THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,606 MLB PLAYERS | 16,395 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,606 MLB PLAYERS | 16,395 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 4/30/2026

Coppy's Corner: April 30 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: Jarren Advincula – Georgia Tech 

Last week, Fernando Mendoza was taken with the first pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza transferred from the University of California – Berkeley (Cal) to Indiana University in advance of his draft year. Upon transferring, he won the Heisman Trophy and led the Hoosiers to a national championship. Advincula also transferred from Cal in advance of his draft year, but he took his talents to Georgia Tech. And, while there is still time left in the season, Advincula has positioned himself to be in the conversation for College Baseball’s Heisman Trophy (the Golden Spikes Award) and positioned his team for a College Baseball World Series berth.   



Advincula had a big week, but, really, he has had a big season. Recognized as a 2026 Perfect Game Midseason First Team All American at 2B, Advincula has absolutely raked this season to the tune of .428 AVG / .500 OBP / .628 SLG / 1.128 OPS with 21 BB vs. 15 SO and a miniscule 7.3% Strikeout Rate. All of Advincula’s metrics are trending up on a year-over-year basis from 2024 to 2025 to 2026, including AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, ISO. The knock on him has always been the lack of power, but Advincula has seen his HR total rise from 5 in 2024 to 6 in 2025 to 8 this year, with games yet to be played. While transferring from Cal to Georgia Tech somehow kept him in the same conference, he has continued to dominate that conference – and all of college baseball.  

Carry Tool: Hit. Advincula might be the best pure hitter in the country. His career numbers almost don’t seem real: .361 AVG and .435 OBP with 69 BB vs. 60 SO over 629 AB in his college career. Most impressive to me is the career 8.3% Strikeout Rate, one of the best in college baseball. He reminds me a lot of a left-handed version of Nico Hoerner. Hoerner, who just signed a massive $141 million contract extension, was taken #24 overall by the Chicago Cubs in the 2018 MLB Draft out of Stanford University (ironically, Stanford’s hated rival is Cal). Hoerner was a career .305 AVG hitter in college with a .352 OBP, 47 BB vs. 73 SO, and a 9.5% Strikeout Rate for the Cardinal – and hit only 2 HR in his draft year. Expect Advincula to keep moving up MLB Draft boards. Teams are always looking for advanced college hitters who can move quickly through the minor leagues, and the comparisons to Hoerner – not to mention Mendoza – make him an intriguing prospect.  

Pitcher of the Week: Brett Renfrow – Virginia Tech  

Renfrow is one of the most underrated prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft. He was widely considered a better prospect as an Outfielder than an RHP coming out of Colgan High School in Manassas, Virginia, a suburb of Washington DC. Durable and athletic at 6’3 / 220, Renfrow went undrafted because of signability; he set a number, stuck to it, and bet on himself – on the mound – at Virginia Tech. That bet looks prescient, as Renfrow was a 2024 Perfect Game Freshman All American Second Team selection and has pitched the past two summers with Team USA.  

Renfrow can flash three above average offerings with a Fastball up to 97 mph, an above average CH, and a biting hard SL. The numbers are catching up to the stuff, and Renfrow had his best outing of the season on Friday night at Home in Blacksburg, VA, against North Carolina State – dominating with 8.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 SO. Even after that outing, Renfrow has a 5.47 ERA on the season, which becomes basically immaterial when you look inside his stuff numbers and see 54.1 IP, 54 H, 17 BB, 71 SO for the 2026 season. MLB teams care a lot more about these stuff numbers than they do about ERA. Expect Renfrow to be rewarded for betting on himself, and his draft stock is on the rise. 

Carry Tool: Cutter. Renfrow’s FB and CH were his two main weapons in 2024 and 2025, as he toyed with a Cutter, Slider, and Curveball. While he still sometimes uses the Slider and Curveball, his Cutter has become a real weapon, generating 14 SO in 32 AB and allowing only a .507 OPS. I’ve mentioned how much I like two-way players in past articles not only because of their athleticism, but also because of their special mindset and unique understanding. It is going to be fun to watch Renfrow as he continues to improve and the draft approaches. 

Co-Freshman of the Week: Ethan Bingaman – Auburn University 

There’s a really cool video (https://www.perfectgame.tv/player-video?id=540815) that Perfect Game produced about the 2025 Corona High School Baseball Team. For the uninitiated, Corona is in Southern California, where the 91 freeway meets the 15 freeway, and is a hotbed of high school baseball talent. I drove through Corona every day (my daily drive was four freeways each way: 5 -> 55 -> 91 -> 15) for two summers as an intern for the Lake Elsinore Storm in the summers of 1997 and 1998. Corona’s 2025 team was one for the ages; not only did it include Bingaman, a legit two-way prospect in his own right, but it also included three of the top 32 (!!!) selections in the 2025 MLB Draft: Seth Hernandez (#6 / Pittsburgh Pirates), Billy Carlson (#10 / Chicago White Sox), and Brady Ebel (#32 / Milwaukee Brewers). Bingaman was drafted in the 20th Round of the 2025 MLB Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks but instead took his bat and glove to Auburn. 

 

Carry Tool: Hit. Bingaman has hit the ground running on the Plains with a .317 AVG / .420 OBP / .524 SLG / .944 OPS in 126 AB, showing a good hit approach with 19 BB vs. 23 SO. Bingaman has been playing primarily 1B, and he’s a good athlete who was also a standout pitcher on that magical Corona HS team. However, his hit tool is going to carry him, and he shows good traits by hitting better on the Road (.324 AVG / 1.108 OPS) and really performing vs LHP (.362 AVG / 1.125 OPS). That he’s doing all this at a major program in the SEC, which currently checks in at #7 in Perfect Game’s Top 25 rankings, is all the more impressive. 

Co-Freshman of the Week: Trent Grindlinger – University of Tennessee 

Like Bingaman, Grindlinger was a So Cal prep star – from Huntington Beach, about 35 miles west of Corona – who went to play college ball in the SEC. Perfect Game rated him the #30 overall high school prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft and, like Renfrow, Grindlinger went undrafted due to signability, flipping his commitment from Mississippi State to the University of Tennessee. Strong and athletic at 6’3 / 210, there is belief he can be a long-term catcher thanks to a plus arm and above average field grades. He’s a well below average runner but can hit with above power. 

And that’s exactly what he’s been doing in 2026: Grindlinger is currently hitting .395 AVG / .479 OBP / .642 SLG / 1.121 OPS, showcasing an advanced hit approach with 10 BB vs. 12 SO in 81 At Bats. These are impressive numbers for any freshman, or for any catcher, but to be doing this as a freshman catcher in the SEC is pretty special. Grindlinger absolutely has first-round upside if he can continue to develop, and he should be draft-eligible as a sophomore in 2027. His younger brother, Jared, just re-classified and is currently rated as the #9 overall high school prospect in the 2026 MLB Draft by Perfect Game. 

Carry Tool: Power. If Grindlinger can stay at catcher and tap into his power, he can be an impact player. Like most teams do now, when I was running the Atlanta Braves, we looked at days of the week as a performance indicator for draft-eligible college players. We wanted players who hit well on Friday nights because that is the night that hitters face an opposing team’s best starting pitcher. Grindlinger has only played 5 Games and had 16 At Bats on Friday nights this season, but he has made the most of them, launching 2 of his 5 HR this season against teams’ best starters, with a .438 AVG / .571 OBP / .938 SLG (!) / 1.509 OPS on TGIF. If that power continues to show against top arms, he will shine even brighter as a prospect. 


National Nuggets (things that caught my eye this week) 

Speaking of Friday Night Starting Pitchers, there hasn’t been any better this season than the University of California – Santa Barbara’s Jackson Flora … ranked #4 on the Perfect Game 2026 Draft Board Top 400 updated less than a week ago, Flora got the win on Friday night for UCSB with another strong outing: 6.0 IP, 7 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO, which brings his season totals to 8-0, 0.78 ERA (!), 69.1 IP, 36 H, 25 BB, 88 SO … Flora has allowed only 1 HR in 69.1 IP, pointing to the leverage he creates with a really good downhill plane that generates late arm side run and hard sink to his ++ FB 95-98 that has routinely touched triple digits … Flora mixes that with two types of Sliders, a harder one that has Cutter actions and has been devastating this year by limiting opposing hitters to .071 AVG and .259 OPS (!) with 1 BB vs. 8 SO in 14 AB … Flora has been tough on all hitters, but especially tough for RH hitters to whom he has allowed only .117 AVG and .340 OPS with 48 SO in 128 AB … at 6’5 / 205, and not turning 21 until late May 2026, he is still somewhat projectable and his body could easily carry another 20-25 pounds of strength … former UCSB RHPs have been very high picks in recent years with Tyler Bremner going #2 overall in the 2025 Draft to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim and Dillon Tate going #4 in the 2015 Draft to the Texas Rangers … Flora has a higher upside than both of those pitchers and with his frame and top-shelf stuff reminds me a lot of a young Kevin Brown … like Bremner and Tate, Flora will likely be a Top-5 pick and would be a great addition to any MLB team.
Give us your feedback
College | Story | 8/7/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: August 7
Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
RHP Jason Flores (@BaseballUGA) Showed some electric stuff, up to 98 several times CT, SL, CH to round out the arsenal in his 5IP 9K performance. @HarwichMariners So./‘27 elig pic.twitter.com/p2nTvkFnWh — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall) August 5, 2026 Jason Flores | RHP | University of Georgia | Harwich Mariners  Flores heads to Georgia this fall looking to reestablish himself as one of the premier arms in the 2027 draft class after showing significant promise during his freshman season at Texas. Flores posted a 2.78 ERA over 32.1 innings as a freshman before a limited sophomore campaign in which he logged just 12 innings. The stuff was on full display this summer, highlighted by a dominant five-inning, nine-strikeout playoff performance in which he touched 98 mph five different times. His fastball averaged nearly 96 mph throughout his time on the Cape, pairing the...
Read More
Press Release | Press Release | 8/18/2026

Perfect Game & Delano Partner Up

Article Image
  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...
Read More
Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: NL Central

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
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...
Read More
Draft | Story | 8/17/2026

2026 MLB Draft Report Cards: AL Central

Joey Cohen
Article Image
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,...
Read More
High School | General | 8/17/2026

Scott Wins MVP Two Ways

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PHILADELPHIA – When the folks at Perfect Game reached out to invite him to pitch in the 2026 PG All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors, Cullen Scott had one request. “You mind if I get a couple of at-bats, too?” Along with his dad, Scott traveled from the family’s home in Texas to Citizens Bank Park. The trip proved to be a huge success as he starred on the mound and at the plate and was named the game’s Most Valuable Player. Scott, 16, pitched a scoreless first inning and struck out two. In the fourth inning, he belted a grand slam six rows up into the left-field seats to lead the National team’s 6-1 win over the American team. “He showed us why he’s here as a pitcher and a hitter,” said Greg Sabers, PG’s vice president of scouting and showcases. "He’s one of the top pitchers here, but he’s too good a...
Read More
All American Game | Story | 8/16/2026

Romero Slams His Way to Classic MVP

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
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...
Read More
All American Game | Story | 8/15/2026

A Philly Dream for Steingall

Jim Salisbury
Article Image
PHILADELPHIA – Carson Steingall had been to Citizens Bank Park many times over the years. After all, he hails from Nazareth, Pa., about 90 minutes up the road from the home of the Philadelphia Phillies and he counts himself as a big fan of the team. Zack Wheeler is his favorite. Steingall realized a dream when he pitched from the same mound that Wheeler does in Perfect Game’s fourth annual All-Star Game for rising sophomores and juniors on Friday. The dream got even better when Steingall, a 16-year-old right-hander, was named Most Valuable Pitcher after striking out the side in the third inning of the National team’s 6-1 victory over the American team. “It’s just an honor to be here,” Steingall said after receiving his trophy. “This event is the best of the best. It’s really cool to win something like this.” Steingall, who’ll...
Read More
Showcase | Story | 8/13/2026

PG Honors Pat Gillick With Philly Showcase

Perfect Game Staff
Article Image
Perfect Game to honor Pat Gillick in new Philadelphia Showcase  By Maya Heyman Perfect Game is bringing its elite showcase experience to Philadelphia’s FDR Park for the inaugural Philly Stars/Pat Gillick Showcase this weekend, honoring one of the greatest executives in MLB history in the city where he constructed his final of three World Series winners. The event will take place on Sunday, the same day as the DICK’S All-American Classic, taking place just across the street at Citizens Bank Park.  The showcase will allow Philadelphia-area players to gain exposure and will also honor Gillick, who has been a tremendous influence in both professional and amateur baseball.   Jered Goodwin, Vice President of Scouting Operations for Perfect Game, said the idea came naturally.  “Going to Philly made a lot of sense to honor Pat Gillick, who's been a...
Read More
General | General | 8/13/2026

PG All-Star Game Heads to Philly

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
For the fourth time since its inception in 2023, two rosters comprised of the best rising juniors (and a handful of rising sophomores) will step out onto the field Friday afternoon, kicking off the All-American weekend. While the Perfect Game All-American Classic is slated for a 1:35 first pitch at Citizens Bank Park on Sunday, 36 future hopefuls of the Classic will go up against one another in an American vs National clash at 11 AM Eastern, Friday morning.  With 36 players from across the country descending on Philadelphia, there will be plenty of familiar names in attendance as 24 of the 36 played in at least one PG Select Festival and all 36 attended either the he Sophomore National, Junior National, or the PG Underclass All-American Games this summer. Leading the charge are a pair of No. 1s in 2028 dynamic talent Dexter McCleon Jr and 2029 Macgraw VanWormer, a do-it-all...
Read More
Tournaments | Championship | 8/12/2026

Pokers Rally to Capture 16U BCS Title

Alyssa Golden
Article Image
Pokers Rally to Capture 16U BCS Title A hot afternoon at JetBlue Stadium in Fort Myers, Florida ended in a 9-1 victory for the Original Florida Pokers 2028 National, defeating SBA Bolts Florida 2028 National on Monday to capture the 16U BCS National Championship. A pitchers’ duel kept the game scoreless through four innings before the Pokers broke it open with a five-run fifth inning. The title marked the Pokers’ second 16U BCS Championship, adding to the championship they won in 2022. Despite a slow start to the summer, the Pokers found their stride at the right time. “We struggled a lot early in the summer, but the past few tournaments we really started turning it on,” Pokers head coach Will McCrimon said. “I’m just so proud of these kids.” Max Maynes started the game on the mound for the Pokers. The left-hander allowed three hits and two walks...
Read More
Draft | Story | 8/11/2026

Realistic Expectations of a 1:1 Pick

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
Over the 2026 draft cycle, UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky was the projected No. 1 pick throughout the entire cycle. White Sox fans began #RochWatch and were already talking about when he will make it to Chicago. Now that he has been selected, Cholowsky has immediately become a Top-10 prospect in all of baseball. There is no denying the hype, and the pressure, for Chowlosky to get to the big leagues and produce at a high level.  But how realistic is that? Let’s take a look back at past 1:1 selections and see what you can expect from a No. 1 overall selection.  For this exercise, we’ll look at No. 1 overall picks from the bonus pool era, excluding Eli Willits from 2025 since this is his first full year of pro ball. That gives us 13 players selected from 2012 through 2024.  Almost All Become Big Leaguers The first thing that stands out is how successful No. 1 picks...
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.