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A ninth Main Event is in the books for the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series, one that on paper featured arguably the two most talented and deep rosters we’ve had yet this time of year. As one of a handful of people who can say they’ve been to all of them, that would seemingly be saying something for an event that’s helped produce numerous big leaguers, as well as some of the current Top 100 prospects in the game, no matter what rankings you choose to look at.
So, it’s with that said that we start to take a look back at another magical weekend at Riders Field and Globe Life Field, with this year’s event featuring a unique configuration that featured both Main Event teams facing off against each other as usual on Friday and Sunday, but also matchups against some of the top JUCO talent in the country on Saturday in a big league setting.
With a more diverse sample size to look at, who are some names that popped at the plate?
COLE PROSEK, 2B/3B — 6-1, 195 | Ole Miss commit
Yes, the two guys who homered at Globe Life are at the top of this list. Yes, they’re obvious. Yes, that doesn’t mean they don’t belong here, however.
Prosek has a long history with the Future Stars Series and earned his way to a second consecutive signature event with a big showing in Houston at our National Combine, one in which he joined after a stint with Team USA, advancing all the way to the final step before falling short of making their U18 National Team that won gold in Japan.
With a sturdy frame and strong approach from the left side of the plate, Prosek showed he will be little more than a footnote in a career, one that may start sooner rather than later; our scouts see him as having top-two round potential, and it’s hard to see MLB teams disagreeing once the Draft hits next year.
In fact, that status was cemented in Arlington with an eye-opening home run, not to mention a smart and steady defensive showing on the dirt throughout the duration of the event.
EASTON AUTREY 1B/3B — 6-4, 225 | Texas
Truthfully, it probably wasn’t the best of events for Autrey over the first few days. Kept waiting for it to pop, one of those things where — especially after seeing him in Houston — you knew it was in there, just a matter of time. Holy heck, did it ever on Sunday.
Of all of the Main Event homers ever hit — and yes, it’s a relatively short list, but one that includes Zac Veen, Cooper Pratt, Collin Priest, and some others — this one may be the most memorable of them all, and that’s either on sound or sight alone. Just a mammoth blast off a premium arm to win a lefty-lefty matchup, but something that only scratches the surface of what he’s capable of.
Autrey drew a Russell Branyan comp from our scouts back in Houston, and while some may scoff at that, that’s a 14-year big-leaguer who was a reliable power bat from the left side over a lengthy career. With 70+ raw power to the pull side, the upside here may be even higher. It’s a now frame and one he’ll need to make sure he stays on top of maintaining to make sure he retains the agility to keep it from being a 1B/DH profile only as he moves towards the 2026 MLB Draft, one in which he will undoubtedly receive significant interest.
DOMINIC PELLEGRIN, SS/2B — 6-0, 170 | Tulane
Might be my favorite hitter from the event, which may surprise some. I tend to be drawn towards the producers at any given event over just projecting tools for down the road, but Pellegrin stands out on both ends of the spectrum. It felt like all he did was hit over the course of the weekend, but there’s also some room to add to an athletic frame that might unlock some more power in a smooth righty swing that already has some natural lift to it.
Defensively, it’s not necessarily flashy, but it doesn’t need to be. It’s steady with smooth, consistent actions. One of a long line of players from Louisiana who have come through the Future Stars Series, Pellegrin is a Tulane commit and has the chance to continue to develop the bat and shed something of a glove-over-bat report. At minimum, it’s an “under the radar type player to watch as the 2026 MLB Draft draws closer.
CHRISTIAN OLIVARES, C/OF — 5-11, 200 | USC
We’ve had Olivares since the 2022 National Tournaments, but it was only last year that he really started to pop after a return to the National Tournaments as well as an appearance at the Underclass Elite. This year, he was a no-brainer invite to the Main Event and announced his presence with authority with an absolutely tattooed line drive off the wall in deep right center off another premium arm, not to mention he threw out a runner from behind the dish. Simply put, there’s a lot to like.
It’s a pretty unique profile here with a true catcher/corner outfield look, but there’s no reason to think he couldn’t stay behind the dish for the foreseeable future.
DAVID DAGNINO, SS/2B — 5-10, 160
I’ll be honest here, I really didn’t know much about Dagnino before this year, and that’s even after he came through the Underclass Elite in 2024. My mistake. What a breakout summer this was. A super-athletic middle infielder, Dagnino dropped a 6.63 60 in Houston at our National Combine and was a must-add to the Main Event.
He’s not a pull-side pony; his hits in Houston and during the Main Event were all towards the backside, and he also impressed at short, showing some range to his right to execute a bang-bang play at third with ease.
I get it. It’s a compact frame that may limit the overall upside, but it’s a fast-twitch athlete who can fit in the top or bottom of the order and has the in-game athleticism and feel to fit into multiple roles on the diamond.
KAIL PENA, SS/CF — 5-10, 180
My story, my rules. This was tough to narrow down to five, so…I didn’t. And I wanted to “give” the fifth/sixth spot here to maybe some more lesser-known names on a national scale, albeit certainly not here. Seen plenty of those being described as “helium” guys as the following year’s Draft gets closer. Funny how that works.
All that said, I truthfully wasn’t on Pena that much during the actual event itself, but you look back and…sure enough, he’s quietly one of the more consistent guys at the plate all weekend. A “Day Four” guy at our National Combine, the Puerto Rico native certainly has the look and generates some pretty consistent loud BP. Can play multiple spots — perhaps best suited for the outfield down the road — and at the absolute minimum is a fit at some of the more premier college programs in the country.
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.
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