PHOENIX – The inaugural Perfect Game National Showcase in 2001 was held at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., and PG officials moved the event back to The Trop in 2018. By every account, the homecoming was a smashing success.
The calendar flipped to 2019 six months ago, and PG will once again hold what is considered the most prestigious showcase event in all of amateur baseball at a domed major league stadium, but this time on the other side of the country.
The 19th annual PG National Showcase will be staged in all its glory at the Arizona Diamondbacks’ Chase Field in downtown Phoenix from Tuesday, June 11 through Saturday, June 15, a five-day run that will put on display the exceptional skills of 290 of the top national prospects from the class of 2020.
Who exactly will be dancing in the desert this week? To start with, 89 of PG’s top 100-ranked 2020 prospects will be on hand, a number that includes 40 of the top 50 and 22 of the top 25.
The event gives all 290 of these elite players an opportunity to impress in front of hundreds of MLB scouts as part of the kick-off to what is the most important summer of their still young careers – the one just in front of their senior year in high school.
They will also be trying to impress the members of PG’s extensive scouting staff, which includes the most influential people in the company; most have already done this many times before. It’s worth noting that all 52 roster spots at the nationally televised 2018 Perfect Game All-American Classic in San Diego were filled by prospects that were also at the 2018 PG National.
Pete Crow-Armstrong, an outfielder/left-handed pitcher and a Vanderbilt commit from Sherman Oaks, Calif., will be at the event as the No. 1-ranked overall prospect in the 2020 class. But in a strange twist, he’ll be joined by a guy who’s certainly used to carrying a No. 1 ranking for at least a couple of years running now.
Blaze Jordan, a predigous right-handed slugging corner-infielder and a Mississippi State commit from Southaven, Miss., recently reclassified as a 2020; he was ranked the No. 1 2021 at the time of his reclassification.
Longwood, Fla., outfielder Dylan Crews (No. 2-ranked, an LSU commit); Oakdale, Pa., outfielder/left-hander Austin Hendrick (No. 3, Mississippi State); Whittier, Calif., right-hander/third baseman Jared Jones (No. 4, Southern California); Refugio, Texas, righty Jared Kelley (No. 5, Texas); Miami infielder Yohandy Morales (No. 6, Miami) and Greenbriar, Ark., third baseman/outfielder Cayden Wallace (No. 7, Arkansas) will also be in attendance.
And, of course, there are many, many more. Get to know Tigard, Ore., righty/third baseman Mick Abel (No. 8, Oregon State); Owasso, Okla., right-hander/outfielder Nate Wohlgemuth (No. 9, Arkansas); Kingwood, Texas, shortstop/right-hander Masyn Winn (No. 10, Arkansas); Windemere, Fla., righty/outfielder Carson Montgomery (No. 11, Florida State); Elk Grove, Calif., outfielder Chase Davis (No. 12, Arizona) and Leawood, Kan., middle-infielder Robert Moore (No. 13, Arkansas) are also on board.
A quick recap of those names shows the Nos. 7, 9, 10 and 13-ranked prospects all having signed with the Arkansas Razorbacks and they are not alone among the top names.
Continuing with this list, Sterling, Va., left-hander/outfielder Nate Savino (No. 14, Virginia); San Juan, P.R., outfielder Mario Zabala (No. 16, FIU); The Woodlands, Texas, catcher Drew Romo (No. 18, LSU) and Gilbert, Ariz., and third baseman/outfielder/right-hander Ethan Long (No, 19, Arkansas).
Also, San Mateo, Calif., outfielder Petey Halpin (No. 21, UCLA); Miami right-hander/corner-infielder Victor Mederos (No. 22, Miami); Dallas, Ga., lefty/outfielder Jackson Phipps (No. 23, South Carolina) and Orlando, Fla., outfielder Brandon Fields (No. 24, South Carolina) will be at Chase.
Of those players, Jordan, Crews, Able, Wohlgemuth, Montgomery, Moore, Zabala, Long, Halpin, Mederos and Phipps were all at either the 2016 or 2017 PG 14u Select Baseball Festival in Fort Myers, Fla.
The players at this year’s PG National Showcase will be working to join an exclusive group of alumni that features many of the best players in the game today; as of early this week, 380 former PG National standouts had made their Major League Baseball debuts.
That alumni list includes former NL MVPs Joey Votto, Cincinnati Reds (2001 PG National), Andrew McCutchen, Pittsburgh Pirates (2004), Buster Posey, San Francisco Giants (2004), Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs (2009) and Christian Yelich (2009).
Past MLB Rookie of the Year Award winners include PG National alumni Jeremy Hellickson, Tampa Bay Devil Rays (2004); Posey, San Francisco Giants (2004); Wil Myers, Tampa Bay Rays (2008); Bryant, Chicago Cubs (2009); Jose Fernandez, Miami Marlins (2010); Carlos Correa, Houston Astros (2011); Corey Seager, Los Angeles Dodgers (2011) and Cody Bellinger, Dodgers (2012).
In the wake of last week’s 2019 MLB June Amateur Draft, 2,490 PG National Showcase participants have now been selected in the MLB Draft, with 236 first-rounders (10 this year, all from the class of 2019). That number includes the No. 2 overall pick Bobby Witt Jr., No. 5 Riley Greene, No. 6 CJ Abrams,, No. 16 Corbin Carroll and No. 18 Quinn Preister.
Those historic first-round picks include eight selected with the No. 1 overall pick: Justin Upton (2004 PG National); Tim Beckham (2007); Gerrit Cole (2008); Mark Appel (2008); Correa (2012); Brady Aiken, (2013); Mickey Moniak (2015) and Royce Lewis (2016).