Perfect Game Announces Creation of a Hall of Fame to Honor the Outstanding Achievements of its Alumni

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa, July 19, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Perfect Game Founder and President, Jerry Ford, today announced the creation of the Perfect Game Hall of Fame to recognize and honor the outstanding performances and accomplishments of baseball players who participated in past Perfect Game events while an amateur. 

Perfect Game, the world's largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, has been fortunate to have seen nearly 1,600 young athletes play at the Major League level after appearing in Perfect Game events during their amateur years. And since 2003, 13,324 Perfect Game alumni have been selected in the MLB first-year, amateur player draft.  During last week's 2021 MLB draft, all 36 players selected on the first day (29 first round picks, one compensation pick and six competitive balance round A picks) all played in Perfect Game events, and 95-percent of all players chosen in the 2021 draft are Perfect Game participants.

To be eligible for election into the Perfect Game Hall of Fame, players must have been on a Major League Baseball team's active roster on or before July 15, 2013, and they must have attended multiple Perfect Game events as an amateur.

Based on the above criteria, the 24 players listed below will have their names appear on the inaugural class fan ballot, including some of MLB's biggest stars such as Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Manny Machado, Nolan Arenado, Jason Heyward and Buster Posey, and former standout players, Prince Fielder, David Wright, Carl Crawford, and Brian McCann.

Online fan balloting (www.perfectgame.org/HOF) will take place Monday, July 19 through Wednesday, September 1, and participating fans are allowed to select up to 10 players from the list of 24 eligible players. Fans will be permitted to submit one ballot each day during the online balloting process. 

The top 10 vote getters in fan balloting will be announced September 1, 2021, on PerfectGame.TV.

Perfect Game will honor its Hall of Fame Class of 2021 during a special induction gala on Wednesday, October 6, in the Grand Ballroom of the PGA National Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, FL. The day before the gala, the Perfect Game Cares Foundation will host a Celebrity Golf Classic at PGA National, and from October 7-11, Perfect Game will host its World Wood Bat Association Championships in nearby Jupiter.

Stated Ford: "Over the years, we have been blessed to have had many great players participate in Perfect Game events, and to show our appreciation for their passion and accomplishments in the game, it will be an honor to recognize the best of the best by inducting them into the Perfect Game Hall of Fame. We remain grateful for all of the support Perfect Game receives from the baseball community, and the creation of the Hall of Fame is another way for us to express our gratitude to these great players."

For more information regarding the Perfect Game Hall of Fame Induction Gala and fundraising golf tournament at PGA National Resort and Spa, please click here.

Below is the complete list of Perfect Game alumni eligible for election into its inaugural Hall of Fame's Class of 2021 [Individual player names are linked directly to their scouting page on Perfect Game's website.]:

NAME                                   MLB TEAM

Nolan   Arenado                  Cardinals

Madison Bumgarner          Diamondbacks

Gerrit Cole                            Yankees

Carl Crawford                      Retired

Josh Donaldson                 Twins

Prince   Fielder                    Retired

Freddie Freeman                Braves

Zack Greinke                       Astros

Bryce   Harper                      Phillies

Jason   Heyward                 Cubs

Eric Hosmer                         Padres

Scott   Kazmir                       Giants

Corey   Kluber                     Yankees

DJ LeMahieu                       Yankees

Manny Machado                   Padres

Brian   McCann                   Retired

Andrew McCutchen           Phillies

Buster   Posey                     Giants

Anthony Rizzo                    Cubs

Chris Sale                            Red Sox

Mike Trout                            Angels

Justin Upton                        Angels

Joey Votto                            Reds

David Wright                        Retired

Media Contact: Daron Sutton, dsutton@perfectgame.org; 602-769-5712

About Perfect Game

Perfect Game is the world's largest elite youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, producing over 8,600+ events, 300,000+ games and showcases each year across the country. Perfect Game is dedicated to giving amateur players exposure to take their game to the next level, whether that be in college or in the professional ranks. At Perfect Game events, players are performing with top-level competition in front of college recruiters and professional scouts from all over the country. Because of this, these events prove to be invaluable to the college coaches as well as Major League Baseball, as they can scout a large population of talented ballplayers in one location. To date, more than 1,500 players that have played in a Perfect Game event have also played in Major League Baseball. Since 2003, 13,324 Perfect Game alumni have been selected in the MLB First-Year Amateur Player Draft. In the 2021 Draft, for example, more than 95 percent of all players selected had played in Perfect Game events, and every player selected on the Draft's first day had previously attended Perfect Game events. And in the 2021 College World Series, every player on the rosters of national champion Mississippi State and runner-up Vanderbilt had played in a Perfect Game event.

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SOURCE Perfect Game USA