News coming from the ongoing Future Stars Series organizational meetings in Houston continues to be big.
While the national staff remains engaged in conversations under the same roof for now, they likely won’t all reconvene together until the National Championships resume in Lake Charles, Louisiana this summer, which will also see the National Combine and Underclass Combine held there as well.
The selection process for events after those, however, has been somewhat streamlined, with some changes being made to provide a more consistent process and to maintain the integrity of the tournament events for the partner programs.
As part of an all inclusive partner program format yet to be fully revealed but expected to begin after the summer of 2022, all partner programs will be required to host a scout day that is consistent with the Future Stars series evaluation format. Players from partner programs will now be able to bypass regional combines provided they attended their organizational scout day.
Regional Combines, which are open to players outside of partner programs, will still serve as identifying events for the next steps. Players outside of partner programs wishing to participate in national tournaments will go through a combine day and advance to created teams, while players associated with partner programs would play with those teams as usual.
Players assigned to created teams will play a game schedule that ends in time for them to rejoin their travel teams for their weekend event, wherever that may be. Opening Ceremonies — which debuted in Lake Charles last year — for the National Tournaments will immediately follow the National and Underclass Combine testing days.
Athletes invited to the National or Underclass Combine can expect a full show of a day with New Balance and Marucci expected on site for custom uniform, bat, and glove fitting along with live streaming and a full broadcast and social media team to bring the event to viewers everywhere. As part of these events which are already free to players, those attending will work with the Future Stars Series Foundation with a variety of causes that directly impact communities.
Selection for the Main Event and Underclass Elite will take place directly after those events, and players must be invited to the combine day in order to advance to the FSS jewel events. Combine testing days will remain the same as usual, and selection for the Main Event and Underclass Elite immediately following their respective National Tournament champion is crowned.
“We’re extremely excited to utilize a model that we believe enhances already strong relationships and helps promote players from partner programs to colleges and all 30 big-league clubs,” said Jeremy Booth, CEO and President of the Future Stars Series.
“We’re grateful for the relationships that allow this to happen as the Future Stars Series initiatives continue to move forward in a big way. We’re doubly excited for our players who have not yet seen the national environment to participate whether with a partner program or not, and to be able to provide events where we can put them in competitive situations and further their development. We’re looking forward to the participation of those particular players before they ultimately return to their respective travel programs.”
Speaking of the Main Event, it’s been confirmed that the annual signature week for the Future Stars Series will see it shift to a summer date, with a July 29-31 window currently being expected, although dates at MLB stadiums can be subject to change given the fluid nature of the lockout. With that said, there’s also an expectation that events will make a return to Fenway Park, with the historic venue set in the shadow of New Balance world headquarters set to re-enter hosting FSS events once their calendar clears up with local and state COVID-restrictions.
The inaugural Fresh 50 — a new event in which most players selected will be rising sophomores, and possibly some rising freshmen. Players will compete in a 3 day series and receive custom New Balance Uniforms, Custom New Balance apparel, Limited edition and specially designed footwear, Marucci bats, Marucci Glove, G-Form protective wear of their choice, Franklin batting Gloves, video, and an updated scouting report — does have a venue set, however, with the debut scheduled for the famous Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida.
Formerly the spring training home of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the JRTC is now operated by Major League Baseball and serves as a host to some of the top amateur events on the planet. The selection process for the Fresh 50 will be similar to the events listed above; a combine testing day will occur prior to that group’s scheduled games.
