Best of 7 Series: Southeast

Greg Gerard

Photo: Ryan Hagenow (Perfect Game)

Each segment of the Best of 7, 10-part series has been assembled by one of PG’s scouts. The idea of this exercise is to put together a team with the best amateur players from 10 different regions from across the country in an attempt to win a seven-game series. The players are not necessarily the top prospects in each state/region, but those that have consistently proven they have what it takes to win consistently at a high level. Which region would win such a series? Stay tuned to Perfect Game and join us @PerfectGameUSA to chime in.

Best of 7 Series: Florida | Pacific

Southeast Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee

Fernando Gonzalez
At a premium position like catcher some would argue that the defensive skillset would outweigh the bat, and in this case why not have both? Gonzalez is a standout defender behind the plate with a bat that is going to play into his collegiate as well as professional playing days. Gonzalez burst onto the Perfect Game scene at the 2019 Sunshine Southeast Showcase where he earned a trip to the National Showcase and has been a big-time talent on the summer circuit ever since. The Georgia commit has a large sample size at PG events and hit .339 in 2019 in 138 plate appearances.

Blaze Jordan
There may not be a more highlighted player in the country regardless of age than corner infielder Blaze Jordan. Jordan has been committed to Mississippi State since he was 14 years old and has been hitting 400-foot home runs since that age as well. The bat speed and power play in a huge way while his defensive skillset has improved rapidly in the past calendar year showing that he can play on either side of the corner infield. Jordan. Hailing from Southaven, Mississippi and DeSoto Central High School, Jordan was a lock for this list given his track record on the PG circuit as well as his potential high-end draft status coming this year.

Austin Martin
Yes, he has made the transition to center field late in the abbreviated season, but on this team the potential 1:1 pick in this year’s draft is clearly versatile and going to be slotted at the second base position. Martin had a monster season a year ago, which followed a solid freshman campaign, and before the break this year was off to another loud season. A career .368 hitter and a key leader to the 2019 College World Series team, Martin has seen his share of amazing accolades during his time in Nashville. It is very hard to argue the production of what Martin has done in his time at Vanderbilt and was the easy first choice on this All-Southeast Team.

Jordan Westburg
Westburg is dripping in tools and is right up there with Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad for most raw power on the team. On top of Westburg’s huge power comes a plus arm at shortstop and a plus run tool. A career .285 hitter for the Bulldogs of Mississippi State, Westburg is a legitimate starting shortstop who could move to third base long term. On this Southeast team, however, Westburg will play shortstop and bat near the middle of the order given his proven SEC success as well as being a power threat at the plate. Westburg is currently the No. 43 player on the PG 2020 MLB Draft list.

Cayden Wallace
Wallace has a strong arm that will play well at third base and is also a big power threat at the plate. The righthanded hitting third baseman from Greenbrier High School in Arkansas is committed to the Razorbacks as well and was also a 2019 PG All-American. His tools are very loud as he runs a sub-6.70 60 and had an exit velocity of 103 mph at the National Showcase. The Arkansas commit is a lifetime .353 hitter on the PG circuit and has hit five bombs in his 136 at-bats.

Daniel Cabrera
Outfield was the toughest position to select for this team as there is an immense amount of talent in the Southeast. Cabrera was the first selected as a surefire choice to produce at the plate as he has done for three years playing for the LSU Tigers. The all-around hit tool along with the potential to hit for power at the plate puts Cabrera as the likely three-hole hitter on this loaded roster. Cabrera got off to a bit of a slow start to the 2020 season but picked it up rapidly before the unfortunate end to the season posting a .345-2-12 stat line in 17 games played.

Robert Hassell III
Hassell unfortunately did not get to start his senior season at Independence High School in Tennessee due to COVID-19, but considering what Hassell has proven along the summer circuit as well as in his scrimmages prior to the 2020 season, he is a certain superstar on the diamond. Hassell is the 14th-ranked player in the country and was one of the first players to be named a 14u PG Select Festival participant as well as a PG All-American giving a strong glimpse of his standout ability throughout all four years of his prep days. Hassell is projected as a first round talent in this year’s draft and has hit just under .500 in his 63 PG at-bats.

Heston Kjerstad
Picking the final outfield position on the Southeast Team was undoubtedly the toughest decision of any on this roster. Picking among a slew of names, Arkansas’ Heston Kjerstad and his nearly 80-grade power made the cut. Kjerstad is a huge performer for the Razorbacks with double-digit homers and an average above .330 in each of the last two seasons. His start to 2020 was among the best of any Division I player in the country with already six homers and a .448 batting average through 16 games. Kjerstad is the power bat in this lineup and the likely candidate to be slotted in the cleanup spot.

Jordan Walker
The No. 1 player in the 2020 class Jordan Walker is the designated hitter on this team given his track record of being able to hit for both power and average at a very high level. Walker is a primary third baseman who also bats righthanded with a strong arm, above average run tool, plenty of power potential and will likely be an early round draft pick in the 2020 MLB Draft. Walker has committed to Duke and has been well-documented on the Perfect Game circuit with his rapid climb through the ranks over the past four years.

Brett McGee
We needed a sleeper on this team and none other than Southern Arkansas’ Brett McGee was selected as the lone bench player as a backup catcher. McGee is the lone Division II player on the list as his .424 batting average and nine home runs really stood out among small school players, on top of the fact that lefthanded hitting catchers are a personal favorite. A native Texan, McGee is in his sophomore season with the Muleriders and has done nothing but produce at the plate for SAU since stepping onto campus.

Emerson Hancock
The 1-2 punch of Hancock and Wilcox at UGA had the potential to be one of the best tandems of pitchers in the SEC in a long time. Hancock a projected top 5 pick before the season and Wilcox – who had about as loud of a start to the 2020 season as any arm in America – could have pitched the Bulldogs all the way to Omaha if it had not been for an awful end to the season. Hancock runs his fastball into the upper-90s with a plus slider and changeup and is coming off of a 2019 season where he posted a sub-2.00 ERA in 14 starts. Any of these pitchers listed here could be labeled as an ace on this staff, but it is pretty hard to argue with Hancock being the first pitcher selected on this list.

Cole Wilcox
Followed by Hancock is his teammate, Cole Wilcox. The large righthander has made tremendous strides with pitching coach Sean Kenny over the course of the past year as a draft-eligible sophomore in 2020. The strikes and swings-and-misses have gone up while the balls thrown have gone down, a great recipe for a guy whose fastball can reach 100 mph with a power slider and improved changeup. Wilcox has all the stuff of a first-round talent, and given his 1.57 ERA, 32-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio and microscopic WHIP (sub-1.00) Wilcox was well on his way to an improved draft stock prior to the halted season.

Garrett Crochet
A healthy Garrett Crochet can go up against anyone in the country, and while he was slowed by an injury for the better part of three-plus potential starts, Crochet will still make this list given his career and potential first round selection come (hopefully) June. Crochet, without a doubt, is the top lefthander in the region and is going to strike out more than a batter per inning as he has for the Volunteers over the past three seasons. There are some potential reliever traits for Crochet on this team as he has elite stuff and is one of just two lefthanders on the team. In his career at Tennessee Crochet has a 4.64 ERA in 132 innings with 149 strikeouts and just 48 walks.

Mason Hickman
Potentially the most successful pitcher on this list hails from Vanderbilt in righthander Mason Hickman. Starting the 2020 season with three dominant starts with an ERA below 1.00 and a 26-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 18 2/3 innings, Hickman may be the opening day starter for this team because you know you are likely going to walk off of the field with a win. He’s not the most glorified draft guy as his stuff doesn’t match his more well-known teammates, but the performance for the Commodores over the past three seasons speaks for itself after being named the Most Valuable Pitcher at the 2016 WWBA World Championship for the title-winning Dirtbags.

Tanner Burns
A three-year starter for the Auburn Tigers and projected first rounder come June, Burns along with Hancock, Wilcox, Crochet and Hickman are all a “take your pick” on who would start on opening day. Burns has a proven track record on the Plains of Auburn with a career 2.86 ERA in 188 2/3 innings that includes 210 strikeouts. His power stuff is going to provide lots of swing-and-miss while, if needed, could be a lethal bullpen arm for a potential one-inning stint as well. A PG All-American in 2016 and PG’s National High School Two-Way Player of the Year in 2017, Burns turned down the Yankees 37th-round selection in 2017, but in 2020 should see a lot more money thrown his way whenever the MLB Draft may take place.

Gavin Stone
A strike-throwing righthander from Central Arkansas, Stone can run his fastball into the mid-90s and would be a great bullpen arm on this squad. A pretty high projected draft name this season as well, Stone was off to a dominating start to the 2020 season. Converting from a closer in 2018 and 2019 to a starter in 2020, Stone struck out more than a batter per inning and walked just six opposing hitters in 27 2/3 innings before the cancellation of the season. His combination of a 90-95 mph fastball, average slider and above average command of the strike zone would pay dividends at the back end of a bullpen on a team like this.

Dylan Ray
Ray’s performance at the PG High School Showdown was pretty eye-opening and made him a clear first choice in the region for prep arms to be included on this prestigious roster. Ray’s fastball sits 92-94 mph with a hammer curveball that is a lethal strikeout pitch. The Alabama native and signee to the Crimson Tide would be the first arm out of the bullpen on this roster given his stuff and ability to go extended innings if needed. Ray has improved his command mightily over the course of the last year and with that his draft stock has also risen prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ryan Hagenow
Hagenow is a personal favorite on the mound after seeing him pitch for eXposure in the fall of 2018, leading to him being a highly recognized arm out of Farragut High School in Tennessee. Hagenow was invited to PG National and PG All-American Classic as the Kentucky commit has performed extremely well virtually every time out on the mound at PG events, including a dominant six =0batter, six-strikeout two-inning outing at PG National. Hagenow has a low-90s fastball now that could continue to climb as he matures even more physically as well as secondary stuff that creates swing-and-miss opportunities.

Hayden Durke
Durke, like Hagenow, is another personal favorite in the Southeast hailing from Abbeville, Louisiana and North Vermilion High School. Durke’s fastball can reach 95 mph and is slotted as a seventh-round pick on PG’s draft list. His performance at Perfect Game events throughout the last three years has been sensational playing for Sheets Baseball. His 8-1 record and 49 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings, including a win in Jupiter this past October, make him a solid choice for a bullpen arm on the Southeast Team.

Patrick Holloman
There is not a more consistent prep strike thrower in the region than southpaw Patrick Holloman. Why not have a pitcher who is not going to walk a lot of guys on your team? It dates back to his 14u days on the PG circuit when Holloman was a strike-throwing machine and has been that way ever since. The velocity is not going to blow anyone away in the mid- to upper-80s with solid secondaries, but the lefty just gets outs. There have been reports of Holloman also making a recent velocity jump into the low-90s, and if that is the case, then he could be a lethal arm on this loaded roster.

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