By Nathan Rode
National Supervisor

Between the 2016 spring season and usual summer/fall coverage, 2016 was my busiest year yet. Unsurprisingly, travel is a big factor in my job and it felt like I was getting dropped off at the airport every other week. Apart from going to Kansas for the first time, I hit my usual destinations, but the beauty of this job is there is new class to focus on every year and you always have a chance of seeing something different by showing up at the field.

With 2016 coming to a close, we take a look back at some of the year’s highlights from The Rode Show and tour around the country’s biggest events.

Midwest Marvels
It was long known that the Midwest had an extremely talented 2016 class, headlined by RHP Riley Pint (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, KS). Pint and several others stood out on the summer circuit in 2015 and had plenty of momentum going into the spring. LHP Joey Wentz (Shawnee Mission East HS, KS) spent the summer focusing on hitting while resting his arm. While he showed of prodigious raw power in batting practice, his game performances didn’t stand out for scouts. All that changed at the Super 60 in February. Wentz showed his upside on the mound at the 2014 Future Games and a few lucky scouts saw him as an underclassman. At the Super 60, with hoards of national scouts in attendance, Wentz made it clear he was one of the top prospects in the country, let alone the Midwest.