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General  | Blog | 10/27/2023

From Perfect Game to the World Series

Tyler Henninger
Photo: Corey Seager/Corbin Carroll (Perfect Game)
The 2023 World Series is loaded with talented young players, productive veterans, and multiple superstars. While every one of these players took a unique path to the big leagues, a handful of them attended a Perfect Game showcase at one point during their days as an amateur baseball player. These players have continued to grow and develop throughout their careers, but their potential was clear even as high school players. Before the first pitch of game one gets thrown in Arlington, let's take a look back at past Perfect Game showcase reports on some of the stars of the 2023 World Series. 

OF Corbin Carroll (ARI)
“Corbin Carroll is a 2019 OF with a 5-10 165 lb. frame from Seattle, WA who attends Lakeside HS. Medium athletic build with some wiry strength, plenty of room to get stronger. Very quick twitch athlete, 6.33 in the sixty, shows his athleticism well in the outfield, solid arm strength with on line carry, serious range in centerfield. Left handed hitter, hits from a narrow base with a short and quick swing, base swing is inside and middle of the field but will flash the ability to turn on the ball and drive it, lots of projection as a hitter. Highest level athlete who has baseball skills and plays with energy. Very good student, verbal commitment to UCLA. Selected to play in the 2018 Perfect Game All-American Classic.” (2018 National Showcase)



SS Corey Seager (TEX)
“Corey Seager is a 2012 MIF/3B with a 6-3 195 lb. frame from Kannapolis, NC who attends Northwest Cabarrus HS. Excellent physical build, square shoulders with tons of projection. Left handed hitter, big hand coil and wrap to start swing, generates very good bat speed, loose extended swing with lift, ball jumps hard, hand action creates length at beginning of swing. 6.85 runner, very good infield arm strength, plus carry on throws, accurate, all the tools to be a defensive standout. Brother of Mariners 2B Kyle Seager. Outstanding student, verbal commitment to South Carolina. Named to the Perfect Game All American Classic team.” (2011 National Showcase)

RHP Zac Gallen (ARI)
“Zachary Gallen is a 2013 RHP/MIF with a 6-2 180 lb. frame from Gibbsboro, NJ who attends Bishop Eustace Prep. Extremely projectable frame with an excellent present build. Throws from a high 3/4 slot and the arm is FAST. His fastball has big time life through the zone and his 2 seam fastball has serious run. Sat 88-90 mph down in the zone. Works fast and repeats his delivery very well. Pitches off of the FB and goes right at hitters. Has an 11/5 CB with late sharp bite. Also showed plus feel for the CB consistently spotting up in the lower half of the strike zone. Absolute stud. Outstanding in the classroom.” (2013 Sunshine Northeast Showcase)

1B Christian Walker (ARI)
“Christian Walker is a 2009 3B/C with a 6'1'', 210 lb. frame from Limerick, PA who attends Kennedy-Kenrick. Christian has a solid strong build and his hands and arm work in the infield. He runs fairly well. The bat is what makes Christian really stand out. The ball jumps off his bat and he has big power. He has a good stroke with excellent bat speed and hits hard line drives to all fields and can lift the ball. Walker has big power potential and can already drive the ball out of any ball park. He hit several out of the Metrodome in the Rawlings HR contest. Definite bat to follow. He has made a verbal commitment to South Carolina.” (2008 National Showcase)

C Jonah Heim (TEX)
 “Jonah Heim is a 2013 C/3B with a 6-3 178 lb. frame from Amherst, NY who attends Amherst Central. Tall athletic build with lean strength. Impressive arm strength allows for good pop times for age, could improve even more by shortening length of arm action. Similar abilities from each side of the plate, good hitting tools from both sides. Uses all fields, good plate coverage. Solid bat speed, projects well, quick hands, tools to hit. On the mound showed online low effort delivery, good break on 12-6 Curveball has some bite to it, projectable velocity. Interesting young player, should make big strides.” (2011 NJ Pitcher/Catcher Indoor Showcase)

OF Alek Thomas (ARI)
 “Alek Thomas is a 2018 OF/LHP with a 5-11 175 lb. frame from Chicago, IL who attends Mt Carmel HS. Square shouldered athletic build, good present strength for his size. 6.63 runner, quick twitch athlete in all his actions, plays faster than his 60 time on the baseball field. Left handed hitter, big coil to start swing, deep hands, loose swing with plus bat speed, lots of torque in his swing, has very good barrel skills and can drive the ball hard to all fields, sees the ball very well. Centerfield tools on defense, gets very good jumps and can make the athletic play in the outfield, playable arm strength with a quick release and very good accuracy. High level athlete who excels on the football field and basketball court. Very good student,, verbal commitment to TCU for both football and baseball. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.” (2017 National Showcase)

OF Tommy Pham (ARI)
 “Thomas Pham is a 2006 middle infielder/right handed pitcher from Las Vegas, NV with a strong athletic build at 6-2, 185 lbs. He ran the 60 in 6.88 and was 4.50 to first base from the right side. Pham's best tool is his arm strength, which plays big both in the field and on the mound. He threw 90 mph across the diamond from shortstop and the rest of his defensive skills are solid. Pham's arm was even more impressive on the mound, especially for a secondary pitcher, where he threw 91 mph with very little effort. Pham also threw a 77 mph curveball with sharp sweeping action and a 78 mph change up. Offensively, Pham is an aggressive hitter who gets to his front side quickly and uses his strong hands to drive the ball. He showed good pull power and is just going to get stronger and hit the ball harder and farther in the future. Pham has as high of two-way potential of any player in the 2006 class and could become a premium talent either as a shortstop or right handed pitcher down the road. Pham is also an outstanding student with a 4.0+ GPA.” (2005 National Showcase)

1B Nathaniel Lowe (TEX)
 “Nathaniel Lowe is a 2013 3B/1B with a 6-3 220 lb. frame from Marietta, GA who attends Pope HS. Big strong athletic build. Left handed hitter, upper half rotational swing, open stance, long smooth swing, looks to get hands extended, best contact to the opposite field, will flash strength and bat speed at times but gets tied up inside, strength to improve with adjustments. 7.42 runner, good hands at the ball, over the top arm action, good carry on throws. Very good student. Named to the Top Prospect Team.” (2011 National Underclass Showcase: Main Event)

OF/DH Robbie Grossman (TEX)
 “Robbie Grossman is a 2008 OF with a 6'1'', 195 lb. frame from Cypress, TX who attends Cy Fair HS. He has a very strong and tightly wound athletic build with an explosive look to him. Grossman is a rare left handed thrower/switch-hitter (how many ML players can you name who do that?) and has outstanding hitting ability and bat speed from both sides of the plate. He is an aggressive hitter who attacks the ball from both sides of the plate. He has a bit better bat speed from the right side but similar approaches. If anything, Grossman can be too aggressive and get himself committed early to pitches instead of trusting his hand speed and strength. He's going to hit with power, both extra base and over the fence pop, against top level stuff. Grossman is also a 6.58 runner who runs with the same type of explosive aggressiveness as he hits. Defensively, Grossman has the tools to play all three outfield positions. He gets very good carry on his throws and makes accurate throws. As a Houston native, Grossman has plenty of similarities to 2005 Reds first round draft pick Jay Bruce. Selected to 2007 Aflac All-American team.” (2007 National Showcase)

RHP Paul Sewald (ARI)
 “Paul Sewald is a 2008 OF/P with a 6'2'', 170 lb. frame from Las Vegas NV, who attends Bishop Gorman. Sewald has a tall slender body with a lean build. Defensively, Sewald moves to the ball well and has solid outfield actions. He has arm strength with some carry on his throws. At the plate, Sewald has a level swing path with a high finish. He is aggressive to the ball in the strike zone and has present line drive pop. Sewald pitches from a 3/4 arm slot with a good arm action. He has arm speed and pitches with low effort through his delivery. Sewald has solid mechanics and is smooth through finish. He has sink on his fastball with 11/5 break on his curveball. Outstanding student.” (2006 Southern CA Underclass)

IF Jordan Lawlar (ARI)
 “Jordan Lawlar is a 2021 SS/OF with a 6-2 185 lb. frame from Irving, TX who attends Jesuit College Prep. Very athletic build with good present strength. 6.45 runner in the sixty. Has very easy and smooth actions in the middle infield, hands are very quick and clean at the ball, rounds the ball with maturity and has a quick exchange and release, plays defense in an easy comfort zone with an advanced inner clock. Right handed hitter, hits from a slightly open stance with a short and quick inside swing, ball comes off the barrel hard, high contact middle of the field approach that can grow as he gets stronger, projects well offensively. Elite level student, verbal commitment to Vanderbilt. Named to play in the Perfect Game All-American Classic.” (2020 National Showcase)

RHP Josh Sborz (TEX)
 “Josh Sborz is a 2012 RHP/1B, 3B with a 6-2 200 lb. frame from McLean, VA who attends McLean. Sborz has a big strong build, ball comes out of hand well, fastball has good life, attacks hitters, good 11-5 curveball, has good bite, projects well, high follow on the mound. Also showed good power potential at the plate, hits to all fields, good hitting tools.” (2010 PG National Games: Class of 2012)

LHP Will Smith (TEX)
 “Will Smith is a 2007 LHP with a 6'4'', 215 lb. frame from Newnan GA, who attends North Gate HS. He has a big, athletic frame that is very strong now and could get even stronger with more work in the future. Smith has a low effort, smooth delivery and an extended mid 3/4's release point. He tended to get out of sync from the strength and push the ball with more effort. Smith's fastball ranged from 80 to 85 mph with good sink and run. His off speed pitches both showed very good quality and were his best offerings. His curveball was up to 73 mph and had good spin and bite to it. His 76 mph change up had good arm speed and life. Smith is a ground ball pitcher with three solid pitches and an idea how to use him. We keep waiting for his velocity to pick up but that just might now happen despite his big strong body.” (2006 Southeast Top Prospect Showcase)

LHP Cody Bradford (TEX)
 “Cody Bradford is a 2016 LHP/1B with a 6-3 185 lb. frame from Aledo, TX who attends Aledo HS. Extra-large, athletic build with high waist, long limbs and a lean, projectable build with room to fill out with additional strength. Nice build for on the mound. Primary left-handed pitcher, shows a long and loose arm action through the back side, works through to a high three-quarter release point. Balanced delivery, incorporate lower half well into drive down mound and showed ability to repeat. Sound arm speed, generates angle and downhill plane on fastball, up to 86 mph with some late life to arm side, flashes late sink when located down. Filled up the strike zone, showed a feel for 1-7 curveball at 70 mph, some sweeping life to it. Works both sides of the plate, slightly slows arm action on changeup but shows fade and dive to arm side at 72 mph. Named to South Top Prospect List. Excellent student. Verbal commitment to Baylor.” (2015 South Prospect Showcase)

RHP Slade Cecconi (ARI)
 “Slade Cecconi is a 2018 RHP/IF with a 6-4 193 lb. frame from Oviedo, FL who attends Trinity Prep. Outstanding young pitcher's build, has some present strength with long arms and loose athletic actions. Lightning fast arm action, high 3/4's arm slot, lots of extension out front, low effort release. Consistent mid-90's fastball, topped out at 96 mph, powers it down to the bottom of the zone with life and angle, lots of 96's. Slider is his best secondary pitch, has power and bite at 84 mph. Tends to lower elbow on his curveball and change up, will flash quality but not consistency, throws strikes with his secondary pitches. Elite level arm who should keep getting better. Excellent student, verbal commitment to Miami. Selected for the 2017 Perfect Game All-American Classic.” (2017 National Showcase)

INF Josh Smith (TEX)
 “Josh Smith is a 2016 SS/2B with a 5-10 175 lb. frame from Greenwell Springs, LA who attends Catholic HS. Medium athletic build. 6.78 runner, quick and athletic actions in the middle infield, very quick and active feet, works through the ball well with a quick release and lots of raw arm strength, plays defense with energy and aggressiveness, high level defender. Left handed hitter, big leg pull back load and coil with a big move into contact, timing can be late, momentum hitter, swings hard and looks to drive the ball from a low hand start, line drive gap contact, will likely have to simplify swing mechanics as pitchers get better but has raw bat speed and offensive potential. Plays the game hard. Good student, verbal commitment to Louisiana State.” (2015 National Showcase)

C Austin Hedges (TEX)
 “Austin Hedges is a 2011 C with a 6-1 185 lb. frame from San Juan Capistrano, CA who attends J Serra HS. Slender athletic build, wide shoulders, plenty of room to fill in. Outstanding defensive tools/skills, very light on feet, loose/quick and flexible, big arm strength, easy unrushed release, 1.75 pop in drills, 1.90 tag throw in game. Good flow hitting, good extension through the ball, simple line drive hitting approach, has some hand quickness, projects power. Defense stands out. Excellent student, verbal commitment to UCLA. Selected to the Aflac All-American team.” (2010 National Showcase)
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