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College  | Story | 5/14/2026

Coppy's Corner: May 14 POY Deep Dive

John Coppolella
Each week I huddle with Vinnie Cervino and Craig Cozart  to discuss Top-25 rankings and Players of the Week. In Coppy’s Corner, I dive deeper into these Players of the Week, providing analysis from 20+ years working in baseball front offices at the highest level.  

Player of the Week: Drew Burress – Georgia Tech 

I love everything that Craig Cozart writes, and his piece on Burress is as good as it gets (link). Craig does a masterful job of showing us how Burress has (not arguably) the best career college performance of any current player. The body of work is consistent and impressive, and Burress has one of the highest floors in the 2026 MLB Draft with above average or better tools across the board. 



I’m not going to do a deep dive on Burress’ numbers because there is no point: they are really good, everywhere. I would rather talk about smaller players with big tools. Oh, did I forget to mention that Burress is listed at 5’9 and probably closer to 5’8 and maybe even closer to 5’7. And that means … absolutely nothing!! Dustin Pedroia was listed at 5’9, too, and was likely shorter, too, and in the 2004 MLB Draft he lasted all the way to Pick #65 – trust me, I know, because I was working for the New York Yankees, and we took three players ahead of Pedroia (smh). 5’6 Jose Altuve had to talk his way into a tryout in Venezuela and signed for only $15,000. Players who are smaller like Burress, Pedroia, and Altuve may be a market inefficiency.  

Burress should be able to stay in CF and reminds me a lot of Kirby Puckett, who was listed at 5’8, and was also a pretty damn good MLB player. In the latest PG Mock Draft (link), we project Burress going #10 to the Colorado Rockies – who else but Paul DePodesta to recognize a market inefficiency? – and it’s scary to think about the offensive havoc he could wreak in that ballpark. I’d take him even earlier.  

Carry Tool: Hit. All. Burress. Does. Is. Hit. The most consistent college performer in the Draft, he’s having arguably his worst year and is hitting .375 AVG / 1.162 OPS with more walks than strikeouts. Think about that: arguably his worst year is .375 AVG / 1.162 OPS with 38 BB vs. 34 SO. He hits good velocity (.375 AVG vs. pitches 95+ miles per hour) and hits breaking balls (.377 AVG). He hits everybody and everything everywhere. I think he could hit on Mars. I love this player. 

Co-Pitcher of the Week: Cykler Tengler – Arkansas State University  

This is my favorite story in a long time. Cykler Tenger, who also has the coolest name in college baseball, had thrown only 4.2 IP all season heading into last week, spread out among 1 start and three relief appearances. Of course, in his second start, he went CG SHO No-No with 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 SO, 1 HBP. Tengler also accomplished this feat against the University of Arkansas – Little Rock (UALR), the program with which he originally signed out of high school. Tengler never pitched for UALR in 2023, transferred to D2 Arkansas State University – Mountain Home (ASUMH) in 2024 and 2025, and is now at Arkansas State in 2026. Welcome to NIL! 

All kidding aside, there’s something about Cykler. Standing 6’5 / 205 with a good downhill plane and projection remaining, Tengler has shown a knack for missing bats with 116 SO in 76.2 IP for ASUMH last season. I know, it’s D2, right? Well, it was also D2 for Ryan Helsley (Northeastern State), Brandon Pfaadt (Bellarmine University), Alex Vesia (Cal State East Bay), Tim Mayza (Millersville University), and dozens of other pitchers who have had success at the MLB level. Tengler has the weapons with a two-seam FB 89-92, wipeout CH (see below), and improving SL. Tengler opened some eyes and hopefully made himself some money last week. And, while I am not expecting back-to-back no-hitters, I can’t wait to see what he does in his next start and the rest of the season. 

Carry Tool: Changeup. Look, all these numbers have to be taken with a few grains of salt because we are talking about 13.1 IP and 173 total pitches on the season. That being said, 74 / 178 (42.8%) of those pitchers were Changeups – and they generated 84% Strike %, 62% Swing %, and 44% Chase %. When you look at his splits against LH hitters, he’s allowed a .133 AVG and .325 OPS with 6 SO in 15 AB. Those are gaudy numbers and, combined with the leverage and sink he creates on his sinker from his 6’5 / 205 frame, it starts to get interesting. Why not take a chance on a pitcher like this and see what MLB pitching labs can do with these raw tools?

Co-Pitcher of the Week: Karsten Sweum – Gonzaga University  

In the 2013 MLB Draft, with the #19 overall pick, the St. Louis Cardinals selected left-handed pitcher Marco Gonzales. Standing 6’1 / 205, Gonzales was a pitchability lefty who worked with a FB 88-91, a killer CH, and otherwise solid off-speed stuff. In his draft year, he was 7-3, 2.80 ERA with 106.0 IP, 102 Hits, 25 BB, 96 SO. Gonzalez pitched 10 MLB seasons with a career 66-50, 4.16 ERA over 926.2 IP. 

Sweum is also a left-handed pitcher from Gonzaga. At 6’3 / 225, Sweum is two inches taller and 20 pounds stronger than Gonzales. Featuring a plus FB 92-96, he also throws 4-5 mph harder. Sweum’s current season totals of 7-1, 4.42 ERA with 71.1 IP, 60 Hits, 33 BB, 99 SO tell a story with much higher upside, albeit also opportunities to improve control. And, while he may not have Gonzales’ CH, he has good off-speed weapons with his SL (49% Miss %, 35% Chase %), CUT (46% Miss %, 39% Chase %), and CH (54% Miss %, 37% Chase %). Aside: he should throw the CH more; he only throws it 6% of the time and it’s been quite effective vs. RH hitters. There’s a lot to like with Sweum: I like the size, I like the stuff numbers, I like that he’s left-handed and I don’t really care about the ERA (shhhhhh). If his development continues, you are going to hear a lot about Sweum in the 2027 MLB Draft. 

Carry Tool: Fastball. Sweum has a good one and throws it 55% of the time. It plays against both right-handed and left-handed hitters, and Sweum has better numbers against right-handed hitters even though he rarely uses his CH – which speaks to the quality of his FB. It’s also important to note the progress that Sweum has made year-over-year, showing marked improvement in BB/9 IP (8.20 in 2025 vs 4.16 in 2026) and ERA (6.27 in 2025 vs 4.42 in 2026). And, lastly, 6’3 / 225 left-handed starting pitchers who can sit 92-96 aren’t falling out of trees. This is one to watch.  

Freshman of the Week: John Paone – University of Virginia 

I usually try to work in a reference to 80’s or 90’s pop culture in these articles, but I am struggling this week. I thought about some kind of John Paone – Ione Skye linkage, but it was a reach. If I am going to present random stuff tied to Paone, it’s probably better to focus on his background as a prep student at the prestigious Lawrence Academy in Groton, Massachusetts – founded in 1793! Not to be confused with Groton, Connecticut, which produced a pretty good prep RHP that went to a pretty good college and MLB career: Matt Harvey. The Lawrence Academy has many prestigious alumni, but all I really care about is baseball (hello, former #14 overall pick Tyler Beede) and music (hello, Phish keyboardist Page McConnell).  

Unless Paone plays the keyboards, Beede is probably the better comparison as a strong built (6’2 / 215) prep arm with good stuff. At 6’3 / 210 with a plus FB he can maintain late into games, Paone reminds me a lot of Beede. It’s power stuff and good stuff numbers, his 4.91 ERA belying 59 SO vs. 20 BB in 51.1 IP. It’s even more impressive that, as a freshman, he is getting this opportunity and producing this type of performance. It’s not hard to envision a big jump forward heading into next season, when Paone will be a draft-eligible sophomore in the 2027 MLB Draft. It will be Phun to watch his continued development.  

Carry Tool: Slider. Beede’s bread-and-butter was his Changeup, but Paone has had a lot of success with this Slider. It’s got over 10 mph separation from his FB and has produced good results this year with 35% Chase %, 35 % Miss %, and 47% Swing %. Although he has no clear lefty/righty splits in AVG and OPS, he has struck out a significantly higher % of right-handed hitters (38/120 = 31.7%) than left-handed hitters (21/90 = 23.3%). Scouts like Paone’s CH, too, so there is further potential with continued development. The stuff, build, and, performance, especially lately, are impressive – even if my puns and references are not. 

National Nuggets:

It’s been a tough year for LSU and it was another lost weekend (0-3) against Georgia in Athens, but none of it is or was Derek Curiel’s fault – aggressive side eye toward the pitching staff that allowed 36 runs – as he went 5/10 on the weekend with 3 BB vs. 3 SO … this snapshot is a microcosm of the season for both LSU and Curiel, who continues to hit and get on base, even he isn’t posting Landon Hairson-esque numbers (who is? I mean, besides Landon Hairston) … Curiel hit .345 AVG / .470 OBP / .519 SLG / .990 OPS as a freshman last season and has produced similar numbers as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2026 with .341 AVG / .420 OBP / .512 SLG / .932 OPS … however, a deeper dive inside the numbers reveals real progress for Curiel and points toward more upside in this bat … specifically, Curiel has made big progress against LHP (.237 AVG / .800 OPS in 2025 vs .339 AVG / .943 OPS in 2026), hitting on the Road (.253 AVG / .757 OPS in 2025 vs .403 AVG / 1.063 OPS in 2026), and performance on Friday nights (.297 AVG / .813 OPS in 2025 vs .346 AVG / .914 OPS in 2026) … why does this stuff matter? … Curiel is a 6’2 / 185 LHH outfielder so to see him improve vs LH pitching is a good sign he’s more than a platoon player … “The Box” at LSU is a hitter’s park with its humid, sea-level atmosphere, so to see Curiel have so much success on the road is also encouraging … and Friday nights, as most of you know, is when the best pitchers are on the mound, so seeing increased performance is another positive sign because those are the types of pitchers at the next level … and Curiel has always been able to crush the FB, with strong performances both years against 95+ mph velocity (.423 AVG / 1.038 OPS in 2025 vs .419 AVG / .952 OPS) … Curiel can just flat hit and has shown the ability to play CF this season … he reminds me of Rusty Greer, Mark Kotsay, and Christian Yelich, all LH bats who could flat hit – and made multiple All-Star teams. 
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College | Story | 11/6/2026

College Fall Notebook: November 6
Craig Cozart
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Virginia Cavaliers  2026 In Review:  Under the leadership of first year Head Coach Chris Pollard, the Cavaliers won 37 games which was the second most victories by a first-year coach in program history.  Virginia went (37-23) finishing tied for 8th in the ACC and earned an at-large bid to the Hattiesburg Regional.  They fielded a talented offense that averaged over 8-runs per game, highlighted by AJ Gracia and Eric Becker who were both selected on Day 1 of the 2026 MLB Draft.  While the defensive squad wasn’t quite as elite as usual, they were ultra-competitive on the mound with a strong rotation and lock down bullpen.  With plenty of talent returning for Pollard and his staff in ’27, they should be a force on a national level once again.  Impact Returners:    Senior Antonio Perrotta (.266/.459/.431, 5 HR, 6 2B, 24 RBI) experienced...
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Tournaments | Story | 11/8/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
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2031 C/OF Jace Winston (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) had a really nice day at the dish as he picked up a couple hits in his first game, both well-struck, and then launched a bomb in game 2. He’s one of the more physical players here who can really impact the baseball already, and the consistency in which he’s hitting this fall is a great sign going into 2027. 2031 SS/RHP Weston Stalls (Blackstock, S.C.) came in for a couple innings of relief on the day and showed off the arm talent running the fastball up to 87. It’s a fast arm and he generates real life to the fastball, while the breaking ball is a good pitch as well.   ‘31 SS Parker Smith (NC) went 3-for-3 to open the weekend, this a line drive single the other way. 6’2/140 & can accelerate the barrel already, intriguing projection. #NatAllState @PG_Coastal https://t.co/Z7C5kDGdIM — Perfect Game...
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General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

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Tournaments | Story | 11/6/2026

National All State Preview: Week 1

Hannah Jo Groves
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This weekend, teams from all around the country in the 10U, 12U and 14U divisions will converge on the Houston area for the 2026 PG National All-State Select Championships. The 10U division will have 22 teams, 12U will have 23 and 14U will have 22. All ages have many different states represented - from Hawaii, to the Pacific Northwest, to Arizona, to New England, to Carolina to Florida and many more. “National All-State brings together the best players in the country across Houston,” national crosschecker and northeast scouting director, John McAdams, said. “It’s a fun atmosphere for ultimate bragging rights amongst all the regions the PG platform reaches domestically while serving as a good litmus test for myself, Jheremy Brown and Tyler Russo to see the players. We get another glimpse at the end of the year as we start to formulate our initial thoughts on the...
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Draft | Rankings | 11/6/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board Update: Top 200

Tyler Henninger
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PG Draft Content Hub With the fall season winding down and the winter months approaching, it is time for another draft board update.  After getting more live looks and gathering information from the fall action across the country, we have expanded the board to a Top-200. The class continues to feature an intriguing mix of arms from both the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool.  There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established prospects to continue to improve their draft stock, but here is where things stand as we head into the winter.  * denotes draft eligible sophomore Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State Commitment 1 Dylan Seward H SS S-R Norco Eastvale CA Tennessee 2 Brendan Lawson C SS L-R Florida Toronto ON 3 Dax Whitney C RHP R-R Oregon State Blackfoot ID 4 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State...
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General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 70

Ron Wolforth
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That Off-Season Program Wasn't Built for Your Son. It Was Built for Nobody. The Harsh Reality of Skill Development · Part 2 of 5 Somewhere right now, a pitcher is starting a twelve-week off-season program. It came from his travel team. Or a trainer. Or a big leaguer's Instagram. It has phases and a logo, and every kid in the building got the same one. Here is the harsh reality. That program was written before anybody looked at your son. It doesn't know he exists. It was built for the average pitcher... and the average pitcher does not exist. A Template Fixes Somebody's Problem. Maybe Not His. Every pitcher who is stuck is stuck for a reason. We call that reason his constraint... the thing that is actually limiting him right now. For one kid it is strength. For the next it is mobility. For the next it is a mechanical inefficiency, or an arm that isn't recovering, or a body that...
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General | General | 11/5/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 69

Ron Wolforth
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Your Son's April Arm Injury is Being Scheduled Right Now   The Harsh Reality of Skill Development - Part 1 of 5 Let me start this series with something most people in baseball won't say out loud. In my experience, a great many of the arm problems we will see next April are being set up right now... in October, November and December. Not necessarily because a young pitcher is throwing too much. Often it's because of what happens when he stops. Here is the pattern. I have watched it for more than thirty years. The fall season ends. The arm is tired, so the family does what seems like the responsible thing.  They shut it down. No throwing. For a lot of kids, no anything. Weeks go by. The holidays come and go. Then somebody looks at a calendar in January and realizes tryouts are three weeks away. Suddenly, an arm that has done nothing since October is asked to go from zero to game...
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High School | Rankings | 11/4/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Risers

Kyler Peterson
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Complete Class of 2027 Rankings With the end of the summer and fall seasons behind us, it was time for a quick refresh of the 2027 class rankings. Below you'll be able to read about some of the biggest risers up the board, led by North Carolina outfielder John Hucko who jumped more than 110 spots to now sit at No. 20 overall.  John Hucko, OF, Charlotte, N.C. Previous Rank: 132 | Current Rank: 20 Hucko makes a huge leap into the top-20 players in the class after a dominating showing in Jupiter. It’s as good of a left-handed swing as you’ll come across with pretty easy impact to all parts. He’s a supreme athlete with all the tools to play center long term and is a present plus runner. Hucko is a name that cemented his prospect status in Jupiter and will be a name to follow for next year’s MLB Draft. Elyjah Mason, SS, Lake Forest, Calif. Previous Rank: 71 |...
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General | General | 11/3/2026

Class of 2027 Rankings Update

Perfect Game Staff
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Press Release | Press Release | 11/2/2026

PG Partners Up with Minority Prospects

Perfect Game Staff
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  667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923 www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA     FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   PERFECT GAME ANNOUNCES MEDIA RIGHTS PARTNERSHIP WITH MINORITY PROSPECTS   Sanford, Florida (Monday, November 2, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a media rights partnership with Minority Prospects, the Atlanta-based organization that has become the largest platform in the world for minority baseball and softball prospects. The partnership kicked off last month at the WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., Perfect Game's premier fall event, where Minority Prospects produced content featuring some of the nation's top amateur players in front of college coaches, professional scouts and MLB legends. Under the agreement, Minority...
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