As per the mock draft special, Sutton said that’s worthwhile given the insight Perfect Game’s team has into these players, and given how important the draft is to these prospects’ journeys.
“I think the mock draft is important for Perfect Game’s storytelling because it’s the graduate school, it’s the finishing school, it’s the athletes that have gone to the Perfect Game events since they were 11, 12, 13-year-old athletes, realizing their dreams. The mock draft, for many outlets, is just for clicks, but I think for Perfect Game our viewers appreciate following the PG scouts. Our scouts come at it with a real effort to study and understand the athletes.
“And for many of them, they’ve been watching these kids for a half-decade so they understand where they fit and they understand where they slot and they’ve seen the growth of the athlete. Perfect Game’s scouts know more about their skillset beyond what’s on a report. They’ve seen them for a long time. So, I feel like our mock draft is important for Perfect Game’s storytelling because it’s graduating with the highest level of honors with your master’s degree and going on into pro baseball.”
.@NobleMeyer was still in high school last year… 🥴#FuturesGame pic.twitter.com/PZYXyKJnTJ https://t.co/GkqRuNqcGa
— Perfect Game Scout (@PG_Scouting) July 13, 2024
Sutton said Cervino is the perfect figure to have on that given the knowledge he and his scouting team have of these players.
“Vinny has been watching these players for years, along with guys like Jheremy Brown, who is an elite scout at the 13U and 14U age group and passes them off to people like Vinny. Vinny leads our college baseball coverage and has dozens of Perfect Game scouts under his watch, along with Greg Sabers and Jered Goodwin.
“What’s different about Vinny bringing something to any type of draft coverage is his depth of knowledge about the athletes, knowing the weaknesses and how they’ve been attacked and knowing the strengths and how they’ve been developed. Vinny’s team puts together a database on these athletes from the first time they come to any Perfect Game event and their depth of knowledge on these athletes is profound.”
And he said that the scouting team is the real key to this coverage.
“We don’t do any of this draft coverage without our scouts or without our event coordinators. I can brag that we know these athletes for a long time because of the vision and the scouting discipline of Perfect Game. We put on amazing events that are really well-scouted where credibility matters.
“I couldn’t do these creative content days without the very important people on the scouting side and on the event side. Otherwise, there is nothing to talk about. These athletes would be elsewhere. Because Perfect Game’s scouts do what they do and do it so well, I get to do the fun stuff.”
As for the players they’ll be embedded with, Sutton said they’ve all shown off remarkable on-field accomplishments and off-field personalities.
“PJ Morlando is a personality all his own and that’s exciting. He could step into my chair and do television. He could be a social media influencer immediately if he wanted to, but he’s a baseball player. He’s incredibly disciplined in the way he approaches the game, which is no surprise considering his father’s military background. PJ has an incredibly small circle and he’s very unique in that sense.
“At first glance, what makes Konnor Griffin’s story so interesting is that he classed up. He should have been finishing up his junior year of high school and now he’s headed to pro ball and may be one of the first high school players taken in the draft. So, what’s unique about that is he’s changed his journey in life.
“Beyond that, his dad is a high-level college softball coach at the Division III level, finishing number two in the nation. His mom, Kim, is such a huge driver and Konnor’s faith is everything. So, on that day, we will be able to be part of his family lunch and watch Konnor go in and out of church, which is very important. We’ll be lucky enough to be part of that day.
“And Braylon Payne is interesting because a couple of years ago, Braylon’s family and his local coaches knew who he was, but the national scene didn’t. As a matter of fact, on April 20, 2023, Braylon was ranked outside of the Top 500 and then in the summer of 2023 – in just a few months – he shot up to No. 34.
“So, one of the great risers over the last two years has been Braylon Payne. His mom, Jerri, is a strong woman and a leader in his life. We are excited to introduce her, who has had a long career in law enforcement. So, what makes Braylon different from PJ and Konnor is that he hasn’t been on anyone’s draft board for years but he grinded and he’s now in the Top 20. That’s what makes them all special to cover.
Burge said the way PG has tracked these players helps differentiate their coverage from the pack overall, and this is an important final moment to it.
“Quite frankly, there is no one else who knows these kids the way Perfect Game does. Most of them have grown up in our system so when they finally realize their dream of becoming a professional baseball player, we are uniquely positioned to show highlights, advanced analytics, scouting insights, and a host of other information that no one else has.
“It’s like watching your kid graduate high school. Everyone sees them walk across the stage, but only you know all the hours of studying they put in and all the adversity they had to overcome to get to that point.”
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“That’s a hard question to answer because in no way is any of this about me. But I guess it’s the parent in me that comes out. I’m old enough to be a parent of kids older than these athletes and actually do have kids older than them, so I’m the parent in that moment. The pride that I have in seeing the dreams come true for these families is immense.
“Take someone like Ralphy Velasquez, who was the Guardians’ first pick last year and a PG All-American, whose home we were in last year. We were there for the moment he hugged his abuela, seeing his mom and dad and knowing what it meant to them and how much they sacrificed financially.
“Ralphy is a great example. We were in his family room sitting against the fireplace looking out and to see his loved ones all erupt when his name was announced on TV is something I’ll never forget. The pride I feel for the athlete is the same emotion I have when one of my own children has that great success.”
Burge said another differentiating aspect of PG draft coverage is the separate channels they have and the unique audiences for each.
“Perfect Game is uniquely positioned because we have channels to deliver a lot of different messages to completely different audiences. Our coverage on PGTV tends to skew toward parents, coaches, and scouts. So, creating timeless, cinematic coverage feeds the hunger for a more in-depth look at the moment.
“Meanwhile, our social media following skews much more toward the athletes, their fan bases and their peers. By breaking the coverage up across all of Perfect Game’s channels we are able to deliver the type of coverage that we believe resonates best with different pockets of viewers.”
And he said their company success has let them keep expanding what they do around the draft.
“As the company has grown, so has our ability to put more resources into our coverage. It gets more comprehensive with each passing year and we are proud to provide baseball fans with a very unique perspective considering the time our personnel spends with the athletes over several years.”
Burge said he’s optimistic PG’s draft coverage will again appeal to viewers this year..
“We truly believe we have some of the best storytellers in baseball, from both a TV production side and a social media side. And we hope our draft coverage resonates with our audience. Perfect Game is the number one youth baseball company in the world and we take that distinction very seriously.”
[Top screencap from PGTV’s mock draft special]
