Of the
50 players that will take the field Saturday night as part of the
Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Game, 34 had previously attended a
Perfect Game event, representing 68-percent of the two 25-man
rosters.
Seven
of those 34 players are also former Perfect Game All-Americans,
including Xavier Avery, Gerrit Cole, Christian Colon, Robbie
Grossman, Bryce Harper, Jeremy Jeffress and Kyle Skipworth. Cole,
Colon, Harper, Jeffress and Skipworth were first-round draft picks,
with Cole going first overall to the Pirates this past year and
Harper going first to the Nationals in 2010.
Colon
was named the MVP of the Classic in 2006, and was taken fourth
overall by the Royals in 2010.
Former
Perfect Game participant Danny Hultzen, a left-handed pitcher, made
his professional debut in the Arizona Fall League after being
selected second overall this past year by the Seattle Mariners.
Fellow lefty and first-round pick Jed Bradley is also making his pro
debut in the AFL.
The
same can be said for outfielder Mikie Mahtook, who was also a
first-round pick from the 2011 draft.
Other
notable top prospects and Perfect Game alumni participating as
'Rising Stars' include Nolan Arenado, Jason Castro, Michael Choice,
Matt Dominguez, Nick Franklin, Anthony Gose, Wil Myers, Joe Panik and
Mike Trout.
Every
year the Arizona Fall League chooses who they view as the top
prospects participating in the fall developmental league to be a part
of their 'all-star' event. The AFL is considered to be a final
tuneup for young players prior to making the eventual ascent to the
Major Leagues, with a handful of these players, such as Castro and
Trout, already having a taste of life in the big-leagues.
The
game will be played at 8:10 EST at Surprise Stadium and will be
televised live on the MLB Network. You can view the entire roster
here.