The Future Stars Series, a collaborative effort between New Balance Baseball and PROGRAM 15, has set the bar for player identification and development events in the amateur baseball sphere since its launch in the fall of 2016. As a grassroots initiative, the Series has gained recognition as the foremost platform for up-and-coming talent in the sport.
Drawing the support of Major League executives, professional scouts, colleges and universities, and player development clubs across the country, the Future Stars Series has put a spotlight on over 100 MLB Draft Picks and International Signings, along with hundreds of college-committed players who have participated in Future Stars Series events.
After an initial first wave of Regional Supervisors that were announced in early April, Future Stars Series president and CEO Jeremy Booth has announced the addition of four more new Regional Supervisors, with only several spots remaining to be finalized shortly.
In addition, the director of player development for the Future Stars Series new and already successful venture into the softball world has been named.
Squarely focused on spotlighting the abilities of top amateur players from around the world, the following Regional Supervisors have been chosen to lead the Future Stars Series expansion of Baseball and Softball initiatives to provide opportunities for players to experience the games on the big stage in front of college recruiters and prominent Major League scouts.
Future Stars Series Regions and Supervisors
Arizona/California/Hawaii — James LoftonPacific Northwest/Nevada/New Mexico/West Texas — Scott Baker
South Florida/Puerto Rico — Orlando Melendez Gilbert, Carlos Beltran Academy (PR base of operations for FSS)Ohio Valley — Ryan Weaver
The Regional Supervisors will run open player identification events, host regional tournaments, organize fundraising efforts in their areas consistent with the Future Stars Series Foundation’s mission, and assist on all national level events in their areas as well as the National Championships and Signature Event selection combines in Nashville each summer.
Future Stars Series scouting and player development staff will assist Regional Supervisors as needed allowing them to work across multiple channels of the organization.
“After we put out some of the names back in April of people who were coming on board as Regional Supervisors, I think it was pretty clear we raised the bar for how this was going to go moving forward,” Booth said. “The country is now nearly complete with supervisors, but we’re going to take our time with those last few, especially with the response we’ve received after that first wave hit and some other imminent, big announcements.
“This particular group is a unique and special one for us, especially with Orlando, who has done everything from play in the Final Four to being the first Puerto Rico native to play for the Harlem Globetrotters. Adding Lofton, who our kids have gotten to know and trust for years now, as well as Baker, a big leaguer who was a teammate of mine, and Weaver, who founded the Midwest Marlins, and we know we’ve got some cornerstone additions that will help lead us through changing the game.”Joy Roeder has been named the director of player personnel for Future Stars Series Softball, and is expected to provide a huge presence as Program 15 Sports will rely heavily on her expertise as that side of the business is built from the ground up.
The Softball model will mirror the FSS Baseball Combine format for player identification and development, which will include 10/20/40/80 times with raw analytical data such as exit velocity captured by Rapsodo technology.
Roeder comes to Future Stars Series (FSS) with a lot of experience and knowledge in the national softball community. Her coaching/instruction began in the summer of 1995 and has led her to various levels of coaching, evaluating, consulting and reporting on sporting events.
Joy loves working with coaches to provide avenues for young players to develop fundamentals and developing relationships with athletes to bring out their full potential.
“When evaluating athletes my “expertise ” is choosing players with the ‘it’ factor,” Roeder said.
“Measurables are good and needed but often a player can look like a rock star on paper but not have the ‘thing’ that I think makes a true ‘Future Stars Series’ player. I’m looking at attitude, work ethic, coachability, softball IQ and of course overall athleticism. When putting on a FSS event my goal is to make the experience unique from any other combine/softball event players and coaches have been to. From the minute a player checks in I want them to know we care they are not just a number, their softball journey matters to us. We want to help them be the best player they can be.”
Most recently, Joy was a correspondent for the Extra Inning Softball publication for almost three years and has made many connections with club players and coaches at every level. She is looking forward to using her experiences and knowledge to build the already well known Future Stars Series baseball brand as a formidable name in the softball community.
Joy resides with her husband, Corey, and their three kids in Nebraska.
“Joy has already proven to be an important addition to the Future Stars Series family,” Booth said. “We’re confident we can bring the same high level of competition and evaluation to the softball side of all of this, and she will be an integral part of getting all of that established with her expertise. She’s been a perfect fit, and we’re all very excited to see Future Stars Series Softball grow quickly.”
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