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2,497 MLB PLAYERS | 15,833 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Tournaments  | Story | 12/30/2002

6. Florida Bombers Win the PG WWBA National

Atlanta, GA - The Florida Bombers proved to have one of the top summer teams in history. They won 50 games in a row, playing some of the best competition in the USA. The tournament with the most talent and quality teams was the PG WWBA Championship held in Marietta, GA. At the beautiful 9 million dollar East Cobb complex. The Bombers won 9 straight to take home the rings. Scouts were all over the place including many scouting directors and nearly every major college power in the country. San Antonio, TX., Jeff Manship playing for ?€?Ohio Thunder?€? may have put on the performance of the tournament on a 1-hitter with 17 strike outs in a 1-0 victory against the power house East Cobb Yankees.

Here is the story that appeared in Baseball America.

By Allan Simpson
July 15, 2002

MARIETTA, Ga.--The Florida Bombers proved their perfect record was no fluke.

Playing against their stiffest competition of the summer at the Perfect Game/Baseball America World Wood Bat Association championship, the Bombers extended their 2002 record to 43-0 by winning nine straight games at the 40-team, high school-age tournament. They hung on to beat the Ohio Warhawks 3-2 in Sunday's deciding game.

"This is the best club we've ever had," said Bombers coach Emilio Fernandez, whose four-year-old team won its fourth major tournament this summer. "This tournament was a great test for us. It was by far the strongest field we've seen."

The Bombers rolled through pool play with five straight wins, outscoring their opponents 42-7. With the field then whittled to 16, they entered bracket play as the No. 1 seed and were forced to win four games on the final day as rain Saturday pushed the first-round of back a day. The Bombers survived their biggest scare in the Round of 16 when they rallied from a late 3-1 deficit against the Fort Myers (Fla.) Eagles in the fifth inning on a two-run homer by outfielder Willy Hernandez, and won 4-3 in extra innings.

The Bombers then defeated the reigning Connie Mack World Series champion East Cobb (Ga.) Yankees 5-2 and the AAU 16-year-old defending champion East Cobb Astros 5-3 before meeting the unbeaten Warhawks, the reigning National Amateur Baseball Federation College World Series champions, in the final.

The Bombers scored three times in the first inning on consecutive doubles by shortstop Marcos Cabral, Hernandez, third baseman Gaby Sanchez and DH Camilo Vasquez, and made the lead stand up against the Warhawks.

Vasquez, Cincinnati's unsigned fourth-round draft pick from Florida 6-A champion Hialeah High, was named the tournament MVP. Though drafted by the Reds as a pitcher, Vasquez worked in only one game in the tournament, striking out eight in three innings in a pool-play game. He did most of his damage with the bat, hitting nearly .500 overall while driving in 12 runs.

The Bombers will now set their sights on the Connie Mack World Series, scheduled for Aug. 2-8 in Farmington, N.M. They fell one game short last year when they lost to eventual champion East Cobb Yankees in a regional final. The two teams are on a collision course again this year.

While the Bombers were composed of players entirely from Florida with all but three from Dade County high schools, the Warhawks (38-6) had players from nine different states. The Warhawks reached the final in exciting fashion when shortstop Herman Demmink, a Clemson recruit, rallied his team from a 5-0 deficit with a fifth-inning grand slam as the Warhawks defeated California's ABD Bulldogs 6-5.

Righthander Ross Lewis earned his sixth save of the tournament (and third of the day) in that game for the Warhawks. Lewis, a freshman at Central Florida Community College and one of the few non-high school players in the tournament, was named the tournament's outstanding pitcher. The 6-foot-8 righthander didn't allow an earned run in 16 innings.

The tournament was played at East Cobb Baseball's new $9.8 million complex, with teams from as far away as Puerto Rico and Canada. Players had to either be in high school last spring or not turn 19 before Aug. 1 to participate, and the draft classes of 2002 and 2003 were heavily represented.

Scouting Around

Upwards of 25 pitchers were clocked at 93 mph or better, led by East Cobb righthander Micah Owings, the unsigned second-round pick of the Rockies whose fastball registered a high of 97. Shortstop Tyler Greene, an unsigned second-round pick of the Braves, also played for the East Cobb Yankees, who went only 4-3 overall.

Righthander Zach Greinke, the sixth overall pick in this year's draft, played two games at shortstop for Team Florida before signing with the Royals for $2.475 million midway through the tournament.

Perfect Game Royal, an all-star team of prospective 2003 draftees, may have had the most talented team of all as it fielded as many as nine future first-round picks. Outfielder Lastings Milledge (St. Petersburg) and righthander Jeff Allison (Peabody, Mass.), the No. 1-ranked position player and pitcher in the '03 high school class, highlighted the team but it bowed out with a 3-3 record.

Tournaments | Story | 7/12/2026

14u BCS Scout Notes

Perfect Game Staff
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Austin Way (2030, Yulee, FL) was 2-3 in game four, driving in a run and scoring once himself. Picked it well defensively at shortstop but really showed out in the box today. Works the barrel path to the middle of the field and whips the barrel through the zone. The RHH creates lift in the turn, and the ball jumps off the bat hot.  Sutton Walling (2029, Ponte Vedra, FL) is an athletic 5’11/160lb infielder who gets it done on both sides of the ball. Dominated at the plate right behind his teammate Way in the batting order going 3-3 with two doubles. He does a really good job with the barrel accuracy and works through contact with heavy hands. Lots of project-ability in the profile and is having a sneaky great week at the plate. Banks Kennedy (2030, Arcadia, FL) received it well behind the dish and was the leading force in this one driving in three rbis. He ended up going 2-3...
Draft | Story | 7/12/2026

2026 MLB Draft: Best Available

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft: Best Available for Day Two  A total of 135 players heard their name called on Saturday. As always, signability, bonus pool strategy, and organizational preferences play a major role in how the board unfolds. With that being said, we saw a majority of the top half off the board get selected, but there are a number of players ranked inside our Top 150 that remain available. From high-upside prep talent to polished college performers, these are the top names still available according to our Final Top 500 Draft Board.  Top Prep Bats Available (with Top-500 Board Rankings) 38. Archer Horn, SS/RHP, St. Ignatius College Prep (CA) 58. Blake Bowen, OF, JSerra Catholic (CA) 64. James Tronstein, SS/OF, Harvard-Westlake (CA) 66. Noah Wilson, OF, McCallie School (TN) 71. Cole Koeninger, SS/RHP, Keller (TX) 77. Sean Dunlap, C, Crown Point (IN) 82. Alex Weingartner, OF//RHP,...
Tournaments | Story | 7/11/2026

17U National Elite Heads to Hoover

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...
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...
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...
Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

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...
College | Story | 7/10/2026

Cape Cod Notebook No. 1

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...
Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

16u WWBA Scout Notes: Day 4

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...
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...
Tournaments | Story | 7/10/2026

Windy City Invite & Open Scout Notes: Part 2

Perfect Game Staff
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Windy City Invite & Open Scout Notes: Part 1 Braedon Paczocha (2028, Palmyra, Wis.), a 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame catcher for GRB STiKS 16U Black, displayed a quick bat with the ability to do damage. Showed a good feel for the barrel throughout the weekend, hitting .538 (7-for-13) with 3 doubles, 8 RBI, 2 stolen bases, and a 1.376 OPS. Also received well behind the plate with quick, efficient transfers and displayed good instincts.    ’28 1B Brock Hamilton (IL) displays some present strength, driving this ball deep into the LCF gap to leg out a triple. Creates loud contact off the bat and does damage here. #WCInvite @WhitesoxAce pic.twitter.com/6EK81gG9Wi — Perfect Game Illinois (@PG_Illinois) July 5, 2026 Brock Hamilton (2028, Flossmoor, Ill.), one of the top first basemen in Illinois, brings a physical 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame with plenty of present strength...
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