New Balance Future Stars Series is ubiquitous; high school, all levels of college ball, the minors, and, of course, the big leagues.
Let’s chat about some of the recent standouts in our weekly look at NBFSS alums.
Tre Phelps, OF — Georgia
Phelps went 4-for-9 this week, 2B, HR at Alabama after a 7-for-16, HR effort the before to pull his slash to .309/.407/.505 in a season he’s been in and out of the lineup due to injury. Phelps is a draft-eligible sophomore this year, so he’s in the driver’s seat in that regard.
Luke Hill, 2B – Ole Miss
Hill went 5-for-13 over the weekend at Mississippi State, including his 15th and 16th multihit games of the year. The infielder is up to .347/.471/.528 for the season, walking more than he’s striking out and adding 17 stolen bases.
Hill is a Day 2 prospect in the ’25 draft class.
Zane Adams, LHP – Alabama
Adams’ pitch count got a bit out of control Sunday versus Georgia – 95 over four innings – but he still punched out eight and allowed just two earned runs. In his last four starts, the southpaw has yielded six earned runs in 22 innings with 21 strikeouts.
Adams carries velocity projection beyond his current levels and has flashed a major-league caliber breaking ball and changeup.
Adams impressed in multiple NBFSS events before heading to Tuscaloosa.
Antonio Jimenez, SS – UCF
Jimenez tortured Texas Tech over the weekend, collecting eight hits in14 at-bats, including a 5-for-5, 2-HR Sunday effort in a 15-6 win in Lubbock. He’s up to .318/.397/.552 with 25 extra-base hits in 51 games. He’s draft eligible as a sophomore this summer.
Jake Brown, OF – LSU
Brown (2026) has had a good season and has some monster games for the Tigers, including Saturday versus Arkansas with a 3-for-4, 2-HR game in a dominating win. Brown is at .313/.392/.527 with six homers in 46 games.
Brown is a two-way talent, showing out at the national level at our Tournaments and Underclass Combine in 2020.
Look out for Brown on next year’s draft boards.
Eric Guevara, SS — Auburn
Guevara may not be all that welcome to Columbia next season after the weekend he just had at Plainsman Park versis the South Carolina Gamecocks.
Guevara, who is now batting .340/.383/.608 on the year, went 12-for-15 with two doubles, a home run, and nine RBI. He also swiped two bags.
Guevara came to FSS via Georgia Premier Academy and earned his way to numerous national events where our scouts poured a lot of average to plus grades on his bat, including a chance at above-average power.
Cody New, LHP – Cal Baptist
New punched out 10 over seven innings at Seattle U Friday, his third double-digit strikeout game of the season. He walked just one batter, and has issues but two bases on balls in the 13.2 frames since his control backed up on him at Utah Valley April 25. New is 6-3 with a 3.91 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 69 innings this season.
Alex Hernandez, 3B/RHP – Georgia Tech
Hernandez went 6-for-17 this past week to pull his season line to .338/.425/.585 with 11 homers. He also tossed ⅔ of an inning at Mercer Wednesday in an appearance out of the bullpen, and scouts like his chances to make a bigger impact on the mound next season in Atlanta. Hernandez will be draft eligible next summer.
Tommy Troy, SS – Arizona Diamondbacks (AA)
Troy enters the week with a nine-game hitting streak that includes three doubles. He’s batting .313/.458/.429 with a high walk rate and reasonable strikeout numbers. He was the Diamondbacks’ first-round pick (12) in 2023, and after an injury-shortened 2024 has picked up right where he left off at Stanford.
Daylen Lile, OF – Washington Nationals (AAA)
Lile followed up a .351/.385/.595 17-game stretch in Double-A Harrisburg with .375/.432/.575, 10-game debut in Triple-A Rochester. Included in those 10 contests are five multi-hit games and just four strikeouts in 45 plate appearances.
Myles Naylor, SS – Athletics (A)
Naylor got off to a slow start, but has shown off some power since a poor first week of the season – 6 HR, .471 slug – and is on a strong run entering this week with eight hits in his last 26 at-bats, including three extra-base hits and eight bases on balls.
Braden Montgomery, OF – Chicago White Sox (A+)
Montgomery has done nothing but hit this season, including in the 12 games since his promotion to High-A Winston-Salem. In 50 plate appearances with the Dash, Montgomery has hit .405/.480/.762 with six doubles and three homers. Not sure the Sally League is going to hold him. (It won’t)
Montgomery came to NBFSS via the Pro Combine in 2020, then he impressed at our National Combine and International Week (Main Event) that summer and fall.
He starred on the mound as well as at both sides of the plate. Future Stars Series president of baseball operations Jeremy Booth offered this in his report on Montgomery back in September, 2020:
Regular RF in MLB role. Impact big leaguer that can do it all. Prospect as a pitcher as well, but he’s going to play everyday, and for a while. Power ceiling from both sides of the plate, better whip and bat speed right handed but better lift from the left side. 70 arm might be light when it’s over, and playing a corner will be an easy adaptation.
C.J. Kayfus, 1B – Cleveland Guardians (AAA)
The Guardians promoted Kayfus to Triple-A April 30 and he’s batting .297/.372/.541 since, including his fifth triple of the season. No, Kayfus isn’t exactly a burner on the bases, but he keeps hitting the ball into the gaps and corners and, apparently, knows what a triple looks like off the bat.
David Calabrese, OF – Los Angeles Angels (AA)
Calabrese has three homers in May bringing him just one shy of his 2024 tota in half as many games, and reminding us of how he looked in 2023 as a 20-year-old in the Southern League when he hit 15 long balls.
Calabrese starred in several NBFSS events 2017-2019, including 2019 International Week where are scouts reported above-average to plus hitting tools, and a note about more power as he adds strength.
Roc Riggio, 2B – New York Yankees (AA)
Riggio came off the IL May 6 to make his 2025 debut and over the weekend had three hits, including his first home run of the season. He’s drawn six walks in five games.
Mick Abel, RHP – Philadelphia Phillies (AAA)
Abel has been terrific this season, and in his last four outings has been exceptionally dominant. In 25 innings he’s allowed 15 hits, four earned runs and posted 25 strikeouts. In his Saturday start, Abel held Worcester (BOS) to three hits and a run over seven innings, walking just two and striking out a season high nine.
Abel sat 94-97 mph in that start, touching 98, and generated 12 whiffs on 37 swings – 9 of 13 on the four-seamer.
Drew Gilbert, CF – New York Mets (AAA)
Gilbert has posted a .365 OBP in 20 games since joining the Syracuse club on a rehab assignment after torching the Florida State league for six games. He’s not running yet, but he’s showing a bit of pop – five extra-base hits in AAA.
At our International Week in 2018, Gilbert hit the low 90s from the mound, but absolutely showed out at the plate.
Booth on Gilbert back in 2018:
Regular CF in MLB role, but enough bat to play on the corner if he moves off. Feel to hit and intent to drive the baseball. Gets pull happy now but has ability to zone it back and use the whole field. Short arms and short to the ball with limited swing and miss. Hustle player who never quits and runs through walls. Will have to maintain his body as time goes on as he only knows one speed and doesnt let up. Throwback type with new school swag. Reminds of a shorter Jim Edmonds.
Bo Naylor, C – Cleveland Guardians (MLB)
Naylor has powered up with seven extra-base hits (.491 SLG) since April 18 to add offensive production to his solid defensive chops. In that span he’s walked at a 10% rate, kept his strikeouts in check, and posted a 122 wRC+.
- Abel, Guevara, Montgomery among FSS alumni thriving - May 12, 2025
- Mick Abel showing big-league traits early in 2025 - April 24, 2025
- Future Stars Series Alum Zac Veen set for MLB debut - April 7, 2025
