Perfect Game announced the 10-member inaugural class of the newly-created Perfect Game Hall of Fame at a press conference held at Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium. The press conference featured National Baseball Hall of Fame member Trevor Hoffman. Following online fan voting and a review by a specially created Perfect Game Hall of Fame selection committee, the inaugural class of Perfect Game Hall of Famers includes Carl Crawford, Prince Fielder, Zack Greinke, Bryce Harper, Brian McCann, Andrew McCutchen, Buster Posey, Mike Trout, Justin Upton, and Joey Votto.
Photo: Alex Harrington (Perfect Game)
The Perfect Game WWBA Championship Week
The press conference happened at the beginning of the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association (WWBA) World Championship and the Perfect Game WWBA Freshman World Championship. These two premier events are two of the most competitive baseball tournaments under Perfect Game’s umbrella. The combination of the Perfect Game WWBA World Championship and Freshman World Championship in Palm Beach County have been coined “The Perfect Game WWBA Championship Week” in The Palm Beaches.
The Palm Beach County Sports Commission partnered with the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches, Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium, and Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation to host the Perfect Game Championship Week from October 7-11, 2021. Perfect Game utilized up 26 diamonds at the Ballpark of the Palm Beaches in West Palm Beach, Roger Dean Chevrolet Stadium in Jupiter, and four diamonds at the Santaluces Athletic Complex in Lantana.
The Perfect Game WWBA World Championship is the premier showcase and scouting event on the globe. The Perfect Game WWBA World Championships, which is simply known as “Jupiter” amongst the amateur baseball community, has taken place in Palm Beach County a total of 19 times in the past 21 years (the event was relocated in 2005 due to Hurricane Wilma and 2020 due to Covid-19). The Perfect Game WWBA World Championship is a wood bat-only tournament for the 18U age group and attracts mostly players that will be selected in the MLB draft or play NCAA Division I college baseball. The top travel baseball organizations from across the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean competed at this elite, invitation-only event. The 2021 Perfect Game WWBA World Championship consisted of 92 teams.
The Perfect Game WWBA Freshman World Championship relocated to Palm Beach County in 2017. This event is the premier showcase created solely for high school freshmen. The leading travel teams for this age group were invited to attend. In 2021, a total of 70 teams were fielded in the Perfect Game WWBA Freshman World Championship.
The Perfect Game WWBA Championship Week created a massive economic and tourism impact for Palm Beach County. The Perfect Game WWBA World Championship and Freshman Championship brought nearly 170 traveling baseball teams to The Palm Beaches, consisting of over 3,000 visiting athletes, 334 coaches, and over 4,500 traveling spectators. The Palm Beach County Sports Commission projects that these events created over 7,800 hotel room nights and $6 million of direct visitor spending.
The Perfect Game Hall of Fame
The Class of 2021 will be inducted into the Perfect Game Hall of Fame Thursday, December 2, in the Grand Ballroom of the PGA National Resort and Spa in West Palm Beach, Fla. During the ceremony, each of the inductees will be presented with a Perfect Game blazer designed exclusively for the players by Las Vegas-based Stitched Lifestyle.
The day after the gala, Friday, December 3, the Perfect Game Cares Foundation will host a ‘who’s-who’ in Major League Baseball Celebrity Golf Classic at PGA National.
Proceeds from all Hall of Fame-related events and activities will benefit the Perfect Game Cares Foundation’s Grow the Game Fund, which helps provide baseball and softball playing opportunities for children in underserved communities across America.
Scheduled to participate in the golf event are former Major Leaguers Dante Bichette, Tom “Flash” Gordon, Luis Gonzalez, Trevor Hoffman, Clint Hurdle, Charles Johnson, Andruw Jones, Brian Jordan, Tim Lincecum, Mike Lowell, Tino Martinez, Mark McGwire, Hunter Pence, Tim Redding, CC Sabathia, Gary Sheffield, Junior Spivey, Trevor Story, Tanyon Sturtze, Greg Vaughn and Dmitri Young. Additionally, women’s softball great Jennie Finch and gridiron stars Warren Sapp and Barry Switzer will take to the course in support of the Grow the Game Fund.
Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, has been fortunate to have seen more than 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 the 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) 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 had to 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.
Online fan balloting took place Monday, July 19 through Wednesday, September 1, and participating fans were allowed to select up to 10 players from the original list of 24 eligible 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.
Featured image credit: Fortson Photography
