Top high school talent set to wrap up States Play Invitational

September 24th, 2023
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      If big league pennant races and the Minor League postseason being in full force weren’t enough to provide ample baseball entertainment during September, enter the 2023 States Play Invitational, where the future stars of the diamond will get a chance to showcase their skills this weekend in Arizona.

      Now in its fourth iteration, States Play will take place under the structure that debuted last year: East vs. West.

      The top-tier talent from the 2025 and ‘26 Draft classes on hand in the desert will feature underclassmen from 17 different states, including three players from the Greater Phoenix Area. The group of approximately 40 prospects will take to practice fields, batting cages, and eventually a full-fledged diamond, for a development-focused experience, benefitting from the tutelage of a staff that includes multiple former big leaguers and personnel with experience at the game’s highest level.

      The teams have played the first two of a three-game series (seven innings apiece) at Tempe Diablo Stadium -- Spring Training home to the Los Angeles Angels.

      The schedule is as follows:

      Fri., Sept. 22: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MST -- 15-10 East victory
      Sat., Sept. 23: 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. MST -- 6-1 West victory
      Sun., Sept. 24: 12:30 p.m. ET/9:30 a.m. MST

      States Play originated in 2018 and has since been a constant in helping to pinpoint many of the nation’s premier young talents. USA Baseball has been instrumental in the invite-only selection process, also relying on information provided by MLB’s development staff and national scouts and cross-checkers.

      On hand this year will be eight players who have participated in past MLB Develops events and four from the inaugural class of “The Program,” a six-week development initiative established by MLB to give diverse student-athletes the opportunity to train with one another and compete in a variety of events on the national scale. The vast majority of prospects participating in Arizona have already verbally committed to many of the country's top collegiate programs, with the reigning national champion LSU Tigers (four) leading the way.

      There are currently 10 former States Play participants ranked among their respective big league clubs’ Top 30 Prospects lists per MLB Pipeline. Nine members of the 2019 States Play class were selected in the 2023 Draft alone, including Orioles first-rounder Enrique Bradfield Jr. Five States Play alumni have already made their Major League debuts, headlined by the Royals’ Bobby Witt Jr. and the Mets’ Brett Baty.

      At the helm for the clubs will be Howie Kendrick and Homer Bush, who boast 22 combined seasons of big league experience between them. Two-time All-Star pitcher Brad Penny will be one of multiple coaches on hand with Major League service time.

      Here is the complete list of players in attendance, along with their college commitments. (Players without school listings  are currently uncommitted.)

      Clayton Armah, 3B/RHP, St. John’s College HS (Va.) -- Auburn
      Grayson Boles, RHP, Saint Augustine HS (Calif.)
      Mason Braun, 1B/OF, New Prairie HS (Ind.)
      Grayson Burleson, RHP, Summertown (Tenn.) HS -- Vanderbilt
      RJ Cope, LHP/INF, Georgia Premier Academy (Ga.)
      Brett Crossland, RHP, Mountain Pointe HS (Ariz.)
      Kayson Cunningham, SS/2B, San Antonio (Texas) Johnson HS -- Texas Tech
      Lamar Edwards Jr., OF, Spruce Creek HS (Fla.) -- Duke
      Ezra Essex, OF, P27 Academy (S.C.) -- Oklahoma State
      Joe Forbes, C, Mountain Ridge HS (Ariz.) -- Arizona
      Cody Freitas, RHP, Bradley Bourbonnais Community HS (Ill.) -- Arizona
      Trent Grindlinger, C, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS
      Fleming Hall, RHP, Trinity Presbyterian School (Ala.) -- Auburn
      Dax Hardcastle, 1B/RHP, St. Mary’s HS (Calif.)
      Landon Harmon, RHP/OF, East Union Attendance Center (Miss.) -- Mississippi State
      Josiah Hartshorn, 1B/OF, Orange Lutheran HS (Calif.)
      Holden Hering, RHP, College Station (Texas) HS -- Texas Tech
      Andrew Jacobs, RHP, Mountain Ridge HS (Ariz.) -- Arizona
      Donavan Jeffrey, 1B/OF, LC Byrd HS (Va.) -- Miami (FL)
      Parker Jennings, RHP, Granite Bay HS (Cali.) -- Oklahoma State
      Everett Johnson, OF/2B, Wayne Country Day (N.C.) -- NC State
      John Kasten, RHP/C, Clovis (Calif.) HS
      Darrell (DJ) McDowell, IF/RHP, Lassiter HS (Ga.) -- Tennessee
      Alexander Mercurius, OF/RHP, Durango HS (Nev.)
      Vaughn Neckar, RHP/3B, Vista Murrieta HS (Calif.) -- LSU
      Xavier Neyens, IF/RHP, Mount Vernon (Wash.) HS -- Oregon State
      Sebastian Norman, INF, Glendale HS (Mo.) -- Oklahoma State
      Anthony Pack, OF, Long Beach (Calif.) Millikan HS
      Mason Pike, IF/RHP, Puyallup (Wash.) HS -- Oregon State
      Jarett Sabol, C/OF, Aliso Niguel HS (Calif.) -- USC
      Brock Sell, OF/2B, Tokay HS (Calif.) -- Stanford
      Minjae Seo, RHP, Hebron HS (Texas) -- Vanderbilt
      Omar Serna Jr., C, Dobie HS (Texas) -- LSU
      Tate Southisene, SS/OF, Basic HS (Nev.) -- USC
      Zach Strickland, RHP, Maranatha HS (Calif.) -- UCLA
      Zion Theophilus, RHP, Archbishop Moeller HS (Ohio) -- LSU
      James Whitaker, RHP, Bishop Gorman HS (Nev.) -- LSU
      Eli Willits, INF, Fort Cobb-Broxton HS (Okla.) -- Oklahoma
      Quentin Young, 3B/OF, Oaks Christian HS (Calif.)

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      Jesse Borek is a reporter/coordinator of prospect content at MLB Pipeline and MiLB. Follow him @JesseABorek.