The ball rarely left Jax Van Valkenburg’s right hand.
This wasn’t a workout or a game or even anything on a baseball field we’re talking about here. This was a Zoom interview for the story you’re about to read, where the extremely personable Oklahoma native sat and answered questions about becoming the only two-time signature event team captain in New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series history after once again earning the honors for the upcoming tenth anniversary of the Main Event, set for CHS Field and Target Field in Minnesota from September 18-20.
As he spoke, it was hard not to notice as the baseball twirled in his hand. The Tulsa Sandlot star lives and breathes the game, but it isn’t who he is. Isn’t all he is. An excellent student and one of the more gregarious players in FSS history, it should come as no surprise that being well-rounded off the field is only matched by what he can do once he’s between the white lines on it.
Switch hit? Sure.
Multiple defensive positions that he can actually handle well? You got it.
The future is a bright one for both he and Collin Thomas, who will lead his Navy squad against “JVV” and his Columbia Blue team in six weeks at the Triple-A and big-league homes of the Minnesota Twins. Van Valkenburg, who is committed to Arizona State, is honored to have been asked to lead the way once again in one of his last FSS stops before heading to either college or the MLB Draft next summer.
“It means the world,” Van Valkenburg said. “Being in an organization where player development is the most valued aspect, and obviously (CEO) Jeremy (Booth) just, his whole person, his knowledge, his wisdom and his connections and the fact that Jeremy has been able to get me so many places that I have been able to go and been on my side, it’s definitely a blessing. I’m honored to be able to be a captain of so many extremely high level players. I looked at the roster yesterday, and my Dad and I went through and looked at every kid and went on Google and searched up their recruiting stuff. We already made a gameplan of who plays where and all that stuff. It’s a blessing for sure, I’m definitely blessed.”
Van Valkenburg was one of the Underclass Elite captains at Globe Life Field last year alongside Ramsey Chung, who recently earned a commitment to San Jacinto College. His takeaways from being a leader in that event, in which there were some on-field moments on the first day in Frisco that left something to be desired at times, can only help him this time around.
“Last event, the first game was in Frisco, and it was hot out there and everyone had low energy,” he recalled. “It was a pretty bad game. I can admit that was a bad game energy-wise for my team. So afterwards, Jeremy pulled myself and Ramsey, who was the captain of the other team at the time, and was like, ‘Hey, I’m not just giving this captain title out lightly. You guys need to get your teams back together, back rolling by tomorrow.’ And I think the challenge was there to get the team back going and get everyone to understand what an opportunity this and that you can’t just throw something like this down the drain and go out with no energy and go out flat. I’ve been through that before and being ready to do it again if needed, but I don’t think I’ll need to, because all these dudes are really good players and high-energy players.”
Van Valkenburg has raised his profile immensely ever since we first saw him at a Tulsa Sandlot Scout Day in 2023 and has earned his way to the Fresh 50, Underclass Premier and Underclass Elite signature events for his 2027 grad class, as well as a trip to the Dominican Republic for this year’s Caribbean Classic, where our scouts lauded him for his “strong, durable build that shows present physicality with still some room to fill out” and appreciated how he “plays the game that way you want it done from a catching prospect; takes charge of the game as a captain on the field and is very pitcher friendly in his game calling and receiving. Shows a 50/55 arm with accuracy that will only tick up with maturity and reps.”
As he’s toured the amateur circuit and played in seemingly countless events, he’s become one of the more in-demand names anywhere given his versatility, skill and attitude. In short, he could play anywhere, any week. So, why keep coming back to the Future Stars Series?
It’s an answer that’s as complex as it is simple.
“It’s the honesty and the truthfulness,” Van Valkenburg said. “One of the first things Jeremy ever told me one-on-one was I’m never going to build you up for no reason. It was I’m going to tell you what you need to work on, what you’re terrible at to your face. I think that’s the most valuable thing is getting to hear that from somebody like Jeremy, him saying, ‘Hey dude, you need to get faster. You’re a bad mover, you’re unathletic, you need to lose some weight, you need to do all that stuff.’ You go (other places) and they’re not going to say that. They’re going to have you hit, run, whatever, give you a number and send you on your way. But with Jeremy and the whole Future Stars Series staff, it’s relationships. Every year I come back, I get to continue to meet Robbie (Moen), Jeremy, Jared (Wells) and all of those guys and continue those relationships. You look up and it’s, ‘Oh, hey, I’m talking to a 15-year major-league baseball player that I’ve had a relationship with for four years, and he cares about me and he wants me to be the best I can do and go what he was able to do.’ That’s the most important thing and the reason why I keep coming back, is just the knowledge, relationships and how it’s real baseball.”
The baseball will, in fact, be very real on the biggest stage we have in September.
The rosters, as such, are very loaded.
Van Valkenburg has the utmost confidence in his Columbia Blue group, and pointed to a few players he’s excited to get to call a teammate when we get to Minnesota in six weeks.
“One of my best friends from New Balance is Cooper Benjamin, lefty from California,” he said. “Me and him have always gone back and forth non-stop. He’s actually always been on my teams, which I’ve been lucky to have because he’s gross on the mound. Jamie Chipman was another one that I’ve played with before, he’s on my team, and then two Oklahoma guys in Jacob Lopez — he’s my shortstop on Sandlot — and a new guy who will be new to the Future Stars Series family, his name is Keon Young and he’s from Enid. Him and I, we’ve always played against each other and played with each other and gone to some camps together, and he’s a legit prospect. I’m pretty excited for Jeremy to get to be around him and see what’s up about him, because he’s mid-90’s on the bump, runs like a gazelle, legit two-way. But, a good kid too. Those four stood out right off the bat when I saw the roster.”
As you can expect, Collin Thomas is going into this expecting to win as well. Teammates at nearly every FSS event they’ve been at together, they now face off as opposing team captains.
The trash talk, Van Valkenburg says, has already started, albeit very good-natured.
“Oh, it’s always going, it’s non-stop with Collin,” Van Valkenburg said through a laugh. “I’m excited. He’s going to try to run on me and I can’t let that happen. He’s going to get everyone on that team to try to do everything possible to try to beat us. But, we’ve got a pretty stacked roster. Jeremy’s done a pretty cool thing with the players he got for this, the caliber of players. I don’t think (Collin) has a chance in all honesty, just talking from confidence and the dudes I know on my team. I don’t think he has a chance. They might get lucky and maybe grab one on a walk-off or something, but we’re going to shut them down. I have absolute confidence in my team.”
Since 2003, he has six 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, 13 Stanley Cup Finals, the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA Playoffs, the NCAA D1 Men's Basketball Tournament, 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 and motorsports fan, 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.
