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2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,401 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Championship | 7/6/2020

Team Elite Emerge Champs at 16u Firecracker

Photo: Team Elite Scout (Perfect Game)
MARIETTA, Ga. – The championship game of the 2020 16U Firecracker Finale took place Sunday night with the one-seeded Ninth Inning Royals Honeycutt taking on the two-seed Team Elite Scout Team. The two teams faced off on field one at the East Cobb Baseball Complex in Marietta, Georgia after a weekend filled with premier amateur baseball and entertaining gameplay. Given that these two teams were seeded one and two after pool play, it was no surprise to see these teams facing off for the chip. 

The one-seeded Ninth Inning Royals, despite a scary semifinal, cruised through the tournament field. Ninth Inning, through three pool play games, scored a total of 28 runs while shutting out all of their opponents. After yet another run rule victory in the quarterfinals, Ninth Inning would see its first challenge of the week from the 643 DP Tigers Hawkins in the semifinal game. Ironically, it took nine innings, but Ninth Inning was able to win 1-0 thanks to a sacrifice fly by Sadir Ryan. Pitchers, Matthew Navarro and Rhett Burley worked together to silence the 643 bats, posting a shutout. 



The underdog, two-seeded Team Elite Scout Team finished pool play with three wins, scoring 22 runs while allowing only four. They were able to inch out a 3-2 victory in the quarterfinals over the East Tennessee Crusaders and were powered behind a stellar outing by South Carolina commit, Adrian Roman, who pitching 6.2 innings. Team Elite was able to come out with a mercy rule victory over the 643 DP Jaguars McPhee. Team Elite pushed runs across the board while relying on their pitcher, Wes Simpson, and his five innings of stellar work, allowing only one hit while striking out four. This set up what was expected to be a very entertaining championship and a great way to cap off the Firecracker Finale. 

After a quiet first inning on both sides, Team Elite Scout Team was able to get on the board first thanks to a two-run double by Gavin Black. They were able to keep the momentum going with an RBI double by Cooper Blauser, who came around to score after taking advantage of a bad throw to second base. After just one and half innings, Ninth Inning saw themselves down by four runs. Team Elite kept the pressure on in the top of third extending their lead to five runs after an RBI double by Hayden Murphy.

The Ninth Inning bats woke up in the bottom of third scoring two runs to make the score 5-2 after three innings. Damien Anderson singled then scored on Cayden Gaskin’s RBI double. Aaron Lopez kept the train moving earning himself an RBI after hitting a deep line drive for a double. 

Team Elite’s bats responded in the top of the fourth inning scoring one run to extend their lead to four, followed by Kaden Martin who hit a ball deep enough to score the runner from third. After four innings, Team Elite led Ninth Inning 6-2. Both teams’ bats were silenced in the fifth inning. 

It was more of the same in the top of the sixth inning for Team Elite. They were able to keep the pressure on the Ninth Inning Royals scoring three more runs to extend their lead to seven. With two outs, Sammy Leis, Bryce Hubbard and Hayden Murphy were able to deliver timely hits. 

In the bottom half of the sixth, Ninth Inning responded with three runs of their own to cut into the deficit by playing small ball, with three singles and a couple of walks. Before the final inning, Team Elite lead Ninth Inning 9-5. This would be the last time either team crossed the plate. 

Starting pitcher for Team Elite, Hayden Murphy, worked efficiently on the mound pounding the zone, while throwing between 85-89 mph. Murphy was able to silence the Ninth Inning bats for 5 innings, while striking out five as well. Kaden Martin came in for relief in the final two innings giving up three runs, but it did not cost his team the lead. Murphy and Martin both worked behind their team’s big lead, which allowed for them to be comfortable on the mound. 

Team Elite Scout Team are the 2020 16U PG Firecracker Finale champions by a score of 9-5 over the Ninth Inning Royals Honeycutt. This high scoring affair was a perfect night cap to a beautiful Sunday filled with intense bracket play and stellar individual performances. 

Both teams will be participating in the 2020 WWBA 16U National Championship from July 10th to July 17th, as we look forward to more Perfect Game events. 
 

Tournaments | Story | 10/1/2026

MW Champions Cup Scout Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Midwest Champions Cup Scout Notes: Part 1 Alexander Kakach (‘27, MN) high level stuff with athleticism on the mound. 89-94 with the FB today. Two distinct breaking balls with a SL at 80-83 & over 3000 RPM at times. Another vertical depth breaking ball in the upper 70’s. Real developing arm talent. #Creighton commit.… pic.twitter.com/EUS21vI7o0 — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) September 27, 2026 Alexander Kakach (2027, Plymouth, Minn.) for pitchers from cold weather states in the fall, scouts look for who can potentially make the jump next spring and who has big stuff. And I think this one proved that he is in that category while in Chicago last weekend. He’s athletic, he moves well on the mound and rolled out throwing 90-94 for 3+ innings. Spun sharp breaking balls with distinct shapes including a couple sliders north of 3000 RPM. There’s a...
Draft | Story | 10/3/2026

2027 Draft: College Demographic Breakdown

Ryan Miller
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The 2027 MLB Draft cycle is still in its early stages, but the overall makeup of the class is beginning to come into focus. With the first version of our Top-100 board out, we took a closer look at positional demographics from both college and prep players within the class.  Last week we took a look at the preps, so this week lets dive into the college class.  College Right-Handed Pitchers  Top Ranked Players: Dax Whitney, Oregon State | Chris Levonas, Wake Forest | Ryan McPherson, Mississippi State | Casan Evans, LSU | Sam Cozart, Texas Potential Sleepers: Tanner Bradley, Oregon | Austin Nye, Vanderbilt | Smith Bailey, Arizona   Dax Whitney (‘27 elig.) showing LOUD stuff in collegiate debut. FB sitting 94-97 mph (T98 mph). Upwards of 22” IVB. Can create over 21” of HB on SL at 82-84 mph (~2900 rpm). CB at 77-79 mph with sharp, 12-6 action pairs...
Press Release | Press Release | 10/1/2026

PG Introduces New Event Classification System

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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 INTRODUCES NEW EVENT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM   Sanford, Florida (Thursday, October 1, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a reorganization of its events into five distinct classes in order to provide more clarity to families and teams across the country. PG’s event offerings – from onsite experience to DiamondKast to social media coverage – will evolve based on each event class. The five event classes are: Flagship, Premier, Signature, Classic and All-Star. All include both team and individual events except for All-Star, which are invitation-only individual events that operate at a Flagship level. The...
Tournaments | Story | 9/30/2026

MW Champions Cup Scout Notes: Part 1

Perfect Game Staff
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Jake Michel (‘27, MN) 2 swings on base hits from today. 1st an impressive swing in a 2-strike count left on left matchup. Swinging the bat well this fall. Made a couple nice plays at 3B too. #Oregon commit. #MWChampionsCup @RedsScoutTeam pic.twitter.com/LQW7e7sGHO — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) September 26, 2026 Jake Michel (2027, Rosemount, MN) the MVP of this year’s 18u Midwest Champions Cup. Went 6-for-11 with a double, a home run and 8 RBI in 4 games. A left-handed hitting corner infielder that is swinging the bat at a high level this fall. This was back-to-back tournaments with a home run, one to the pull side and one to the opposite field. Has hit LHP’s and RHP’s equally well and really uses the whole field. One to really watch in Jupiter in about a week. Committed to Oregon.    Cole Chambers (‘27, MO) 3 hit game with a double...
Tournaments | Story | 9/29/2026

Florida Fall World Series Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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2029 RHP/SS Kevin Rodriguez Marrero (FL) Physical two-way prospect who continues to show intriguing upside on both sides of the ball. At the plate, shows a whippy barrel with present pop and the ability to drive the ball up the middle. Off the mound, works in the high-80s with life through the zone and a sharp 12-6 CB. Size, arm strength, and two-way ability make him an interesting young prospect to follow throughout the weekend. 2030 2B Daniel Alvarez (FL) Athletic middle infielder with a direct swing and strong barrel control. Stays on plane through the zone and works long through contact. Has shown the ability to turn on pitches and drive the ball to both gaps, including a double to left field and a line drive to right field. Consistent quality of contact has stood out throughout the tournament. 2028 C Andrew Gonzalez (FL) Physical right-handed bat with a violent swing and present...
Tournaments | Story | 9/29/2026

18U WWBA National Invite Scout Notes

Quinton Hall
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Baylor Denny (‘27 | AZ) The #Oklahoma commit has a MONSTER day at the plate for GBG National 2027, going 3 for 4 w/ two 2Bs, a HR, & 5RBI, while scoring twice. Top-of-the-order stick w/ a quick trigger, strength in the frame, easy G2G ability 💣 #NBI pic.twitter.com/ZwhlwweLaL — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) September 25, 2026 Baylor Denny (2027, Queen Creek, AZ) The 6-foot-1, 185-pound, right-handed hitter and middle infielder earned #1 on the Top Performers list for the 2026 18U WWBA National Baseball Invitational. The Oklahoma commit finished 3-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, six RBI and two runs scored, showing a quick trigger and quality impact to the pull side. Denny's athleticism plays in the box, with strength in the frame and an efficient move into launch that allows him to consistently impact the baseball.   Ryan Sanchez (‘27 | AZ)...
Tournaments | Story | 9/29/2026

WWBA Champ. Pool Preview & Release

Perfect Game Staff
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It's the time of the year again when nearly every golf cart in the United States, or so it feels, flocks to Roger Dean and crowds the backstops, getting one last look at the top players in the country before the spring season. Below our staff breaks down every pool as we are set to release them in 10 minute increments, starting with Pool A and working all the way down to Pool DD. Once again laying claim as the champion of "Jupiter" will be no easy task as every pool game will be a battle just to advance to the bracket where the intensity of each pitch will multiple 10-fold.   Pool A Team Top Pos. Player RK Class Top Pitcher RK Class Location East Cobb/SD Padres ST Underclass Myles Tate 109 2028 Luke Crowder 174 2028 Marietta, GA Lonestar Baseball Club - National - 2027 Braylon Jones 309 2027 Owen Sieve 500 2027 Austin, TX Spects National 2027 Gominsky Charlie Sarsfield 99 2027...
Tournaments | Championship | 9/28/2026

ZT National Takes Down Sophomore

Hannah Jo Groves
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ZT National Prospects Hold Out to Win 2026 WWBA Sophomore Championship In a game that kept everyone guessing until the very end, the ZT National Prospects won the 2026 WWBA Sophomore Championship over Wow Factor/Toronto Blue Jays Scout Team 8-7. Over the past few days of the tournament, the usually cruel southwest Florida weather had been unusually kind - but the warmth of the sun had still taken energy out of both championship teams. They had finished hard-fought semifinal matches before walking from the backfields of JetBlue Park to the big-league stadium. Enzi-Yaw Otieku threw the first pitch for ZT National at 11:43 a.m. - and this highly anticipated championship match-up was underway. The first three outs came quickly for the ZT National Prospects with their defensive chemistry and strength on display right away. ZT’s head coach, Carlos Avila, expressed his happiness with his...
Tournaments | Story | 9/28/2026

WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 4

Perfect Game Staff
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WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 Lukas Klipper (2029, Clearwater, Fla.) was electric at the plate, collecting six hits, highlighted by a monstrous home run off the batter's eye in his second game. High-level left-handed hitter with a really easy swing and functional actions. Klipper lived on the barrel throughout the game and showed off his run-producing ability in huge situations.  Lane Ayars (2029, Mount Juliet, TN) got the starting nod in round two and did not disappoint. The 6’4” left-handed pitcher tossed three scoreless innings, striking out four and allowing zero hits. Fastball up to 90 mph with some heavy arm-side run, with a slider that consistently was in the zone. Also collected two hits at the plate, showcasing a very simple approach.  Frankie Pagano (2029, Waukee, IA) was electric in relief, tossing three scoreless innings while...
Tournaments | Story | 9/27/2026

WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 3

Perfect Game Staff
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WWBA Sophomore Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Ronin McCrea (2029, San Diego, Calif.) had an all-around performance at the plate, going two-for-two with two singles, two runs scored, and three RBIs. The right-handed hitter displayed a short, compact swing with a direct and efficient path to the baseball. McCrea showed excellent barrel control throughout the game, consistently producing hard line-drive contact to all parts of the field. Jayson Blanco (2029, Homestead, Fla.) was dominant on the mound, tossing a five-inning no-hitter while striking out six. The right-handed pitcher worked down the mound efficiently with a smooth, fluid delivery that helped him consistently attack the strike zone. Blanco featured a fastball that sat in the low-80s with sneaky life to it at the top of the zone, while mixing in a slower slider that generated swing-and-miss. Parker Miller (2029, Burleson,...
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