Both Perfect Game and Baseball Factory recently held their annual showcase games for the best high school players in the country, mostly kids who will be eligible for the 2027 MLB Draft. The PG game (the Dick’s All-American Classic) took place at Citizens Bank Park on Aug. 16 and the Baseball Factory game (The Under Armour Next All-America Game) was at Camden Yards on Aug. 30. I went to both games, and there was some overlap between the two, so I’m going to highlight some of the best and most notable players I saw in both games together in one article. (All players listed here are draft-eligible for 2027.)
Louisiana outfielder Jordin Griffin was the most electric player on the field in both games, an 80 (on the 20-80 scouting scale) runner with bat speed and strength who also happens to be committed to LSU for football. Griffin struck out in his only two plate appearances in the PG game, on 97 mph away and then on two straight changeups down. In the Under Armour game, he put the ball in play four times, running 4.07 or better to first on three ground outs while also lining a hard single to left. If he chooses baseball, I’ll gladly bet on someone this athletic who already has some feel to hit.
The best hitter I saw in either game was Cooper Goff, an outfielder from Herriman, Utah, who played in both games but really showed off in Baltimore, where he homered, doubled and struck out twice. He showed good bat speed, which helps make up for a deep hand load and slight wrap that gets him into the zone a little later. If he cleans that up, he might get to plus power fairly quickly.
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Among the pitchers, the PG game was full of velocity, moreso than the UA game, but the most impressive pitcher in Philadelphia was the guy who threw strikes and missed bats with the fastball, Andrew Carlson, from Valencia, Calif. Carlson faced three batters, striking out two, going 94-96 with good ride, showing a solid-average slider and working with a nice compact delivery he repeated well. He’s committed to TCU.
Chubb Jones Jr. — who really should walk up to “The Chubbster” — is a two-way player who was one of the best pitchers to throw in either game, going two innings in the Under Armour game, punching out three with no walks. (I can’t emphasize how much it matters when a pitcher in one of these events doesn’t walk anyone — at this point, it’s far more noteworthy than throwing hard.) He has a fast arm and sat 95-96 with a solid changeup and two really tight breaking balls. The slider needs more velocity but it’s got great shape to it already.
Sebastian “Sushi” Wilson — who really should walk up to Young Fathers’ “Rice” — also homered in the Under Armour game, going back-to-back with Goff. He played in both games, with the homer his only hit, going 1-for-5 with a walk and a pair of strikeouts. There’s definitely power in there, and he’s done a lot of damage on contact over the summer as a whole. He’s a fringy runner at best and he’s going to be a corner outfielder, so there’s pressure on the bat. The IMG Academy slugger is committed to Tennessee.
Max Hemenway — who really should walk up to “For Whom the Bell Tolls” — played in both games, going 0-for-2 with a pair of walks, both in Baltimore, and one strikeout. The IMG Academy infielder rarely swings and misses, with that one punchout coming on 96 down and in, but the bat speed looks average right now. He’s committed to Tennessee and will turn 19 in May.
Georgia shortstop Malachi Butler had one softly hit single in four at-bats in the Under Armour game, and went 0-for-1 with a walk in the Perfect Game contest, a quiet showing for one of the top prospects in the class. The Georgia Tech commit has performed well all summer, with high contact rates and limited chase, and has a good chance to stick at shortstop. I just didn’t get to see much of it. He’ll turn 18 after the draft, assuming the draft doesn’t move later than July.
Right-hander George Ferguson from Abilene, Texas, started the Under Armour game and threw the second inning in the Perfect Game contest, showing similar stuff in both outings. Between the two games, he was 95-98 with a slider at 84-87 and changeup at 87-89. It’s a funky delivery and his arm is a tick late, but he looks like he’s generating at least some of that power with his lower half. He’s 6-foot-4 and listed at 218, so he’s what you expect from a Texas pitcher. He’s committed to Texas.
I was glad to see Greyson Parker on the mound and pitching well at the UA game, as his PG inning was a disaster — he threw an unfathomable 40 pitches and gave up six runs, including a game-ending grand slam. At Camden Yards, he was 91-93 with a slider and a changeup, clearly trying to go right after guys early in the count. He started out 92-95 in Philly but was down to 90-93 by the end of the outing, running into some bad luck while also not showing the same command he did in the UA game.
Dylan “I’ll leave when I’m ready” Seward was only in the PG event, going 0-for-2 with a strikeout while reaching on an error, continuing a somewhat disappointing summer for one of the most highly regarded prospects in the class. My friends at Baseball America have him ranked as the top overall prospect for 2027, and MLB Pipeline had him going first in their just-for-fun mock for 2027. He’s had trouble with contact, notably on fastballs, at multiple events this summer, including the Area Code Games. Area Code provides a longer look and larger sample than these one-off events, which is more significant because the expectations coming in were so high.
Right-hander Striker Pence, nephew of 14-year MLB veteran Hunter Pence, started the game in Philly and was 96-98, hitting 99 on a pitch to the backstop, with a slider at 82-85 that had some sweeping action from his low three-quarters slot. He has very little hip rotation, so that velocity isn’t coming from his lower half, and his arm is really late. He just reclassified this summer to get into the 2027 draft and remains uncommitted.
Right-hander Cullen Scott also reclassified, announcing it just last week, and then appeared in the UA game, where he started the bottom of the first and was 94-96 with a so-so mid-80s slider, working with a high-effort delivery with a big head-whack and throwing about half his pitches for balls. I liked him more at the plate, where he had four hits and really showed the ability to manipulate the bat to put the ball in play. He played for Team New Zealand in the 2023 WBSC 15U qualifiers, and played some rugby when he was younger. He’s from Melissa, Texas, a bit north of the Metroplex, and remains uncommitted.