PG National Heads Back To The Trop

Perfect Game Staff

Photo: Perfect Game

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Perfect Game has announced that the historic National Showcase will be held from July 14-18 at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla., the home of MLB’s Tampa Bay Rays.

The 21st annual Perfect Game National Showcase returns to its familiar home at Tropicana Field, having hosted the event at “The Trop” in 2001, 2002, 2004, 2010, and most recently in 2018. Like each of the first 20 years at PG National, the showcase will be a platform for elite athletes heading into their final year of high school baseball to prove themselves alongside the best players in North America.

435 current and former Major League Baseball alums have participated at the PG National, and over 2,500 MLB draft picks have attended. 65 PG National alums were selected in the five-round 2020 MLB Draft, including 17 in the first round. The alumni list includes MLB MVPs Cody Bellinger, Kris Bryant, Freddie Freeman, Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey, Joey Votto, and Christian Yelich, as well as Rookie of the Year winners Pete Alonso, Carlos Correa, Jose Fernandez, Jeremy Hellickson, Wil Myers, Corey Seager, and Devin Williams. In the past 10 MLB All-Star Games dating back to 2011, there have been 57 PG National alums selected, many of them making multiple appearances. 24 PG National alums participated in the most recent MLB All-Star Game in 2019.

"Perfect Game is thrilled to once again be at Tropicana Field for the 2021 Perfect Game National Showcase,” Jerry Ford, Founder and President of Perfect Game, said. “Players like Prince Fielder, Joey Votto, BJ and Justin Upton, Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey, Javier Baez, Francisco Lindor and many other MLB All Stars showcased at The Trop at their respective PG Nationals, and we are excited to find the next MLB stars at this year’s event. The move back to the domed Tropicana Field also allows Perfect Game to better accommodate the needs of the hundreds of top prospects and their families who will be attending, along with the scouts and college recruiters that attend PG National each year. It's great when you're in a Major League stadium and don't have to deal with any weather issues. The talent level is always the very best of the best. In most years every high school player drafted in the first round has attended the National Showcase. There are many others that attend college first and then are drafted in the first round."

There will be extensive coverage, streaming, and video-on-demand of the National Showcase on PERFECTGAME.TV, hosted by Emmy Award winner Daron Sutton, who will be joined by a number of guests throughout the event.

Perfect Game is the world’s largest elite youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, producing over 1,400 tournaments and showcases each year across the country. Perfect Game is dedicated to giving amateur players exposure to take their game to the next level, whether that be in college or in the professional ranks. At Perfect Game events, players are performing with top-level competition in front of college recruiters and professional scouts from all over the country. Because of this, these events prove to be invaluable to the college coaches as well as Major League Baseball, as they can scout a large population of talented ballplayers in one location. To date, more than 1,400 players that have played in a Perfect Game event have also played in Major League Baseball. Visit perfectgame.org for more information regarding upcoming showcases and tournaments.

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