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Draft  | Rankings | 3/23/2020

MLB Draft List Update

Brian Sakowski
Photo: Ed Howard (Perfect Game)

Top 400 Prospects, 2020 MLB Draft

For the sake of transparency, we don’t know when the draft will be. We don’t know if MLB is going to hold it in June or not. We don’t know if they’ll delay it or cancel it outright. We don’t know if the possibility will even exist for teams to further scout the players you’ll see listed on Perfect Game’s updated draft list as linked above. We don’t know if the draft size will be cut. We don’t know much, because no one does right now in the midst of a global pandemic.

Since we don’t recklessly or uselessly speculate, let’s talk about things that we DO know: players, tools, scouting and rankings.

This draft is a very strong one, maybe not historically good, but very strong, most especially in the college pitching crop. The bats at the top are obviously elite, but this class will likely end up being known for how many impact major league arms come out of it, and also how quickly they get to the show. It’s obviously a unique year and given that baseball, like the world, basically just stopped about four weeks into the college season, it’s tough to pick out trends and it’s tough to pick out risers.

Obviously players rose way up boards in the early going, guys like NC State’s Nick Swiney, Clemson’s Sam Weatherly, Florida prep outfielder Zac Veen and Texas prep two-way Masyn Winn. Many others turned really positive early season showings into rises up draft boards.

At the top, it’s more or less what we at PG – as well as a significant part of the industry – thought at the top, with Vanderbilt’s Austin Martin, Arizona State’s Spencer Torkelson and Georgia’s Emerson Hancock making up an expected 60 percent of a projected top 5. Texas A&M’s Asa Lacey entered the season comfortably in the top 10, but pitched his way up into the top handful, and, as you can see on the PG Draft Board, is the No. 1 arm available.

Nick Gonzales continued to rake, the aforementioned Zac Veen seems to be the best prep in the class, and while Austin Hendrick didn’t even get to start playing yet, he’s still viewed quite highly by an industry who saw him rake all last summer.

Top 10 Prospects, 2020 MLB Draft
Rk. Name L Pos. B-T HT WT School Hometown ST
1 Austin Martin C OF/2B R-R 6-0 175 Vanderbilt Jacksonville FL
2 Spencer Torkelson C 1B R-R 6-1 220 Arizona State Petaluma CA
3 Asa Lacy C LHP L-L 6-4 215 Texas A&M Kerrville TX
4 Emerson Hancock C RHP R-R 6-4 215 Georgia Cairo GA
5 Nick Gonzales C 2B R-R 5-10 190 New Mexico State Vail AZ
6 Zac Veen H OF L-R 6-4 190 Spruce Creek Orange FL
7 Austin Hendrick H OF L-L 6-1 205 West Allegheny Oakdale PA
8 Cade Cavalli C RHP R-R 6-4 226 Oklahoma Bixby OK
9 Patrick Bailey C C B-R 6-2 192 North Carolina State Greensboro NC
10 Max Meyer C RHP L-R 6-0 165 Minnesota Woodbury MN

L=level; C=College, H=High School

The northern players are the ones who seemingly will be hurt the most by this pandemic, from the perspective of the draft. Most of the players north of the Mason-Dixon line, at least on the prep side, had barely started practice, let alone played games. Chicago-area shortstop Ed Howard is one of these players, as well as Hendrick, as players who entered the spring as pretty comfortable first rounders who had a chance to really establish their stock high on boards, but never got that opportunity. Teams will have to rely on their evaluations and data accrued on those two, among many others, over the course of last summer and fall.

Given the uncertainty surrounding the draft, as well as the uncertainty surrounding pretty much everything, including collegiate eligibility and scholarship limits or the removal thereof, this figures to be a very college-heavy draft, even aside from the subjective strengths and weaknesses of the players themselves. Teams will lean more towards what they have longer histories with, and that’s unequivocally college players for the most part.

We still have a lot to figure out as an industry, but with no end to the pandemic in site as of this writing, it’s tough to speculate on anything that will or won’t or should or shouldn’t happen, so we won’t. It’s a pretty useless exercise.

So for now, we present our updated Top 400 MLB Draft Board, a compilation of our own evaluations as the best “public sector” scouting staff in the world, as well as from conversations with scores of contacts throughout the industry. We’re treating this process, for now, like we would in any other year: 400 now, 500 in April and then the full Half-Draft board of 610 a few weeks before the draft itself, operating under the assumption right now that it’s still to be held in June.

We’ll have a ton of draft-related content rolling out over the next couple weeks, with our first mock draft due out Tuesday followed by a series of position-by-position and other category rankings with plenty of analysis along the way. We surely hope that a glimpse into the draft world right now will at least provide a momentary distraction from everything else going on.

Until next time, stay safe, stay home, practice social distancing and thanks for reading.
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Draft | Story | 8/7/2026

2026 MLB Draft Team Reports: NL West
Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Team Report Cards: AL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL West Arizona Diamondbacks  Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: C Ryder Helfrick (1st rd) | RHP Blake Bryant (CB-A rd) | SS Carson Kerce (2nd rd) | OF Brayden Dowd (3rd rd)  Ryder Helfrick (@RazorbackBSB ) different AB; same result. He goes dead central for a solo 💣 this time. Threw a runner out earlier; 1.98 pop. #PGCollege @PG_Draft https://t.co/kW7wraqExJ pic.twitter.com/SARYKxd0oE — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 14, 2026 The Diamondbacks started their...
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Press Release | Press Release | 8/11/2026

Perfect Game & Goat'd Come Together

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME AND GOAT'D PARTNER TO BRING PREMIUM PROTECTIVE GEAR TO THE NATION'S TOP AMATEUR BASEBALL PLAYERS   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 11, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Goat'd, a premium protective gear brand focused on developing innovative products for athletes. The partnership will bring Goat'd's premium protective equipment to some of the nation's top amateur baseball players and families across Perfect Game's premier national events. The partnership will debut at several of Perfect Game's marquee events, including the 13U Select Fest, 14U Select Fest, Perfect Game All-Star Game and...
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General | General | 8/8/2026

12U Game Time: 8/9/2026 1PM Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
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Sunday August 9th, 2026 1:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
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General | General | 8/8/2026

11U Game Time: 8/8/2026 Noon Eastern

Perfect Game Staff
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Saturday August 8th, 2026 12:00PM Eastern DICK'S Sporting Goods Park at East Cobb West vs. East Follow and watch the game
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College | Story | 8/7/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: August 7

Perfect Game Staff
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RHP Jason Flores (@BaseballUGA) Showed some electric stuff, up to 98 several times CT, SL, CH to round out the arsenal in his 5IP 9K performance. @HarwichMariners So./‘27 elig pic.twitter.com/p2nTvkFnWh — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) August 5, 2026 Jason Flores | RHP | University of Georgia | Harwich Mariners  Flores heads to Georgia this fall looking to reestablish himself as one of the premier arms in the 2027 draft class after showing significant promise during his freshman season at Texas. Flores posted a 2.78 ERA over 32.1 innings as a freshman before a limited sophomore campaign in which he logged just 12 innings. The stuff was on full display this summer, highlighted by a dominant five-inning, nine-strikeout playoff performance in which he touched 98 mph five different times. His fastball averaged nearly 96 mph throughout his time on the Cape, pairing the...
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Tournaments | Championship | 8/6/2026

643 DP Last Team Standing at East WS

Will Dembo
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Following a dominant week at the 17u PG East World Series, No. 34 ranked 643 DP Cougars 17u capped off an impressive tournament run by defeating No. 2 ranked East Cobb Astros 17u, 3-2, in the championship game to claim the title. The Cougars earned the tournament's No. 1 overall seed after outscoring opponents by an absurd 59-6 throughout the week before completing their championship run with a hard-fought victory in the finale. “Always feels great to finish the year playing your best ball, especially when going up against strong competition,” 643 Head Coach Danny Pralgo said. “We did so many of the little things right: on the mound with location, clean on defense, bunting, 2 strike approach leading to long at bats, getting hit-by-pitches, and we had so many good outs offensively that led to moving a runner or scoring a runner. And when those things all come together in...
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Press Release | Press Release | 8/6/2026

PG Extends Partnership With Yeti

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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME EXTENDS PARTNERSHIP WITH YETI   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, August 6, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced an extension of its existing partnership with YETI, the premium outdoor gear brand and the Official Cooler and Drinkware Provider of Perfect Game Baseball and Softball. The partnership between Perfect Game and YETI began in 2021.   The expanded partnership will bring YETI’s products and brand to Perfect Game athletes, families and fans through a variety of activations across Perfect Game’s events and digital platforms. YETI will have a prominent presence both on-site and online, including exposure...
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Tournaments | Story | 8/7/2026

Tournament of Champion Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Tournament of Champions Scout Notes: Part 1 ‘27 LHP Jaylan Hortenbury (KY) @JHortenbury X @PG_Uncommitted FB 85-89/ touched 90. Arm-side life w/ some ride. SL in mid 70s (depth). CH showed as a weapon in the upper 7s. Some sweep to BB in low 7s. Athletic w/ two-way capabilities as well. #TOC 👀 @USAPrimeScout27 pic.twitter.com/vyj1Tb9nBN — Jordan Gates (@JGatesPG) July 30, 2026 Jaylan Hortenbury (2027, New Castle, Ky.) Hortenbury was probably one of my personal favorites, as this was my first time seeing it in action. It’s an athletic two-way profile that has a chance to do both at the next level. But what stood out to me, was his potential on the mound. The left-handed pitcher moves very well and is comfortable there. Has the mound presence Supplemented with a free-flowing and loose arm from a higher ¾ slot, he pounded the zone in his lone appearance. He went...
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Tournaments | Story | 8/6/2026

Tournament of Champions Notes: Part 1

Perfect Game Staff
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‘27 RHP/SS Carson Hailey (KY) Dominant 5.1 IP + 14 K’s‼️ 2 ER on 3 H + 1BB. 69% strikes. FB lived 88-89 T92 w/ ASR + maintained velo. SL 77-80 w/ late sharp break. Throws downhill w/ good extension. Pitches tunnel well out of 3/4 slot. #TOC @carsonhailey_8 @2027TTKY @JGatesPG pic.twitter.com/UoL7newgi6 — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) July 29, 2026 Carson Hailey (2027, Louisville, Ky..) turned in a dominant outing, striking out 14 across 5.1 innings while allowing two earned runs on three hits and one walk. The 5-foot-11, 175-pound right-hander owns an athletic frame and worked with a controlled tempo on the mound. Hailey used a big leg kick and long stride with an easy lower half, creating downhill action and good extension toward the plate. He finished through his pitches well and maintained his velocity deep into the outing. The fastball lived at 88-89 mph...
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Tournaments | Story | 8/6/2026

East Coast Pro All Prospect Teams

Troy Sutherland
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1st Team C: Quincy Pratt (‘27 MS)-Max EV: 92- Put together a strong showing with multiple knocks; exits of 92/88/88. In-game pops right around 2 flat, 2.01 on a caught stealing and a 1.97. Swing plays and still a bunch of room to add muscle mass. Trending really nicely. 1B: Teagan Leach (‘27 VA)-60-yard: 7.02 Max EV: 105-On the barrel throughout ECP. Everything comes off hard and doesn't whiff much for a power led profile. 101 F8, 99 double left on left with a 4.72 turn, 105 double through the gap, and a 96 exit knock to his credit. Certified hitter that has plus strength now. IF: Isaiah Snavely (‘27 IN)-60-yard:6.71 Max EV: 96-Early attendance for the draft cycle rocket ship is always appreciated and Snavely is on it. 96/366 shot on a breaking ball to go with an 89 exit double and his other couple of hits on the week. 4.26 down the line and a 4.47 turn. Should stick in...
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