A trio of 2020 New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series International Week alums were added to their teams respective 40-man rosters today, ahead of the deadline to protect players in advance of the upcoming Rule 5 Draft.
Edwin Arroyo (pictured), Elmer Rodriguez and Ricky Tiedemann were added by the Cincinnati Reds, New York Yankees and Toronto Blue Jays, respectively, as the FSS looks to continue to have more players go through New Balance’s global initiative for player development and reach the next level.
Additionally, National Tournaments alum Cooper Hjerpe, who pitched in the event with NorCal both in 2017 and 2018, was selected to the 40-man roster of the St. Louis Cardinals.
After a strong showing for the World Team at what was the last International Week event before the name change, Arroyo performed well, recording a hit at Fenway Park in Game 2 of the series. He was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the second round in 2021, but was traded as part of a blockbuster package of four players to the Reds at the trade deadline in 2022 in exchange for Luis Castillo. Arroyo’s stock fell after he missed the entirety of the 2024 regular season due to a labrum injury in his shoulder, but he rebounded nicely in the Arizona Fall League later that year and performed well at Double-A Chattanooga in 2025, hitting .284 with three homers and 40 RBI and 12 stolen bases while serving as the team’s primary shortstop.
Arroyo and Rodriguez were teammates on the World squad in 2020, and the artist formerly known as “ERC” spun a few innings at Fenway Park in the first game held at a big-league park that year with fans in attendance. He struck out three batters, including one shown below of highly-regarded prospect Cam Collier, and reminisced with FSS Plus earlier this year about the event and his somewhat meteoric rise as a prospect.
“That was a cool experience,” Rodriguez-Cruz said of pitching in Fenway. “Pitching there, that was my first big league stadium I ever stepped in playing wise, so that was a fun experience. I used to look at videos of it, remember the good times. Being drafted by Boston, that was a cool moment…but you have to keep growing, take the best of everything and put it in play.”
It was to be something of a precursor of his future, having been drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the fourth round in 2021, but he was dealt to the Yankees prior to the start of the 2025 season in exchange for catcher Carlos Narvaez. He put up a monster season between High-A Hudson Valley, Double-A Somerset and Triple-A Scranton, earning Baseball America MiLB Player of the Year honors in the Yankees system, finishing 11-8 with a 2.58 ERA and 178 strikeouts in 150 innings of work.
Tiedemann appeared both at International Week in 2020 as a member of the National Team and subsequently at the next year’s Pre-Draft Combine in Lake Charles; he instead elected to go to Golden West JC and was taken in the third round by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2022 MLB Draft. A former consensus Top 35 prospect in all of baseball, Tiedemann has been severely sidetracked by injuries, throwing just 17 1/3 innings in 2024 before missing the entirety of last season due to Tommy John surgery.
Hjerpe was on a loaded 2018 NorCal team that included future fellow big-league draft picks Brock Jones and Glenallen “GJ” Hill, Jr. Selected to International Week that year but unable to attend due to fatigue, Hjerpe went on to star for Oregon State and was ultimately taken by the Cardinals with the 22nd overall selection in 2022. Injuries have also limited the southpaw; he’s thrown just 93 1/3 pro innings and missed all of last season due to Tommy John surgery.
About New Balance Future Stars Series
The New Balance Future Stars Series presented by Program 15 is a global platform for amateur baseball development and scouting, powered by a commitment to impact, integrity, and player-focused innovation. Its alumni can be found throughout professional baseball, and its events and partnerships have reshaped how talent is identified, nurtured, and celebrated.
Connect with New Balance Future Stars Series by visiting our website, www.futurestarsseries.com, by visiting our YouTube page, and by checking out the social media channels listed below.
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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, 12 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 3,300 games covered in his career.
An avid trading card enthusiast, 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.
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