PROGRAM 15, the Official Global Grassroots Player Identification and Development Program for New Balance Baseball announces the addition of new members to the PROGRAM 15 – New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series Advisory Board.
PROGRAM 15 and The New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series continue their unwavering commitment to change the game of baseball with the addition of new members to their Advisory Board.
According to Jeremy Booth, PROGRAM 15 Founder, CEO and President of Baseball Operations for The New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series, the advisory board will be tasked to advance the organization’s mission to provide amateur players across all economic levels an opportunity to reach their full potential through the training, development, and guidance of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches.
Members of the advisory board will consult directly with Booth on ways to improve the amateur baseball experience as well as innovate new ways to elevate the development and growth experience for both players and evaluators.
Booth says, “As we continue to build out and execute the initiatives of Program15 and the NB Future Stars Series of Player development and identification through Major League Professionals, we’ve added expertise at the highest levels to assist in and advise on our endeavors. I could not be more gratified than to see this list of baseball decision makers and industry visionaries join us with their support and guidance. The advisory board members have quite literally impacted how the game is played, evaluated, and measured. They have built World Series champions and drafted all stars. They have changed the game for the better. We couldn’t ask for a better group and nowhere else in amateur baseball is this type of support and interest paralleled.”
Offering guidance in their respective areas of expertise, which range from international play to amateur and professional player analysis and development, the following members have been named to the PROGRAM 15 – New Balance Future Stars Series Advisory Board.
Bobby Heck, Special Assistant to the GM, Tampa Bay – Heck began his career as a scout for the Texas Rangers in 1995 and continued his scouting career with the Milwaukee Brewers and Houston Astros. In 2012, Heck moved on to the Tampa Bay Rays as special assistant to the General Manager.
David Post, Special Assistant to the GM, Padres – Post signed with the Dodgers as a 10th-round draft selection in 1992 and had a minor league career spanning 12 seasons with the Dodgers, Indians, Pirates, Yankees and Rockies organizations. In 2004, he began his scouting career with the Marlins, covering the Northwest from 2004-06 and Florida in 2007. In the offseason of 2007, he joined the Astros as a national crosschecker. In 2012, Baseball America named Post on a list of “Top 10 Future Scouting Directors.” Post was hired by the Padres in 2014 as a special assistant to the general manager/scouting
Brian Bridges, Scouting Director, Braves – Brian Bridges joined the Braves in 2008 as an area supervisor, then was promoted to a regional crosschecker in the Southeast. Bridges was promoted to Scout Director in 2014.
Junior Vizcaino, International Scouting Director, Pirates – Vizcaino began his baseball career after being drafted in the 11th round of the January 1985 draft by the Pittsburgh Pirates. He spent nine years in the Minor Leagues and became a scout for the Atlanta Braves in 1994. In 2000, Vizcaino moved to the Kansas City Royals and was promoted to National Scouting Supervisor in 2007. In 2017, the Pirates brought him back as the Director of International Scouting.
Scott Barnsby, Scouting Director, Indians – Barnsby has scouted thousands of players during his 15 years with the Indians. He started as an area scout, served as a regional and national crosschecker, and was promoted to Director of Amateur Scouting in 2017. Barnsby served as the point person for the Indians’ draft in June 2018.
Jason Smith, National Crosschecker, Angels – Jason Smith was an Area scout for the Cleveland Indians from 2001-2013, and the west coast crosschecker from 2014-16. Smith signed JD Martin, Francisco , Wolters, Pestano as an area scout, and supervised the West coast and drafting of: Adam Plutko, Greg Allen, Shane Bieber.
Darren Fenster, Minor League Manager, Red Sox – Darren Fenster was a three-time All-American shortstop at Rutgers University, and was selected by the Kansas City Royals in the 2000 MLB Draft. He played from 2000 through 2004 for four Royals minor league teams, before suffering a career-ending ACL injury during the 2005 spring training. Fenster joined the Boston Red Sox organization in 2012, making his professional coaching debut as the hitting instructor for Class A Greenville Drive in the 2012 season. In 2013, Fenster was promoted to the manager of the Red Sox Gulf Coast League rookie team. In 2014, he was promoted again returning to Greenville as the Drive’s 2014 manager.
Dan Nellum, East Coast Crosschecker, Brewers – A native of Washington, Nellum has spent the past seven years scouting the Mid-Atlantic for the Brewers after a 16-year college coaching career. The Central Florida graduate began coaching at Seminole State College before coaching at his alma mater for a year. He served as an assistant coach at Georgetown from 1993-1996, Old Dominion from 1997-1999 and Navy from 2000-2007.
The addition of the new board members bolsters the leadership and strength of the existing advisory board which includes the following:
Marc Tramuta, Scouting Director, NY Mets
Mark Snipp, Special Assignment Scout, Arizona Diamondbacks
Joe Butler, Pro Scout, Chicago White Sox
Darnell Coles, Hitting Coach, Milwaukee Brewers
Derek Johnson, Pitching Coach, Milwaukee Brewers
Kevin Bootay, Pro Scout, Miami Marlins
Arnold Brathwaite, Northeast Supervisor, San Francisco Giants
Keith Law, ESPN Writer
The MLB teams represented on the advisory board are the Brewers, Mets, Giants, White Sox, Angels, Braves, Marlins, Rays, Pirates, Red Sox, Dodgers, Diamondbacks, Padres, and Indians.
For the latest Future Stars Series updates and announcements follow @ftrstarsseries on Twitter or visit https://futurestarsseries.com.
To learn more about PROGRAM 15, visit http://program15.com. And keep up-to-date with all of the latest PROGRAM 15 news and announcements on Twitter @Program15BB.
To learn more about New Balance baseball, visit http://www.newbalance.com/men/featured/baseball/, and follow @NB_Baseball on Twitter and @Nbbaseball on Instagram.
ABOUT PROGRAM 15:
PROGRAM 15 boasts a faculty and staff that includes multiple Major League All-Stars and World Series veterans responsible for executing the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series, an initiative between the two organizations to elevate the game of baseball by providing amateur players across all economic levels an opportunity to reach their full potential through the training, development, and guidance of former MLB players, scouts, and coaches. For more information on Program15 and the Future Stars Series, visit www.futurestarsseries.com or @program15bb and @ftrstarsseries on twitter.
ABOUT NEW BALANCE:
New Balance, headquartered in Boston, MA has the following mission: Demonstrating responsible leadership, we build global brands that athletes are proud to wear, associates are proud to create and communities are proud to host. New Balance is the only major company to make or assemble more than 4 million pairs of athletic footwear per year in the USA, which represents a limited portion of our US sales. Where the domestic value is at least 70%, we label our shoes Made in the USA. New Balance owns five factories in New England and one in Flimby, U.K. New Balance employs more than 5,000 associates around the globe, and in 2015 reported worldwide sales of $3.72 billion. To learn more about New Balance, please visit www.newbalance.com and for the latest press information please visit http://newbalance.newsmarket.com. Keep up-to-date with all of the latest New Balance news on Twitter @NewBalance and newbalance on Facebook.
