35 Players Who Stood Out At USA Baseball’s 16U/17U NTDP
By Ben Badler,
4 days agoAs part of USA Baseball’s 16U/17U National Team Development Program, several of the top ranked players in the 2026 class —along with some younger 2025s and a handful of 2027s—trained and played three days of games from July 25-28 in Cary, North Carolina.
The USA players split into three teams and also played against Canada’s junior national team, which was training in preparation for the U-18 World Cup Americas Qualifier that just wrapped up yesterday.
These were 35 players from the United States and Canada who stood out at the NTDP, with reports and videos below.
2026 Class
C.J. Weinstein, SS, California
Weinstein entered the summer ranked among the top 50 prospects in the class and elevated his stock even more after great showing both offensively and defensively the last two months. The No. 13 player in the country, Weinstein had an outstanding game against Canada, going 2-for-5 with a home run on a first-pitch slider on the inner third that the lefthanded hitter pulled over the right field fence. Later in the game he doubled off a lefty, driving a fastball the other way over the left fielder’s head. Those extra-base hits were encouraging to see, but Weinstein’s calling card is his stellar bat control. He didn’t swing and miss during the entire event, using a compact, balanced swing that’s consistently on plane and on time. Weinstein also played well defensively, robbing a hit at second base while ranging into the 4-3 hole on a groundball that he slid to field, popped up quickly and threw from his knees to get the out at first base. He’s uncommitted for college.
Rojas showed why he’s the No. 1 ranked lefthander and No. 2 pitcher overall in the 2026 class during his NTDP outing, when he struck out three of the eight batters he faced with no walks. A Miami commit, Rojas has a prototype build for a projectable young pitcher at 6-foot-3, 185 pounds with a high waist and significant strength gains still ahead of him. It’s already impressive stuff, pitching here in the low-90s and touching 93 mph from his low three-quarters slot with a willingness to pitch inside to hitters that’s uncommon for this age. He complemented his fastball with a 77-82 mph slider that projects to be a plus pitch, showing deep sweep across the zone and two-plane depth to miss bats against lefties or righties. He threw one changeup but mostly leaned on his fastball/slider mix. Throwing slightly across his body, Rojas pitches from an easy, low-effort delivery with pitchability that’s advanced for his age, giving him a starter look.
Steele Hall, SS, Alabama
Hall impressed with his bouncy, quick-twitch athleticism and defensive ability at shortstop. He’s a wiry 5-foot-11, 160 pounds with explosive first-step quickness, plus-plus speed and great body control at shortstop with the ability to make acrobatic, highlight-reel plays. He made a couple of them here in just a few games, twice making diving stops on grounders up the middle where he was able to get up quickly and fire a strong throw to get the out at first base. A Tennessee commit with an aggressive offensive approach, Hall hit well here too, using a quick righthanded swing to pull a 1-0 fastballdown the third base line for a double and again on an 0-1 slider that he pulled over the shortstop’s head for a single. Hall was a riser in the latest 2026 rankings update to No. 36 in the class, and if he continues to hit well, he could make another jump off the list.
Carson Bolemon, LHP, South Carolina
Bolemon has a case as the most polished pitcher in the 2026 class. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Wake Forest commit (ranked No. 26 in 2026) throws a lot of strikes and keeps hitters off balance by mixing in multiple offspeed pitches that he has feel to manipulate. Bolemon showed that at the NTDP—two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and no hits allowed—but he also showed another gear to his fastball from what he had previously. Bolemon typically topped out at 91 mph most of the summer, but in Cary he reached 93. He hit a batter and walked one when he was overthrowing, but otherwise he attacked hitters, consistently got ahead in the count and then used multiple secondary pitches that he either landed for strikes or used to get empty swings. Bolemon threw a slider and sharp biting curveball with good depth and changeup. with his curve a sharp biting pitch with good shape and depth. He only threw one changeup but it had good action and he executed it well down and away to a righty for a swinging strike way out front in a 1-1 count.
Coleman Borthwick, RHP, Florida
At 6-foot-6, 240 pounds, Borthwick is a huge presence on the mound with a power fastball. The Auburn commit pitched at 92-94 mph and touched 95 mph three times en route to striking out four of the 10 batters he faced, giving up a couple of singles without issuing any walks. The No. 19 player in the 2026 class, Borthwick isn’t just a physically mature pitcher for his age, he also has good body control of a repeatable delivery with good arm action that helped him locate his fastball to both sides of the plate. He operated off a fastball-heavy attack—33 of his 38 pitches were fastballs—mixing in a sharp slider in the low-80s with one changeup that caught a lefthanded hitter out front for a groundout.
Wilson Andersen, RHP, Florida
Andersen has stood out from an early age for his projectable 6-foot-3 frame, good delivery and advanced stuff for his age. At the NTDP, he showed a high-octane fastball that saw a velocity bump from where he was previously by running it up to 96 mph, which makes him one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the 2026 class. The fastball did get barreled a couple times, but Andersen finished with four strikeouts and no walks to the 10 batters he faced. Andersen threw his fastball for strikes at a high clip, attacking hitters down in the zone. Facing a lefty-heavy Canadian lineup, Andersen only threw one breaking ball, instead relying more on his low-80s changeup. It’s a pitch that showed heavy life and tailing action at its best, with hitters swinging at it four times and coming up empty on every occasion. Andersen is uncommitted and the No. 32 player in the 2026 class.
Brody Bumila, LHP, Massachusetts
Bumila is 6-foot-8, 220 pounds with a mid-90s fastball and gives hitters an uncomfortable at-bat, striking out five of the eight batters he faced with one walk. Bumila pitched mostly at 91-94 mph and touched 95 mph from his low three-quarters slot, producing lively tailing action on his fastball. He sells his changeup well off his fastball and used it get three swinging strikes, with one in a 2-2 count to strike out a lefty, another in a 3-2 count, with his changeup ahead of his breaking stuff in this look. The only downside was that he left his start due to injury, but Bumila showed why he’s the No. 14 player for 2026. He’s uncommitted for college.
Kevin Roberts Jr., OF/RHP, Mississippi
The No. 3 player for 2026, Roberts is 6-foot-5, 210 pounds and showed an array of tools to impact the game in different ways. Young for the class—he turned 16 during the NTDP—Roberts showed some of the best raw power of any hitter at the event during batting practice. In the outfield, he made a diving catch charging in on a shallow fly ball from center field and later showed a plus arm. Primarily a position player, Roberts pitched a scoreless inning as well with a strikeout and a walk. He pitched at 90-92 mph and showed a nasty changeup at 76-80 mph with plus potential. He’s uncommitted for college.
Tyler Spangler, SS, California
A Stanford commit ranked No. 5 in the 2026 class, Spangler is 6-foot-4, 190 pounds with good actions both from the left side of the plate and at shortstop. He showed a patient offensive approach, rarely expanding the strike zone with little swing-and-miss, consistent with what he has shown throughout the summer. He registered a pair of hits on offspeed stuff behind in the count, pulling an 0-1 changeup for a double and singling to right field on an 0-2 changeup.
Rookie Shepard, SS, Nevada
Shepard, a Miami commit and No. 8 player for 2026, has long been one of the most advanced hitters in the class. He’s a 5-foot-11, 185-pound lefthanded hitter who was on base in five of his nine trips to the plate with three walks and a pair of singles, both coming on fastballs where he pulled his hands inside with a short, quick swing to snap the barrel through and hit line drives to right field. Shepard has good hands and footwork at shortstop and should be able to stick in the middle infield.
Alex Harrington, SS, California
There’s a bouncy athleticism that sticks out quickly with Harrington, a Stanford commit and the No. 6 player in the 2026 class. He has a wiry, lively frame at 6-foot-2, 175 pounds with plus speed and defends his position well. His best defensive play came at third base, when he broke well off the bat on a slow roller, fielded it cleanly and showed good body control to make an accurate throw on the run to get the out at first base. A high-energy, aggressive player, Harrington did show swing and miss when he was out front on offspeed stuff, but he consistently squared up fastballs for all of his hits. Most of Harrington’s came attacking fastballs early in the count, including a pair of singles on first-pitch heaters, along with a double on a 91 mph fastball in a 2-1 count.
Hunter Harrington, OF, California
Hunter and Alex Harrington are twin brother, both wiry 6-foot-2, 175 pound, athletic players with plus speed committed to Stanford. Hunter, the No. 86 player for 2026, has defended his position well in center field throughout the summer and continued to do so at the NTDP. On a fly ball to right-center field, Harrington showed good range to get to the ball and make a sliding catch, a play that involved an extra degree of difficulty because Harrington had to maneuver his body out of the way of the charging right fielder to avoid a collision. With the runner at first base moving on the play, Harrington was able to alertly get up quickly and double him off with an accurate throw to first. At the plate, Harrington drew a walk and doubled on a first-pitch fastball that he lined to left-center field.
Nathaneal Davis, OF, Florida
Davis is an uncommitted center fielder with a good mix of athleticism and hitting ability. The No. 49 player in the 2026 class, Davis is a 6-foot, 160-pound lefty with a quick, compact stroke who shoots line drives all around the field. He led the event in hits, going 5-for-9 even with a higher swing-and-miss rate here, including a pair of opposite-field line drives for singles. Davis is a plus runner who should have a chance to stick in center field.
Sean Duncan, LHP, Canada
Duncan is the top player in Canada for 2026, a lefty with a smooth, free-and-easy delivery on the younger end of the class with a good mix of pitchability and projection in his 6-foot-2, 175-pound build. Throwing exclusively from the stretch, Duncan filled the strike zone with his fastball over his three innings and got a lot of swing-and-miss with that pitch in the zone, touching 92 mph from his three-quarters slot with the look of a pitcher who should be into the mid-90s in the next few years. He showed feel for an 81-85 mph changeup that he used to get a couple of swings and misses and a 77-81 mph slider that he landed for strikes. He’s uncommitted for college and the No. 33 player in the 2026 class.
Tucker Long, RHP, Iowa
Long had a quick, efficient outing, needing just 16 pitches to breeze through two scoreless innings with two strikeouts, no walks and one hit allowed. Long threw 13 of those 16 pitches for strikes, including 11 of 12 fastballs for strikes. He’s 6 feet, 170 pounds and young for the class—he just turned 16 at the beginning of July—and touched 92 mph from a good delivery with good arm action into his low three-quarters slot. Long, who is uncommitted for college, mixed in a lively, fading changeup at 82 mph that got a swinging strikeout in a right-on-right matchup and mixed in a slider at 77-78 mph.
Gary Gibson II, RHP, Kentucky
Gibson ran into little trouble over his two scoreless, hitless innings, striking out three of the seven batters he faced with a walk. A Kentucky commit with a compact frame at 6 feet, 185 pounds, Gibson carved through hitters and showed another level of stuff from where he was earlier this summer, pitching at 92-93 mph and hitting 94 mph multiple times from his low three-quarters slot. The No. 91 player for 2026, Gibson showed feel to spin a hard slider at 80-84 mph that got a couple of swings and misses as well.
Jorvorskie Lane Jr., OF/C, Texas
Lane is young (he just turned 16 at the start of July) and explosive, something that’s immediately evident in the righthanded bat speed that he’s able to generate from his 6-foot, 190-pound frame. There was some swing-and-miss at the NTDP, but he also had three hits, including two doubles. One of those doubles came against a 91 mph fastball that he hit to right field, another on a 79 mph breaking ball from righthander Ethan Wheeler—who has one of the better breaking balls in the 2026 class—that he pulled into the left-center field gap. A Texas A&M commit ranked No. 10 for 2026, Lane is a catcher and outfielder, though he didn’t spent any time behind the plate here. While playing left field, Lane caught a fly ball and threw out the runner at home with an accurate, one-hop throw to end the inning.
Ethan Wheeler, RHP, Florida
A Florida commit and the No. 18 player for 2026, Wheeler mowed through hitters over his two scoreless innings, striking out four of the six batters he faced with no walks and one hit allowed. Wheeler threw strikes at a high clip with a fastball that was 89-92 mph here from a sound delivery and has the physical projection at 6-foot-5, 200 pounds for more velocity in the tank. Wheeler throws a pair of high spin breaking balls with his curveball and slider, with his slider finishing hitters for two of his four strikeouts.
Denton Lord, RHP, Florida
Lord is 6-foot-8, 200 pounds, a lean, extremely long-levered pitcher who looks like he could throw 100 mph one day. It’s already good fastball for his age, up to 94 mph at the NTDP from his fast, whippy arm into a three-quarters slot. Lord mainly pitched with his fastball here—31 of his 37 pitches were fastballs—mixing in a mid-70s curveball that he flashes feel to spin, along with a firm changeup. Lord struck out three of the 11 batters he faced over two innings, walking another and hitting a batter. He did throw strikes here, though like nearly any 17-year-old pitcher with his long limbs, he’s still learning to repeat his delivery to dial in his control. Lord is uncommitted and the No. 74 player in the 2026 class.
Brayden Harris, RHP, Florida
A Florida State commit with a strong 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame ranked No. 28 in the 2026 class, Harris operated with a near 50/50 mix of fastballs and sliders. He threw a lot of strikes with his fastball, which sat 91-93 mph and touched 94. His 80-84 mph slider has tight spin and was an effective chase pitch that he would throw in any count, getting three swinging strikes with that pitch over two innings.
Yodelkis Quevedo, 3B, Florida
Quevedo is one of the strongest players in the 2026 class. He’s 6-foot-2, 210 pounds with the strength and bat speed to hammer baseballs for loud damage when he connects. He’s an aggressive hitter whose big righthanded power comes with a higher swing-and-miss rate, which was evident at the NTDP, but he also showed how he can drive the ball for damage. After getting ahead 2-0, Quevedo got a 93 mph fastball on the outside corner—maybe even off the plate—that he smoked into the right-center field gap for a triple. He finished 2-for-7 with two walks and four strikeouts, hitting a first-pitch slider for a line-drive single to left field for his other hit. Quevedo, who is uncommitted for college, is the No. 73 player for 2026.
Beau Peterson, 3B/RHP, Kansas
Peterson, No. 17 for 2026 and uncommitted for college, has been one of the premier offensive performers on the travel circuit this summer. He added to that strong track record with another impressive showing at the NTDP. He’s 6-foot-3, 215 pounds with a compact swing for his size from the left side of the plate and big power. In one at-bat facing a righthander who was up to 94 mph, Peterson got a first pitch changeup down in the zone that he stayed on and slammed for a triple into the right-center field gap. He went 2-for-6 with a walk and no strikeouts during the event, hitting a 93 mph fastball at the top of the zone for an opposite-field single for his other hit. Peterson has an above-average arm at third base and showed it on the mound as well. He threw just eight pitches in a quick 1-2-3 inning, pitching at 91-93 mph and showing feel to spin a low-80s slider.
John Stowers, C, Alabama
Stowers stood out for his catch-and-throw skills. An Auburn commit and No. 90 in the 2026 class, Stowers threw well to second between innings and in the game, erasing a runner attempting to steal second base with a 1.94-second pop time, using quick feet and a swift exchange with an on-the-money throw. Stowers got just five plate appearances here but he registered a pair of hits and narrowly missed a home run that he pulled over the fence but went just to the right of the right field foul pole. He consistently drove the ball well to both gaps during BP.
Jaxon Matthews, OF, North Carolina
Matthews went 2-for-10 with a walk at the NTDP but could have easily had four hits if it weren’t for two stellar defensive plays. He hit a sharp ground ball up the middle that shortstop Steele Hall made an outstanding diving play on for the out. His travel ball teammate Hunter Harrington made another robbery when Matthews lifted a ball into the right-center field gap that Harrington tracked down with a sliding catch. Matthews, No. 44 in the 2026 class and a Clemson commit, is 6-foot-4, 190 pounds with above-average bat speed and makes some of the hardest contact in the class. He moves well underway for his size and projects as a corner outfielder in pro ball.
Cooper Sides, RHP, California
Sides needed just 30 pitches to face nine hitters over three scoreless innings, striking out two with no walks, no hits and one hit batsman. He’s 6-foot-5, 185 pounds, a frame that screams projection for the No. 39 player in the 2026 class to add to a fastball that ranged from 89-92 mph here. Sides threw his fastball for strikes consistently, attacking hitters down in the zone. His most effective offspeed pitch here was his 83-85 mph changeup, which had heavy action at times, more fade at others. Sides threw his changeup four times, getting two whiffs and a groundout. The changeup showed more upside in this look that his 77-80 mph slider, but he used his slider effectively to get one swinging strike and freeze another hitter for a strikeout.
Dylan Minnatee, 1B, California
Good hitters have a knack for being on time and on plane; Minnatee did both at the NTDP. A 6-foot, 195-pound lefty, Minnatee has a simple, compact swing with quiet hands, starting with a slightly open setup before striding into a closed off stance. He was consistently pitched away and did a good job of driving balls on the outer third the opposite way and to the middle of the field, with well-struck barrels on some of his outs. He went 3-for-10 and hit a double in a left-on-left matchup, letting a 90 mph fastball on the outer third travel before hammering it into the left-center field gap. He’s uncommitted for college.
Devin Diaz, C, New York
Diaz showed well offensively, but it was on defense where the Miami commit stood out the most. An athletic catcher with an above-average arm, Diaz caught two of four runners stealing, with a 1.89-second pop time on his best throw. His other caught stealing came with a 2.0-second pop time on a difficult pitch to throw on that he had to backhand just above the dirt, but he was able to make a quick, clean transfer and a strong, accurate throw to erase the runner. At 5-foot-11, 185 pounds, Diaz is a righthanded hitter who sets up with a wide base, toe taps, then takes a short stroke without much swing-and-miss in this look. He recorded two hits, one off a fastball down in the zone on the outer third that he drove for a single into the right-center field gap, the other on a slider on the inner third that he kept his hands inside of to slice it for a single to center.
Julian Cazares, RHP, California
Cazares is 6-foot-2, 170 pounds with a lean, athletic build and a whippy arm, firing his fastball up to 93 mph at the NTDP with the look of a pitcher who should be throwing significantly harder by the time of the 2026 draft. An uncommitted pitcher ranked No. 44 in the 2026 class, Cazares’ fastball was his best pitch here, mixing in a mid-to-upper 70s curveball as well.
Sammy Swank, RHP, Indiana
Swank struck out two and didn’t issue a walk over his two scoreless innings. The No. 92 player in the 2026 class, Swank is 6-foot-4, 215 pounds and slings the ball from a long arm stroke to produce a fastball that ranged from 88-92 mph here. The Kentucky commit showed feel to spin a mid-70s slider generally in the 2,300-2,500 rpm range and flashed a couple of changeups to lefties at 79-80 mph.
Anthony Murphy, OF, California
The last two springs, Murphy has been one of the top offensive performers in southern California at Corona High and now ranks as the No. 48 player in the 2026 class. There weren’t any hits that fell during these three games for Murphy, who expanded the strike zone more than usual here, but he still showed other tools. He drove the ball well to center and left-center field during BP, then in games showed his above-average arm on three occasions. One of those plays resulted in Murphy throwing out a speedy runner from second base attempting to score on a single to right field, with Murphy make a strong, one-hop throw on target at home. After that, Murphy made two strong, accurate throws in the air and on line to home plate, with both runners wisely holding up at third on those plays.
2025 CLASS
Joshua Janicelli, RHP, California
Janicelli is a promising sleeper who deserves more attention. He sticks out quickly for his tall, slender frame (6-foot-6, 185 pounds) and just turned 17 in May, so he’s young for the 2025 class. He hit the first batter he faced, then settled in to pound the zone with his fastball, which ranged from 91-94 mph with the look of a pitcher who could be reaching the upper-90s once he’s physically mature. He showed a lot of deserved confidence in his changeup, mixing it in liberally to both lefties and righties. It came in with 10 mph of separation off his fastball and had heavy, splitter-like tumble at times to miss bats, flashing feel for an upper-70s curveball as well. Janicelli is a UC Santa Barbara commit and an up-arrow name to follow in the spring.
Jackson Hoyt, LHP, Florida
A Florida commit, Hoyt didn’t allow a hit, a walk or any hard contact in two scoreless innings. A 6-foot-3, 205-pound lefty, Hoyt threw strikes with a 91-93 mph fastball and leaned heavily on a low-80s slider. His slider had good sweep at its best, including the one he threw in a 2-2 count for a swinging strikeout against a lefthanded hitter.
2027 CLASS
Kyler Meccage, OF, Florida
Meccage is one of the top young hitters at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. and one of the most promising hitters in the 2027 class. Only one hit fell in this event for Meccage, but it was still an encouraging look for a player with a lot of hitterish traits. He’s 6-foot-2, 170 pounds and just turned 16 after the NTDP, where he showed a smooth, polished swing with good rhythm and balance. He drove multiple balls well to the middle of the field, including a fastball for a single and a curveball that he hit for a sacrifice fly. Meccage, who is uncommitted, is the younger brother of righthander Bryce Meccage, the Brewers’ second-round pick this year.
Will Brick, C, Tennessee
One of the top players in the 2027 class, Brick didn’t swing and miss once in his seven plate appearances. He singled up the middle on a fastball and generally showed a patient approach as he drew three walks. At 6-foot-1, 180 pounds, Brick is a righthanded hitter with some of the better raw power in the 2027 class as well. Behind the plate, Brick helped steal strikes for his pitchers with his receiving and showed off his arm strength on multiple throws, one a caught stealing with a pop time of 1.91 seconds, another with a 1.90-second pop time that should have been a second caught stealing but the umpire called him safe.
Samir Foster, RHP, Florida
Foster has an extra-large frame for his age, already 6-foot-4, 230 pounds at 15 with a big fastball to match. He’s one of the hardest throwers in the 2027 class, pitching here at 91-94 mph. Foster, who is uncommitted, threw just a few breaking balls here, instead relying more on a diving, low-80s changeup against both lefties and righties that got a couple of swings and misses.
The post 35 Players Who Stood Out At USA Baseball’s 16U/17U NTDP appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America .
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