As the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series gets set to embark on a tenth year, it’s fair to say that there’s been more than our fair share of players that have benefited from our focus on develop and made their way to the next levels. For many, that’s included professional baseball.
The New Balance Future Stars Series is widely regarded as the premier and unquestioned leader in player identification and development in baseball. FSS specializes in identifying undervalued talent and advancing players to college baseball, professional baseball, and Major League Baseball careers through a proven blend of elite scouting, analytical forecasting, and objective performance data.
FSS has long been recognized for its ability to marry the analytical and objective with the human and subjective, projecting not only what players are today, but what they are capable of becoming. That philosophy has driven success in draft forecasting, competition matching, and long-term development through a national and international network of partners.
Over the past three years, FSS alumni have comprised approximately 35% of MiLB’s Top 100 prospects, 16% of MLB Draft selections, and one-third of MLB Draft Combine participants, underscoring the organization’s central role in modern talent identification. Collectively, players identified and developed through Future Stars Series platforms have earned signing bonuses nearing half a billion dollars.
With that said, it’s time to take a look at the players to be keeping an eye on as Spring Training gets underway in the big leagues, with a wide variety of players in camp as members of 40-man rosters or as non-roster invitees (NRI), many of them with a chance to make the Opening Day roster.
ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS
Hayden Durke (NRI), Tommy Troy (NRI)
Durke is one of the more intriguing names to have received a spring invite, and has a long history with the FSS that includes an appearance at International Week in 2019. The Louisiana native was taken in the 13th round by the D’Backs in 2023, and made a big jump last year, making his way through three levels of their system, topping out at Triple-A. The 23-year-old struggled at times in the hitter-friendly PCL, but is clearly on the team’s radar for a potential look in the big leagues at some point this season.
We got a whopping five looks at the Louisiana native, including three appearances in our National Tournaments, but it was at Fenway Park in 2019 where he really popped; Durke was up to 97 in a two-inning look, where our scouts identified him as someone with a future in pro ball.
Troy, who was teammates with Durke on the National Team at that International Week event, was a little more destined to get to this point after going 12th overall in 2023 after a standout collegiate career at Stanford. The 24-year-old infielder also finds himself firmly in the mix to see the big leagues at some point this season; he hit .289 with 15 homers and 66 RBI between Double-A and Triple-A last season, establishing a new career high with 24 stolen bases along the way.
We first saw him at a Pro Combine at the end of 2018, and that was enough to get him invited to the prestigious International Week event a year later, where he firmly established himself as a potential first-round pick down the road.
COLORADO ROCKIES
Zac Veen (pictured, 40)
Veen has been one of the talks of spring training across all of baseball after reports of his finding sobriety and adding significant muscle to his frame this off-season. The one-time Scorpions standout at our National Tournaments also played for the National Team at that 2019 International Week event, and homered in Pawtucket, which was just the second longball in the history of that event at that point.
Since then, Veen was taken ninth overall by the Rockies in 2020 and made his big league debut last year, hitting a homer over 12 games with Colorado, and is working his way back to be in consideration to get back there this season.
SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS
Drew Gilbert (40)
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 2025 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.”
Gilbert was part of two trades after the Houston Astros took him in the first round back in 2022, with the last of those, which sent him to the Giants, ultimately opening up a path to the big leagues for him. He took the majors by storm with his electric personality, and played in 39 MLB games last season, hitting three homers along the way.
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 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 eight 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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