THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
Tournaments  | Story | 7/23/2018

17u World Series Notes: Day 4

Photo: Cooper Benson (Perfect Game)

17u Perfect Game World Series: Event Page | Daily Leaders
Scout Notes: 
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3




Playoff day dawned clear and hot at the 17u PG World Series in Peoria, Arizona, and the games started off hot as well. The San Diego Show got a win in their first round matchup with GBG Marucci, and All-American Garrett Frechette (2019, Vista, Calif.) played a key role in this one, going 2-for-2 with four RBI on the day. Frechette has some of the better strength in the class in his lefthanded swing, but has also come along in terms of pure hit-ability, and is now a more complete hitter who keeps getting better from an offensive perspective. He’s got the ability to cover the plate and work to all fields, and does so while doing a better job of recognizing pitches and controlling the strike zone.

Steven Vasquez (2019, Upland, Calif.) got the win for the Show, going 4-plus solid innings, and was wholly dominant to start the game before turning the lineup over became a bit of a trouble spot. He’s a lithely-built righthander with good projection remaining physically, and the arm speed in conjunction with the ease of operation of his mechanical profile give him a pretty substantial upside at the next level, where he’s committed to UCLA. He worked up to 86 mph in this one, with the fastball really coming out of his hand well, and showed the ability to spin a good breaking ball that he landed for strikes, with good tunnel out of the hand. He’s going to be especially interesting to follow up on in the spring from a draft perspective, as there is prodigious upside here.




GBG reliever Josh Swales (2020, Porter Ranch, Calif.) came on in relief and while he didn’t have his best day, there’s still a lot to like from the young righthander, something we’ve seen over the past several weeks. Swales has a good body with projection remaining and present above-average arm speed, and he runs his fastball up to 92 mph early on in most of his outings. He didn’t quite have his command on this day, but still showed off that quick arm as well as pretty quality sinking life to the fastball in the instances where he commanded it down in the zone. He worked in a 10-to-4 shaped curveball with slurvy, longer shape and also showed a firm changeup with the beginnings of some fade. 

USA Prime and BPA locked into a heavyweight bout in their early playoff matchup, with USA Prime ending up ahead by a score of 2-1. Andrew Morris (2018, Lafayette, Colo.), who is listed as a mere 16 years old in the already-graduated class of 2018, got the start and went the distance for Prime, with an excellent performance. Morris worked up to 90 mph with his fastball, throwing straight downhill from an overtop slot, creating tremendous plane when he leveraged the ball to the bottom of the zone. He showed the ability to land his curveball for strikes as well, stealing early strikes often with the pitch, and with the projection remaining on his frame and his very young age relative to his grade, he has excellent remaining upside. 




BPA sent PG event veteran Cooper Benson (2019, San Luis Obispo, Calif.) to the mound and while he ended up taking the loss, he was quite good in his five innings. Benson has a good combination of present size and remaining projection, and the body definitely looks the part of a next-level pitching prospect. He’s got some deception to his delivery with late effort over the front side, but works quickly and is up-tempo throughout. His fastball worked up to 90 mph, cruising mostly in the 86-89 mph range in the early going, and he creates excellent angles to the plate with the pitch. The breaking ball has some variations to it, usually on a traditional 1-to-7 curveball shape, but he does show the ability to get to the side of the pitch a bit and turn it into a bit sharper 2-to-8 slurvy shape. He also demonstrated excellent feel for his changeup, turning it over well without any loss of arm speed, and was adept at throwing all three pitches for strikes. 

USA Prime continued their winning ways by beating the San Diego Show 3-2 later on Sunday afternoon. Hank Bard (2019, Parker, Colo.) started behind the plate, and the Kentucky commit looks like a potential high-level defender at the collegiate level. He does an excellent job receiving, without any extraneous head movement and able to get the thumb under a sinking fastball quite well, presenting it and stealing strikes. He can move well to both sides to block balls, and that athleticism projects well, even as he continues to gain strength to his frame. 

Jace Jung (2019, San Antonio, Texas) is a fixture in the middle of the USA Prime lineup, and is committed to Texas Tech where he’ll follow his older brother Josh, who right now looks like a potential first rounder in the 2019 draft. Jase, like his brother, is a strongly-built third base prospect who has enough athleticism to play there right now, and Jace has the profile advantage of swinging the bat from the left side. There’s lots of present bat speed and strength to Jung’s swing right now, showing the ability to move the barrel around the zone with good hand-eye coordination, and he’s got a whole-field approach and ideal launch, giving him the upside to be an excellent hitter at the next level. 

CBA Marucci, as the No. 1 seed, waited all day to play NorCal later on Sunday afternoon, a game NorCal won in exhilarating fashion late in the game. Glenallen Hill, Jr. (2019, Santa Cruz, Calif.) hit a bases-clearing missle of a triple in the top of the seventh inning to take NorCal from down 4-3 to up 6-4, a lead they held onto for the win. Hill has been written about already this week as an ultra-twitchy, athletic prospect who shows off excellent bat speed from the left side. There is some rawness to the overall profile at present but the loudness of the tools, especially the athleticism, speed, and bat speed are all enticing, and he’ll be monitored closely heading into next spring. 

CBA had a tremendous tournament as a part of a tremendous summer overall, and Joseph Naranjo (2019, Chino, Calif.) is a big reason why. The lefthanded swinging first baseman possesses some of the best pure bat-to-ball skills in the class, showing the ability to made mid-AB adjustments and move the barrel around the zone with a smooth, easy stroke. He works to all fields and doesn’t try to do too much, and is consistently comfortable working the other way, but unlike a lot of hitters who go the opposite way with regularity, Naranjo can also get the head out with authority and pull the ball. He would likely be an immediate impact bat at the next level. 

CBA brought in flamethrowing righthander Andrew Devine (2019, Simi Valley, Calif.) later on in the game, and while Devine struggled to throw strikes consistently, he stood out as maybe having the best arm speed of anyone in the event. A Texas Tech commit, Devine worked up to 94 mph with his fastball several times, showing off a very fast, whippy right arm that produces big time velocity despite being 5-foot-8, 155 pounds. Once the Texas Tech coaching staff evens out his mechanical profile and gets him throwing more strikes as well as physically stronger, Devine may be one of the hardest throwers in college baseball. 

Joseph King (2019, Redwood City, Calif.) closed out the NorCal win in a dominant way, striking out three over a 30 pitch, two-inning outing, never really getting into any trouble. King has excellent size and overall build, with a very good combination of athleticism and strength, and he’s actually a primary catcher who is one of the better two-way prospects in the class. He worked up to 93 mph with his fastball, cruising around 88-92 mph, creating good plane to the plate from an overtop slot. His curveball also showed as a dynamic, future-plus offering, thrown in the 80-83 mph range with hammer two-plane break, acting like a slider at times but thrown as a curveball. He has excellent control of two very good pitches right now, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him contribute immediately as a two-way prospect at Washington State, should he make it to campus there.

PG All-American righthander Wesley Scott (2019, Riverside, Calif.) had a rough outing earlier in the week for Blackhawks National but was much more solid on Sunday, working two scoreless innings while striking out three hitters.  Scott's fastball was in the 88-91 mph range and he snapped off some sharp mid-70s breaking balls that fooled righthanded hitters.  For this scout, Scott's inconsistencies recently are related to the timing in his front side mechanics, which were much better executed much of the time this outing than the previous couple of appearances.

This event was the 24th Perfect Game tournament that righthander Cole Stupp (2019, Milton, Ga.) has thrown in and the sixth in 2018 after throwing in 11 PG tournaments in 2017.  His velocity progression has been incredible steady over that extended time and the 6-foot-4, 190-pound Kentucky commit took another step in that progression, topping out at 92 mph while pitching two scoreless innings with four strikeouts.  Stupp has worked mainly in the upper-80s, topping out at 90, during 2018 after being mostly 84-87 during 2017.  He also throws a mid to upper-70s curveball that is a promising second pitch with good power and spin.



Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
Tournaments | Story | 12/17/2025

15u Tourney All-American Team

Jason Phillips
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Landon Bonner The 2028 class saw many players from across the country take the next step in their development as they entered the High School ranks. There were huge performances from highly ranked players on the PG circuit as well as some under-the-radar guys who burst onto the scene. Landon Bonner came into Sophomore National as a Top 500 ranked player and after an impressive showing, left with all eyes on him as a rankings riser in the class. The left-handed hitting shortstop from The Colony, Texas, had a summer to remember with All-Tournament Team selections in three of his next four events culminating with a historic performance at the 2025 PG 15U WWBA National Championship. The Hebron High School prep went 20-for-24 in nine games for 5 Star Mafia 15U Black with four homeruns and 12 runs batted in. He also scored 17 runs and finished with a mind-boggling 2.500...
Tournaments | Story | 12/16/2025

16u Tourney All-American Team

AJ Denny
Article Image
Hitter of the Year: Koa Romero is the Hitter of the Year for the 16u group, as he would come to every premier event of the summer and earn All-Tournament honors (Beast of the East, 16/17u WWBA, Jupiter) in every single one. Over 82 plate appearances, Romero would pump ten homeruns with forty two RBI and sixteen walks, good for a .378 average and 1.339 OPS. The performance on volume at the best events of the year pushed Romero over the edge here, as he’d hit a pair of homeruns in Jupiter (one of them at 112 EV) as an underclassmen and collect double digit hits in BOTH WWBA events with a combined six jacks over the two tournaments. It was a summer that combined performance and winning on the biggest stages for Romero. It’s a quiet left-handed swing that packs a punch. He would reap the benefits of his performances, earning a commitment to LSU and jumping to the #74 prospect in...
College | Recruiting | 12/15/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 15

John McAdams
Article Image
Tucker Rice (27 MS) bumping up to 91; living hi-80s from real fast arm. Good SL @ 77-79 w/ depth & sold w/ intent. Loads of traits & strikes. #WWBA @PG_Uncommitted @PG_DeepSouth pic.twitter.com/DEjFqRcsIY — Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 6, 2025 Tucker Rice, RHP, Class of 2027 Commitment: Alabama Alabama has continued to stay red hot in the recruiting trail ever since August 1st rolled around on the calendar and have continued to stack major pieces in their ’27 class. They dip into Mississippi to land one of the premier arms and one that’s stood out on the circuit for quite some time. It’s a fast arm and the athleticism certainly shines working down the slope. The velocity has continued to tick up over the last calendar year and reached into the low-90s towards the end of the summer. He’s confident in his changeup and the breaking ball is...
Tournaments | Story | 12/15/2025

17u Tourney All-American Team

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
There’s a lot of talent throughout this 2026 class, filled with the big-name stars, to talent that spreads across the nation. It’s been a lot of fun seeing these prospects grow and develop over the years, from the days of watching some of these guys at the 13/14u days at events on the circuit, to now where they are all graduating seniors in 2026. There’s been new faces who have popped along the way over the years, even in 2026, where some players who were relatively undiscovered, have come out and made a name for themselves with a statement performance. Between the familiar and the new, there’s a lot of names on this list that are going to be quite regularly talked about on the circuit, and for good reason.  Whether it’s PG All-Americans or not, there’s a lot of names with superstar potential at the next level. We’ve got 14 PG All-Americans...
Tournaments | Story | 12/13/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2029

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 | Class of 2028 These guys might just be entering high school, but they've certainly already made a name for themselves on the national circuit, especially with their abilities on the defensive side of things.  C: Xavier Rodriguez (Logansville, GA) Rodriguez is a polished defender with real arm strength behind the dish, while showcasing the ability to impact the baseball with authority to all fields evident by thirty of his sixty-five hits going for extra-bases including seven bombs. He handles high-level pitching extremely well, commands his staff and his offensive prowess makes him a true two-way asset. 1B: Cooper Knight (Buda, TX) Knight is a smooth operator at first base with plenty of range, fluidity and agility in his footwork around the bag. Add-in a rocket for an arm, the ability to change slots and to...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Scout Stories: Part 5

AJ Denny
Article Image
Best Game I Saw: The Dream NTL 18U vs. MBA Scout Team Murphy Jupiter always brings out the best, and we got fireworks from the jump. Turner Marshall gave The Dream an outstanding 4+ innings of work on the mound, holding a lethal MBA team at bay with Chance Dixon, Derrick Carter, and Ellis Appling providing an offensive spark out of the gate for the Georgia based boys. However, it was only a matter of time before the talent on the other side got going, as MBA erased a 3-run deficit in the 5th to take a 4-3 lead led by a Parker Loew HR. The Dream then took command again in the Top of the 6th, before MBA punched right back with a huge 5-run inning in the bottom half capped off by a clutch RBI single from Matthew Kerrigan, ending a wild sequence with tons of notable performances from two very competitive rosters. Best Tournament Performance I Saw: Surely someone has already brought this...
College | Story | 12/12/2025

College Notebook: December 12

Craig Cozart
Article Image
Nebraska Cornhuskers 2025 Highlights: The Cornhuskers were a difficult team to figure in ’25 as they finished with 33 wins, played just .500 (15-15) in the Big Ten but had some big wins at various times during the season and got hot at the right time. They knocked off then #16 Vanderbilt in the second game of the year, beat #5 Oregon State 2-out-of-3 at home in late March and then got hot at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha to win the Big Ten Tournament. They beat Michigan State in a 10-inning thriller before taking care of #4 Oregon, knocking off Penn State and then shutout #13 UCLA to punch their ticket to the Chapel Hill Regional. Head coach Will Bolt has now led his alma mater to three conference titles and three NCAA Regional appearances during his six years in Lincoln. No different than when he was a player, Bolt’s teams play with passion and toughness, this was never more...
Tournaments | Story | 12/12/2025

Finest in the Field: Class of 2028

Troy Sutherland
Article Image
Finest in the Field: Class of 2026 | Class of 2027 You like athletes? You like defenders who can impact a game at any given point? Look not further than this class as it's loaded from coast-to-coast with elite defenders all over the diamond.  C: Brogan Witcher, Bakersfield, CA Our scouting staff got several strong looks at Witcher whether that was at the Summer Kickoff, Sophomore National or the Underclass All American Games where he showcased his strong overall skillset and especially his advanced ability behind the plate. His 6-foot-3,180 pound build looks like one that will fill in quite nicely and be that big and physical catcher’s frame. His arm talent is undeniable where he gets it out quick and runs it up to 79 mph on throwdowns to 2nd (1.84 pop). Besides the standout catch/throw ability, we’ve seen him frame/receive strong arms and block it well during...
Loading more articles...