For New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series president and CEO Jeremy Booth, he couldn’t help but do a double-take.
At a late-January Scout Day, he was seeing the likely continuation in the bloodline of successful pro catchers in the person of Nolan Belcher, son of long-time Somerset Patriots catcher Jason Belcher; Booth himself caught in Somerset during the 2006 season, while Belcher followed him for four seasons between 2007-10 to finish up an 11-year pro career.
This was a trip. Meet Nolan Belcher, a class of 2024 Catcher from Walnut Ridge, AR at todays @NB_Baseball @P15Sports @ftrstarsseries Scout day hosted by @GIANTSYALOBUSHA. For @surfthecreek and @hartcorey12, the name may ring a bell. He’s the son of Jason Belcher. #WeGotNow pic.twitter.com/6annC1uII5
— Jeremy Booth (@_JeremyBooth) January 29, 2023
An Arkansas native just like his two-time Atlantic League championship-winning dad, Nolan Belcher has a chance to have an even more fruitful stint in professional baseball; his 6-foot-3, 195-pound frame will serve him well as an Arkansas State commit, where he’ll use impressive bat speed and power as well as an advanced swing and approach to further bolster his chances.
Set to be one of three catchers on the orange team at the upcoming Main Event, he’ll get an early taste of pro ball at one of the most iconic ballparks on the planet.
“It’s been a dream of mine to play in one of the thirty MLB parks; but getting to play in Fenway Park, the legendary stadium, it is and will be an awesome experience,” Belcher said. “I am looking to show (MLB scouts and executives in attendance) my elite catching ability and my capability of working with some of the best pitchers in the country, but also showing them I can be an advanced hitter as well.”
Nolan Belcher, C (2024) – Walnut Ridge HS
A standout at the National Combine behind the plate, watch him take the field at the Main Event 9/29-10/1. @nolanbelcher11
Event Videos ➡️ https://t.co/W3AoNFbOGh @NB_Baseball @fss_midsouth #WeGotNow pic.twitter.com/wZFZHD4xbU
— New Balance 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 (@ftrstarsseries) September 1, 2023
Belcher says he’s had “an amazing experience” with the Future Stars Series thus far, grateful to a staff that “has helped me to develop my overall skills.”
After a standout showing for the white team at the National Combine in Nashville that saw him earn an invite to Boston, Belcher says he’s taken a renewed focus on the mental side of the game, as well as some other on-field elements so that he can put on the best performance he possibly can in his first taste of playing in a big-league park.
“I have been working on my mental approach; going into the box and working on my approach as a hitter, to improve my overall skills that will help me advance in future,” he said. “My dad/coach has helped me with my professional approach to further my skills as an overall hitter.”
