As we approach our tenth anniversary and also look forward to a bevy of upcoming signature events with the World Combine, Caribbean Classic and JUCO Main Event Showdown on the schedule over the next few months, it can become increasingly difficult to forget where it all began.
Now, if you really want to get technical with it, you can go all the way back to the establishment of Program 15 back in 2015. And sure, there were our first-ever National Tournaments in 2017. But for most, where the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series put themselves on the map was the inaugural International Week event later that year.
Now known as the Main Event — a necessary change after MLB adjusted the rules of amateur international players being able to play in big-league parks after 2020 — this isn’t just *a* signature event for the FSS, it’s the *the* signature event. But, back in 2017, it was the inaugural year, and the company was still relatively unknown. Even so, a lot of players, families and programs believed in the vision right away, and we headed to Constellation Field, home of the-then independent Atlantic League’s Sugar Land Skeeters, for a three-game International Week series between a National and World team.
Largely considered a success, the event helped shape the careers of some players you know today, including three major-leaguers as well as those who have made an impact at the collegiate and/or professional levels.
Franco Aleman
Then a projectable Cuban-born righty with long levers, Aleman has blossomed into the cusp of becoming a major-leaguer. Lauded by our scouting staff as having the potential to be a top-three starter down the road, the now 6-foot-6, 235-pounder was used both as a starter and reliever during his collegiate career at FIU and Florida before being used exclusively out of the bullpen by the Cleveland Guardians, who drafted him in the tenth round back in 2021. Injuries sidetracked Aleman, who was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster prior to the start of the 2025 season, but after two seasons in Triple-A, the 25-year-old is knocking on the door of his first trip to the big leagues.
Bo Naylor
Naylor was highly touted at the time, and some even say the event was rescheduled to accommodate his busy schedule at the time. He’s lived up to that hype since; the Canadian-born backstop was taken by the Guardians with the 29th overall pick back in 2018 and became our first-ever alumni to reach “The Show” with a late-season call-up in 2022. “Bo” — he went by his given first name of Noah back in his amateur days — has since become a regular in the majors, playing 123 games in back-to-back years, while mostly having a defense-first reputation. However, he’s hit double-digit homers in each of his first three full seasons in the big leagues, including a new career-high of 14 in 2025.
Mick Abel
Abel was the youngest player in attendance, still just 15 years old when he set foot in Sugar Land. That invite spoke to his immense upside, the kind of arm talent that eventually saw him reach the big leagues last year with the Philadelphia Phillies, who would later trade him to the Minnesota Twins.
In 2017, however, the Oregon-born Abel struggled with the heat and in facing some more advanced hitters and ended up setting an event walk record that would stand for seven years. Seems he did just fine after that, however. Abel developed into one of the top pitching prospects in baseball and earned two more appearances at International Week as an extremely rare three-time invitee. Drafted 15th overall by the Phillies in 2020, Abel became a Futures Game starter and seemingly key part of their future moving forward, outdueling Paul Skenes in his highly-anticipated big-league debut. Instead, he was dealt to Minnesota at the deadline in exchange for Jhoan Duran, and made four more appearances in the big leagues for the Twins, for whom he’ll be in the mix for a rotation spot in 2026.
Grayson Rodriguez
Injuries have sidetracked the true potential for Rodriguez at times, who will turn 26 years old prior to Opening Day in 2026. He didn’t pitch at all in 2025 after eventually undergoing elbow surgery, a disappointment after the first two years of his big-league career with the Orioles, having posted a 20-8 in his first 43 career MLB starts.
Back then, however, Rodriguez was a little-known two-way player at International Week. He eventually focused just on pitching and ended up being selected by Baltimore with the 15th overall pick back in 2018, emerging as one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball prior to his big-league debut in 2023. In Sugar Land, not far from his home in Texas, however, Rodriguez got three plate appearances, but mostly made noise for his outing on the mound — one in which he faced Naylor twice — touching 93 with the fastball while also flashing an advanced slider and changeup. At the time, our scouting staff said he should be considered in the first round, and had 1-2 starter stuff. That has since checked out and then some when he’s been able to stay healthy.
Thomas Schultz
Schultz came to us through his appearance with US Elite in the National Tournament, and showed out at International Week, albeit not as one of the bigger names at the event. It was something of a sign of things to come for the big righty, who has steadily climbed the ladder with significant success while never being considered a true top prospect.
After a very successful four-year run out of the Vanderbilt bullpen, Schultz went in the ninth round to the Washington Nationals in 2023, and has cruised through their system, reaching Triple-A just last year. At 26, it’ll need to happen fairly soon, but it’s trending towards a trip to the big leagues sooner rather than later; he’s posted a 3.76 ERA over 97 career MiLB appearances, striking out 137 batters over 134 innings of work compared to just 55 walks.
Andrew Walling
Walling was a little known two-way guy at the time — sounds familiar — who had committed to Oregon State, and was used somewhat sparingly as a hitter-only during the International Week event, getting just four plate appearances. Turns out, the mound was going to be where his future lied.
“I had an idea that it was going to be baseball; I really just loved the game, but it turns out that the hitting aspect was not what kept me out on the field further on,” Walling told FSS Plus in 2025. “But that’s OK. It taught me a lot going onto the pitching side, and was something that gave me those opportunities as well.”
After a circuitous route in college, the Phillies signed the lefty reliever as an undrafted free agent back in 2022, and he’s rewarded them with four steady seasons that have him looking to make his big-league debut sometime in 2026. He’s racked up 206 strikeouts over 168 career MiLB innings, and provides significant value as a lefty with feel to pitch.
“They’ve done a fantastic job with the entire process, and every year, I’ve been able to add something new to my tool belt and it continues to sharpen me year after year,” he said. “That’s not to say that somewhere else I could have landed wouldn’t have done the same, but where I did end up has been amazing, and it’s exactly where I needed to be.”
Nic Kent
Kent is another player who came out of the US Elite program and has since gone on to a successful career in pro ball. The scouting report at the time labeled him as a D1/Pro guy, and both came true; Kent was a stalwart at Virginia before the Colorado Rockies took him in the 11th round back in the 2021 MLB Draft. He’s been a valuable utility infielder ever since, seeing significant time at all four infield positions having spent the last four years in full-season ball; 2022 and 2023 with High-A Spokane, and the last two with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats.
Back in 2017, however, he was still an under-the-radar infielder who was grateful for the opportunity to show his skills at a big event like the Future Stars Series was able to put on in Sugar Land.
“It doesn’t feel like long ago in one way,” Kent told FSS Plus in 2024. “But, looking back…I remember being with our team at US Elite, and we had a lot of really good players on that team, and we were all learning the game and growing together. It was a great experience. But being in high school and not really getting that much Draft attention, Program 15 was kind of the first big thing I did like that.”
OTHER NOTABLES: Sean Guilbe hit the first ever home run at International Week, and was taken in the 12th round by the San Diego Padres, enjoying a three-year pro career…Roberto Pena set the Pioneer League’s single-season home run record in 2025 after going undrafted…A third-rounder in 2018, Mateo Gil, the son of former P15 coach Benji Gil, has played seven professional seasons, reaching Triple-A in the Mets organization in 2023, and is currently continuing his career in Mexico…Dominic Pipkin went in the ninth round in 2018 and after appearing in the Arizona Fall League in 2023, was ultimately sidetracked by injuries and did not pitch last year…, Another member of the US Elite group alongside Vandy standout Troy Laneve, Mason Ronan ended up signing with the Philadelphia Phillies after eschewing the Boston Red Sox drafting him in 2018 to pitch collegiately at Pitt and pitched for three years in their system, last appearing with the Atlantic League’s Lancaster Stormers in 2025…Taken in the 11th round by the Cincinnati Reds in 2019, World Team slugger Wendell Marrero spent five years in their system reaching High-A and played in the independent American Association in 2024…Kaleb Hill was selected by Cleveland late in the 2018 MLB Draft, but instead went the college route; he’s pitched professionally in the Frontier League the last two seasons…Yeancarlos Lleras dazzled at International Week with at-times electric stuff, earning him a sixth-round selection in the 2018 MLB Draft by the Orioles, but he struggled with command and was let go in 2022, ultimately leading him to the Puerto Rican Winter League…Kyle Froemke played college ball at both Oregon and Oregon State and parlayed a solid year at the latter into a brief stint in the Dodgers organization as a UDFA, reaching full-season ball in Rancho Cucamonga…TJ McKenzie was used sparingly during his collegiate career at Vanderbilt before transferring to Georgia Southern, and played professionally last year in the Pioneer League with Oakland…Justin Williams was a 17th round draft pick by the Houston Astros in 2021 after three years at Penn State and played in 184 career MiLB games over three seasons in their farm system…Xavier Valentin remains active after being taken by the Texas Rangers in the 19th round in the 2018 MLB Draft; after five years in their organization, he’s since played independent baseball in 2024 and 2025 in the Frontier League and American Association, respectively…A high-upside arm at the time, Damon Casetta-Stubbs was taken in the 11th round by the Seattle Mariners in 2018 and was traded to Cleveland midway through the 2021 campaign, ultimately finishing up his career with a strong season with Ottawa in the Frontier League two years later…Alberto Gonzalez ended up going in the 18th round to the Reds in 2018 and made 64 appearances over four seasons, reaching A-Ball twice, before last pitching in the American Association and Mexican League back in 2023.
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 3,200 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.
- Looking Back: 2017 Future Stars Series International Week - November 3, 2025
- ASHMORE: 5 Underclass Elite hitting standouts - October 22, 2025
- ASHMORE: 5 Main Event hitting standouts - October 15, 2025
