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| 2,496 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,496 MLB PLAYERS | 15,806 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
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 | Mock Draft | 7/6/2026

MLB Mock Draft: 4.0

Tyler Henninger
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MLB Draft: Top 500 Update Pick Team Name Pos. School 1 Chicago White Sox Roch Cholowsky SS UCLA 2 Tampa Bay Rays Grady Emerson SS Fort Worth Christian 3 Minnesota Twins Vahn Lackey C Georgia Tech 4 San Francisco Giants Jacob Lombard SS Gulliver Schools 5 Pittsburgh Pirates Jackson Flora RHP UC Santa Barbara 6 Kansas City Royals Drew Burress OF Georgia Tech 7 Baltimore Orioles Eric Booth Jr. OF Oak Grove 8 Athletics Chris Hacopian SS Texas A&M 9 Atlanta Braves Ryder Helfrick C Arkansas 10 Colorado Rockies Tyler Bell* SS Kentucky 11 Washington Nationals Jared Grindlinger LHP/OF Huntington Beach 12 Los Angeles Angels Cameron Flukey RHP Coastal Carolina 13 St. Louis Cardinals AJ Gracia OF Virginia 14 Miami Marlins Derek Curiel OF LSU 15 Arizona Diamondbacks Gio Rojas LHP Marjory Stoneman Douglas 16 Texas Rangers Liam Peterson RHP Florida 17 Houston Astros Justin Lebron SS Alabama 18...
College | Story | 7/7/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stripes

Craig Cozart
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Collegiate National Team: Stars Notes Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stripes Position Players  Nico Partida ...
Tournaments | Story | 7/8/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 3-5

Perfect Game Staff
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13u World Series Scout Notes: Days 1-2 Chaysten Fuentes (2030, Ewa Beach, HI) worked really well from the right side of the plate ending up with five hits and a double in the last two days. The right handed hitting Hawaiian has a ton of strength to the body. The hands work directly to the ball and can hit to all fields in the approach. Has done an incredible job getting the barrel to almost everything and gets on plane in the turn.  Triston Valdez (2031, Castaic, CA) was electric on day four batting .500 with a double, triple, and five rbis. The barrel is really quick to the ball and works with a level path. Against NY Gotham 13u Ghost, Valdez would not be denied demolishing the bases clearing triple way back into the RCF gap. Stays inside the baseball consistently with the hands and torques it hard.  Christopher Julian Leija (2031, Weslaco, TX) really showed out the last two...
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

Two Day Rewind at 15u National Elite

Kinley Kitchens
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Two days into the 2026 Perfect Game 15U National Elite Championship, the storylines are already beginning to take shape. As one of the summer’s premier invite-only events, the tournament annually brings together many of the nation’s top 15U clubs, with 100 elite teams traveling to Hoover in pursuit of a championship. While there is still plenty of baseball left to play, the opening rounds have already produced breakout performances, dominant team victories, and plenty of excitement heading into bracket play. Several nationally recognized organizations entered the week as favorites, including MTBA Dawgs, ranked No. 3 nationally, Wildcatters Baseball at No. 10, and 5 Star Mafia, ranked No. 12. Meanwhile, newer programs like Jason Kidd Select Team have quickly shown they are capable of making noise against the nation’s best. One of the biggest storylines through the first...
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

15u Elite Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Troy Sutherland
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Tristan Barton (‘29, TX) has struck out three over three scoreless innings of work, getting a lively FB up to 89. Mixed in a sharp vt CB w/ late bite. Operates from a projectable RH frame w/ length + room to fill. #NatElite @Texas_PG pic.twitter.com/LXfkLOtxdo — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 5, 2026 Tristan Barton (’29, Gunter, TX) turned in a strong start on Sunday, lasting four innings of one run ball, striking out four. Barton operates from a bigger lengthy right-handed frame with considerable room to fill. He starts with a mid-body handset before working to the belt and into a high compact leg lift. Barton fires down via a compact arm action and high three quarters slot. The Texas native got a run/ride fastball up to 89, living in the mid-80s throughout the outing. He mixed in a sharp 12-6 curveball with vertical depth and late bite. Jack Graviss...
Tournaments | Story | 7/7/2026

16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1

Jason Phillips
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Nolan Ash (2028, Ashland, Mo.) showed off the power upside for Natty State 2028. The right-handed hitter starts from a spread stance with in-line feet and a high handset with a high back elbow, utilizes a leg lift stride. Creates separation and uses a direct hand path with a slightly uphill bat plane and some feel to generate lift from the lower half. Quick hands and stays in-sync with a rotational lower half and solid bat speed. Showed the power belting a solo bomb over the left field fence. Long and lean 6-foot-2, 175-pound frame with wiry strength present and more room to fill. The shortstop has a high ceiling and feel for the barrel. Colton Dodds (2028, Columbia, Mo.) showed off the barrel feel and power upside for Natty State 2028. The right-handed hitter starts from a wide base with in-line feet and a high handset with a high back elbow, utilizes a no stride trigger. Direct hands...
College | Story | 7/7/2026

Coppy's Corner: July 7 Summer Edition

John Coppolella
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It’s an exciting time for College Baseball. Not only do potential and proposed changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) elevate the game, but we are coming off a thrilling College World Series and less than a week away from Major League Baseball’s 2026 Amateur Draft. In the middle of it all is the Cape Cod Baseball League.  The amateur players on the Cape are the future stars of the 2027 MLB Draft. The league runs from June 13th  through August 2nd. Games are played at historic stadiums in Old New England towns. It’s beautiful and charming. Hollywood even made a movie about the Cape Cod League ~25 years ago called Summer Catch. It scored an 8% (!) on Rotten Tomatoes, but, on the plus side, it featured 2001 Jessica Biel in a starring role.  It was so much fun writing Coppy’s Column this spring. My hope is to highlight a pitcher and...
Tournaments | Story | 7/6/2026

16u WWBA Rolls Into Marietta

Will Dembo
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More than 300 of the nation’s top 16u teams will meet in East Cobb, Georgia this week as the 16u WWBA Championship gets underway. Over 50 ranked teams from across the country will compete for one of the most prestigious titles in travel baseball, drawing scouts and fans from all over. Pool play will commence on Monday, July 6th with the championship game set for July 13th at the storied East Cobb Baseball Complex. Canes National 16u will hold honors of being the top ranked team entering the event as they have earned a No. 2 national ranking following a dominant 17-2-1 start to their season. The highly touted program is home to many of the top ranked prospects from the 2028 class including talented two-way athlete, Grant Arnold (No. 12 overall) who lives in the 90’s from the mound as well as middle infielder, Bryan Mesa (No. 14 overall) who will draw lots of attention this...
College | Story | 7/6/2026

USA Collegiate National Team: Stars

Craig Cozart
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Quick Hits  Each year at the end of June and beginning of July, top collegiate baseball talent from around the nation arrives in Cary, NC at the USA Baseball National Training Complex.  Typically, the rosters are filled with top underclass, non-draft-eligible talent but this year, we will see a sprinkling of upper-classmen as the coaches evaluate just under 60 players to get to their final 28 roster spots.  For a total of two weeks, the Stars Squad and the Stripes Squad will compete against outside competition in North Carolina as well as Virginia before finishing their slate with 5-games against each other at the NTC Complex.  Once the final roster has been announced the team will depart for Taiwan to compete in the 2026 World Baseball Championships, July 11-15.    CNT Stars Position Players  Anthony Pack Jr.  FR / OF / University of Texas ...
Tournaments | Story | 7/5/2026

13u World Series Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
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Michael Wedgeworth (2030, Flomaton, AL) had put the two way ability on full display so far this week, dominating from both sides. On the mound Wedgeworth ran the fastball up to 84 (81-83) with ease to the delivery. Broke off a couple nasty curveballs that induced swing and miss, as well as freezing hitters for punch outs. Collected six in his four inning complete game. He also would not be denied at the plate going 3-5 in the first two days with two doubles. Very intriguing young player as the body continues to grow.  Tyler Bellush (2031, Summerville, SC) is a sure handed shortstop for the Canes Nation squad. Swings it from the left side of the plate and the barrel accuracy has really stuck out thus far. 3-4 through the first couple days with a double and two triples, Bellush has also walked twice and collected 3 RBI along the way. Yesterday against USA Prime with the bases loaded,...
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