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Draft  | Story | 7/8/2021

The Accuracy of Perfect Game's Rankings

Photo: Brady House (Perfect Game)
Rawlings - Perfect Game Preseason All-Americans | Perfect Game Top 500 Draft Prospects

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- For fans of amateur baseball, and additionally, the MLB Draft, there is a lot of information out there the days, weeks, and months leading up to the draft.
 
There is a list for everyone, with those lists including different names and different orders of prospects waiting to hear their name called. It’s information overload for a process that is decidedly an inexact science.
 
However, if you want as close to a definitive list of top MLB Draft talent all in one place, historically speaking, Perfect Game’s Preseason All-American list is your one-stop shop at the beginning of the spring, and the Perfect Game Top 500 list should be the book of record.
 
Each year, Perfect Game, along with Rawlings, creates the Preseason All-American lists with the help of Perfect Game scouts who have seen these prospects play more than anyone else on the circuit. With knowledge dating back to when these prospects were 13 or 14 years old, PG designates First, Second, and Third Team lists, as well as Honorable Mention before these players even step on the field for their final prep season. These lists mostly mirror the Perfect Game High School Player Rankings, which are meticulously produced with updates throughout each year.
 
The proof that these lists are the closest thing you’ll find to definitive is in the comparison between them and the results of the MLB Draft.
 
In the 2020 draft, every single high school first round pick was a PG Preseason All-American. Eleven of those 13 first round selections were Preseason First-Team All-Americans. Those names include Robert Hassell III, Zac Veen, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, just to name a few.
 
It gets more conclusive the more you look.
 
In 2019, all but two of the high school players drafted in the first round were Preseason First Teamers. In 2018, the first eight high school selections were all on the First Team, the year before that, in 2017, the first 10 high school prospects drafted were earlier named Preseason First Team All-American by Perfect Game, and in 2016 that number was 12.
 
On average, since 2007, there are 15 Perfect Game Preseason First-Teamers drafted in the first round each year.
 
There have been 214 total in that time frame, with recent names like Bobby Witt Jr (2019), Jarred Kelenic (2018), Royce Lewis (2017), and Ian Anderson (2016), as well as older names like Javier Baez and Francisco Lindor (2011), Manny Machado and Christian Yelich (2010), Mike Trout (2009), Eric Hosmer (2008), and Madison Bumgarner (2007).
 
All of those averages and names thrown out just now are only Preseason First-Teamers drafted in the first round. If you expand a bit and take a look at the second round of the MLB Draft, there have been 118 Preseason First-Team All-Americans selected since 2007, averaging more than eight per year.
 
If you include First, Second, Third Team, and Honorable Mention selections in your query, there are roughly 23 first round picks each year who were selected by Perfect Game as a Preseason All-American.
 
A number of the players selected for the Preseason All-American teams ahead of their senior year choose to go to college instead of signing a pro contract, of course, and a large amount of those players turn into first round picks down the road. Guys like Garrett Mitchell in last year’s draft, Nick Lodolo in 2019, and Jonathan India in 2018, just to name a recent few.
 
This year, prep shortstop prospects like Brady House, Jordan Lawlar, Marcelo Mayer, Kahlil Watson, and Alex Mooney graced the First-Team list, as did pitchers Jackson Jobe, Chase Petty, Andrew Painter, and two-way Bubba Chandler. Prep outfielders Will Taylor and Benny Montgomery were also named Preseason First-Team All-Americans. Fast-forward to the release of Perfect Game’s Top 500 list just ahead of the draft, and all 10 of these prep players are top-25 overall draft prospects and likely to become first round picks.
 
House has played in 40 Perfect Game events, dating all the way back to the 2015 12u Invitational. Prep catcher Harry Ford, another Preseason First-Teamer, has played in 49 Perfect Game events, his first coming in 2015 like House. Ford is currently the No. 11 overall draft prospect. Benny Montgomery has played in 22 PG events since 2015, and Joe Mack, the No. 34 prospect on the Top 500, has been to 38 events since his first in 2017.
 
Perfect Game scouts have typically had eyes on these players for a longer period of time than anyone else, and have followed their progression as closely as possible. That’s why it’s possible to produce the Preseason All-American lists before these players step on the field for their senior seasons and have them stand up when it comes draft time later that summer.
 
Although many looks at a player is obviously not a bad thing, it’s also not a requirement to be put on any of these Perfect Game lists. One good look at any of Perfect Game’s events, and a prospect can find himself on the Preseason All-American list. Carson Williams, the No. 29 overall prospect for the upcoming MLB Draft, was named a First-Team Preseason All-American having only attended four PG events in his career. Colson Montgomery, the No. 31 prospect for the draft, was a Preseason All-American having only attended six PG events. If you have the necessary talent, Perfect Game scouts will find you.
 
You can view the lists of Perfect Game Preseason All-Americans dating back to 2007, as well as the 2021 Perfect Game Top 500 Draft Prospects.

Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
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While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
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MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
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What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
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Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
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Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
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Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
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Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
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There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
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Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
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Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
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