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General  | General | 7/22/2021

PG Cares Hosts 500 For Free Camp in St. Pete

Photo: Perfect Game
PG Cares Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund expands its reach and support into St. Petersburg, FL community

Perfect Game Cares Foundation affirms its commitment to the local community by underwriting free baseball and softball leagues for St. Petersburg youth

Perfect Game Cares Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund seeks to remove economic barriers that stand between kids in underserved communities and their chance to play the sports of baseball and softball

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – The Perfect Game Cares Foundation continued its efforts to provide baseball and softball-playing opportunities to children everywhere, when the non-profit arm of Perfect Game hosted its third free youth baseball and softball camp of the year on Tuesday, July 13 at Historic Oliver Field at Campbell Park in St. Petersburg, Fla.



More than 500 area youth attended the camp for a one-of-a-kind baseball and softball-playing experience under the tutelage of former Major League Baseball players, minor leaguers, college, and high school players.


(Pictured: Former Major League All-Star, Luis Gonzalez, provides batting tips to youth camp attendee.)

The Perfect Game Cares Foundation also teamed with its partners Rawlings, TOP Chops Beef Jerky and Augusta Sportswear to provide free gear and equipment to every child present, including a glove and camp t-shirt. Each child received a swag bag with a mini bat and signed Toronto Blue Jays baseball courtesy of Perfect Game alum and current Blue Jays player, Bo Bichette. Attendees also received two tickets to a Tampa Bay Rays game and a Rays ball cap courtesy of the Rays, and a free meal voucher from nearby Ferg’s Sports Bar and Grill.

This event was made possible with the support of multiple partners who share Perfect Game and Perfect Game Care’s commitment to grow the games of baseball and softball, including Bo Bichette and his mother, Mariana Bichette, the City of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Police Athletic League, TASCO Teen Programming, OnPoint Sports Strategies and Westshore Pizza.

Following in the footsteps of its recently announced partnership with Slater Elementary in Atlanta, Perfect Game Cares Foundation and its Grow the Game Fund will underwrite a free youth baseball/softball league for children residing in the St. Petersburg community. The league will play its games at Oliver Field, which was formerly used by multiple Negro League teams, and which has otherwise mostly remained unoccupied.

“I’m thankful for my travel ball coach, Jered Goodwin, and his work with PG Cares, for the City of St. Pete and my friends there,” said Blue Jays shortstop, Bo Bichette. “I’m grateful I was able to help facilitate an amazing camp for St. Pete’s kids as we do our best to bring baseball opportunities to the Burg!”

“Being involved in such a special event was a fantastic experience,” said PG National Scouting Director Jered Goodwin. “The PG Cares family got to see the bigger picture firsthand with the amount of community involvement including the Bichette family, TASCO, local high school coaches and players, PAL, the Blue Jays, the Rays, and St. Pete residents all coming together to produce a massively successful day. The amount of first-time baseball players enjoying the great game was unbelievable. The impactful day was just the start, the follow up is the game changer.”

The St. Petersburg youth camp follows recent Perfect Game Cares Foundation activities in Atlanta and featured the participation of several former Major League Baseball players, including Hall of Famer, Trevor Hoffman (pictured below), Luis Alicea, Lou Collier, Ben Ford, Luis Gonzalez, Tom “Flash” Gordon, Clint Hurdle, Charles Johnson, Denard Span, Junior Spivey, Michael Tucker and Greg Vaughn. Long-time Major League baseball executives Bill Bavasi and Bob Fontaine Jr. also joined the extensive roster alongside Harrison Ray, a current Minor League player in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.


(Pictured: Former Major League All-Star, Trevor Hoffman, provides tips to youth camp attendees.)

Many of the players joined Perfect Game Cares for a caravan visit to Thomas Jet Jackson Recreation Center, where they shared inspiring, personal stories of their upbringings and how they used the sport of baseball to break down the barriers in front of them.

“The youth events, which were strategically chosen due to their historical and geographical impact, provided an outlet for kids to simply be kids,” said St. Petersburg Parks and Recreation’s Shawn Drouin. “Activities like the Perfect Game Cares Youth Baseball/Softball Clinic at Historic Oliver Field and the caravan at Thomas Jet Jackson Recreation Center will undoubtedly make an impact in our community for years to come. Both events highlighted having a passion for something in your life and doing whatever it takes to reach your goals, regardless of how small or big. This is merely the beginning of changing lives and bringing baseball back into South St. Petersburg, and we cannot thank the entire Perfect Game and PG Cares team enough for their dedication and sincere passion for our city and especially our youth.”

“Anyone with a heart can’t help but love the hundreds of young kids we saw in St. Pete,” said Perfect Game President and Founder, Jerry Ford. “These children are extremely talented and very innocent. They truly deserve every opportunity to become successful in life. That is our mission at Perfect Game Cares. It takes a small army to make this happen. We can’t thank everyone involved in making this happen enough.”

"Great things happen when likeminded people come together to help. The commitment of those working in the youth space of St. Petersburg is awe inspiring,” said Perfect Game Cares Executive Director, Jennifer Ford. “We cannot wait to get started implementing long term support of programming for these wonderful kids. We look forward to Growing the Game in St Petersburg."

The Perfect Game Cares Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund is made possible by generous donations from MLB players and PG Alumni, Trevor Story and George Springer, corporate partner TOP Chops Beef Jerky and contributions from others passionate about removing barriers that stand between children from underserved communities and their chance to fall in love with the sports of baseball and softball.

To learn more about Perfect Game Cares and its Grow the Game Fund, please visit PerfectGameCares.org.

General | General | 8/13/2026

PG All-Star Game Heads to Philly

Jheremy Brown
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For the fourth time since its inception in 2023, two rosters comprised of the best rising juniors (and a handful of rising sophomores) will step out onto the field Friday afternoon, kicking off the All-American weekend. While the Perfect Game All-American Classic is slated for a 1:35 first pitch at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, 36 future hopefuls of the Classic will go up against one another in an American vs National clash at 11 AM Eastern, Friday morning.  With 36 players from across the country descending on Philadelphia, there will be plenty of familiar names in attendance as 24 of the 36 played in at least one PG Select Festival and all 36 attended either the he Sophomore National, Junior National, or the PG Underclass All-American Games this summer. Leading the charge are a pair of No. 1s in 2028 dynamic talent Dexter McCleon Jr and 2029 Macgraw VanWormer, a do-it-all...
Tournaments | Story | 8/26/2026

Underclass Area Codes: Standout Arms

Joey Cohen
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Year in and year out when the best young talent from across the country is packed into one national-level event the arms tend to win the week. That feels especially true in today’s amateur game where velocity, pitch design and high-level training in general are being introduced earlier than ever, allowing young pitchers to develop impactful stuff at a faster rate than younger hitters can consistently catch up to it. The Underclass Area Code Games are no exception and this year there was no shortage of arms that made you stop and take notice. Narrowing it down to 10 was difficult, but I focused on the pitchers who either displayed starter-type traits, brought something genuinely different from a delivery standpoint whether it was slot, height, crossfire or deception or simply possessed an outlier element of stuff that separated them from the pack. These are the 10 arms that stood...
Draft | Story | 8/23/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL East

Tyler Henninger
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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 East Atlanta Braves  Grade: 55 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF AJ Gracia (1st rd) | OF Carter Beck (PPI) | RHP Kaiden McCarthy (2nd rd) | RHP Jensen Hirschkorn (3rd rd)   OF AJ Gracia (@UVABaseball) is seeing the ball really well & picked up a couple of hits, including a 2B into RCF. Smooth LH stroke & easy impact. Showed + pwr in BP, 46 BB: 36 K. Jr./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/C4rSc0ZNIc — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 30, 2026 Atlanta had $15,870,800 to spend in this year’s draft,...
Draft | Story | 8/22/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL East

Tyler Henninger
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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. AL East Baltimore Orioles Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF Eric Booth Jr. (1st rd) | OF Ty Head (2nd rd) | OF Kevin Roberts Jr (4th rd)  Eric Booth Jr. (26 MS) goes big fly 💣 that carried out oppo. Explosive athlete w/ huge LH juice & tools. Big time in several facets. #NatElite #Vandy commit. @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/kXl7ZVyD9G — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 12, 2025 Baltimore was about middle of the pack in terms of money available this year, having $13.1m to spend on their class. Booth Jr. is a...
Draft | Story | 8/24/2026

Area Code Gams: Prospect Recap

Steve Fiorindo
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Pitchers George Ferguson, RHP, Abilene HS  Ferguson toed the slab for the Rangers squad in game one of the Codes, setting the tone early with some loud stuff.  Ferguson attacked hitters with a verty fastball up to 96 that played well up in the zone with up to 24 inches of induced vertical break.  He showed more than just a power arsenal, going to the changeup often, using the pitch to put away hitters.  Kills the spin to the 1600’s, regularly getting 13-15 inches of horizontal break.  The slider rounded out the arsenal, working 82/83.  Struck out four over his three innings of work, two on the fastball, two on the change.  2026 PG All American committed to Texas.  Quinn Fitzpatrick, RHP, Stratford HS  Another 2026 PG All American out of Texas, the LSU commit punched out three over his two innings of work, allowing just one hit. ...
Draft | Story | 8/21/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Collegiate RHP

Ryan Miller
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2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: College Right-Handed Pitchers  Throughout the 2027 draft cycle, I’ll be breaking down different demographics in the class. Today we begin with collegiate right-handed pitching, a strong group that is headlined by a legitimate 1-1 candidate in Dax Whitney. Most of the group is made up of high-quality power four arms, with a handful of mid-major arms mixed in. Below are the top college right-handers in the 2027 class:  Dax Whitney (@BeaverBaseball) showed LOUD stuff. FB up to 100, cruised at 95-98. Pair of plus secondaries. CB at 77-79 (2923) with sharp, 12-6 action. Firm SL at 89-91 (2714) with bite. Flashed fading CH at 87-88 (1425). Ranked No. 1 on the ‘27 board @PG_Draft So./‘27 elig. pic.twitter.com/9PNbjJ53Zo — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 13, 2026 Dax Whitney, Oregon State  Whitney has maintained...
All American Game | Story | 8/21/2026

Brotherly Love Inspires Carter Hadnot

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Perfect Game has been a big part of Carter Hadnot’s life since he was 12. He participated in more than a dozen tournaments and showcases, including prestigious Select Festivals as a 13U and 14U player, as well as last summer’s PG All-Star Game for underclassmen in San Diego.   The PG event that Hadnot always wanted to be part of was the DICK’s All-American Classic. Now, that’s on his resume, too. He played in the 24th annual Classic earlier this week at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. “This means a lot to me,” he said during the event. “I always wanted to make it to Select Fest when I was younger. So, every time I get invited to an event it’s an honor and it’s fun. I don’t take it for granted. “This is definitely the one I always wanted to make it to. A lot of big names have...
Press Release | Press Release | 8/18/2026

Perfect Game & Delano Partner Up

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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 NAMES DELANO BAT COMPANY OFFICIAL WOOD COMPOSITE BAT PARTNER, LAUNCHES LIMITED-EDITION BAT SERIES   Delano Bats will serve as the Official Game Bat of the 13U Select Festival, taking place this coming weekend in East Cobb, Georgia   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Delano Bat Company, LLC, naming the company an Official Wood Composite Bat Partner of Perfect Game. The partnership will feature three exclusive limited-edition bat releases, which began with the Original Glory American Flag Bat in celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, that...
Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL Central

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West | AL Central 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 Central Chicago Cubs  Grade: 40 Risk: Medium Notable Selections: RHP Cade Townsend (1st rd) | OF Caden Sorrell (2nd rd) | 1B Myles Bailey (2C)   RHP Cade Townsend (@OleMissBSB) sat 95-96 T97 w/ riding FB from fast arm. Nasty cutter at 88-91 is the go-to, showed biting 2 pln SL. Low-80s top to bottom CB & CH ~ 1300 RPM to round out mix. Has had a great spring & risen up boards. Soph./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/TAFbM37f5j — PG College...
Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL 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. AL Central Cleveland Guardians  Grade: 45 Risk: Moderate  Notable Selections: RHP Liam Peterson (1st rd) | Tre Broussard OF (3rd rd) | RHP Savion Sims (7th rd)  Liam Peterson (@GatorsBB) has been pure power stuff through the first 3.0 IP in his start vs Bama…imposing his will on hitters with a fastball that has grabbed 100 mph a few times, backed up by his power slider and curveball @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/RVThNrdMTn — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 21,...
High School | General | 8/17/2026

Scott Wins MVP Two Ways

Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – When the folks at Perfect Game reached out to invite him to pitch in the 2026 PG All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors, Cullen Scott had one request. “You mind if I get a couple of at-bats, too?” Along with his dad, Scott traveled from the family’s home in Texas to Citizens Bank Park. The trip proved to be a huge success as he starred on the mound and at the plate and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Scott, 16, pitched a scoreless first inning and struck out two. In the fourth inning, he belted a grand slam six rows up into the left-field seats to lead the National team’s 6-1 win over the American team. “He showed us why he’s here as a pitcher and a hitter,” said Greg Sabers, PG’s vice president of scouting and showcases. "He’s one of the top pitchers here, but he’s too good a...
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