This has, truthfully, been a long time coming for Collin Thomas.
In his fourth year with the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series and one of our most decorated players with appearances in the Fresh 50, Underclass Premier and Underclass Elite already under his belt, the Georgia Premier Academy middle infielder was awarded with one of the prestigious captaincies of a Main Event team this year, set to lead Team Navy against Jax Van Valkenburg’s Columbia Blue squad at both CHS Field and Target Field from September 18-20 in Minnesota at our Tenth Anniversary of the Main Event.
For someone who has become so engrained in the FSS culture over the past few years before he’s set to either head to Auburn or hear his name called in the 2027 MLB Draft, it’s an opportunity the switch-hitter does not take lightly.
“For me being named a captain, it’s really just an honor and I’m really thankful and appreciative for the Future Stars Series as a whole and everybody that’s a part of it, including Jeremy, his wife and his cousin and everybody that’s been a part of it,’ Thomas said. “Taking me under their wing and molding me and continuing to help me grow and to be a better player and a better person; they’ve held me accountable and they’ve made me a better person and I really want to give them thanks. I don’t think they hear it enough. Being named a captain, it’s an honor because there’s a lot of great guys in the group and a lot of competitive players…being named a captain out of that group, it shows a lot on how the expectation is held and how our standard is held. If you want to jump on the bus with the Future Stars, you have to hold yourself to a high standard and be able to compete with the best. As we’ve seen with the rosters, it’s a lot of top guys in the country.”
Thomas is consistently one of the highest-graded players by our scouts at any event he’s at, and that was no exception at the most recent National Combine, where our staff saw him as a future D1 second baseman with a chance to be selected our of high school in the Draft; his report called him an “advanced defender (with) switch hit upside” who has “gap/doubles type power projections, has true hands and quick feet on defense and plus reactions off the bat to project plus range.”
So, on rosters where as Thomas himself said there are a lot of players who will likely go on to play high-level college ball, pro ball and even reach “The Show,” it should say volumes about where he’s at that he’s truly distinguished himself as one of the players to lock in on in Minnesota as well as before that, with the Labor Day Classic set for Hartford on September 6-7 serving as a precursor for this year’s Main Event.
Those two events will add to a long list of where we’ve seen him, dating back to a Georgia Premier Academy Scout Day back in 2023. Of course, Thomas has made the amateur circuit rounds with other companies in the space, as he should. But there’s something about the Future Stars Series that’s kept him coming back here for four years now.
Well, a lot of things, really.
“The instructional part of the baseball aspect, (CEO Jeremy Booth) takes that very seriously,” Thomas said. “With other events, you just go, you showcase your talent and you leave. With him, you go, you showcase your talent and he finds the little tweaks that nobody will say to you. He’ll come to you directly and…let’s just say you’re a fast guy and run a 6.3 and pop up three balls in BP, he’ll be like, ‘Hey, why don’t you try to keep those as low line drives.’ There’s that instructional part that I love about it, and people don’t look into that as much as they should, because the instructional part makes players better when they learn and are getting taught what to do and what not to do. He played at a high level, he knows more than I do, times 100. So, I listen and I know I’m going to get the instructional part from him, so every time I come back, I’m like, ‘OK, I worked on what he told me last time, what is he going to tell me now to work on,’ so it just helps me become a better player.”
Thomas will need to be at his very best during Main Event weekend, where he’ll have five games across two premier venues to help lead the way for his team against a very talented opposing squad led by Van Valkenburg; funny enough, Thomas said he and “JVV” have only ever been on the same teams at FSS signature events, so finally getting to face him will present a unique challenge. But, looking at his own team’s roster, he spotlighted several players he thinks can help Team Navy take the series.
“I have three guys (who stood out right away); one being C.J. Wall,” Thomas said. “He’s my catcher at my school and I’ve known him for a long time and played against him since we were 14. He’s a real good competitor, I love his drive. He always wants to win, so I know I’m going to get a really good competitor and a leader. He loves to lead. You don’t have to be a premium position to lead, you can really be any position, but as a catcher I think he takes pride in being behind the plate and really controls the game…he can hit to all parts of the field. There’s another kid, Harry “Chubb” Jones, Jr. I saw him pitch at San Jac, and man that man was just lights out. Unfortunately the rain kicked in and I only got to see him face (a few) batters, but I’m excited to see him face more when we go to Minnesota. When he gets on a mound, that kid is dangerous. The efficiency when he gets on the mound is incredible. Really excited for him. Another one, Victor (Acosta), he’s another one of my teammates (at Georgia Premier) and I think he’s going to be one of the most underrated pitchers in my opinion. I’ve seen him pitch, and he’s not a big name guy, but trust me after Minnesota, a lot of guys are going to know; he’s really efficient, he can throw pitches in any counts, he can spot and set up hitters. Majority of guys I don’t think know how to set up hitters, they just throw what they think is the right pitch. But, he knows if he sees a certain swing, ‘OK, I got him with this pitch,’ or he may throw a ball way in the dirt and you’re thinking he spiked one, but it’s a setup pitch. Really excited for those three guys to get after it in Minnesota.”
Thomas knows, of course, that it won’t be easy. Not against Van Valkenburg, who he’s become friends with through the Future Stars Series and has respected ever since.
“I met him at the Fresh 50, and I think we’ve been on the same team every event besides this one if I’m not mistaken,” Thomas said. “So, to be on the same team and get to know him, man that kid loves the game. One thing I can say about him is he loves the game no matter where we’re playing; if we’re at a Little League park or if we’re in a major-league stadium, which we have before, he just loves to play the game. He loves to compete and he loves to see everybody win. That’s one thing I can say for sure, he loves to see everybody win. He’s not a selfish player, he’s not a big ‘me, me, me’ guy. He loves to see everybody compete at a high level and be good at a high level. So to be able to compete against him, we were joking about it in Houston and I was like, ‘Hey man, we can laugh now, but when we get to Minnesota, you know it’s on, right. I’m not trying to lose.’ He was the same way back, so it’s just that competitive drive that keeps us on our toes and it just makes us better, it makes both of us want to be better and thankful for this opportunity.”
Since 2003, he has six World Series and has worked high-profile events ranging from the MLB All-Star Game to the World Baseball Classic. In addition to his role working for the Future Stars Series that he's held since 2017, Ashmore currently serves as the beat writer of the Double-A New York Yankees affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, as well as national hockey writer and New York Jets game day beat reporter for The Trentonian.
A regular contributor to Baseball America, Ashmore has worked eight Super Bowls, 13 Stanley Cup Finals, the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA Playoffs, the NCAA D1 Men's Basketball Tournament, College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Frozen Four, Daytona 500, major UFC events and much more as he approaches 3,300 games covered in his career.
An avid trading card enthusiast and motorsports fan, he lives with his wife, Sarah, their son, future No. 1 overall draft pick in 2042, William, their beloved dog, Bailey, and occasionally well-behaved cat, Smokey.
