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Tournaments  | Story | 5/18/2024

Beast of the East Quick Hits: Part 1

Photo: Chase Cotton (Perfect Game)

Dexter McCleon (Buford, Ga.) has already established himself as one of the premier talents in the 2028 class and he did nothing but add to the allure with his start in game one on Opening Day for USA Prime. Working 3 innings on the mound, the 6-foot-3 McCleon continued to find his release point on the mound as he ultimately walked 5, but also struck out 4, and showed improvements in his comfort level as he was able to find his balance at the foot strike, though the arm talent was immediately undeniable. Opening up and living comfortably in the 89-92 mph range, the primary outfielder grabbed a couple of 93s along the way and let one rip in the third inning that registered at 94 mph with the ball absolutely exploding out of his hand. The fastball is without a doubt the headliner but each of his secondaries have made a jump as well, particularly with the changeup and slider as he showed comfort landing both in the zone in the low-80s, turning over a couple quality changeups (video above) while showing real spin on the slider as well. 

Like so many arms on day one, right-hander Chase Cotton (Lincoln, Calif.) was limited in his pitch count and outs but the 2028 California native made the most of his time on the mound. Ever refining and tinkering with his delivery, Cotton also showed a jump in his velocity as he opened up sitting right around the 88 mph mark, bumping a 90 on the gun early from a similar compact and hidden arm stroke we’ve come used to seeing. He’s both poised and in control on the mound, incorporating his lower half with improved lower half direction towards the plate which turned into a plethora of strikes while maintaining that mid- to- upper-80s mark throughout. It was a fastball heavy approach in this brief outing, showing a couple shorter breaking balls in the low-70s as well as a few mid-70s changeups in the zone. 

One of the better swings I saw in the opener came from the 13u level courtesy of Peyton Lopez (New Caney, Texas) as the 12u Select Festival alum went 2-for-2 on the day for Elite RBI. Appearing bigger than his listed 5-foot-9, 159 pounds, Lopez kicked his tournament off by seeing a low-80s heater from the left-handed Greyson Bell deep into the zone, but given how direct and quick his swing is, the Texas native was still able to drive the ball the other way to split the right-center field gap for a stand up double. His next at-bat was a mirrored swing in terms of mechanics, sending a hard ground ball through the 6-hole for a single, setting the tone for the rest of the weekend. 




Left-hander Greyson Bell (Douglasville, Pa.) is a younger-for-the-class 2028 and took the hill for SBA National in the 13u opener. A long and lean 6-foot-1, Bell continues to see his velocity climb as he opened up and sat in the 81-83 mph range with his heater out of an extended slot, creating some real angle while showing the ability to locate to either side of the plate. The ball hops out of his hand very cleanly, jumping on hitters from a stretch-only operation and just when hitters started to sit heater, Bell went to his low-70s breaker which he landed comfortably and played extremely well off of his fastball. 

Opposing Bell was fellow Festival alum Russell Nelson (Gilbert, Ariz.) who got the start for Elite RBI and went 3.1 innings, surrendering just one hit while punching out 3 without handing out any walks. Utilizing some drop and drive in his lower half, Nelson sat comfortably in the 82-84 mph range throughout, showing some real riding life up in the zone at a velocity that on its own can miss plenty of bats. Over the course of his outing the slider sharpened with each offering, showing tight spin from a similar release in the upper-70s which helped make the fastball all the more effective, maintaining his release and getting hitters to chase off the plate. 

It was an extremely quick look at Brody Costantine (Deltona, Fla.) on the mound as he worked just a lone inning, meaning we’ll likely get another look as the tournament continues to unfold, but he was still able to show a nice uptick from when we last saw him throw. A long and lean primary outfielder, Costantine ran the fastball up to 88 mph and lived very comfortably in the mid-80s out of a higher release point, powering the ball downhill when he was on time with his delivery. The arm speed stands out immediately and as he continues to incorporate additional lower half, that number will creep towards that 90 mph rather quickly. Despite a steady rain the young Floridian managed to rip a couple solid sliders as well, working upwards of 78 mph with some teeth through the zone. 

-Jheremy Brown

2028 RHP Nolan Slaymaker (Fort White, Fla.) was the first to get the ball here this weekend and worked 2+ solid innings of work while showing some easy stuff. It’s a mid-80s fastball with good extension out front, which allows him to create life in the bottom of the zone, and while the breaking ball is on the softer end right now, there’s good components that’ll allow it to mold into a solid offering. He has good size and overall, it’s a cleaner operation already.


2028 SS Bryan Mesa (Hialeah, Fla.) only had a single hit, but it was one of only a few to go for extra bases on the day given the quality of arms that rolled out to start the event. He’s a very well-known young prospect as a Top 10 player in the class, and he continues to show that there’s an enticing blend of now and ability and long-term upside. He’s consistent with the bat, showing excellent bat speed and impact already, while his prowess at shortstop already makes him one of the better pure defenders in this group; he’s very well-rounded.

2028 OF Chase Potter (Davie, Fla.) had a couple hits to get his weekend going, driving in 3 in total leading to an opening win. He’s one of the more physical hitters here, generating some serious bat speed which in turn creates some of the hardest hit balls of this age group. He gets separated/extended very well in his swing process, which allows him to both create leverage and use the whole field as he needs. It’s an intriguing power-bat profile to follow.


2028 OF/LHP Carter Shouse (Middletown, Ohio) got the ball for the late game and although he fell on the losing end, he still showed the kind of stuff that positions him up toward the top of the class. He’s an athletic two-way with a big arm, showing that from the outfield at times, while on the mound he’ll run it into the upper-80s with a bit of ease, creating angle and filling the zone with comfort. The secondaries are headlined by a very good changeup out of the same release, but he can spin it too. The bat is a good one with physicality that creates higher-end bat speed and good impact already, and overall, he does a lot of things well.

-Tyler Russo

Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
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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...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
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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 | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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...
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