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All American Game  | Story | 8/16/2026

Romero Slams His Way to Classic MVP

Jim Salisbury
Photo: Koa Romero (Perfect Game)
PHILADELPHIA – Sunday’s DICK’s Perfect Game All-American Classic was a pitching-dominated affair until the bottom of the eighth inning when the rain started to fall at Citizens Bank Park and Koa Romero stepped to the plate and did his best impression of Kyle Schwarber.

Romero wears No. 12, just like Schwarber.



He bats left-handed, just like Schwarber.

He’s got big power, just like Schwarber.

And at 5-10 and a rock-solid 225 pounds, he’s even built like Schwarber.

Needless to say, Schwarber is Romero’s favorite player.

So, it was all kind of storybook when Romero belted a grand slam to dead center to cap off the scoring in the West team’s 8-3 win over the East club in the 24th annual Classic.

“This is a dream come true,” said Romero, who was named MVP of the game. “It’s amazing to be able to put a ball like that out of a stadium like this. It’s just awesome.”

Romero’s slam, on a 1-2 fastball, came off the bat at 104 mph and traveled 417 feet into the bullpen beyond the center field wall.

“You don’t see a lot of big leaguers hit ‘em up there,” raved World Series-winning manager Joe Girardi, who skippered the victorious West club. “That’s really special for that young man because these are the best of the best. There’s just a huge amount of talent here. The pitching was incredible. I had to ask someone, ‘Does anyone here throw just 90?’ “

Sixteen pitchers featuring power stuff -- and some good changeups and breaking balls, too -- lit up radar guns into the high-90s. They combined for 29 strikeouts.

“It was just crazy,” East manager Shane Victorino, back in the ballpark in which he won a World Series with the 2008 Phillies, said of the velocities. “The arms were very impressive.”

The East club held a 3-2 lead entering the bottom of the eighth. The West’s Sebastian Castillo tied the game with a two-out base hit. Striker Pence, who had a two-run double in the fourth, drew a walk to extend the inning. Jalen Jacob then put the West ahead with a base hit. Isaiah Snavely then walked to load the bases, setting the stage for Romero’s big moment.

“I was just trying to be ready for a fastball and not miss it,” said Romero, who hails from Des Allemands, La. “Honestly, I didn’t think it was going to go out. I thought it was going to be caught at the wall.”

Romero shared his big moment with his family. Lindsey and Alex, his mom and dad, made the trip from Louisiana to Philadelphia, as did his grandparents, an aunt and uncle, and two cousins. Alex Romero explained that he gave his son a Hawaiian name that signifies strength. Lindsey said she was shaking as she watched her son round the bases after hitting a grand slam in a big-league park.

“It was surreal,” she said. “He loves baseball. I really feel like this is his calling.”

Romero’s grand slam proved to be a mic-drop moment. After it, the rain picked up and the game was halted.

The 17-year-old Romero plays third base and pitches at Hahnville High School in Louisiana. In the spring, he helped lead his team a 31-8 record by hitting .433 with 10 homers and 42 RBIs. The right-hander also went 6-2 with a 1.15 ERA on the mound.

Romero, who recently began his senior year at Hahnville, has committed to stay home and play at LSU, but he could have a decision to make at draft time next summer.

“Let’s hope so,” he said. “I’m going to keep on doing me. Keep on working and figure it out.”

Romero played at PG’s WWBA World Championship in Jupiter, Fla., last fall participated in the PG National Showcase at the home of the Miami Marlins in June. He blasted one into the upper deck in right field at that event.

Girardi liked what he saw of Romero all weekend.

“His BPs were impressive,” Girardi said. “Not just the power, but the way he used the whole field.”

Romero said just getting invited to PG’s All-American Classic was special.

“I never thought I’d be here,” he said.

The PG All-American Classic featured the top 60 players who will be eligible for next year’s draft. While in Philadelphia, all the players did Philadelphia things. They ran the Rocky steps. They ate cheesesteaks. And they participated in the PG tradition of community outreach with a visit to the Nemours Children’s Hospital.

“It was amazing to be able to give back to those little kids,” Romero said. “This was my first time to Philadelphia. I thought it was awesome, seeing all this stuff, meeting new people, meeting the kids at the hospital. It was amazing.”

And the highlight of it all was what the locals call a Schwarbomb. Maybe Koa Romero will get to see one in person because he said he planned on sticking around and attending Monday night’s Phillies game.
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All American Game | Story | 8/21/2026

Brotherly Love Inspires Carter Hadnot
Jim Salisbury
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PHILADELPHIA – Perfect Game has been a big part of Carter Hadnot’s life since he was 12. He participated in more than a dozen tournaments and showcases, including prestigious Select Festivals as a 13U and 14U player, as well as last summer’s PG All-Star Game for underclassmen in San Diego.   The PG event that Hadnot always wanted to be part of was the DICK’s All-American Classic. Now, that’s on his resume, too. He played in the 24th annual Classic earlier this week at Citizens Bank Park, home of the Philadelphia Phillies. “This means a lot to me,” he said during the event. “I always wanted to make it to Select Fest when I was younger. So, every time I get invited to an event it’s an honor and it’s fun. I don’t take it for granted. “This is definitely the one I always wanted to make it to. A lot of big names have...
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Draft | Rankings | 8/28/2026

2027 MLB Draft Board

Tyler Henninger
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The 2026 MLB Draft is official in the books as those players have been signed and have begun their pro career. That means it is time to turn the page and dive into the 2027 class. This class features an intriguing mix of arms both from the prep and college ranks, along with an enticing position player pool. Today, we unveil our first 2027 MLB Draft Board, ranking the Top-100 prospects in the class. There is still plenty of time for new names to emerge and established ones to rise or fall, but here is where things stand as we begin this cycle.  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 Gavin Kelly C C/UTL R-R West Virginia Presto PA 5 Tomas Valincius C LHP L-L Mississippi State Lockport IL 6 Malachi Butler H SS L-R...
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Tournaments | Story | 8/26/2026

Underclass Area Codes: Standout Arms

Joey Cohen
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Year in and year out when the best young talent from across the country is packed into one national-level event the arms tend to win the week. That feels especially true in today’s amateur game where velocity, pitch design and high-level training in general are being introduced earlier than ever, allowing young pitchers to develop impactful stuff at a faster rate than younger hitters can consistently catch up to it. The Underclass Area Code Games are no exception and this year there was no shortage of arms that made you stop and take notice. Narrowing it down to 10 was difficult, but I focused on the pitchers who either displayed starter-type traits, brought something genuinely different from a delivery standpoint whether it was slot, height, crossfire or deception or simply possessed an outlier element of stuff that separated them from the pack. These are the 10 arms that stood...
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Draft | Story | 8/23/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL East

Tyler Henninger
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With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL East Atlanta Braves  Grade: 55 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF AJ Gracia (1st rd) | OF Carter Beck (PPI) | RHP Kaiden McCarthy (2nd rd) | RHP Jensen Hirschkorn (3rd rd)   OF AJ Gracia (@UVABaseball) is seeing the ball really well & picked up a couple of hits, including a 2B into RCF. Smooth LH stroke & easy impact. Showed + pwr in BP, 46 BB: 36 K. Jr./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/C4rSc0ZNIc — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 30, 2026 Atlanta had $15,870,800 to spend in this year’s draft,...
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Draft | Story | 8/22/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL East

Tyler Henninger
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With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL East Baltimore Orioles Grade: 50 Risk: High Notable Selections: OF Eric Booth Jr. (1st rd) | OF Ty Head (2nd rd) | OF Kevin Roberts Jr (4th rd)  Eric Booth Jr. (26 MS) goes big fly 💣 that carried out oppo. Explosive athlete w/ huge LH juice & tools. Big time in several facets. #NatElite #Vandy commit. @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/kXl7ZVyD9G — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 12, 2025 Baltimore was about middle of the pack in terms of money available this year, having $13.1m to spend on their class. Booth Jr. is a...
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Draft | Story | 8/24/2026

Area Code Gams: Prospect Recap

Steve Fiorindo
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Pitchers George Ferguson, RHP, Abilene HS  Ferguson toed the slab for the Rangers squad in game one of the Codes, setting the tone early with some loud stuff.  Ferguson attacked hitters with a verty fastball up to 96 that played well up in the zone with up to 24 inches of induced vertical break.  He showed more than just a power arsenal, going to the changeup often, using the pitch to put away hitters.  Kills the spin to the 1600’s, regularly getting 13-15 inches of horizontal break.  The slider rounded out the arsenal, working 82/83.  Struck out four over his three innings of work, two on the fastball, two on the change.  2026 PG All American committed to Texas.  Quinn Fitzpatrick, RHP, Stratford HS  Another 2026 PG All American out of Texas, the LSU commit punched out three over his two innings of work, allowing just one hit. ...
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Draft | Story | 8/21/2026

2027 Draft Preview: Collegiate RHP

Ryan Miller
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2027 MLB Draft Profile Preview: College Right-Handed Pitchers  Throughout the 2027 draft cycle, I’ll be breaking down different demographics in the class. Today we begin with collegiate right-handed pitching, a strong group that is headlined by a legitimate 1-1 candidate in Dax Whitney. Most of the group is made up of high-quality power four arms, with a handful of mid-major arms mixed in. Below are the top college right-handers in the 2027 class:  Dax Whitney (@BeaverBaseball) showed LOUD stuff. FB up to 100, cruised at 95-98. Pair of plus secondaries. CB at 77-79 (2923) with sharp, 12-6 action. Firm SL at 89-91 (2714) with bite. Flashed fading CH at 87-88 (1425). Ranked No. 1 on the ‘27 board @PG_Draft So./‘27 elig. pic.twitter.com/9PNbjJ53Zo — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) February 13, 2026 Dax Whitney, Oregon State  Whitney has maintained...
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Press Release | Press Release | 8/18/2026

Perfect Game & Delano Partner Up

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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 NAMES DELANO BAT COMPANY OFFICIAL WOOD COMPOSITE BAT PARTNER, LAUNCHES LIMITED-EDITION BAT SERIES   Delano Bats will serve as the Official Game Bat of the 13U Select Festival, taking place this coming weekend in East Cobb, Georgia   Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, August 18, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced a new partnership with Delano Bat Company, LLC, naming the company an Official Wood Composite Bat Partner of Perfect Game. The partnership will feature three exclusive limited-edition bat releases, which began with the Original Glory American Flag Bat in celebration of the United States' 250th birthday, that...
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Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL Central

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West | AL Central With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. NL Central Chicago Cubs  Grade: 40 Risk: Medium Notable Selections: RHP Cade Townsend (1st rd) | OF Caden Sorrell (2nd rd) | 1B Myles Bailey (2C)   RHP Cade Townsend (@OleMissBSB) sat 95-96 T97 w/ riding FB from fast arm. Nasty cutter at 88-91 is the go-to, showed biting 2 pln SL. Low-80s top to bottom CB & CH ~ 1300 RPM to round out mix. Has had a great spring & risen up boards. Soph./'26 elig. @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/TAFbM37f5j — PG College...
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Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

Tyler Henninger
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2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL West | NL West With the 2026 MLB Draft officially in the books, it’s time to evaluate how each team performed. Every draft class was graded using the standard 20-80 scouting scale with risk factor assigned. While these grades won’t be proven right or wrong for years, they reflect the overall talent, value, and upside each organization added to its system. AL Central Cleveland Guardians  Grade: 45 Risk: Moderate  Notable Selections: RHP Liam Peterson (1st rd) | Tre Broussard OF (3rd rd) | RHP Savion Sims (7th rd)  Liam Peterson (@GatorsBB) has been pure power stuff through the first 3.0 IP in his start vs Bama…imposing his will on hitters with a fastball that has grabbed 100 mph a few times, backed up by his power slider and curveball @PG_Draft pic.twitter.com/RVThNrdMTn — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) May 21,...
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