CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – It’s the granddaddy of all the Perfect Game showcase events, and the old boy returns on Monday, May 16, for a noteworthy anniversary celebration.
The 15th annual Perfect Game Pre-Draft National Showcase will be held at Perfect Game Field at Veterans Memorial Stadium here, just up and across the street from Perfect Game headquarters. The showcase event ranks as one of the oldest in PG’s history and was created to give scouts a last look at some excellent prospects before the MLB June Amateur Draft.
A Monday date for the Pre-Draft National is chosen to accommodate scouting directors, area scouts and cross-checkers who would likely be at college games over the weekend.
The PG Pre-Draft National Showcase attracts players from across the country, including those in high school, college and junior college, and numerous highly regarded prospects are committed again this year. With the first day of this year’s MLB draft set for June 6, the time remaining for players to get in front of scouts is running short but the Pre-Draft National isn’t their last opportunity.
Perfect Game will hold four showcases June 4-5 leading up to the first day of the draft. Those events are the National Academic Showcase in Fort Myers, Fla.; the Sunshine East Showcase, also in Fort Myers; the Sunshine South Showcase in Houston; and the Sunshine Northeast in West Windsor, N.J.
The Pre-Draft National still offers excellent opportunities for both players and scouts.
More than 200 Pre-Draft National alumni have been drafted through the years, including 22 of the 2010 participants. Seven first-round selections have attended the event (with years attended in parentheses) – Jonathan Arencibia (2004), Jeff Clement (1999, ’00, ’01), Lance Broadway (’02), Chad James (’09), Jon Gilmore (’05, ’06, ’07), Yasmani Grandal (’07) and Tim Wheeler (’06).
Notable second round draft selections that performed at the Pre-Draft National include Boston Red Sox All-Star outfielder Carl Crawford (’99), Atlanta Braves All-Star catcher Brian McCann (’02) and Oakland A’s outfielder Ryan Sweeney (’01, ’02, ’03).