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Draft  | Story | 12/29/2021

Year In Review: Draft

Photo: Jackson Jobe (Perfect Game)
Year In Review: PG Events | High School

Every year around this time, somewhere between Christmas and the new year (and the Main Event Showcases, of course), the PG scouting staff likes to look back over the past year in review-style articles. This one focuses on the 2021 MLB Draft, which saw several key storylines unfold over its three-day run back in July. 
 
Draft Particulars Change
 
The industry had certainly become accustomed to the draft taking place in early/mid June, something it had done for years prior to the COVID pandemic, so it was quite an adjustment for scouts/general scheduling when the draft date was announced for mid-July. In addition to that, the draft size changed again as well, blossoming back up to 20 rounds following 2020’s 5-round iteration, and 20 rounds seems to be where MLB wants the draft to stay for the immediate future, at least. Reminder, of course, that the draft was 40 rounds prior to the pandemic. The issues presented by the date moving have to do with scheduling, as stated, as well as general time/resource deployment for Major League clubs given the proximity of the trade deadline to the new draft date. The draft, however, was a huge hit on its new date from a public standpoint, with increased viewership and a much better job of promoting it by Major League Baseball. 
 
Prep Bats Fly Off The Board
 
In an unprecedented run, prep bats absolutely flew off the board during the first several rounds of the draft. Led by Marcelo Mayer at No. 4 overall to the Red Sox, 20 prep bats were selected in the first 60 picks, 27 in the top-100 picks overall. In a year where college bats struggled to really bust out and with a general scarcity of college hitter data thanks to limited collegiate summer ball in 2020, it was the perfect storm for this sort of phenomenon, especially paired with the overall strength of the prep bat class by itself. Power and power projection were the catalysts here, as most of the prep bats selected project to have at least average power at the Big League level, irrelevant of future defensive home. 
 
Henry Davis Goes First Overall
 
The draft has always, at least under the current slotting system, been something of a crapshoot when projecting the first overall pick, since it’s not always the highest-ranked player selected first depending on signing deals, etc. Louisville catcher Henry Davis was the first overall pick in 2021, a decision that wasn’t made public until very close to the draft starting. He signed for $6.5 million, a number roughly $2 million under slot, allowing Pittsburgh to spread their pool allotment down the board. Davis excelled at Louisville, with huge exit velocities and consistent hard contact leading a profile that also features one of the best catcher arms of the past several years as well. 
 
Jackson Jobe is First Prep Selected
 
In a year with so much prep talent on the position player side, it was a prep arm who came off the board first amongst the high school players, in Jackson Jobe going No. 3 overall to the Tigers. Jobe, a Perfect Game All-American, consistently impressed evaluators at every stop with his top-of-class spin traits and good present command as well as athleticism and projection. He was one of several prep arms taken in the first round, including Connecticut lefty Frank Mozzicato, Florida righty Andrew Painter, New Jersey righty Chase Petty and Alabama lefty Maddux Bruns. Mozzicato, especially, had an interesting ascent, going from intriguing fall projection follow to the No. 7 overall pick in less than a year. All told, bats were the story of the 2021 prep draft class, but the arms made their mark on the early rounds as well. 
 
PG All-Americans Go Early and Often
 
As it happens every year, PG All-Americans were very well-represented in the early rounds of the draft. In all, a total of 20 PG All-Americans were selected in the first 100 picks of the 2021 Draft, and that’s not including the former All-Americans who were selected in that range, but out of college, including the Vanderbilt pair of Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker fitting that description. The total signing bonus number for those 20 PG All-Americans (top 100 picks)? How about $67.18 million dollars, once again, not including the former All-Americans who signed out of college this past year. 
 
Setting the Stage for 2022
 
The summer circuit went off without interruption in 2021, giving us our usual deep looks at the 2022 draft class. Suffice it to say, if the 2021 draft was the story of prep infielders, the 2022 draft looks like it’ll be depth of prep arms and the highest-end upper crust of prep bats we’ve seen in quite some time. Termarr Johnson, Elijah Green, and Andruw Jones established themselves as the Big 3 this year, all with the makings of top-5 overall picks, and we’re looking forward to following their final prep seasons this spring and how it all ends up during the 2022 draft. 

Draft | Story | 2/6/2026

PG Draft: Mid-Major Picks to Click

Tyler Henninger
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While Power 4 prospects tend to soak up the bulk of the industry buzz, there’s plenty of legitimate talent lurking at the mid-major level. These are competitive programs that are loaded with players who have real tools, physicality, and performance track records that translate beyond their conference. Below are nine mid-major prospects we expect evaluators to be in early and often on this spring. Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina (Rank: 155) Norby is an undersized left-hander, but has produced strong numbers over two years at ECU. The left-hander has produced a 3.80 ERA with 182 strikeouts over 149 1/3 innings. While the velocity does not stand out, Norby can still miss bats with the heater. It works in the low-90’s and creeps towards 95 mph at times. Quality extension for his size and high spin allow that offering to get on hitters, resulting in weak contact as well as whiffs....
High School | Rankings | 2/16/2026

Northeast Region Top Teams

Cam McElwaney
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Northeast All Region & Top Tools Rk Northeast 2025 Record 1 Poly Prep Country Day (NY) 17-9 2 Stony Brook (NY) 19-5-1 3 Dexter Southfield (MA) 15-2 4 Iona Prep (NY) 25-9-1 5 Bishop Hendricken (RI) 25-6 6 Fairfield Prep (CT) 18-12 7 Austin Prep (MA) 20-2 8 Choate Rosemary Hall (CT) 11-7 9 Cheshire Academy (CT) 20-2 10 Bishop Feehan (MA) 20-5 11 Fairfield Warde (CT) 15-4 12 St. Anthony's (NY) 14-9-1 13 Kings Park (NY) 13-8 14 Phillips Academy (MA) 7-14 15 St. Dominic (NY) 15-6 16 Tottenville (NY) 22-3 17 Belmont Hill (MA) 11-8 18 Avon Old Farms (CT) 15-5 19 St. Sebastian's School (MA) 9-8 20 Archbishop Molloy (NY) 32-7-1 21 Southington (CT) 19-7 22 Mamaroneck (NY) 18-7 23 Colchester (VT) 12-6 24 Trinity (NH) 20-4 25 Fryeburg (ME) 10-7
High School | General | 2/16/2026

Northeast All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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NORTHEAST REGION (NY, CT, MA, RI, VT, NH, ME)  The strength of the Northeast Region in 2026 is the number of high ceiling power arms, led by potential upper-90’s throwers in left-hander Brody Bumila and right-hander Bryce Hill.  The depth of quality pitching is such that two of the top pitchers in the 2028 class, right handers Gavin Chakar (Norwalk HS, Conn.) and Dylan Cunningham (Austin Prep, Mass.) didn’t have a spot on the team.  The weakness of the Region is the increasing number of players who leave to play baseball and continue their school work at Academy programs in the South.  Numerous players that fit under that umbrella would have a place on the All-Northeast Region if they weren’t in Florida or the Carolinas. C – Bradley McCafferty (Sr., Austin Prep, Mass.) McCafferty was named the Gatorade Player of the Year for Massachusetts as a...
College | Rankings | 2/16/2026

College Top 25: February 16

Vincent Cervino
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It was incredible Opening Weekend across the nation with numerous upsets, tightly contested series’ and dominating sweeps. Beyond that, there were generational individual performances, lockdown pitching appearances and record-breaking runs scored as well. It feels like we have been saying this every year for the past decade, but our game is alive and well. More and more programs are getting massive returns on their investments and the fans are turning out in record numbers to see college baseball in its Golden Era. As is typical this time of year, there was very little movement within the poll, in fact, our Top 15 places in the poll remain unchanged. No. 1 LSU (3-0), No. 2 Georgia Tech (3-0) and No. 3 Tennessee (3-0) all took care of business at home, treating their fans to a show of their offensive firepower. No. 16 Coastal Carolina (3-0) and No. 17 UNC (3-0) both had perfect...
High School | General | 2/13/2026

Mid-Atlantic Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Mid-Atlantic All Region & Top Tools Rk Mid-Atlantic  Record 1 Delbarton (NJ) 24-5 2 DePaul Catholic (NJ) 21-7 3 Gloucester Catholic (NJ) 24-3 4 Malvern Prep (PA) 32-5 5 St. Augustine Prep (NJ) 18-8 6 Archbishop Spalding (MD) 22-16 7 Don Bosco Prep (NJ) 26-3 8 Cedar Cliff (PA) 21-6 9 St. John's College (DC) 30-1 10 Seton Hall Prep (NJ) 22-2 11 St. Joseph's Prep (PA) 10-11 12 Christian Brothers (NJ) 22-5 13 Hazelton Area (PA) 18-6 14 Sussex Central (DE) 16-6 15 Ranney (NJ) 12-10 16 Calvert Hall (MD) 20-10 17 Radnor (PA) 11-4 18 Governor Livingston (NJ) 28-0 19 The Haverford School (PA) 5-11 20 Bergen Catholic (NJ) 16-8 21 Holy Ghost Prep (PA) 10-9 22 North Hunterdon (NJ) 14-12 23 Northern Burlington (NJ) 28-2 24 St. Albans (DC) 23-14 25 Urbana (MD) 21-4
High School | General | 2/12/2026

Mid-Atlantic All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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The Mid-Atlantic Region lost its only Perfect Game All-American when catcher Andrew Costello left his Pennsylvania high school early and enrolled at Wake Forest for the spring semester.  The Region ends up being dominated by underclassmen, with seven juniors and even a pair of talented sophomores getting recognition. The story of the spring could very well be watching the young power arms in the Region come outdoors and show their talents on the mound.  Pennsylvania juniors Cole Kuhn and Trent Lutz have been getting lots of off-season attention along with New Jersey senior Alex Weingartner. New Jersey has a trio of high schools represented in the Perfect Game Pre-Season Top 50 High School Rankings.  Delbarton HS, behind a very strong junior class, leads the group at 29th overall, followed DePaul Catholic HS at 41st and Gloucester Catholic at 46th. C – Braeden Lipoff...
High School | General | 2/12/2026

Coastal Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Coastal All Region & Top Tools Rk Coastal Record 1 Charlotte Catholic (NC) 22-6-1 2 Metrolina Christian Academy (NC) 28-3 3 James Island Charter (SC) 30-4 4 Battlefield (VA) 23-3 5 Charlotte Christian (NC) 26-6 6 Dorman (SC) 22-7 7 Marvin Ridge (NC) 21-8 8 Grace Christian (NC) 23-7 9 Berkeley (SC) 22-10 10 T.C. Roberson (NC) 27-6 11 Lexington (SC) 22-11-1 12 Providence (NC) 23-6 13 Southside Christian Schools (SC) 33-2-1 14 Bishop O'Connell (VA) 20-6 15 Cuthbertson (NC) 26-6 16 Wesleyan Christian Academy (NC) 18-11 17 Blythewood (SC) 24-7 18 The Miller School (VA) 34-6 19 Stratford (SC) 22-6-2 20 Laney (NC) 25-7 21 Gaston Christian (NC) 18-4 22 Airport (SC) 27-6 23 Hurricane (WV) 28-7 24 Gainesville (VA) 23-4 25 Oceanside Collegiate Academy (SC) 27-8
High School | General | 2/12/2026

Coastal All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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COASTAL REGION (NC, SC, VA, WV)  The first thing that stands out about the players on the Coastal Region team is that this is undoubtedly the fastest All-Region Team in the country.  There are four or five players who could legitimately have 80 grades on their running speed from the region and all have other tools to back up their speed. Another thing that jumps out is the quality of the juniors on the team.  While the region features only one 2025 PG All-American in left-handed pitcher Carson Bolemon, there are six juniors on the All-Region team who are ranked in the top 34 in the 2027 class, with plenty more talented underclassmen just behind them.  Three region high schools break into the Top 50 in the Perfect Game Pre-Season High School Rankings.  Charlotte Catholic at 33rd overall and Metrolina Christian Academy at 42nd represent the North Carolina schools...
College | Story | 2/12/2026

2026 Staff Picks: College Edition

Perfect Game Staff
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2026 College Preview Index With the D-I season opening up right around the corner, our staff came together and took a shot at who they'd pick within 7 different categories. Most are self explanatory while the "Sleeping GIant" category is in reference to a draft prospect outside of our latest Top 50 on the MLB Draft Board. It's also worth noting that once a player was selected for a category, he was unavailable for others to choose, outside of the Golden Spikes category, where we do see some double-ups.  Enjoy the weekend, there's sure to be plenty of excitement as baseball is officially back across the country at all collegiate levels!  Category Cohen Sutherland Cervino Billock Henninger Rankin Russo Impact Freshman Mason Braun Angel Cervantes Cooper Underwood Marcos Paz JD Stein Alec Blair Sam Cozart Impact Transfer Jake Schaffner Will Gasparino Brady Frederick Andrew Whalen...
High School | General | 2/11/2026

Southwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
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Southwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Southwest Record 1 Casteel (AZ) 23-10 2 Basic (NV) 25-7 3 Corona Del Sol (AZ) 27-6 4 Faith Lutheran (NV) 22-18 5 Brophy College Prep (AZ) 16-13 6 Regis Jesuit (CO) 22-9 7 Queen Creek (AZ) 18-13 8 Spanish Fork (UT) 18-17 9 Mountain Ridge (UT) 20-12 10 Liberty (AZ) 17-13 11 Bishop Gorman (NV) 19-14 12 Rio Rancho (NM) 23-7 13 Cherry Creek (CO) 23-5-1 14 Palo Verde (NV) 24-10 15 Sandra Day O'Connor (AZ) 21-12 16 Pleasant Grove (UT) 23-6 17 La Cueva (NM) 25-4 18 Desert Mountain (AZ) 16-12 19 Snow Canyon (UT) 23-8 20 Hamilton (AZ) 25-9 21 Millennium (AZ) 21-10 22 Centennial (NV) 24-9 23 Valley Christian (AZ) 29-2 24 Mountain Vista (CO) 15-9 25 Williams Field (AZ) 15-11
High School | General | 2/11/2026

Southwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
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SOUTHWEST REGION (AZ, NM, NV, UT, CO)  The most dominant tool in the Southwest Region for the 2026 season is undoubtedly power at the plate, as most players featured below not only have the size and bat speed to drive the ball but have put up the numbers as well.  While that isn’t exactly surprising given that virtually the entire region plays at elevation, it certainly stands out on the individual top prospects. The Region features four Perfect Game All-Americans in OF Ryan Harwood, IF Rookie Shepard and C Alain Gomez-Gudino and RHP Dylan Blomker.  The 2027 class is looking very promising as well, with four juniors gaining mention on the All-Region team below and Arizona in particular having a very talented class.  Keep an eye out especially for 2027 3B Colton Floyd (Corona Del Sol HS, Ariz.), one of the best and biggest power hitters in that class. Two Region...
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