FORT MYERS, Fla. – The Perfect Game World Showcase can trace its origins back to 1997 when the inaugural event was held at venerable Terry Park near this Southwest Florida city’s historic downtown district.
This weekend, PG’s longest running national showcase event returns to Terry Park for the 18th consecutive year, welcoming mostly high school seniors who come into the event filled with the same hope and promise as those that preceded them nearly a generation earlier.
And the 2015 PG World Showcase is not a stand-alone event. The PG World Uncommitted Showcase and PG National Underclass East Showcase will also welcome prospects to Terry Park Saturday and Sunday (Jan. 3-4).
While the PG World Showcase is billed as a national event, it has lived up to its name in the past – prospects from Canada, Latin America, Japan and Europe have attended – and continues to do this year.
More than 140 will be on hand this weekend, coming from 25 states ranging from Washington to Florida and Arizona to Rhode Island. Another 22 will arrive from Puerto Rico, three from the Dominican Republic and one each from Canada and the Virgin Islands. Nearly 50 of the 2015s on hand are ranked in the top-500 nationally, including eight in the top-135.
The most highly ranked prospect in attendance is a familiar face, indeed – 2015 shortstop Nick Shumpert from Lone Tree, Colo. Shumpert played in the 2014 PG All-American Classic and performed at the 2014 PG National Showcase, where he was named to the Top Prospect Team.
Shumpert, who has signed with Kentucky, was also named the Top Prospect from the class of 2015 at the 2014 PG World Showcase; this is his 36th PG event since June of 2012.
Right-hander Tristan English from Williamson, Ga., and third baseman Parker Kelly from Portland, Ore. – ranked Nos. 47 and 84, respectively – join Shumpert as 2014 PG All-Americans and PG National Showcase alumni on the showcase roster. English has signed with Georgia Tech and Kelly with Oregon.
In PG’s most recent overall (high school, junior college, college) MLB draft rankings published on Nov. 28, Shumpert is slotted at No. 63, English No. 158 and Kelly No. 216.
Other highly ranked 2015s include first baseman Tyrone Perry from Avon Park, Fla. (No. 112, Florida State); shortstop TeKwaan Whyte from Stone Mountain, Ga. (No. 115, Chipola College); outfielder Dexter “DJ” Neal from Lithonia, Ga. (No. 116, South Carolina); outfielder Bryant Harris from Hampton, Ga. (No. 135, Tennessee). Perry joined Shumpert on last year’s World Showcase’s Top Prospect List.
One-hundred and three PG World Showcase alumni have now made their major league debuts, including Los Angeles Dodgers’ outfielder Carl Crawford, who was at the second World Showcase in 1998. More than 730 World graduates have been drafted and nearly 2,000 committed to colleges.
Other notable World alumni include San Diego Padres outfielder Justin Upton (2004) and Houston Astros farmhand Carlos Correa (2011, 2012), both of whom were selected No. 1 overall in their respective MLB drafts.
In recent years, the event has become a favorite post-New Year’s destination of Puerto Rican prospects like Correa, with at least 11 alumni selected in the first nine rounds of the MLB amateur draft since 2011.
The PG World Uncommitted Showcase and PG National Underclass East Showcase provide opportunities for both high school seniors that are still looking for the right college fit and underclassmen who may not have been able to attend the PG National Underclass Showcase-Main Event earlier in the week.
As of mid-week, right around 70 2015 prospects had been accepted to take part in the PG World Uncommitted; close to 100 prospects from the classes of 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 will be at the PG National Underclass East, including 20 from the 2016 and 2017 classes ranked in the top-500 nationally.