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Tournaments  | Story | 12/12/2024

Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

Tyler Russo
Finest in the Field: Class of 2025 | Class of 2026 | Class of 2027

We've been able to watch many of these players grow over the last handful of years and there's no stopping them now, so let's dive in on some of the standout defenders from across the country. 





P – Luke Esquivel, Grapevine High School (Grapevine, Texas)

Selecting this position is always an interesting task as you don’t typically think about defense when it comes to the pitching position, but Esquivel does a lot of things right, in addition to the fact that he could win the award at the first base position as well. He throws a ton of strikes, with some of the best pitchability in the class, and the game comes easy to him at times in term of how he handles himself on the diamond.

C – Julian Martinez, The Stony Brook (New York, N.Y.)

There were some solid defensive catchers in this age group this year, including his travel ball teammate Dariel Carrion (who is a 2027), but Julian’s combination of ability to block and receive at a high level paired with a rocket of an arm made him an easy choice here. He’s also athletic enough to play the infield some if needed, which he has done well in the past.

1B – Ethan Stewart, D H Conley High School (Winterville, N.C.)

Stewart is a primary outfielder now, but he also plays first base as a secondary position and has done so at a pretty high level this year. He’s athletic and plays the game loose, showing both an ability to move around the bag well and receive throws comfortably.

INF – Aiden Kearney, Hagerty High School (Winter Park, Fla.)

Kearney has transformed himself as a player over the last year, taking home Player of the Year honors at the 14U Select Festival, and his comfortability at the shortstop position has come with it. He moves well laterally and has good glove work, while the arm strength is a huge differentiator when it comes to his ability to make throws from all over the left side.

INF – Lio Garcia, Buford High School (Suwanee, Ga.)

We’ve seen Garcia as a slick defender for a couple of years now and he continues to handle himself well when it comes to playing up the middle. He’s really athletic giving him standout range and the hands are some of the best in the country, while the arm strength is coming along nicely and should be the final aspect to round out projecting him to play shortstop at the next level.

INF – Bryan Mesa, Doral Academy (Hialeah, Fla.)

Mesa is another that has been viewed as a standout defender on the dirt for a couple years and his projection to play the left side makes him a great choice for a spot here. He’s 6’3 but moves around the diamond with fluidity, shows good hands and has easy arm strength.

OF – Dexter McCleon Jr, Buford High School (Suwanee, Ga.)

Dex is the top-ranked player in this class due in part to his impressive tools at a young age, but he’s done a really good job at cleaning up elements of his game over the last year. He’s a high-level runner which gives him ability to patrol the gaps in the outfield, while his arm strength up to 94 also gives him one of the strongest outfield arms in the country, a definite plus.

OF – Carter Shouse, Bishop Fenwick High School (Middletown, Oh.)

Shouse sits right behind Dex at the #2 spot in this class, and similarly plays the game at a high level. He’s an easy mover at the outfield position with good timing and routes to the ball, while the arm strength is truly a weapon for him as well as he can cut down runners consistently.

OF – Dru Wilson, Notre Dame High School (Porter Ranch, Calif.)

Dru is an explosive athlete who can create a lot of force, both in his first step quickness and arm strength. That combination is something that comfortably projects him to playing the outfield at a high level long-term, while he’s already making impactful plays out there now.

UT – Aaron Garcia, St. John Bosco High School (Pico Rivera, Calif.)

Garcia is as versatile as it gets and has taken home defensive player of the year in back-to-back years as a result. He’s a high-level catcher with great management of the game, blocking, receiving and excellent catch-and-throw skills, but he’s an equally talented defender on the dirt up the middle where his glove work and just overall instincts stand out.
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Tournaments | Story | 7/12/2026

14u BCS Scout Notes
Perfect Game Staff
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Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

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Tyler Henninger
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Kinley Kitchens
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Another week, another big tournament makes its way to Hoover.  This week, 104 of the nation’s top 17U teams will make their way to Hoover for the 2026 Perfect Game 17U National Elite Championship.  Featuring nationally ranked teams, Division I commits, and many of the country’s top 2027 players, the tournament promises another week of elite competition as teams battle for one of the biggest championships of the summer.  With many players already committed to some of the nation’s top college programs, every game in Hoover this week offers a glimpse into the future of college baseball.  Now entering its eighth year, the National Elite Championship continues to bring in the nation’s best. Past champions include Team Elite Scout Team, Canes National, USA Prime National, Scorpions/Giants Scout Team, 5 Star Performance National, Knights Knation Scout...
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Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

2026 MLB Draft: Day One Recap

Tyler Henninger
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Storylines Heavy College Run Early We came into the day knowing that there were a lot of talented college players at the top of the board, more specifically college bats. That came to light very early in the day, as we saw just two prep players selected within the first ten picks. The college preference lasted throughout most of the entire first round. Nearly 75% of the first 40 selections were college players. It is clear teams want players at the top of the draft that can quickly get through the system and help the big league club as soon as possible. Underslot Strategy Throughout this cycle, we knew that once you get past the first handful of picks the difference in value you were getting for let say pick ten was not that difference compared to pick 30. Because there was a large collection of players that are relatively close in value, teams were looking to get creative. We saw this...
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Draft | Mock Draft | 7/11/2026

Final 2026 MLB Mock Draft

Vincent Cervino
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It's draft day and that means it's time for our final Mock Draft with the 2026 group. 1. Chicago White Sox | Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA It’s between Roch and Grady Emerson at this pick, though there have been heavy rumors of a very late deal potentially with another top 5 pick. This boils down to negotiations and we think that they will get there.  2. Tampa Bay Rays | Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian (Tex.) If Grady isn’t the first pick then he is almost certain to be the second pick. The Rays like to get creative but Emerson is a well worth prospect in his own right.  3.  Minnesota Twins | Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech This is likely the floor for Roch Cholowsky, though the Twins might prefer Lackey to Roch outright. They are thought to be in on the top college players with Emerson a distant third.  4. San Francisco Giants | Jackson Flora, RHP, UC...
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Ohio Valley Regional Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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‘28 INF Christian Ramirez (OH) WALKS IT OFF for @CincyDBulls2028 to win the chip! Has shown impressive tools throughout the weekend and in this AB showed the ability to adjust to the offspeed and win the game. #OVElite pic.twitter.com/J3MXJXFnbM — Perfect Game Ohio Valley (@PG_OhioValley) July 5, 2026 Christian Ramirez (2028, Mason, Ohio) helped his team win the championship batting out of the two-hole. Though he didn’t win tournament MVP, Ramirez was my favorite player to watch take a plate appearance. He has an advanced feel for the zone and sees the ball out of the pitcher’s hand quicker than most. Ramirez led the tournament with eight walks, batting .375 with a .583 on-base percentage. Much more than just the approach, the swing is efficient with little wasted movement, creates quality separation, and puts him in an excellent position at contact. With such an...
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College | Story | 7/10/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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Cape Cod League Scouting Notebook  Maverick Rizy | Ole Miss | RHP | Brewster Whitecaps  The towering 6-foot-9, 250-pound right-hander continues to stand out with one of the more unique looks on the Cape, pairing a massive frame with a low three-quarter slot that creates difficult angles for hitters. While his fastball velocity was down from its typical mid-90s range during this look, working mostly 90-92 mph, it still generated plenty of swing-and-miss. He paired the heater with an 81-83 mph gyro slider featuring tight bullet-spin action and mixed in an 85-mph changeup with quality separation. Rizy battled his command early in the outing I saw, before settling in to strike out five over three innings, showing the ability to adjust as the game progressed. Through 12.2 Cape League innings, he has recorded 18 strikeouts, and his combination of size, deception, and projectability...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

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Perfect Game Staff
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16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 ‘28 C Nico Ayars (FL) coming off a monster game yesterday & comes up with the biggest swing of this one. A triple right down the LF line to drive in two. Came into today hitting .833 this week. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @Florida_PG pic.twitter.com/Hvb7UvtkNi — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 8, 2026 Nico Ayars (2028, Fort Myers, Fla.) has just been on the barrel throughout the week so far, collecting six hits across the first four games of the tournament. That didn’t slow down on day three at Mt. Zion High School as he came up with the biggest swing of the day, hitting a triple down the left field line to drive in a pair. It’s been a standout week so far for Ayars and he’ll be a driving force behind the run through the tourney for CBU 2028 Scout Team Lawson. Rylan Jenkins (2028, Tennille, Ga.) put...
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Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

14u & 17u West Scout Notes: Days 1-2

Perfect Game Staff
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Tre Hallberg (‘27, AZ) hammers this out to deep LCF for a 2-run 💣. Continues to stand out at the plate. Power will only continue to develop #WWBAWest @PG_Uncommitted https://t.co/NlWlDygpwg pic.twitter.com/RHrgYXLmwm — Perfect Game Four Corners (@PG_FourCorners) July 10, 2026 Tre Hallberg (2027, Mesa, Ariz.) was nearly impossible to get out over the first two days of action, going 7-for-9 with a triple and a home run. A balanced right-handed swing stays compact to contact. There is quick hand speed through the zone with feel for the barrel. Hallberg has a strong feel to hit to go with power that continues to develop. The upside is apparent.  William Garcia Falmer (2027, El Dorado Hills, Calif.) collected a pair of mulit-hit games over the course of day one and two, going 5-for-7 with two doubles, a homer, and seven runs driven in. Garcia Falmer features a physical build...
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Perfect Game Staff
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