’s a superstar Texas prep shortstop at No. 2, in 2019 it was Bobby Witt Jr. (Colleyville Heritage, Royals) and this year it’s Grady Emerson. Both Emerson and Alabama’s Justin Lebron would have been solid 1:1 candidates in years where Roch Cholowsky is not eligible and both have All-Star potential....
High School | General | 3/23/2026

High School Notebook: March 23

Perfect Game Staff
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Talon Brown (‘29 CA) showing some intriguing stuff over 2.1 IP running the FB up to 89, living 86-88 while mixing in a BB at 77. FB heavy on the day w/ a limited pitch count. 6-4, 205-lb w/ an athletic operation working down the bump #PGHS pic.twitter.com/HkLmJHrB1W — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) March 14, 2026 Talon Brown 2029 RHP, Christian Brown features an advanced 6-foot-4, 205-pound, athletic, projectable frame.  The freshman has made two appearances on the young season working four-innings without allowing a hit or run and has struck out seven opposing hitters.  It’s an easy, downhill operation and the ball jumps out of the hand, using the four-seam often that has ride through the zone, sitting 85-88 and topping out at 89.  The breaking ball showed 11-5 shape with depth spinning it at 1900 RPM+.  Brown features an athletic...
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