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All American Game  | Story  | 8/12/2019

2019 PG All-American Classic Blog

Patrick Ebert      Jeff Dahn      Jered Goodwin     
Photo: Jared Kelley (Perfect Game)

Be sure to check back early and often over the next several days, as this page will provide a running blog of notes, features and highlights from all of the events that are part of the Perfect Game All-American Classic. You can also follow updates via Twitter and Facebook and view photos of the event on Flickr.


Jered Goodwin – Tuesday, August 13, 2019 – 7:43 AM PDT

Pitchers Shine in Classic

 Trading zeros in the first inning were Mick Abel and Nate Savino. Both use a low three-quarters slot and mixed a mid-90s fastball and power sliders. Abel touched 97 on his first pitch and did not slow down, sitting comfortably in the 94-95 range. He got a swing-and-miss on an 84 mph slider to end the frame. Savino sat 94 and touched 95 with arm-side run that is tough to square. His slider had sweeping action in the upper-70s and got swing-and-miss.

Jared Kelley was as advertised, sitting in the upper-90s and peaked at 99. He uses a power slider that is easily a future plus offering. Alex Santos took the mound in the bottom of the second and had a very easy 1-2-3 inning, sitting 93-95 while throwing a downer breaking ball in the low-80s that got a bad swing-and-miss. These two righthanded pitchers made it look easy and pitch with extreme high confidence.

Striking out the side in the top of the third inning was the West’s first southpaw, Daxton Fulton. He sat 92-94 and tunneled a slider up to 80 and a changeup in the mid-80s. Looking natural on the mound he used both sides of the plate was fearless mixing his arsenal. Fellow lefthander Ryan Bruno came in during the bottom of the inning and matched a 1-2-3 inning touching 96 and sitting 93-94. He used mostly fastballs but flashed a solid 76 mph curveball he landed for a strike.

An extremely projectable lefthanded pitcher, Kyle Harrison, threw a scoreless inning. A tough, low three-quarters slot helps the deception of his low-90s fastball that peaked at 93. He threw a 79 mph slider to strike out the last batter of the inning that got a great reception from the scouts sitting behind home plate. With one of the fastest arms in the class, Carson Montgomery took the bump and fired multiple 96 mph fastballs. He looked great mixing a low-80s slider and a sinking changeup at 89.

Uber athletic Jared Jones took the mound in the top of the fifth and showed his usual power stuff peaking at 95 with his fastball. The twitchy righthanded pitcher steadily mixed a slider that showed depth and was up to 81. Strongly built Victor Mederos pitched the bottom of the fifth inning sitting 91-94 with a methodical process. He showed a changeup in the mid-80s and showed very good feel for an upper-70s breaking ball. He used a true three-pitch mix and showed some ability to pitch backwards.

Ultra-projectable and young for the class, Ronan Kopp oozes upside. His limbs create good extension and downward plane on his fastball that touched 91. He kept his release point on a mid-70s breaker and flashed a developing changeup at 81 in a scoreless inning. Smooth righthanded pitcher Ben Hernandez took the mound in the bottom of the sixth for the East having a casual 13-pitch scoreless frame. He bumped a 94 and showed confidence in a low-80s changeup, with fade, that he threw regularly.

Carter Baumler pitched the top of the seventh for the West and used a simple and athletic delivery to produce low-90s velocity, touching 94. He shows genuine ability to spin the baseball exhibiting late break on a 79-80 mph slider. Newly reclassified righthanded pitcher Alejandro Rosario took the hill in the bottom of the seventh showing elite stuff with a fastball that lived in the 94-97 range with late life. He mixed a splitfinger in the low-80s with tumble when extended and a cutter that reached 87.

Twitchy righty George Klassen pithed the top of the eighth and worked his fastball between 90-93 with sinking life. His curveball has good shape, with hard downer life, at 79-80 mph. He even flashed a low-80s changeup to show his full repertoire and consistently working some of easiest outings all summer. Will Sanders exhibits plane on his fastball that is tough to match. Needing just eight pitches during his perfect frame, he topped at 90 with sink and tunneled an upper-70s slider and fading changeup at 80.

Maxwell Carlson came in to close the PGAAC out for the West. His 92 mph fastball has riding life down in the zone and keeps his hand speed and release point on a solid changeup at 78. He doesn’t throw anything straight and flashed a sharp slider at 79 for good measure. He showed the ability to force soft groundball contact regularly and ended the game with a strikeout.


Patrick Ebert – Monday, August 12, 2019 – 3:51 PM PDT

Box Score

The box score from the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic is now available:

2019 Box Score


Patrick Ebert – Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 10:46 PM PDT

Game Recap

Read the game recap from the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic as the West defeated the East for the fourth year in a row with a 4-2 victory. Special congratulations to Drew Bowser on being named the game MVP after a truly remarkable weekend.

West Wins PGAAC Again, 4-2


Patrick Ebert – Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 9:45 PM PDT

Peak Fastball Velos

 Each of the 17 pitchers that took the mound during the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic peaked at 90 mph or better during their one-inning stints. Jared Kelley threw the hardest, reaching 99 mph and tying an event record with Tyler Kolek and Daniel Espino. Here are all of the peak fastball velocities:

99 – Jared Kelley
97 – Mick Abel, Alejandro Rosario
96 – Ryan Bruno, Carson Montgomery
95 – Jared Jones, Alex Santos, Nate Savino
94 – Carter Baumler, Daxton Fulton, Ben Hernandez, Victor Mederos
93 – Kyle Harrison, George Klassen
92 – Maxwell Carlson
91 – Ronan Kopp
90 – Will Sanders


Patrick Ebert – Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 3:32 PM PDT



Starting Lineups

East

1. Ed Howard IV, SS
2. Dylan Crews, CF
3. Austin Hendrick, RF
4. Blaze Jordan, 1B
5. Jordan Walker, 3B
6. Coby Mayo, DH
7. Mario Zabala, LF
8. Jack Bulger, C
9. Zac Veen, XH
10. Yohandy Morales, 2B
11. Jake Deleo, EH

Bench:

Calvin Harris (L)
Jack O'Dowd (L)
Alex Freeland (S)
Michael Brooks (R)
Brandon Fields (R)
Mac Guscette (R)

Pitchers (in order of projected appearance):

Nate Savino, LHP
Alex Santos, RHP
Ryan Bruno, LHP
Carson Montgomery, RHP
Victor Mederos, RHP
Ben Hernandez, RHP
Alejandro Rosario, RHP
Will Sanders, RHP

West

1. Pete Crow-Armstrong, CF
2. Drew Romo, C
3. Cayden Wallace, 3B
4. Slade Wilks, LF
5. AJ Vukovich, EH
6. Kevin Parada, DH
7. Robert Moore, SS
8. Michael Brown, 1B
9. Milan Tolentino, 2B
10. Chase Davis, RF
11. Tyler Soderstrom, XH

Bench:

Jace Bohrofen (L)
Jordan Thompson (R)
Kevin Sim (R)
Drew Bowser (R)
Cade Horton (R)
Daniel Susac (R)

Pitchers (in order of projected appearance):

Mick Abel, RHP
Jared Kelley, RHP
Daxton Fulton, LHP
Kyle Harrison, LHP
Jared Jones, RHP
Ronan Kopp, LHP
Carter Baumler, RHP
George Klassen, RHP
Maxwell Carlson, RHP


Jeff Dahn – Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 3:18 PM PDT


Drew Bowser

 West’s Drew Bowser wins HR Challenge

The finals of the PGAAC Home Run Challenge were staged at Petco Park Sunday morning, just a couple of hours before the first-pitch in the NL West showdown between the Rockies and the Padres and about six hours before the first-pitch at the Classic.

Swinging with both wood bats and the Rawlings Velo metal bat, the West’s Drew Bowser out of Los Angeles  dropped seven bombs in the allotted time in the finals to win the Challenge over the West’s Cayden Wallace out of Greenbrier, Ark., who slugged three.

“That was super fun, just a lot fun,” Bowser said. “I had a lot of adrenaline flowing, especially when I’m swinging that hard. … That was a good way to start the morning; I’m just glad I won.”

The East Team’s Dylan Crews and Jordan Walker, and the West’s Bowser and Wallace were the four finalists. Bowser and Wallace hinted at a possible finals matchup when they each homered five times during Saturday’s first round at Petco; Crews and Walker both knocked four out of the park in the prelims.

The semifinals pitted Walker against Wallace and Bowser against Crews. Wallace won his semi by a 5-3 count over Walker while Bowser prevailed 2-1 over Crews.


Jeff Dahn – Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 3:10 PM PDT


Steve Fish (left) and Adam Moseley are serving as the head coaches for the 2019 Classic

PGAAC coaches Moseley, Fish welcomed at ‘first-class’ event

Hoover (Ala.) High School head coach Adam Moseley and Marion (Iowa) High School head coach Steve Fish are in charge of programs located in distinctly different parts of the country, but the way they go about their business on the baseball field couldn’t be any more similar.

They coach teams that annually contend for championships in their home states. They produce high-end ballplayers that often move on to play after high school and become outstanding citizens as adults. In other words, they know first-class when they see it, and they both agree they’re seeing it everywhere they look during this Perfect Game All-American Classic weekend.

“It’s just been first-class, just the way everything’s been done,” Moseley, the East Team head coach, said from the field at Petco Park during Saturday’s practice session for this year’s East and West teams. “I guess you expect that now with Perfect Game and to see it in action has been really impressive. The players are first-class, they all act the right way and the talent is off the charts.

“I’ve got to try to just sneak a peek at what these guys do and maybe take a little bit back to our guys,” he added. “But I guess first-class is the term that first comes to mind.”

Fish, the West Team head coach, was in total agreement:

“The organization of Perfect Game, I mean, they do it first-class,” he said, also speaking from the field at Petco Park on Saturday. “They make you feel special and I’m in baseball heaven, almost. And I know I’m not really coaching, I’m just kind of watching, which is even better. I’m just along for the ride and I feel really blessed and it kind of gives me a chance to get a different perspective on this game.”

This is being written while the Colorado Rockies and the San Diego Padres are going at it in a NL West showdown at Petco, hours before the nationally televised and broadcast 17thannual PG All-American Classic will be played on the same field.

Fish, a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame with more than 700 career wins, was still pinching himself as he stood under a cloudless blue sky on yet another remarkably beautiful day on Southern California’s Pacific Coast.

“Honestly, when I got the call to do this, I was half-joking but I asked if this was a Make-A-Wish type of deal – I mean, wow,” he said. “I just feel real honored to be here and I’m kind of in awe of it. I’m just trying to step back and kind of soak it all in with the level of play of these kids.”

Moseley has won 390 games in 13 years as a head coach and led Hoover to the 2017 Alabama Class 7A state championship when he was also named the state’s Class 7A Coach of the Year.

Perfect Game began using the Hoover Metropolitan Complex for many of its national championship tournaments and high-profile showcases this summer, and the SEC has long held its championship tournament there. The complex is just over the hill from Hoover High and Moseley feels like it’s been a perfect fit for his program.

“It’s a great baseball area, the Birmingham suburbs – we call it ‘Just over the Mountain’,” he said. “There’s just real good high school baseball around there and I think that maybe Perfect Game being there has brought some added attention to that. And with the SEC Tournament being there, too, it’s also helped people love amateur baseball in the area.”

Perfect Game has also helped enhance the city of Marion’s profile within the nationwide amateur baseball community by playing a huge role in the opening the Prospect Meadows Baseball and Softball Complex just north of town.

It too, just like the Hoover Met, hosted several PG national championship tournaments this summer. It seems certain that Fish will be able to enjoy many of the same positive effects from Prospect Meadows that Moseley is enjoying from the Hoover Met.

“It’s been a busy summer with Perfect Game events,” Moseley said. “We’re excited about that because the first-class here extends to what has been happening in Hoover, too. It’s been fun to be a part of, for sure.”

While both coaches are blessed to have talented players within their own programs every year, being surrounded by more than 50 of the very best rising seniors in the country can be exhilarating; it can be educational, too.

“Right away, you kind of get a chance to take a look at the little things that they do,” Fish said. “As a teacher and a coach, I think that I would like to have my guys just sitting and watching and appreciate their attention to detail.”

Moseley agreed: “You just kind of watch routines and how they go about their business, and their mental makeup, and I think that’s what you take from young kids,” he said. “The mental makeup is what’s going to separate those really good ones and their routine is what’s going to separate them, and it’s fun to see how those guys do their thing.”

Even with more than 30 years of coaching experience on his resume, Fish is excited about treating the Classic experience as a giant classroom. He’s enjoyed breakfast at the Marriott Mission Valley Hotel every morning with all the coaches and volunteers from both the East and West teams and seldom says a word.

“Coming from Iowa … and being able to talk to other coaches from across the country has been really rewarding,” Fish said. “To be able to learn about their situations and then being able to reflect on my career in Iowa. I think we have a good thing in Iowa, I really do. I really like what we do, so that’s been good, too.

“I find myself just sitting and listening a lot,” he added. “Some of these guys are veterans of this event so it’s been really interesting just to listen and absorb some things. I’m a believer in learning all the time so I’m just kind of learning from what they’re doing and just kind of watching them go.”

The Marion Indians enjoyed a terrific 2019 season under Fish’s direction, finishing with a school record 33 wins (against six losses) and advancing to the Iowa Class 3A state semifinals.

“I’ve had a really special baseball summer,” he said. “I had a special group of kids (at Marion) and the next thing you know I’m out here in this type of a situation. From a baseball perspective I’m not sure it can get much better, just being able to enjoy things.”

Fans can rest assured that they are going to see an entertaining game Sunday night. Both head coaches will be standing in the third base box but they don’t really expect to do a whole lot of coaching.

“There won’t be a stop sign – we’re going to try to score as many as we can,” Moseley said with a laugh. “With some of the pitching I’ve seen from the West that might be tough, so we’re going to try to wave them home  and see if we can get them there as fast as we can.”


Jeff Dahn – Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 1:05 PM PDT


Blaze Jordan received the 2019 Jackie Robinson Award from Jerry Ford and Trevor Hoffman

 All-Americans honored at Awards Banquet; Jordan named Jackie Robinson POY

The 55 PG All-Americans were feted at the 17th annual Perfect Game All-American Classic Awards Banquet on Saturday night during ceremonies held at the Bayfront Hilton Hotel Promenade.

Southaven, Miss., standout corner-infielder Blaze Jordan, the No. 2-ranked prospect in the national class of 2020, capped a remarkable PG career – with more still to come this fall – by being named the recipient of the prestigious Jackie Robinson Award, an honor bestowed on the Perfect Game National Player of the Year.

“This is great; I was never expecting to get this award,” Jordan said. “With all these other great guys out here, this is something that you never thought you’d get. I’m really excited to be able to (earn) it, though.

“It’s really special to have someone like Jackie Robinson’s name on it,” he added. “It’s incredible to even receive something like this.”

That capped an evening during which eight other All-Americans received awards handed out by PG sponsors and partners, while the work of doctors and staff at Rady Children’s Hospital, the PGAAC’s beneficiary, was lauded and praised. This year's class of players raised over $85,000 in their fundraising efforts, the most of any single year during the 17 years of the Classic.

A highlight of the evening came when the gathering of players, their families, sponsors and PG personnel – including the company’s entire ownership group – heard from a 21-year-old leukemia survivor named Ryan, who was treated at Rady’s. He was diagnosed with the disease in September 2015 and on December 30, 2018, he received his last dose of chemotherapy.

Today he is cancer free, and studying at Southern California, playing golf and his guitar, showing Arabian horses and flying a private plane.

The All-American’s recognized for their accomplishments in 2019 were (home state in parentheses):

Baseball America Pitcher of the Year: Mick Abel (Oregon)
Perfect Game Nick Adenhart Award: Austin Hendrick (Pennsylvania)
Trackman Award: Nate Savino (Virginia)
MLB/SiriusXM Two-Way Player Award: Jared Jones (California)
G-Form HBP Fearless Player Award: Robert Moore (Kansas)
Re-Play 5-Tool Award: Pete Crow-Armstrong (California)
Rawlings Defensive Player of the Year Award: Drew Romo (Texas)
Diamond Kinetics Offensive Player of the Year Award: Dylan Crews (Florida)
2019 Jackie Robinson Player of the Year Award: Blaze Jordan (Mississippi)


Patrick Ebert – Sunday, August 11, 2019 – 10:27 AM PDT

Game Day!

The 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic will be played on Sunday afternoon/evening after the Padres game at Petco Park. The game will be televised on MLB Network and will be broadcast on SiriusXM radio. Here are the options for tuning in:

MLB Network – Daron Sutton on the call with David Rawnsley, Dan O'Dowd and Dani Wexelman. Pre-game starts at 5:00 p.m. PDT with the first pitch being delivered at 5:18.

MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM and ESPNU College Sports. Channels 89 and 84, respectively, on SiriusXM, with Mike Rooney and Patrick Ebert, also beginning at 5:00 p.m. PDT.


Jered Goodwin – Saturday, August 10, 2019 – 5:23 PM PDT


Cayden Wallace hit five home runs in the first round of the Rawlings Home Run Challenge

Rawlings Home Run Challenge, Round 1

 Following are notes from Saturday’s batting practice and the first round of the Rawlings Home Run Challenge:

Alex Freeland and Michael Brooks are middle infield prospects that swung the bat well on Saturday. Freeland is a switch hitter and demonstrates the ability to consistently hit line drives to the middle of the field from the right side. When he turns around and hits lefthanded, he shows the ability to drive balls to the gaps with some lift to the pull side. Brooks hit balls hard to the middle of the field and had one of the most accurate batting practices of anyone on day two. He sticks to his approach and showed a tight swing that will easily translate to game play.

Mac Guscette and Calvin Harris will both catch for the East team on Sunday during the PGAAC. They are both physically strong, with strong arms behind the plate, and show leadership skills. Guscette, a righthanded hitter, looked comfortable driving balls deep to left-center field during the morning workout. The ball showed very good carry off his bat and his power projects well long term. Harris is a lefthanded hitter who works a flat swing that shows some twitch, pounding line drives to the pull side consistently. His hand speed was noticeable and should play nicely against velocity during the Classic.

Yohandy Morales had a very good day exhibiting the ability to loft balls to the pull side repeatedly. He is long and loose with a frame that has plenty of room to fill out. He showed a glimpse of what he is capable of, lifting a ball that banged off the left field wall during the scrimmage on the first day.

Cade Horton and Milan Tolentino continue to verify that they are two of the most athletic players here in San Diego. Horton’s bat is extremely powerful and causes an explosion when it impacts the baseball. The game looks so easy to him that you would be comfortable putting him anywhere on the diamond, including the mound, and he would be a high-end prospect. Tolentino displayed a smooth swing that seems to stay in the zone for and exceptionally long period of time. He displays fluidity in everything he does and looks in his element here in San Diego.

Rawlings Home Run Challenge highlights:

Drew Bowser and Cayden Wallace hit five home runs to tie for the lead during the PGAAC home run challenge prelims on Saturday morning. Bowser hit two balls into the upper deck in left field and was one of the few players to keep his bat speed for the duration of the minute-and-a-half of swing time. Wallace, already noted as having some of the best bat speed in the class, back-spun balls on a line that made a consistent loud crash into the left field bleachers. The ball blasts off his bat with extreme regularity.

Dylan Crews and Jordan Walker each added four home runs to punch their ticket to the finals Sunday at Petco Park. Crews hit a couple late home runs in the final seconds that were exceptionally impressive, being in a pressure situation and showing the ability to do so when fatigued; he is just fun to watch compete. Walker swing is so smooth and has leverage that is not matched by many players his age. When his long limbs are on time, he can hit balls that appear as though they will never come down.

Eight All-Americans hit three home runs during the prelims at spacious Petco Park. Blaze Jordan hit the longest ball of the day, well into the upper deck of the left field bleachers. The home run swing got a big reception from his fellow All-American teammates. Guscette and Mario Zabala both showed the ability to muscle low liners that would carry over the left field wall. Coby Mayo and Yohandy Morales put their long levers to use, taking a few grandiose swings that were talked about after the event by scouts in attendance. Robert Hassell III, Zac Veen and Tyler Soderstrom looked like they kept their regular batting practice approach, not even trying to cheat, and still lofting balls well into the right field bleachers.

Here are the total numbers of home runs hit:

5 – Cayden Wallace, Drew Bowser
4 – Dylan Crews, Jordan Walker
3 – Blaze Jordan, Mac Guscette, Zac Veen, Coby Mayo, Mario Zabala, Yohandy Morales, Tyler Soderstrom
2 – Alex Freeland, Jack Bulger, Daniel Susac, Chase Davis, Kevin Parada
1 – Michael Brooks, Ed Howard, Jack O’Dowd, Brandon Fields, Jake Deleo, Jace Bohrofen, Milan Tolentino, Kevin Sim, Jordan Thompson, Michael Brown

The 2019 Perfect Game/Rawlings Home Run Challenge will take place Sunday morning.


Jeff Dahn – Saturday, August 10, 2019 – 5:05 PM PDT

A trio of PG All-Americans from the state of Oklahoma – Jace Bohrofen, Daxton Fulton and Cade Horton – have been playing together since they were five years old. Read their unique story as they are reunited once again in San Diego at Petco Park for the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic:

Play Together, Stay Together


Jeff Dahn – Friday, August 9, 2019 – 5:48 PM PDT

Rady Children's Hospital visit

The annual visit to Rady Children's Hospital is always a special, life-changing event for all of the Perfect Game All-American participants. This year we are excited to announce that the fundraising efforts – specifically to Rady Children's Hospital (which began in 2006) – have exceeded $1 million.

Read Jeff Dahn's feature on that visit here:

PGAAC, Rady: A Perfect Pairing


Patrick Ebert and Jered Goodwin – Friday, August 9, 2019 – 4:22 PM PDT
Ryan Hagenow struck out four of the 10 batters he faced during Friday's scrimmage

Friday scrimmage and workout notes

 Baseball activity at the 2019 PG All-American Classic got underway first thing on Friday morning at Petco Park, taking a round of BP prior to in-and-outs before the event’s annual scrimmage. Similar to past years, there wasn’t much offense in a game that ended with the East beating the West 1-0 in four innings, but we did get a good look at East righthander Ryan Hagenow, who has been dealing all summer at Perfect Game tournament events.

Hagenow worked the first two innings for the East. The scrimmage itself was run similar to a showcase game in that at least five batters got to bat in each frame, which meant Hagenow had to face 10 batters in his two innings of work. The first three came on groundouts before finishing his first inning with a lineout and a strikeout looking. In his second inning of work he struck out three, including the final batter he faced, with another lineout and a jam job single that fell in front of the left field mixed in.



Hagenow peaked at 91 during his two innings of work, striking out four hitters and forcing weak contact consistently. His ability to tunnel his three offerings is remarkable, making hitters look uncomfortable using a solid slider in the upper-70s and a changeup in the low-80s that could be a plus pitch in the future. Nothing he throws is straight, and he throws all three pitches from a consistent release point.

Outside of Hagenow’s appearance, there were two big hits and one big defensive play that stood out in the scrimmage.

In the first inning, Jordan Walker made a really nice backhanded play on a ball hit near the third base line. He quickly gathered himself and devliered an absolute strike across the diamond to get the speedy Jace Bohrofen at first.

In the top of the fourth inning Ed Howard IV rocketed a single back up the middle, easily the hardest hit ball of the scrimmage up until that point in time. Howard stole second base after reaching.

The scrimmage came to a close when Cayden Wallace roped a hard line drive down the opposite field line to the corner in right field for a triple. The hit drove in Slade Wilks, who opened the frame with a walk, as Wallace was hustling out of the box motoring his way for a three-bagger to produce the only run of the contest.

Mayo’s triple was one of five base hits in the scrimmage. In addition to Howard’s hard hit single, Michael Brooks hit a single to left field through the 5-6 hole on the infield in the first, Chase Davis dropped in a base hit in front of the left fielder off of Hagenow in the second and Yohandy Morales yanked a single down the left field line in the third.

Here are other notes from the morning workouts:

Walker and Coby Mayo, the two third baseman for the East, were very impressive in workouts Friday morning. Both are physically imposing, move well with soft hands for their size and both have above average arms. They are both righthanded hitters and consistently drove balls deep to all fields during BP at Petco Park Friday morning. The ball just flies off both barrels.

Running through drills at shortstop for the East squad was Howard who is as graceful of an infielder that you can find. He floats through his approach to ground balls with a lightning quick transfer and an arm that produces firm and accurate throws. During batting practice, he showed a lightning quick bat and sprayed line drives all over the field in addition to his hard hit single up the box during the day’s scrimmage.

Jack Bulger showed a well above average arm during drills. The throws looked like they would carry well past the second base bag if not for the catch-tags being applied. Susac also showed a functional swing from both sides of the plate with good length through contact. Bulger’s barrel was extremely powerful at impact and the ball simply exploded off of it.

The ease that outfielders Jace Bohrofen, Pete Crow-Armstrong and Robert Hassell III show in all parts of the game is fun to watch. They seem to glide all over the field covering tons of ground. They all showed smooth lefthanded swings: PCA with his elite bat-to-ball, Bohrofen showed loft power hitting a few balls well beyond the right field wall and Hassell III showed a good blend of spraying line drives and then driving balls deep to the gaps.

Two of the most physical and explosive prospects at the PGAAC are Mario Zabala and Jake Deleo. They have chiseled frames and thrilling twitch throughout. Both athletes have bad intentions when they step in the righthanded batters box.

Brandon Fields, Chase Davis and Dylan Crews all showed strong arms from the outfield with accuracy and carry to the bases. Fields and Davis both have strong hands a powerful core speed and the ball came off the bat with fierce intent. Crews stays inside and turns really tight as he showed the ability to let the ball travel deep and hit to all fields.

With a classic first base profile, Michael Brown showed easy footwork around the bag along with the ability to pick balls in the dirt very well. He also showcased some of the easiest barrel speed of anyone lofting balls magnificently to right field.

It is a pleasure to watch how quickly middle infielder Robert Moore moves his feet. He has the remarkable ability to stop and start to play himself into good hops. The switch hitter is so short to the ball that he can strike balls in all parts of the zone with barrel accuracy and he hammered line drives from line to line.

The consistency that Drew Romo shows catching and throwing is noticeable. It’s easy and quick, while putting the ball consistently at the second base bag. The switch hitter also showed some power potential during batting practice from both sides.

The West duo of Jordan Thompson and Drew Bowser is supremely sound on the infield. They work through balls well with balance throughout and steadily make plays look easy. They are polished players and both show the ability to impact the baseball with confidence at the plate.

Daniel Susac also showed a functional swing from both sides of the plate, with good length through contact. He hit a few majestic balls from the left side deep to the power alley in right-center field.

Austin Hendrick and Kevin Sim continue to prove that they have some of the best raw power of anyone in the class. Hendrick was nearly hitting balls in the upper deck at times and rarely missed the barrel from the left side of the plate. Sim ambushed balls to left field with multiple baseballs hitting the seats.

Tyler Soderstrom, Zac Veen and AJ Vukovich all have huge power projection as they add strength. Soderstrom and Veen have classic lefthanded swings that are smooth and repeatable and whip the barrel easily through the hitting zone. Vukovich uses his long arms to create great leverage and he is starting to create space and lift balls naturally.

Jack O' Dowd and Kevin Parada both have a long history of hitting in games and do not sway from an all-fields approach during batting practice. O’Dowd backspun line drives all over the park showing consistent barrel control with his lefthanded swing. Parada, a righthanded hitter, drove balls to the gaps with authority with a simple setup and direct path that creates easy barrel accuracy.

Cayden Wallace and Slade Wilks may compete for the best bat speed out of anyone in the entire class. Wallace fires his back hip violently as the pitch enters the zone and the bat flies through the zone. It sounds differently coming off his bat. Wilks’ top hand aggressively attacks the ball and the bat never slows through impact. He showed the ability to ambush pitches on both sides of the plate during batting practice.

Blaze Jordan functionally uses his body as well as anyone in the class. He subtly makes his forward move as he turns his barrel, creating the type of barrel momentum that can turn his round of batting practice into a spectacle that is hard for any prospect in the country to match. He shows the ability to hit, and hit for power, without selling out for it.


Jeff Dahn – Thursday, August 8, 2019 – 10:00 PM PDT



 All-Americans greeted at Welcome Reception Dinner/Pool Party

The 2019 Perfect Game All-Americans were officially embraced in San Diego Thursday evening at the Welcome Reception Dinner/Pool Party staged in a delightful outdoor setting on the West Lawn at the stately Marriott Mission Valley Hotel.

The 55 PG All-Americans and their families – along with this year’s two coaching staffs and PG staff members – were treated to an excellent dinner and heard from many different speakers, including PG Founder and President Jerry Ford.

“My hope is that you’re here in San Diego and, I might add, beautiful San Diego, is that you really have a lot of fun and that you create some great memories and possibly meet some new friends,” Ford told the assembled crowd. “We want to be a small part of whatever success you guys achieve over the next few years.”

This is the 17th annual PG All-American Classic and the vast majority of the players who were invited received that invitation after standout performances at the PG National Showcase, held in mid-June at Chase Field in downtown Phoenix.

PG National Showcase Director Kirk Gardner took the opportunity presented at the Welcome Dinner to name the recipients of this year’s PG National Top Prospect Awards. They were:

Top Hitting Prospect: Dylan Crews
Top Defensive Prospect: Drew Romo
Fastest Man: Jake Vogel
Top Power Hitting Prospect: Austin Hendrick
Top Pitching Prospect: Mick Abel
Top 2-way Prospect: Cade Horton
Top Overall Prospect: Blaze Jordan

Patrick Ebert – Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – 6:41 AM PDT



Classic Program

Click on the PDF above to access the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic event program.


Patrick Ebert – Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – 6:32 AM PDT



Classic Leaf Cards

Leaf continues its partnership with Perfect Game to produce incredibly high quality baseball cards for all 55 members of the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic. Similar to past years, everyone who attends the Classic at Petco Park will receive three random cards upon entering the ballpark. This year fans can buy a complete set of cards at a table inside the main entrance at Petco Park during the game for $25. Cash and credit cards will be accepted with the proceeds benefitting Rady Children's Hospital.


Patrick Ebert – Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – 6:09 AM PDT

From MLB All-Stars to MVPs, Rookies of the Year and Golden Spikes Award winners, the Perfect Game All-American Classic has produced a steady pipeline of impact talent to the next level. The numbers speak for themselves in this feature: The Classic: By the numbers.


Patrick Ebert – Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – 5:14 AM PDT

 
Blaze Jordan was named one of the top prospects at the 2018 PG Underclass All-American Games

Scout schedule

The full schedule for baseball-related activities for the 2019 Perfect Game All-American Classic can be found here. Included on that page is the schedule for the 2019 PG Underclass All-American Games which will be conducted the two days before the Classic, Wednesday and Thursday August 7 and 8. The event will be held at the University of San Diego's Fowler Park and Cunningham Field (Google Maps are also included on that page).

This annual event is held in conjunction with the Classic to showcase some of the very best players in future graduating classes. Last year, 21 of this year's All-Americans (Jace Bohrofen, Michael Brown, Ryan Bruno, Dylan Crews, Mario Zabala, Slade Wilks, Cayden Wallace, Jordan Walker, Jake Vogel, Milan Tolentino, Daxton Fulton, Blaze Jordan, Kevin Parada, Calvin Harris, Jordan Thompson, Cade Horton, Robert Hassell, Alex Freeland, Kevin Sim, George Klassen, Jack O'Dowd) participated, and almost all of which named to the event's top prospect list.

Some of the other All-Americans that attended this event before shining on national TV the following year include two of the game's brightest young sluggers, Kris Bryant and Bryce Harper.

In other words, this year's PG Underclass All-American Games will serve not only as a preview of some of the players we can expect to see in next year's Classic, but also gives us a glimpse at some of the future stars of Major League Baseball.


Patrick Ebert – Wednesday, August 7, 2019 – 4:54 AM PDT

Welcome to the Perfect Game All-American Classic blog, and congratulations to all of the players, friends and family members involved with the Classic. This page will be used to provide updates from all of the events that are part of the four-day festivities.

Be sure to visit the Media Room page to read past features from the Perfect Game All-American Classic. On that page you can find links to features on Mick Abel, Michael Brown, Maxwell Carlson, Dylan Crews, Chase Davis, Brandon Fields, Alex Freeland, Daxton Fulton, Mac Guscette, Kyle Harrison, Ed Howard, Jared Kelley, Ronan Kopp, Carson Montgomery, Robert Moore, Kevin Parada, Drew Romo, Nate Savino, Kevin Sim, Tyler Soderstrom, Jordan Thompson, AJ Vukovich, Jordan Walker and Cayden Wallace. Not included in those archives are features conducted on the players prior to the rosters were released on Thursday, July 11. Here is a list of those features:
Player Feature/Event (Link)
Ryan Bruno 17u WWBA National Championship
Pete Crow-Armstrong  PG National Showcase
Ryan Hagenow  17u WWBA National Championship
Calvin Harris PG Spring Top Prospect Showcase
Austin Hendrick PG National Showcase
Jared Jones PG National Showcase
Blaze Jordan PG National Showcase
George Klassen 17u WWBA National Championship
Will Sanders 17u Elite Round Robin
Zac Veen PG National Showcase

Visit the Roster page to access the individual player profiles, as well as the History page to learn more about the previous 16 games played including the inaugural event in 2003. The Scout page provides the daily schedule of baseball-related activities, including those for the 2019 PG Underclass All-American Games. And of course, don't forget to tune into MLB Network, as well as MLB Network Radio, at 5:00 pm PDT on Sunday for the game itself.
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