THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
All American Game  | Story | 8/10/2021

A Classic culmination for Barriera

Photo: Brandon Barriera (Perfect Game)

It’s been a summer of wonder for stellar top 2022 prospect Brandon Barriera, one which bore the fruits of the labors he put in during previous summers and falls of play on the Perfect Game tournament circuit and through his involvement with USA Baseball at the 12u, 14u, 15u and 17u levels.

An athletic 6-foot-1, 170-pound left-hander and Vanderbilt commit out of Hollywood, Fla., who is set to begin his senior year at prep power American Heritage School in a matter of weeks, Barriera spent a busy summer establishing himself as a legitimate early round prospect in the 2022 MLB Draft.



He got the job done here, there and everywhere, it seemed, most recently during outings at the MLB/USA Baseball Prospect Development Pipeline in Cary, N.C., in late July and then at the East Coast Pro Showcase in Hoover, Ala., just last week,

But there’s still a big crowning jewel to come for the kid from South Florida by the way of New York City. He’ll soon make his way to the Pacific Coast to take part in all the festivities surrounding the 19th annual PG All-American Classic, which will be played Aug. 22 at the Padres’ Petco Park in downtown San Diego.

But first, how about a little R&R? How about a little downtime before heading out to an event that is ultra-competitive but with a little more emphasis put on the fun side of the game?

“I’m kind of just taking some time here at home right now,” Barriera told PG during an enjoyable telephone conversation over the weekend before he quickly added that he’ll be ready to get back after it while enjoying the comforts that a late summer weekend spent in Southern California provides.

“Ever since playing in Perfect Game events and starting to play travel ball, being a Perfect Game All-American is one of the greatest accolades to have as a travel ball player; it’s something you strive to be,” he said. “Honestly it’s something that I’ve wanted to do for so long and something that I’ve always wanted to become...To go out and play in San Diego is going to be amazing and to be around all my boys and to finally play with them and not play against them is going to be a lot of fun.”

The son of Sergio Barriera and Melissa Rivera, Brandon Barriera has certainly put in the work that is required to climb to the No. 9 position overall in the class of 2022 national rankings. He is ranked the No. 3 left-hander nationally behind only North Carolina’s Jackson Ferris and South Carolina’s Tristan Smith; those two lefties will join Barriera on the East Team roster at the All-American Classic.

Barriera has been rostered at 30 PG events over the last five years but surprisingly, perhaps, his lights-out performance at the PG National Showcase in St. Petersburg, Fla., last month marked his only PG showcase appearance.

He has, however, been named to a PG all-tournament team 15 times while playing with Pompano Beach-based Cannons Baseball University (previously Cannons Baseball Academy). His head coach at CBU is Nick James, who also was his head coach at Westminster Academy during his freshman year and at American Heritage as a sophomore.

“He’s paved the way for me, pretty much,” Barriera said of James. “He and my parents have told me of all the sacrifices I need to make in order to become successful and that I’m not going to be living a normal teenage life. No teenager is going to be trying to work out twice a day and going to the field to work on his craft and just doing the little things. They were the ones who implemented this plan and have just been pushing me the whole time...

“I love baseball and nothing or anybody will ever take that (love) away from me. I just enjoy it as much as I can.”

While pitching for CBU this summer, Barriera allowed only seven hits and six walks while striking out 24 in 19 1/3 shutout innings, flashing a fastball that repeatedly reached 95 mph.

Over his past two PG seasons, he’s thrown 54 1/3 innings without allowing an earned run on 15 hits while striking out 76 and walking 15. The CBU 2022 Scout Team went 26-6-3 this summer, including a 7-1-0, third round of the playoffs performance at the WWBA 17u National Championship in Marietta, Ga.

Barriera didn’t beat around the bush when he declared that he really did enjoy a great summer, even knowing going in that it was going to be two months of having to produce a top performance every time he stepped on the mound.

He made sure he was always on top of his game. He tried to stay relaxed and just sit back and enjoy himself, intent on having fun and meeting as many new friends as possible while playing against the best competition that was out there.

“It was just being able to enjoy the game one last time before I either go to college or go to the pros,” Barriera said.

Sergio Barriera, also speaking with PG over the phone this past weekend, was effusive in his praise of the Perfect Game model, noting that PG has been great to his family while helping Brandon achieve his long-term goals. If you want your kid to succeed in baseball, Sergio said, PG provides the barometer that can help gauge where he stands amongst his peers.

The reason for that is a simple one: all the best kids are right there on the same fields competing with or against one another. There are the scouting reports, the write-ups, the rankings, the personal accounts like this one and any number of other data points that can help determine who really should be invited to the PG All-American Classic.

“For me as a dad it’s awesome, right,” Sergio said. “You know that all of his friends and his peers are reading Perfect Game articles and your son’s out there; everything that’s ever written is never biased and straight to the point [so] it’s been great.

“The relationships he’s had with his teammates is amazing. Brandon has so many followers and any event we go to it seems like he knows everybody. From a social dynamic you can’t replace that because networking is the basis of life.”

Brandon Barriera spent his early years in New York City where, according to Sergio, his great grandmother was a huge Yankees fan. And possibly through simple osmosis, the rest of the family became Yankees fans, as well. She was Brandon’s primary care-giver during his early childhood while his parents worked at their jobs so Brandon would spend many of his summer days watching the boys from the Bronx on TV as often as time allowed.

Sergio considered himself an avid fan but more specifically he was and a fan of Andy Pettitte, the Yanks’ three-time All-Star left-hander and four-time World Series champion.

“When Brandon was about 5 [years old] he came up to me and said, Dad, I want to be the next Andy Pettitte; that was pretty much the start of it,” Sergio told PG. “We moved down to South Florida [in 2010 when Brandon was 6] and we got him started on one of those rec ball teams for one year and then we started playing travel baseball the year after that.”

Sergio called the journey with his son to this point “a long but rewarding one.” Sergio, whose high school athletic background was with basketball and not baseball, remembered thinking that Brandon just really wasn’t all that good. He spent nearly the first six years of his involvement with travel ball riding the bench and Sergio just didn’t understand what all the hype surrounding his son was all about.

But the kid was now in the company of James, who kept telling Sergio that hey, no worries, one day your kid is going to be a stud. That was difficult for Brandon’s dad to understand because he just didn’t see the potential other talent evaluators were seeing. What Sergio was seeing was a youngster who struggled to throw strikes and was giving up runs in bunches.

“And then one day Nick James said, 'Hey, you guys should do the USA Baseball trials in California,' and that was for the top kids in the nation,” Sergio said. “He convinced us to go and that was the first time Brandon put it all together on that [big] stage. He went out and he made the 12u USA [National] Team and from then on not only did his confidence change but his work ethic changed.

“Being a 12-year-old and putting in the work he had to learn his craft...and wanting to be better, from then on it’s been the most rewarding experience,” he added. “You’ve kind of seen something...grow into what it is today; it’s been a hell of ride.”

Because of everything he’s already experienced through baseball, Brandon Barriera will be surrounded by dozens of old friends once he arrives in San Diego, even though he’s eager to make even more. There are 12 Florida preps on the Classic’s East Team roster, including No. 1 overall outfielder Elijah Green, No. 18 outfielder Roman Anthony and fellow pitchers Jurrangelo Cijntje, Luis Rujano and Jordan Vera.

“If you’re talking about any of the Florida guys I’ve literally grown-up playing against them,” Barriera said through a laugh. “Especially Sal Stewart and Jordan Vera, literally I’ve grown up playing these guys. Every week or every weekend we’re playing in the same league against each other so after a while it’s just like it’s the same people.”

Brandon Barriera’s commitment to Vanderbilt is a source of pride to the entire family, which also includes 14-year-old sister Laila. Sergio said that Vandy has long been his son’s favorite school and that early on Brandon set his sights on developing into a top pitching prospect with the dream of one day pitching for the Commodores.

It makes him proud as a dad to think there really isn’t much the kid can’t accomplish if he really puts the work in, and that applies to the academic side of the ledger, as well. Brandon is proud of the commitment, as well.

“It’s definitely the work ethic; just the way they want to win and want to succeed that made me fall in  love with it even more,” he said of the Vanderbilt program. “Obviously growing up when I started watching college baseball I grew toward Vanderbilt watching Walker Buehler pitch and Dansby Swanson play.

“Just the way they take the field and playing together and having this camaraderie and becoming a family on and off the field...And you can’t go wrong academically, too, so it’s a blessing both ways.”

It’s likely to be many months before Brandon Barriera steps foot on Vanderbilt’s Nashville campus and that’s only if the 2022 MLB Amateur Draft doesn’t come into play. Next up for the talented left-hander is the PG All-American Classic, a place where he can go and have fun with all his friends while any outside pressures melt away like ice cream on Pacific Beach boardwalk.

“The one thing you live for as a parent is seeing your kid just smile and enjoy the moment,” Sergio Barriera said. “There hasn’t been a moment yet that’s been too big for him because all he does is smile...For me that’s worth everything in the world, more than the accolades, it’s just seeing your kid have fun pursuing what he loves. That’s worth it just being in the stands.”


All American Game | Story | 9/15/2025

PG Athletes Raise Money For Charity

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME ATHLETES RAISE MORE THAN $130,000   FOR CHILDREN’S CHARITIES THROUGHOUT AUGUST    Sanford, Florida (Monday, September 15, 2025) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced that its athletes raised a combined $130,195 for children’s charities during its August 2025 showcase events throughout the country.    The fundraising efforts took place at Perfect Game’s Select Festivals and the DICK’S All-American Classic, with each age group rallying behind a cause that supports children in need. The 11U and 12U Select Fests each benefited Elite Development Academy out...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
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
Article Image
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
Article Image
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...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
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...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
Article Image
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
Article Image
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
Article Image
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
Article Image
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
Article Image
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
Article Image
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...
Loading more articles...