THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,804 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 8/3/2012

Top guys grace Banditos' roster

Photo: Perfect Gam

MARIETTA, Ga. -- Houston Banditos Black 16u highly ranked prospects Stone Garrett and Justin Twine are already pretty well known to college recruiters and members of the professional scouting community.

The two Texas kids have risen to the upper echelon of the class of 2014 rankings by attending a combined 11 Perfect Game events over the past two summers, including this week's 16u Perfect Game World Series at the East Cobb Complex. They're just two more top-notch prospects Banditos founder and head coach Ray DeLeon is putting on display for the enjoyment of everyone.

"Justin Twine and Stone Garrett, they're our two top athletes right now that are getting a lot of exposure," DeLeon said Friday afternoon. "They're phenomenal athletes."

The Banditos Black fell to 4-2 in pool-play after an 8-3 loss to Team Citius (3-2-1) on Friday but were still very much in the hunt for one of the two playoff berths out of Pool F at the 16u PGWS. All 44 teams at the 16u, 15u and 14u Perfect Game World Series play their final pool-play games Saturday, with four teams from each tournament advancing to Sunday's playoffs.

"We've been doing this for four weeks (in a row) now and we're just trying to play the most competitive baseball that we can," DeLeon said. "There are just so many events for every age group, I call it the 'circus'. You just have to follow the circus."

For Twine and Garrett, the 16u PGWS provides another stage within that circus to showcase their talents.

Twine, a 5-foot-10, 195-pound 2014 shortstop/right-hander from Hemphill, Texas, has climbed to No. 19 in PG's national prospects rankings (No. 3 in Texas) and is enjoying his second trip to the East Cobb Complex this summer.

"This is great competition down here and I'm just trying to make myself better and get exposed (in front of the scouts)," the soft-spoken Twine said. "There are great competitors out here and it's wonderful; we're just trying to go out there and win a championship for the Banditos program."

Twine played in five of the Banditos' first six games here and was 5-for-15 (.333) with a double, triple, three RBI and four runs scored. He was much better at the PG WWBA 2014 Grads or 16u National Championship in July when he was 7-for-16 (.438) with a pair of triples, two RBI and three runs.

He also pitched five innings of two-hit, seven-strikeout, shut-out ball and was named to the event's All-Tournament Team.

"He is a freak. A flat-out freak," DeLeon said of Twine with nothing but admiration in his voice. "People who get to watch him play, he's just amazing. He's a 6.4 (seconds) runner (in the 60 yard dash) and he hits for tremendous power. He plays shortstop like nobody else out there and he's got a good mind for the game."

Twine identified his speed and his quick hands both at the plate and on the field as his most favorable attributes. DeLeon sees a complete player at a very young age.

"He plays the game hard," DeLeon said. "He's a very quiet kid -- he's probably said one word the entire week -- but he plays as good as anybody I've seen at the 17u level and he's probably the most talented kid I've ever had in the organization in 18 years."

That's high praise considering 2012 Perfect Game All-Americans Nicholas Banks, Kacy Clemens and Kohl Stewart all played on the Banditos Black 17u team this year and 2011 PG All-Americans Nick Williams, C.J. Hinojosa and Courtney Hawkins played with the Banditos last year.

"I know that's saying a lot but talent-wise, he does it all.  He can play anywhere on the field and be successful at it," DeLeon said.

"The Banditos have been great to me," Twine added. "Ray has done a good job with me getting my  name out there; I'm very blessed."

DeLeon is equally effusive in his praise for Garrett, a 6-2, 185-pound 2014 outfielder from Sugarland, Texas. Garrett is knocking on the door of the 2014 national prospect rankings' top-10, coming in at No. 11 (No. 2 in Texas) and a good showing at next week's Area Code Games in Long Beach, Calif., could put him over the top.

Garrett performed well in two 17u PG events before coming back down to compete with players in his own age group this week. He also attended the PG Junior National Showcase in Minneapolis in June

He hit .318 with a home run, six RBI and seven runs scored playing for the Houston Banditos Blacks' PG national championship team at the PG WWBA 2013 Grads or 17u National Championship here in July. He followed that up by hitting .308 (4-for-13) with a triple, home run and three RBI at last week's 17u  Perfect Game World Series in Peoria, Ariz. .

"This summer is my first summer playing up (an age group) and at the beginning you're seeing faster pitching but you get used to it," Garrett said Friday. "When the scouts see me I don't want them saying, 'Oh, it's OK, he's only 16', I want them saying 'Wow, he's 16 and he's 16 and he's competing with 17-year-olds.'"

It is Garrett's strength and physique that most impresses DeLeon.

"God came down and chiseled Stone with a chiseler," he said. "He's got muscles coming out of his neck, coming out of his forehead. This kid is just a 'beautiful body' kid with a prototypical big-league body. And it's more than being a great athlete -- he's one of the nicest kids I've ever met, as well,  a 'yes sir', 'no sir' kid who has a bright future."

Garrett left Atlanta at 5:30 p.m. Friday to return home for one night before leaving for the Area Code Games Saturday morning. He was confident the Banditos Black 16u would carry on in his absence.

"We knew very game was going to be like a championship (game) so you're just playing your best so that you can play in the championship game," Garrett said. "We're going to try to win it all but it's going to be hard."

DeLeon will continue to bring into the Banditos organization the top prospects from the state of Texas, which often translates to the top prospects in the nation. He'll have them through their formative years and then send them off to college or the MLB amateur draft.

"It's a cycle," DeLeon said. "Once the Courtney Hawkins of the world take off, the Stone Garretts come in. And when the Stone Garretts come in, the Justin Twines come in too. When the Twines leave, somebody else comes in. It's a revolving door and it all starts with the younger age groups. That's the key for me. ... You've just got to find a way to keep it all rolling."


Tournaments | Story | 1/27/2026

MLK East Scout Notes Recap

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
‘28 OF Jakob Groeschel (OH) continues to impress with the bat on the circuit, picked up 2 2Bs in the first game today. Really athletic, went 4.4 on turn; easy to dream on all the traits. #MLKEast @PG_OhioValley pic.twitter.com/wOIwnGKnkg — Perfect Game Florida (@Florida_PG) January 17, 2026 2028 OF Jakob Groeschel (Springfield, Ohio) broke out at this event last year hitting a casual .909, and although he didn’t turn in quite the same performance, he hit a strong .462 with 4 extra-base hits, 5 walks, 5 bags and only struck out once. He’s a pretty dynamic athlete who can do a lot of things well, but the bat is the calling card as he just lives on the barrel and has no problem handling all kinds of pitching. It’s a simple swing, but he’s got fast hands and he can really impact the ball without being overly physical yet.  2030 RHP Michael Vazquez...
Press Release | Press Release | 2/23/2026

PG Salutes Chet Brewer, a Youth Baseball Pillar

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PG Salutes Chet Brewer, a Youth Baseball Pillar A few weeks ago, Perfect Game and its Believe in Baseball foundation held a fundraising event in Los Angeles. The “In the Spirit of the Game” dinner and auction brought in thousands of dollars, all of which will go toward providing deserving youngsters an opportunity to play and grow in the game. Chet Brewer was not at the event – the former Negro Leagues star died at age 83 in 1990 – but his spirit was. Big time. “That night was all about Chet,” PG commissioner Dennis Gilbert said. “He was all about giving kids chances to play the game, especially kids from underprivileged backgrounds. “When you’re 15, 16, 17 years old – those years are the basis of your life. Chet helped put a lot of kids on the right path through the game of baseball.” Brewer’s impactful life has...
College | Rankings | 2/23/2026

College Top 25: February 23

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
College Player Report Database In Week 1, the Top 15 teams in the poll remained unchanged but the college baseball landscape had a different narrative in mind for Week 2. With plenty of upsets and teams at the top establishing their dominance, there was quite a bit of upheaval across the country. While there were some special performances on the mound, runs continue to be scored in bunches and high drama extra-inning games seem to be the norm. There is no time to relax or take the foot off the gas in the college game today; we are in for another wild season it appears. The LSU Tigers (8-0) made the trip across the panhandle to Jacksonville, FL, swept through the Live Like Lou Jax Classic by outscoring their opponents 33-11 and remain No. 1 this week. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (8-0) secure their spot at No. 2 and are off to a program record breaking run scoring spree, averaging...
General | Blog | 2/20/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 63

Ron Wolforth
Article Image
Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 62, Part 1 | Part 2 Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls - Part 3  We've made it to Part 3…the final installment of our series on baseball's most misunderstood and debated topics.   In Part 1, we tackled the curveball. The takeaway: the pitch itself isn't what’s dangerous. Decades of awful and ineffective coaching cues, ”snap your wrist," "turn the doorknob”…exacerbated and even in many causes caused some of the problems. Teach it correctly, when the athlete is ready, and it's no riskier than a fastball.  In Part 2, we examined pitch counts. The takeaway: they're a useful tool, but a limited one. Treating a single number as a universal measure of safety ignores everything...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/20/2026

18U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Dave Durbala
Article Image
SPRINGFIELD, IL - 2026 Perfect Game Softball Winter Elite Showcase, February 6 - 8, 2026.  Twenty teams rolled into Springfield to showcase their talents in this 18u, four-game guarantee, pool-into-bracket play,  at the newly opened 170,000-square-foot domed facility at Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe. In the Silver Bracket, it was the 09 Midwest Sluggers taking home the championship over the CR Blue Devils 18u National. In the Gold Bracket, a championship game that featured the tournament's top two pitchers, it was the Iowa Dynamite 18u with the win over GTS 15u Elite-Herrick, by a score of  2-1. The tournament, with a mix of committed players, and those young ladies striving for the next level,  was loaded with talent.  Below are some of the players that excelled on the field and made their way onto the tournament’s Top Performers list. Earning...
Softball | Softball Tournament | 2/19/2026

14U PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor

Erica Beach
Article Image
PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor 14U January 17-18, 2026 Springfield, IL   SPRINGFIELD, IL- It may be cold outside, but there was some hot competition going on at the PG Winter Elite Showcase Indoor tournament. Six team converged on the Scheels Sports Park at Legacy Pointe and the Texas Glory IL 29 walked away with the hardware after a close 7-6 ballgame. Below we highlight some of the impressive athletes who competed on the weekend.     Lila Rafferty (2029, Leroy, IL) of the Texas Glory IL 29 was an unstoppable force at the plate over the weekend. She showed great tenacity in the box, proving to be one of the most consistent hitters in the tournament. She finished her weekend batting an incredible .750, tallying nine hits and scoring five times. She flashed her speed on multiple occasions, stealing two bases and legging out two doubles and two triples. She came in clutch,...
High School | General | 2/19/2026

Pacific Northwest All Region & Top Tools

David Rawnsley
Article Image
NORTHWEST REGION (WA, OR, ID, WY, AK, MT, HI)    The biggest change in the Northwest Region for 2026 is the addition of Hawaii, which has always been overlooked due to being lumped with California in the former Pacific Region.  This also coincides with an increased Perfect Game presence in the islands in the form of additional events and scouting.  And Hawaii certainly contributed in it’s first year, placing four players on the All-Region team, including slugging 2026 outfielder Judah Ota. The powerhouse Puyallup HS team is the only Northwest Region team to be represented in the PG Pre-Season Top 50 National HS Rankings, beginning the year ranked 26th.  C – Teagan Scott (Sr., South Salem HS, Ore.) Scott has been on the prospect map since he played in the 2023 PG 14U Select Festival and is signed with Oregon State.  A right-handed hitter with lots...
Showcase | Story | 2/20/2026

PG ID Camps Help Build Baseball Resume

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PG ID Camps Help Youngsters Build a Baseball Resume There was still snow on the ground in a lot of places last weekend, but that didn’t stop more than 200 young players from going indoors to participate in the first round of Perfect Game Select Fest ID Camps for the 2026 season. John McAdams, PG’s national crosschecker and Northeast scouting director, ran the event in Farmingdale, New Jersey, and was impressed with his group’s energy and desire to improve at the game. “We’re giving young players the opportunity to build their baseball resumes and chart their growth and progress over a span of years,” he said. In addition to New Jersey, Select Fest ID Camps were held in Lake St. Louis, Missouri; Rossford, Ohio; Marietta, Georgia; and Kent, Washington. The ID camps debuted in 2025. Twenty-two of them were held around the country with nearly 700 young...
Draft | Story | 2/19/2026

Then vs. Now: '26 Class Look Back

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
One constant across our scouting staff is the volume of in-person looks we get at prospects during their high school years. With assignments at national tournaments and showcases throughout the calendar, we’ve built a deep library of reports and video on many of today’s top college prospects dating back to their prep days. This week, we took a step back to revisit what those players looked like as high school prospects. Which tools stood out? What was missing from the profile at the time? And what, if anything, did we overlook that ultimately helped shape the player they’ve become? Below, we break down 10 players in a “Then and Now” reflection. Justin Lebron (23 FL) finishes off the tournament getting in on the hit parade with a single to the pullside. #PGShowdown #Bama commit pic.twitter.com/C4Irym2ZTR — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) March 4, 2023...
High School | General | 2/18/2026

High School Notebook: Feb. 18

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
Grady Emerson (‘26 TX) laces this ball to right for a walk off single. Clean lefty stroke. Looks the part both sides of the ball. Checks all the boxes. Will be scouted heavily this Spring. #PGHS #HookEm commit. #PGDraft pic.twitter.com/wXvdHdgqME — Perfect Game Texas (@Texas_PG) February 6, 2026 Grady Emerson (2026, Argyle, Texas) had a strong showing throughout the opening week of high school baseball out here in Texas. Works good at-bats and is always a tough out in general. Makes all the plays at short and just has the look of a future big leaguer. He does all the little things right. Bat to ball will play at a high level and there is still a lot more power to project on here. There is a reason why Emerson is one of, if not the most highly coveted high school prospect in the 2026 class and it’s easy to see why. Currently committed to Texas, but has the potential to...
High School | Rankings | 2/18/2026

Midwest Region Top Teams

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Midwest All Region & Top Tools Rk Midwest 2025 Record 1 St. Thomas Aquinas (KS) 27-4 2 Edmond Memorial (OK) 30-8 3 Muskego (WI) 27-10 4 Lawrence Free State (KS) 28-2 5 Mill Valley (KS) 22-6 6 Valley View (AR) 29-5 7 Platte County (MO) 29-8 8 Liberty North (MO) 19-14 9 Millard North (NE) 23-13 10 St. John Vianney (MO) 38-2 11 Owasso (OK) 40-3 12 Olathe East (KS) 22-6 13 Staley (MO) 38-4 14 Shawnee Mission South (KS) 10-11-4 15 Blue Springs South (MO) 27-7 16 Blue Valley (KS) 21-10 17 Edmond Santa Fe (OK) 37-7 18 Skutt Catholic (NE) 24-7 19 Howell (MO) 35-4 20 Olathe West (KS) 25-3 21 Creighton Prep (NE) 16-15 22 Rogers (AR) 26-4 23 Fayetteville (AR) 26-7 24 Blue Valley West (KS) 17-10 25 Cretin Derham Hall (MN) 19-5-1
Loading more articles...