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Minors  | General  | 12/2/2024

PG Down on the Farm: AL East

David Rawnsley     
It’s the time of the year again (i.e. the off-season) for the annual PG Down on the Farm feature.  We identify a top prospect in each of the 30 Major League organizations with as much Perfect Game background as possible and delve into that PG history for some insight into his development as a prospect.  Some of them might be high profile, high draft pick, ex-PG All-American talents who fans have been long familiar with.  Others might be more obscure prospects who have significantly improved either in college or as professionals.  Note that players who have used up their rookie eligibility are not considered.

The idea isn’t to necessarily pick the best PG background prospect in each organization but the one who might be closest to the big leagues.  Sometimes that is the same player, other times not.



And there is plenty of variation among organizations in their quantity and quality of prospects, whether it be those with PG backgrounds or not. 

The profiles will be organized by League/Division and run on the following schedule:

American League East  (December 2)
American League Central  (December 4)
American League West  (December 6)
National League East  (December 9)
National League Central  (December 11)
National League West  (December  13)


American League East

Baltimore Orioles  --  RHP Patrick Reilly

High School:  Christian Brothers Academy (Freehold, NJ)
Travel Team:  Baseball U
College:  Vanderbilt
Final PG Class Ranking: 147
Drafted:  5th round, 2023, Pittsburgh
Highest 2024 Level:  AA
2025 Age:  23

Reilly was a well-known prospect from New Jersey as early as his sophomore year and was very active on the 2018 summer circuit going into his junior year while pitching for Baseball U.  He threw well at the WWBA 16U National Championships and had his best tournament at the 2018 PGBA 17U Mid-Atlantic Summer Championship, striking out 12 hitters in 6.2 innings over two games.  He ended the year with a couple of outings in the 2018 WWBA World Championships and was 84-88 with his fastball to go with a 74 mph curveball.

Reilly only threw in one event in the 2019 summer but really had his coming out party at the 2019 WWBA World Championships in the fall, topping out at 96 mph and not dripping below 91 over 6.1 innings while also mixing in a curveball, slider and change up.  He ended up 147th in the Perfect Game Class of 2020 rankings and second overall in New Jersey.

Reilly spent three years at Vanderbilt bouncing between the starting rotation and the bullpen and even starting seven games as a freshman.  He remained healthy his whole college career and maintained the same type of mid-90’s velocity that he showed at Jupiter as a high school senior.  Strikes were a consistent problem over all three years, however and Reilly never settled into a steady role on the Vandy staff.  He finished his three years with 93 walks in 144 innings and a 5.25 ERA, including 6.89 in 48 innings as a junior.

A healthy arm and plus stuff at a major program will always get rewarded in the draft even without much success and that was Reilly’s case as he was picked in the fifth round of the 2023 draft by the Pirates and signed for a $453,100 bonus.

2024 Summary
Reilly was traded by the Pirates to the Orioles about a year after signing for outfielder Billy Cook, who ended the year in the Pirates outfield.  Aside from that, the year was a huge success for Reilly, as he was able to make 25 starts and throw 119 innings between High A and AA, striking out 146 hitters and allowing only 82 hits.  His walk rate edged down to 59 in those 119 innings.

2025 Perspective
Reilly seems destined to eventually use his elite level stuff out of the bullpen given his command issues and that transition would hasten his route to the big leagues.  But his success as a starter will likely encourage the Orioles to continue to start him in 2025, most likely in AA.

2023 Featured PG Player:  3B Coby Mayo
2024 Update:  Mayo had no problems hitting in AAA, posting a .293-25-73/.964 OPS line in 93 games despite missing time with a broken rib.  He struggled, however, in his MLB debut, hitting 4-41 (.098) with 22 strikeouts.

2022 Featured PG Player:  RHP Grayson Rodriguez
2021 Featured PG Player:  IF Gunnar Henderson


Boston Red Sox  --  2B Kristian Campbell

High School:  Walton HS (Marietta, GA)
Travel Team:  East Cobb Astros
College:  Georgia Tech
Final PG Class Ranking: 125
Drafted:  4th round, 2023, Boston
Highest 2024 Level:  AAA
2025 Age:  23

Campbell was a mainstay on the Perfect Game circuit all through high school as the starting shortstop for the East Cobb Astros and a student at nearby Walton High School.  He was fun to watch play with his long and lean 6-foot-3, 190-pound build and his smooth athletic actions on defense and was always a high average hitter with lots of projection as a hitter as he got stronger. 

Campbell played at the 2020 PG National Showcase and showed what scouts had always seen in his game performances, that Campbell was an outstanding player but his raw tools didn’t stand out.  He ran a 6.70 in the sixty while throwing 85 mph in infield drills.  His report from that event read:

Long and lean young build with lots of strength potential. 6.70 runner, smooth defensive actions in the middle infield, stays balanced well on the move, short and quick arm action and can throw from different arm angles effectively. Right-handed hitter, aggressive move to his front side with multiple toe taps at times, fast hands with some barrel whip through the ball, projects power moving forward. Good student, verbal commitment to Georgia Tech.

Ranked 125th in the final PG class rankings, Campbell went undrafted in 2021 and went to Georgia Tech, where, as an older player, he was a going to be a draft eligible sophomore.  He was solid for those two years at Georgia Tech, hitting .345 combined with a sterling 54:37 walk to strikeout ratio but only hitting six home runs and 31 overall extra base hits in 91 college games.

The Red Sox saw the barrel skills and remaining projection in Campbell and took him in the fourth round in 2023, signing him for $492,700.

2024 Summary
Campbell entered 2024 without fanfare and ended up as one of the top hitters in all the minor leagues, shooting through three levels up to AAA while hitting a cumulative .330-20-77/.997 OPS with 24 steals and 74 walks, with his power explosion being the most notable jump.  He also started 25+ games at shortstop, second base and centerfield along with a handful of games at third base.

2025 Perspective
The Red Sox are loaded with upper-level top prospects but Campbell’s emergence among them might still take some getting used to.  His balance of offensive skills and defensive versatility also might make him a better candidate to start the year in the Boston infield than former 1st round pick Marcelo Mayer, although the duo is certainly the Red Sox middle infield of the future.

2023 Featured PG Player:  IF Nick Yorke
2024 Update:  Yorke’s bat took a solid step forward as a 22-year old in 2024 but the Red Sox huge prospect depth in the infield enabled the Red Sox to make a prospect for prospect trade with pitching rich Pittsburgh for 2019 first rounder RHP Quinn Priester.  Yorke hit .303-12-60/.834 OPS om 123 minor league games before making his MLB debut for the Pirates in September.

2022 Featured PG Player:  IF Matthew Lugo
2021 Featured PG Player 1B Triston Casas


New York Yankees  --  LHP Brock Selvidge

High School:  Hamilton HS (Chandler, AZ)
Travel Team:  CBA Marucci
Final PG Class Ranking:  40
Drafted:  3rd round, 2021, New York Yankees
Highest 2024 Level:  AA
2025 Age:  22

Selvidge started pitching in PG events as a 6-foot, 145-pound freshman in 2016 and was throwing in the mid to upper 70’s at that point.  He grew to 6-foot-2, 180-pounds by the summer after his sophomore year and was topping out at 87 mph.  Selvidge threw in both the 2018 and 2019 PG Underclass All-American Games in San Diego and was outstanding at the 2020 National Showcase, topping out at 94 mph with a solid three-pitch mix, leading to his selection to pitch in the 2020 PG All-American Classic.  By that point, Selvidge was filled out at a strong 6-foot-3, 205-pounds.

Selvidge’s report from that 2020 National Showcase read:

Big and strong athletic build, pretty mature physically. Simple turn and throw delivery, 3/4's arm slot, hides the ball well in back, good hip turn and direction to the plate. Worked consistently in the low-90's with his fastball, topping out at 94 mph, maintained his velocity well from the stretch, has some late ride and hop to his fastball. Short breaking slider with some tilt to get off barrels, tunnels his slider well with his fastball. Turned over a couple of change ups with conviction and good arm speed. Pounded the strike zone with his three-pitch mix. Has taken a big step forward over the last year in all areas, impressive performance.

Selvidge had solid senior season at national powerhouse Hamilton High School, going 5-2, 2.41 in 52 innings, striking out 80 hitters.  Although he was signed with LSU, Selvidge was picked by the Yankees in the third round and signed for an above slot $1.5M bonus.

His place on the prospect charts took a big jump in 2023 when he went 8-5, 3.45 between A levels, striking out 137 hitters in 127 innings while only allowing 35 walks and six home runs.

2024 Summary
Selvidge was enjoying a strong AA season as a 21-year old when he went on the DL in mid-July with an arm injury and missed the rest of the season.  He went 7-6, 4.25 in 16 starts and 84 innings before the injury.

2025 Perspective
The Yankees don’t have many upper-level pitching prospects heading into the 2025 season, especially with projected starters, so a healthy Selvidge is in a good position if he builds on what he’s done in the 2023 and 2024 seasons

2023 Featured PG Player:  OF Spencer Jones
2024 Update:  Jones development was stuck in neutral for his first full season in AA in 2024, as he hit for some power (.259-17-78, 25 SB’s) but struck out  200 times in 122 games (36.8%).

2022 Featured PG Player:  C Austin Wells
2021 Featured PG Player:  SS Anthony Volpe


Tampa Bay Rays  --  OF Chandler Simpson

High School:  St. Pius X HS (Atlanta, GA)
Travel Team:  Georgia Bombers
College:  Georgia Tech, Alabama-Birmingham
Final PG Class Ranking:  500
Drafted:  2nd round, 2022, Tampa Bay
Highest 2024 Level:  AA
2025 Age:  24

As a student at Atlanta-area St. Pius X High School and a player with the Georgia Bombers, Simpson had an extensive Perfect Game history.  His best tournament was in Jupiter in 2018 at the WWBA World Championships when he hit .583 with seven stolen bases in five games.  He was named to 21 All-Tournament teams between 2015 and 2019. 

Simpson, who was a primary middle infielder in high school and college before moving to center field as a pro, only participated in one PG Showcase, the 2018 Sunshine Southeast Showcase, and was given a PG grade of 8.  His report read:

Medium build, lean and athletic frame with big-time quick-twitch athleticism. Ran a 6.53 second 60 yard dash, blazing speed that shows up in game on the bases. Primary shortstop, waits back on ball fielding out in front nicely, gathers cleanly getting into a good position to throw, clean exchange from glove to hand, arm tends to drag at time but arm strength plays, topped out at 79 mph across the diamond. Lefthanded hitter, turns the barrel over well, average bat speed through the zone, he really gets extended well through contact but can get a bit rotational as well. Good student. Named to 2018 Sunshine Southeast Showcase Top Prospect List.
Simpson played two largely undistinguished years at Alabama-Birmingham, including hitting .288-0-20 with 24 steals as a sophomore but gained big attention that summer in the Northwoods League, hitting .378 with 55 steals in 51 games.  After transferring to Georgia Tech for his junior year. Simpson continued to show is vastly improved barrel skills, hitting .434-1-25 with 31 walks and a .506 OB% to go with 37 steals.

It came somewhat as a surprise, though, when Tampa Bay picked Simpson in the second round in 2022, signing him to a below slot $750,000 bonus. 

2024 Summary
Simpson stole 104 bases in 121 attempts, giving him 198 steals over two seasons.  He also hit a combined .355 between High A and AA and walked more times than he struck out for the second straight year.  While he has virtually no power (only 16 XBH), he did everything else at an exceptional level.

2025 Perspective
Tampa’s outfielders were stunningly bad offensively in 2024, so there’s virtually no way Simpson could be worse. It seems a matter of when, not if, Simpson will make his debut in 2025.  He has been compared to a young Billy Hamilton for his somewhat unique overall tool set, which might be one of the most appropriate comps ever.

2023 Featured PG Player:  SS Carson Williams
2024 Update:  Williams continued to develop as one of the top position prospects in baseball in 2024, spending all year in AA and hitting .256-20-69/.821 OPS with 33 steals and outstanding defense at shortstop.

2022 Featured PG Player:  RHP Taj Bradley
2021 Featured PG Player:  2B Xavier Edwards


Toronto Blue Jays  --  RHP Jake Bloss

High School:  Early College at Guilford (Greensboro, NC)
Travel Team:  5 Star Carolina       
College:  Georgetown, Lafayette
Final PG Class Ranking:  500
Drafted:  3rd round, 2023, Houston
Highest 2024 Level:  MLB
2025 Age:  24

Bloss was a late developer who was lightly recruited out of high school, although it should be noted that he was very young for his class and graduated as a 17-year old.  He pitched frequently at PG events in the 2018 prior to his senior year, including the WWBA 16U and 17U National Championships as well as the 2018 National Academic Showcase and was generally 84-86 mph with a low 70’s slider.  Bloss did make one appearance in 2019 summer after graduating, taking advantage of his young age to throw at the WWBA 17U National championship and showed that he had made a big jump in his raw stuff, working 87-91 mph with an 82 mph slider.

Bloss struggled his first two years at Lafayette, posting a 8.71 ERA as a freshman and a 7.38 mark as a sophomore before establishing himself as a junior, going 6-3, 3.57 in 58 innings.  Having already completed a double major in math and economics in three years at Lafayette, Bloss transferred to Georgetown as a graduate student in 2023.  He threw so well for the Hoya’s, working in the mid-90’s with a swing and miss slider while striking out 96 in 76 innings that he was picked by the Astros in third round and signed for a $497,500 bonus.

2024 Summary
Bloss made his big league debut less than a year after being drafted by the Astros and despite having less than 100 professional innings to his credit.  In his first Astros start, Bloss suffered a shoulder injury that lingered for the rest of the season.  Five weeks after his debut, he was included in the trade with Toronto for left-handed pitcher Yusei Kikuchi.

2025 Perspective
The upper levels of the Blue Jays system are notably short on pitching prospects and Bloss effectively moved to the front of the line following his trade.  He probably needs more AA/AAA experience, especially given his 2024 shoulder injury, but the road is pretty clear to a big league job.

2023 Featured PG Player:  LHP Ricky Tiedemann
2024 Update:  Tiedemann only threw 17 innings in 2024 while battling continuing arm issues and eventually underwent TJ surgery late in the season, likely putting him out for all of 2025.

2022 Featured PG Player:  IF Addison Barger
2021 Featured PG Player:  IF Jordan Groshans 
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