T.R. Miller’s Kevin Davis recently received another honor during his busy summer of 2012 as he was named to the full 48-player roster for the 2012 Perfect Game All-American Classic presented by Rawlings.
Davis and the nation’s top high school baseball players will descend upon San Diego to play in the 10th annual baseball showcase, featuring an East versus West matchup. The 2012 game will be played Sunday, Aug. 12 at 8 p.m. local time at PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres, and will be nationally televised live on CBS Sports Network.
“It’s a chance of a lifetime to be able to play in the All-American game,” Davis said. “Numerous guys get drafted high ever year that attend the All-American game, and it’s just a great honor to be placed in the same category as those guys.
Davis, a 6-1, 190 pound pitcher, will be on the East team and will be one of two players from Alabama on the team. Jared Brasher from Pell City High School will also be on the team.
Davis will be attending the event and has other plans while on the West Coast. Davis will report to Los Angeles on Friday, Aug. 17, to see if he will make the final cut on Monday, Aug. 21 for the 20-man team to represent his country at the 18U World Championships in Seoul, South Korea. If Davis makes the National Team, he will play from Aug. 30-Sept. 8. The USA is scheduled to play Australia, Netherlands, Korea, Colombia and Venezuela in World Championship pool play. If he makes the team, they leave the next day for Taiwan, and then on to Seoul.
The Perfect Game All-American Classic is part of an ongoing commitment to the fight against childhood cancer, with ticket proceeds benefiting Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego. Since 2003, the Perfect Game All-American Classic has generated nearly $685,000 for charity.
“We are excited to once again be back in San Diego for the nation’s premier high school baseball game, the Perfect Game All-American Classic,” said Brad Clement, Vice President, Development of Perfect Game USA. “This is our fourth year playing at PETCO Park, and we are happy to be working with our partners to ensure a top-notch event and showcase the best players in the country. The icing on the cake is how the game benefits the local community by giving back to Rady Children’s Hospital.”
The Perfect Game All-Americans will be led by a stellar coaching staff for the 2012 match-up. Clyde Metcalf of Sarasota High School in Sarasota, Fl. will lead the East squad. Metcalf has been a head baseball coach for 31 years, winning six state championships. His teams have compiled twenty-five 20-plus win seasons while at Sarasota High School.
Managing the West squad will be Marc Johnson of Cherry Creek High School in Cherry Creek, Colorado. In addition to eight State Titles, Johnson’s teams have won 26 league championships and more than 375 of his players have gone on to play baseball in college. Six of his players have been first round draft picks and more than 75 have gone on to play professional baseball.
“I am impressed with the extraordinary high school talent the All-American Baseball Classic brings to the forefront of the baseball world each year,” said Jerry Ford, President of Perfect Game USA. “These 2013 prospects have the ability to represent the next wave of Major League stars.”
Perfect Game All-American Classic alumni have had a significant presence in Major League Baseball’s first-year player drafts. Since the game’s inception in 2003, 117 alumni have been selected in the first round, including this year’s first overall pick Carlos Correa, last year’s first overall pick Gerrit Cole (2011) and past No. 1 picks Bryce Harper (2010), Tim Beckham (2008), and Justin Upton (2005). The game has also produced over 50 plus players that are currently on a Major League Baseball roster or whom have played in the Major Leagues. A record 19 Perfect Game All-Americans were taken in the first round of the 2012 draft, 16 of which played in last year’s game.
The Perfect Game All-American Classic is considered the nation’s marquee prep event. Participants must have just completed their junior year of high school, be in good academic standing and display qualities off the field that embody baseball’s ideals, including discipline, determination and hard work.
Perfect Game USA is devoted to furthering the development and career of the high school baseball player. To that end, Perfect Game USA produces the very highest, national level, individual player showcases and team tournaments all over the United States. These events have proven invaluable to the collegiate coaching community and Major League Baseball as they can scout a large population of talented baseball players in one location. Perfect Game USA has a full-time staff of 50 and well over 100 part-time staff. Nearly all have vast professional and/or collegiate baseball experience. Perfect Game staff members are located throughout the country. Perfect Game USA has the largest scouting department in all of baseball.
The Perfect Game USA high school player database is the largest of its kind anywhere in baseball. At any given time there will be nearly 100,000 high school players being followed via their database.