THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Minors  | General | 12/11/2018

PG in the Pros: NL Central

David Rawnsley
Photo: Ke'Bryan Hayes (Perfect Game)

As part of Perfect Game's recurring PG in the Pros series David Rawnsley will take a look at some of the top prospects in minor league baseball and their impact on the sport prior to their professional careers. This will be done in a six-part series, one feature for each division in Major League Baseball while identifying one of the top prospects for each team. Links are provided below to past installments of the PG in the Pros series for other reports on prospects, both past and present.

 Previous 2018-19 PG in the Pros features: AL Central

Chicago Cubs

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Javier Baez, Albert Almora, C.J. Edwards, Dan Vogelbach
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Kris Bryant, Billy McKinney
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Duane Underwood
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Trevor Clifton
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Dillon Maples

 Alex Lange, RHP

Lange was a well-known high school prospect from his early days at a Missouri high school. He was a very mature teenager in all respects: in his physical development, in his polished stuff on the mound and as a student off the field, where he was a 4.0 student. His peak Perfect Game event during that time was between his sophomore and junior years at the 2012 Junior National Showcase. His report read as follows:

Strong physical build, pretty mature physically. Leg raise drifting delivery, compact arm action catches up well, fast arm, repeats delivery well and pitches to spots. Upper-80s fastball, topped out at 91 mph, has deception and fastball gets on hitters quickly. Outstanding split-fingered changeup, identical release point/arm speed to fastball, hard late tumble at times, big league pitch right now. Hard slurve-type breaking ball with good spin and some depth/bite. Hitters had no chance when he was mixing pitches, abusive three-pitch mix.

Lange's raw stuff remained the same the rest of his high school career and he was ranked 134th nationally as a senior and with his raw stuff and grades and an LSU scholarship in hand, wasn't drafted.



His maturity on the mound was immediately evident during his freshman year at Louisiana State when he went 12-0, 1.97 in 114 innings and was named the NCAA Freshman Pitcher of the Year and a consensus All-American. His raw stuff took a step up from his high school levels, as he now worked up to 95 mph consistently, with a tighter slider replacing his split-change as his go-to off-speed pitch.

Lange's sophomore and junior seasons didn't match up to his freshman year, as he went 8-4, 3.79 and 10-5, 2.97 while allowing more home runs and not cutting down his walk numbers. Scouts had concerns over his future big league role as a starter or reliever, although everyone agreed he would be a fast-track player in either role and particularly as a reliever.

The Cubs picked Lange with the 30th overall pick and signed him just before the deadline for a slightly below slot $1,925,000 bonus.


Cincinnati Reds

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Robert Stephenson, Billy Hamilton, Jesse Winker
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Michael Lorenzen, Ben Lively, Nick Travieso, Phil Ervin
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Amir Garrett
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Nick Senzel
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Taylor Trammell

 Tyler Stephenson, C

Stephenson was a regular at Perfect Game events around the Atlanta area during high school, both as a member of the Kennesaw Mountain High School team and while playing for the East Cobb Astros and East Cobb Yankees. He was a well known player with a scholarship to Georgia Tech that most evaluators, at that point, seemed to take for granted that he'd fulfill.

That projected future path changed completely during the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Stephenson's senior year. He had always been considered a high-level defensive catcher, with outstanding arm strength and surprising quickness and agility for his size. But Stephenson's righthanded swing approach at the plate wasn't as advanced, especially from professional eyes. He hit from an open stance that often stayed open and had a short very inside swing with limited shift into contact and lower body usage. It was a high contact, low power approach on an athlete that looked like a born middle-of-the-order power hitter.

Stephenson played four games at the heavily scouted 2015 PG High School Showdown in mid-March and it served as a coming out party for the swing adjustments he had made and his new prospect status. He was swinging more aggressively with more barrel extension and turn and pulling the ball with loud authority consistently while keeping his swing still short and direct. After that event here is the report that was filed:

Aside from Chris Betts, there might not be a more draftable catcher in the high school ranks than Tyler Stephenson. He has the prototype body that scouts love and big tools on both sides of the ball. He didn't take a bad swing in four games and the ball just explodes off his bat. I'm thinking third round potential right now.

Stephenson kept building on that over the rest of the spring, eventually hitting .415-8-25 in one of the most competitive high school baseball areas in the country and flying up draft boards as the top high school catching prospect in the class. The Reds were not scared away by the industry’s normal hesitance on high school catchers, picking Stephenson with the 11th overall pick. He signed almost immediately for an on-slot $3,141,600 bonus.


Milwaukee Brewers

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Tyrone Taylor, Jimmy Nelson, Taylor Jungmann
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Devin Williams, Jorge Lopez, Tyler Wagner
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Kodi Medeiros
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Isan Diaz
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Monte Harrison

 Corey Ray, OF

Ray attended Simeon High School in Chicago as a teenager, a school with a long basketball history but much less so of producing baseball players, and played extensively during the summer with the Chicago White Sox ACE program, an inner-city based program. He played in numerous WWBA tournaments with the ACE, along with participating in the 2012 PG National Showcase, and other major national showcases.

At a slender 5-foot-11, 170-pounds, Ray wasn't especially strong yet but had a quick and fluid lefthanded swing and was a plus runner on the bases and in the outfield, with his 6.76 60-yard dash time at the PG National not being indicative of his true baseball speed. He was a gap-to-gap hitter who worked the middle of the field and had nowhere close to the raw power, nor even the projection, that he displayed as he filled out.

Ray was ranked 176th in the 2013 class as a senior and was drafted in the 33rd round by the Mariners, with it being a foregone conclusion that Ray, a very good student, would attend Louisville.



As a freshman, Ray got into 43 games, including 19 starts and hit .325-1-17. Earning a full-time starting job as a sophomore, Ray blossomed, hitting .325 again but with 11 home runs, 56 RBI and 34 stolen bases. His power continued to develop as a junior and he hit .310-15-60 with 36 walks and an eye-opening 44-for-44 on stolen base attempts.

While acknowledging that Ray was one of the top athletes and prospects in the 2016 draft class, scouts sat on a number of fences with Ray and how he projected as a professional. Much of his dramatically increased power came from an aggressive swing approach, yet he walked frequently and saw his strikeouts almost drop by 50 percent during his junior year. His ability to steal bases was more a testament to his instincts and jumps and not to burning speed. Would that hold up as a pro? And there was consistent debate over what outfield position he would settle at, and did his offensive game, with the above questions, hold up a defensive game that could end up in left field?

In the end, all the analysis didn't matter for much, as the Brewers like him the best and picked him fifth overall, signing him to a slightly below slot $4,125,000 bonus.


Pittsburgh Pirates

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Jameson Taillon, Nick Kingham, Josh Bell
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Reese McGuire, Austin Meadows
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Tyler Glasnow
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Mitch Keller
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Cole Tucker

 Ke'Bryan Hayes, 3B

Hayes was a baseball field junkie and a regular at Perfect Game tournaments and showcases dating back to the summer before his freshman year. During many of his 20-plus PG tournaments dating back to the 2011 PG/East Cobb 14u/15u Invitational, Hayes played for his father, Charlie, a 14-year big league veteran and a baseball field junkie himself.

Hayes' polished skills at a young age enabled him to play up in age bracket consistently, including playing in Jupiter at the 2011 WWBA World Championship as a freshman, and he always had virtually the same build throughout high school, although he was gradually shedding the baby fat and replacing it with hard muscle the entire time.

The defining feeling about Hayes during his high school years was that he just kept getting better incrementally without there ever being a single moment when, as a scout, one declared "Yes, Ke'Bryan is a top prospect." He grew into it gradually and by the time he was a senior and was eventually ranked 19th in the 2015 high school class, there wasn't any doubt about his future potential.



One thing that was mildly frustrating about Hayes’ high school development was that you always knew he had far more raw power than he showed in games. His righthanded game approach during games was always very controlled and line drive oriented, with an inside swing path and a middle-to-opposite field orientation. But occasionally in batting practice, and once during a 2015 PG High School Showdown game when he hit two balls over the left-center field scoreboard, you'd see the easy power unleashed. As the old scouting mantra goes, "If you've seen it once you know it's there."

The report from the 2014 PG National Showcase does dwell on Hayes' untapped power potential, while also acknowledging his already obvious defense genius.

Strong athletic build, especially in the lower half. Very mobile and athletic defensively at third base, long arms and soft hands, fields the ball easily out front, very accurate strong throws, top level defensive player. Righthanded hitter, strong swing with lots of torque from his strong lower half, stays on top of the ball and drives the gaps, will loop under at times when too opposite field conscious, has big untapped power to start using at some point in the future. Also pitched, well-balanced directional delivery, full clean arm action, easy low effort mechanics, high three-quarters slot. Upper-80s fastball with good run, consistently low in the strike zone, good curveball spin and power. Has the potential to be a high-level pitching prospect if he wanted to.

Hayes was signed with Tennessee but went to the Pirates with the 32nd overall pick and signed to an exact slot $1,855,000 bonus, some 32 years after his father signed out of a Hattiesburg (Miss.) high school as a fourth round pick of the Giants.


St. Louis Cardinals

Before They Were Pros, 2013-14 – Kolten Wong, Carson Kelly, Tim Cooney, Randal Grichuk
Before They Were Pros, 2014-15 – Rob Kaminsky, Charles Tilson
PG in the Pros, 2015-16 – Luke Weaver
PG in the Pros, 2016-17 – Alex Reyes
PG in the Pros, 2017-18 – Jack Flaherty

 Dakota Hudson, RHP

Hudson was a big and strong 6-foot-5 righthander already during high school growing up in Dunlap, Tennessee, a small town of barely 4,000 people directly north of Chattanooga. He threw at a number of WWBA tournaments down Interstate 75 in Atlanta for the Chattanooga Cyclones, generally working in the 87-90 mph range, touching 91 mph occasionally and throwing a solid slurve-type breaking ball that would fluctuate between a curveball and a slider. Hudson was ranked 238th nationally in the final class of 2013 rankings before heading off to Mississippi State, although he was drafted in the 36th round by the Texas Rangers.

Hudson's first two years at Mississippi State were not noteworthy. He started five games as a freshman but only went 1-2, 4.67 in 17 innings while allowing 33 baserunners. He worked exclusively out of the bullpen as a sophomore, appearing in 17 games while going 1-1, 4.32.

Something clicked before his junior year, as Hudson won a spot in the Bulldogs rotation from the start of the year and went 9-5, 2.55 in 113 innings while refining his now mid-90s sinker, allowing only two home runs all season. His breaking ball was now a power slider in the mid-80s, although he was still working to fully develop a changeup.



Hudson was especially strong early in the season and quickly established himself as a potential top half of the first round prospect with his raw stuff and performance. He understandably faded as the season wore on, as his 113 innings that spring easily lapped the 33 innings he had thrown the previous two springs combined. Scouts started talking more about the chance that he might end up in the bullpen without a viable third pitch and wondered about his long and wrapped arm action in back and if he would have the future command to start.

The Cardinals found the middle ground, picking Hudson with the 34th overall pick and paying him a $2 million bonus. It was a small comedown from the scouting consensus back in March but something that seemed unrealistic at any time prior to his junior season.
Give us your feedback
Minors | General | 12/13/2024

PG Down on the Farm: NL West
David Rawnsley
Article Image
It’s the time of the year again (i.e. the off-season) for the annual PG Down on the Farm feature.  We identify a top prospect in each of the 30 Major League organizations with as much Perfect Game background as possible and delve into that PG history for some insight into his development as a prospect.  Some of them might be high profile, high draft pick, ex-PG All-American talents who fans have been long familiar with.  Others might be more obscure prospects who have significantly improved either in college or as professionals.  Note that players who have used up their rookie eligibility are not considered. The idea isn’t to necessarily pick the best PG background prospect in each organization but the one who might be closest to the big leagues.  Sometimes that is the same player, other times not. And there is plenty of variation among organizations...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/8/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
Article Image
2031 C/OF Jace Winston (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) had a really nice day at the dish as he picked up a couple hits in his first game, both well-struck, and then launched a bomb in game 2. He’s one of the more physical players here who can really impact the baseball already, and the consistency in which he’s hitting this fall is a great sign going into 2027. 2031 SS/RHP Weston Stalls (Blackstock, S.C.) came in for a couple innings of relief on the day and showed off the arm talent running the fastball up to 87. It’s a fast arm and he generates real life to the fastball, while the breaking ball is a good pitch as well.   ‘31 SS Parker Smith (NC) went 3-for-3 to open the weekend, this a line drive single the other way. 6’2/140 & can accelerate the barrel already, intriguing projection. #NatAllState @PG_Coastal https://t.co/Z7C5kDGdIM — Perfect Game...
Read More
General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

Article Image
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/6/2026

National All State Preview: Week 1

Hannah Jo Groves
Article Image
This weekend, teams from all around the country in the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions will converge on the Houston area for the 2026 PG National All-State Select Championships. The 10U division will have 22 teams, 12U will have 23 and 14U will have 22. All ages have many different states represented - from Hawaii, to the Pacific Northwest, to Arizona, to New England, to Carolina to Florida and many more. “National All-State brings together the best players in the country across Houston,” national crosschecker and northeast scouting director, John McAdams, said. “It’s a fun atmosphere for ultimate bragging rights amongst all the regions the PG platform reaches domestically while serving as a good litmus test for myself, Jheremy Brown and Tyler Russo to see the players. We get another glimpse at the end of the year as we start to formulate our initial thoughts on the...
Read More
Draft | Rankings | 11/6/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board Update: Top 200

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
PG Draft Content Hub With the fall season winding down and the winter months approaching, it is time for another draft board update.  After getting more live looks and gathering information from the fall action across the country, we have expanded the board to a Top-200. The class continues to feature an intriguing mix of arms from both the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool.  There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established prospects to continue to improve their draft stock, but here is where things stand as we head into the winter.  * denotes draft eligible sophomore Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Dylan Seward H SS S-R Norco Eastvale CA Tennessee 2 Brendan Lawson C SS L-R Florida Toronto ON 3 Dax Whitney C RHP R-R Oregon State Blackfoot ID 4 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State...
Read More
College | Story | 11/6/2026

College Fall Notebook: November 6

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Virginia Cavaliers  2026 In Review:  Under the leadership of first year Head Coach Chris Pollard, the Cavaliers won 37 games which was the second most victories by a first-year coach in program history.  Virginia went (37-23) finishing tied for 8th in the ACC and earned an at-large bid to the Hattiesburg Regional.  They fielded a talented offense that averaged over 8-runs per game, highlighted by AJ Gracia and Eric Becker who were both selected on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft.  While the defensive squad wasn’t quite as elite as usual, they were ultra-competitive on the mound with a strong rotation and lock down bullpen.  With plenty of talent returning for Pollard and his staff in ’27, they should be a force on a national level once again.  Impact Returners:    Senior Antonio Perrotta (.266/.459/.431, 5 HR, 6 2B, 24 RBI) experienced...
Read More
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 70

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
That Off-Season Program Wasn't Built for Your Son. It Was Built for Nobody. The Harsh Reality of Skill Development · Part 2 of 5 Somewhere right now, a pitcher is starting a twelve-week off-season program. It came from his travel team. Or a trainer. Or a big leaguer's Instagram. It has phases and a logo, and every kid in the building got the same one. Here is the harsh reality. That program was written before anybody looked at your son. It doesn't know he exists. It was built for the average pitcher... and the average pitcher does not exist. A Template Fixes Somebody's Problem. Maybe Not His. Every pitcher who is stuck is stuck for a reason. We call that reason his constraint... the thing that is actually limiting him right now. For one kid it is strength. For the next it is mobility. For the next it is a mechanical inefficiency, or an arm that isn't recovering, or a body that...
Read More
General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 69

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Your Son's April Arm Injury is Being Scheduled Right Now   The Harsh Reality of Skill Development - Part 1 of 5 Let me start this series with something most people in baseball won't say out loud. In my experience, a great many of the arm problems we will see next April are being set up right now... in October, November and December. Not necessarily because a young pitcher is throwing too much. Often it's because of what happens when he stops. Here is the pattern. I have watched it for more than thirty years. The fall season ends. The arm is tired, so the family does what seems like the responsible thing.  They shut it down. No throwing. For a lot of kids, no anything. Weeks go by. The holidays come and go. Then somebody looks at a calendar in January and realizes tryouts are three weeks away. Suddenly, an arm that has done nothing since October is asked to go from zero to game...
Read More
High School | Rankings | 11/4/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Risers

Kyler Peterson
Article Image
Complete Class of 2027 Rankings With the end of the summer and fall seasons behind us, it was time for a quick refresh of the 2027 class rankings. Below you'll be able to read about some of the biggest risers up the board, led by North Carolina outfielder John Hucko who jumped more than 110 spots to now sit at No. 20 overall.  John Hucko, OF, Charlotte, N.C. Previous Rank: 132 | Current Rank: 20 Hucko makes a huge leap into the top-20 players in the class after a dominating showing in Jupiter. It’s as good of a left-handed swing as you’ll come across with pretty easy impact to all parts. He’s a supreme athlete with all the tools to play center long term and is a present plus runner. Hucko is a name that cemented his prospect status in Jupiter and will be a name to follow for next year’s MLB Draft. Elyjah Mason, SS, Lake Forest, Calif. Previous Rank: 71 |...
Read More
General | General | 11/3/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Update

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 11/2/2026

PG Partners Up with Minority Prospects

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME ANNOUNCES MEDIA RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH MINORITY PROSPECTS   Sanford, Florida (Monday, November 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a media rights partnership with Minority Prospects, the Atlanta-based organization that has become the largest platform in the world for minority baseball and softball prospects. The partnership kicked off last month at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., Perfect Game's premier fall event, where Minority Prospects produced content featuring some of the nation's top amateur players in front of college coaches, professional scouts and MLB legends. Under the agreement, Minority...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.