SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Hope doesn’t get you to the big leagues.
Hard work does.
New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series alum Drew Gilbert is a prime example of just that, having put in the time and effort to answer the concerns in his scouting reports that he needed to get stronger to add to a smaller frame to be able to handle the rigors of the next levels.
Back when we first saw Gilbert as a two-way player at the 2017 National Tournaments with the Minnesota Blizzard and later at the 2018 International Week, both as a two-way standout, he always had the tools. But he always knew he was going to have to put in the work to get the most out of them.
When asked in a recent sit-down interview with FSS Plus what advice he’d give to players coming through the Future Stars Series who are trying to get to where he’s at now, that was the biggest point he wanted to make.
“You’ve got to work really hard, that’s the main thing,” Gilbert told FSS Plus. “I think one thing I did do really well when I was in high school was I worked very, very hard, and I don’t think people really understand how hard you do have to work to get to the places you want to go to. Even if you’re more talented than other kids in high school and you don’t work hard, when you’re in college, it’ll catch up to you. If it’s not college, it’ll be in pro ball. Developing a really good work ethic, no matter if there are good or bad results on the field, is super important. Believing in yourself, even if you’re struggling, knowing deep down that you’ll be all right. You can develop that through your work ethic, which builds true self-confidence over time.”
That part has never seemed to be an issue for the now-24-year-old. Still a two-way when he went to the University of Tennessee — even FSS scouts were torn when we had him on which path would be best because of how talented he was on both sides of the ball — Gilbert eventually leaned into becoming a full-time outfielder, and emerged as one of the best in the country, going 28th overall to the Houston Astros in 2022.
However, he was dealt to the New York Mets a year later, a key return in the deal that sent Justin Verlander back to Houston. From there on, he was gaining a ton of momentum as a prospect and seemed to have a clear path to the big leagues, reaching Triple-A Syracuse in just his second full professional season to start the 2024 campaign.
That season was a disaster. A hamstring injury limited him while he was on the field and skewed his numbers in ways that never reflected who he is as a player. And that’s while he was able to be out there. He missed nearly three months of that season, returned, but saw the issues linger into the start of this season, where he needed a rehab assignment before returning to Syracuse.
All that might affect a player who didn’t have that deep-rooted self-confidence.
Not Gilbert.
“Since I knew I was going to miss the start, it made it a little less frustrating,” he said. “Just this whole injury deal has been frustrating this past year, but it’s about adjusting and getting back healthy. It was rewarding (to get back). At the end of the day, I expected to be healthy. It got to the point where it was like, ‘All right, it’s about time.’ But last year, that wasn’t what I was looking to do. It’s how you build off of that. It’s part of the game, and it’s what you do with that. Either you make adjustments or you say ‘poor me,’ but I think I’ve done a good job of making those adjustments.”
Two-strike single through the pull side for 2018 International Week alum @gillygoobear with a runner on to help keep the line moving for the @SyracuseMets pic.twitter.com/VZ5IVd6rfJ
— New Balance ?????? ????? ?????? (@ftrstarsseries) April 30, 2025
Obviously, in the moment, it was something Gilbert would have rather not gone through. But, he has the perspective to be able to realize that going through that adversity now and learning how to handle it may benefit him in the long run.
“In the future, I can look back, and be like, ‘I needed that,’ or at least hopefully that’s the case,” he said. “But in the past, it was a lot of frustration and wondering why this is happening. You just want to be healthy. And on top of that, when you’re playing bad, it’s not what you want. But, God willing, when you get the opportunity to play in the big leagues, you can use what you went through down there to help you stay up there.”
Gilbert is hitting .236 with two homers and eight RBI in his first 26 games with the Syracuse Mets this year as he remains one call away from his first trip to the big leagues. He’s confident that the injury issues are behind him, and he’s back on the right track to continue to get things turned around.
“At least physically, yes,” he said. “But, as you saw, there’s adjustments you’re making game-to-game…so I could say yes, but it’s just baseball, so tomorrow I could feel like crap at the plate. Or I could have a really good day. It’s sticking to what you do well, sticking to an approach and a plan, and coming in and doing your work and trusting that over the course of a year that it will all pan out.”
It’s a mindset, Gilbert says, that is largely established coming up through the amateur circuit, including his stops with the Future Stars Series.
“The more experiences you’re exposed to at those ages, and the more you can learn — whether it’s in high school or college or whether it’s good or bad — the more you’re able to take those experiences and learn from them,” he said.
“It’s true, it’s like adding tools to your toolbox…all those experiences add up over time. I was really lucky to be able to go through some of those events in high school with Future Stars Series, Perfect Game, whatever it was. High school, college, it all piles on top of each other, and you build that database in your head.”
Since 2003, he has covered multiple 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 seven Super Bowls, 11 Stanley Cup Finals, the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA Playoffs, College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Frozen Four, Daytona 500, major UFC events and much more as he approaches 3,200 games covered in his career.
An avid card collector and sim racer, he lives with his wife, Sarah, their son William, and their beloved dog, Bailey, and cat, Smokey.
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