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| 2,489 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,489 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Showcase  | Story | 1/18/2020

Thompson Just Keeps On Hitting

Photo: Sterlin Thompson (Perfect Game)
It is easy enough to put in a good couple at-bats in a row during the course of a game or a tournament. You see the ball well one day, or the barrel of the bat feels really fat and the sweet spot is hard to miss.

Guys get hot.

But when does a hot stretch become a trend? When a guy hits well enough at the plate for a long enough period of time that it doesn’t really seem like a hot stretch anymore, but more like the new normal.

It’s a gradual thing. But it typically takes one singular moment for someone to realize the transformation from hot hitter to consistently great hitter.

That moment, for Sterlin Thompson, happened Saturday at the 2020 World Showcase at Terry Park in Fort Myers during batting practice.

Thompson showcased what was possibly the smoothest lefty swing at the event, spraying the ball all over during BP with exit velo to boot. To add to the intrigue, it was Thompson’s first Perfect Game showcase.



He added a 90 mph throw from his shortstop position during his infield workout, a 6.86-second 60-yard dash, and a 91-mph recorded exit velocity off his bat.

“I just wanted to get around some scouts and get some exposure, which PG always brings,” he said. “I wanted to show out and compete with all these good players…I haven’t ever had a PG grade, so it was cool to come out here and compete and earn one.”

Thompson wasn’t an unknown coming into the World Showcase. The Ocala, Florida native is committed to play for his home state Gators in college, and he’s currently ranked in the top-200 for the 2020 class. He’s always been talented.

But the results from the World Showcase and the fall Perfect Game tournaments he played in (that one big one held in Jupiter was one of them) help to show how Thompson has turned what started as a hot stretch into who he has become as a ballplayer.

“My bat has been good [in the past year],” Thompson said. “It’s just started to click for me in the past couple months, and especially last fall.”

That’s a humble comment from Thompson, considering he has been named to the All-Tournament Team at the last four Perfect Game events he has been to, dating back to the 2018 WWBA Underclass World Championship in early October of that year, in which he hit .438 in 17 plate appearances.

More recently, he hit .318 at the 2019 17u BCS National Championship last July, heated up even more to hit .421 at the 2019 WWBA Florida Qualifier in September, and topped it off with an out-of-this-world All-Tournament performance at the 2019 WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, where he hit .471 in 16 at-bats against the best prep pitching in the country for the Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team.

“It was a good experience,” Thompson said of his performance in Jupiter. “A lot of good talent there. A lot of scouts. Played with a great team…it was a great group of players. We showed out there, which was cool.”

His final season of high school ball is coming up soon enough, and then it is off to Gainesville after that season is over. That means Thompson, who has attended 12 Perfect Game events, is almost done with his travel ball career.

For what could be his last event, he was happy to get the opportunity to compete in the World Showcase, specifically.

The showcase format was cool to experience, Thompson said, but it was the competition he was surrounded by that made it such a great time.

“It’s cool to be around [the international] guys,” he said. “The world has so much to offer. You can compete with kids from so many different regions in this game. It was really cool to see where their talent level is, and I really liked being on the same field as them.”

The World Showcase is truly what it sounds like, a world event. Prospects from Canada, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, the United States, and Venezuela all competed on Saturday.

Thompson and his Gold team will play one more game Sunday morning before he turns his attention to high school ball. One more game equals one more opportunity.

“Right now I’m just trying to enjoy the moment,” Thompson said after Day 1. “Enjoy the opportunity while I can. And then this will lead into the spring.”

And spring leads into the summer, when the Gators come calling.

That will be an experience unlike anything Thompson has ever had, much like his time in Jupiter last fall for the World Championship, and Fort Myers this weekend for the World Showcase, where he proved the two performances are more than just a hot stretch.


Showcase | Story | 6/30/2026

2026 PG National Showcase Preview

Hannah Jo Groves
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High School Top 50: Final Update With the High School season all wrapped up, today we take a look at our First, Second and Third Team All-Americans from around the country. Below you'll find three teams with stats that seem otherworldly from players who'll likely hear their names called in the coming week's MLB Draft. Within the "Notable Stats" section you'll see the individual award winners as well. First Team All-American Pos.  Name Class School State Commitment Notable Stats C Cole Prosek 2026 Magnolia Heights MS Ole Miss .595 BA, 18 HR, 79 RBI 1B Will Adams 2026 Hoover AL LSU .489, 13 HR, 52 RBI IF James Tronstein 2026 Harvard-Westlake CA Vanderbilt .531, 10 HR, 29 RBI, 21 XBH IF Grady Emerson 2026 Fort Worth Christian TX Texas .508, 8 HR, 56 RBI, 34/35 SB, National POY IF Jacob Lombard 2026 Gulliver Schools FL Miami .477, 10 HR, 52 R, 42 H, 14 SB OF Martin Shelar 2026 Marist GA...
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Championship teams often reveal themselves when the game isn’t going their way. Performance Baseball 2028/Milwaukee Brewers Scout Team did exactly that. Trailing Florida Burn 2028 Scout through four innings, the Brewers refused to panic. Instead, they relied on timely hitting, consistent pitching, and an unselfish approach at the plate, rallying a five-run fifth inning before pulling away for a 9-5 victory to clinch their spot in the semifinals. The comeback was fueled by contributions throughout the lineup. Six different players drove in runs, including two RBIs each from Aiden Capobianco and Cameron Massey, while Matthew Heredia, Parker Weston, Ethan Smith, and Aj Bonnette each added an RBI of their own. On the mound, Derek Wenzel set the tone with 3.2 solid innings before Ethan Smith shut the door in relief, helping preserve the comeback victory. Although the Brewers have had a...
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JK Select Hawaii Tackles 14u West WS

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JK Select Hawaii capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating GBG Vegas 14u Red14-4 in the championship game on Sunday at Goodyear Ballpark, claiming the 14u West World Series title. From the opening pitch, JK Select controlled the pace of the game. The offense jumped out early, scoring 6 runs in the 1st inning after timely hits from MVP Sean Shindo and Kade Manarpaac. The early lead gave the pitching staff confidence as they worked efficiently through the opposing lineup. “I've worked hard to get better at my game for the past few months; it means a lot that I did well and performed in a tournament like this” said Shindo. Starting pitcher Maddox Prones turned in a strong performance, allowing 3 runs while striking out 5 batters over 3 innings. The defense backed the effort with great plays in the middle infield, preventing GBG Vegas from building momentum....
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Kinley Kitchens
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Tournaments | Story | 6/30/2026

17u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 7

Perfect Game Staff
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17u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4  Day 5 | Day 6 Shea Corona (2027, Brooklyn, N.Y.) showcased some loud stuff out of the bullpen for MLB Breakthrough Series 2027. The New York native and primary shortstop topped out at 93 with the fastball, sitting comfortable in the 90-92 range. Corona paired it with a sharp and tight slider at 81-83, staying on the same plane until late. The pitch plays well already and the delivery is very athletic. The uncommitted right-hander went three scoreless and was in the zone plenty, striking out two while not allowing a walk. '27 SS Moises Gudino (FL) continues to stay red hot, working a long AB & cracking an oppo 2B on the 8th pitch. Really seeing ing well. #WWBA @Florida_PG https://t.co/OjNJ8Bmzao pic.twitter.com/WoDDp35EI1 — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) June 30, 2026 Moises Gudino (2027, Tampa, Fla.)...
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Kinley Kitchens
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Perfect Game Staff
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Texas Region Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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