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The 2019 Future Games' memorable roster previewed stars of this year's event

August 12, 2023
By Azad Earl & Andy Sroka
Prep Baseball Staff

The Prep Baseball Future Games is as crucial as ever, as its placement precedes the start of the formal recruiting process for college coaches, and so, there were over 400 of those coaches in attendance of this year's games, watching the top Class of 2026 players represent their home states.

While, naturally, this event is predominantly organized for an audience of college baseball coaches, it's evident that some of the game's professional stars are on these rosters too – and the 2019 event magnifies this emphatically, considering the level of current MLB stardom that was walking around our first-ever Future Games held at LakePoint Sports.

Reflecting on the success of previous years, the 2019 event featured three current major leaguers, five top-100 prospects via MLB Pipeline, 15 of the top 2024 MLB Draft prospects, and numerous standout college players and minor leaguers.

We're celebrating some of those breakout performers from the 2019 event while offering some insight into the names of the players from 2024 rosters we'll be reminiscing of five years down the road.

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Big League Stars ✨

Jackson Merrill SS / Severna Park, MD / 2021

Merrill was selected in the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft with the No. 27 overall pick by the San Diego Padres. Since making his Major League debut on March 20 he's been arguably the top rookie in baseball, at least positionally; he slashed .289/.322/.452 on his way to earning an NL Rookie of the Month award in June.

As a member of Team Mid-Atlantic in 2019, certainly Merrill looked like a top-follow from the squad, but he had a meteoric rise in the two years that followed as he gained physicality and became a relatively unknown pro prospect until the spring of his draft year, in which he became a first-rounder. He's blossomed into one of the game's young stars in the time since.

Jackson Holliday SS / Stillwater, OK / 2022

Since concluding his prep career at Stillwater HS in Oklahoma, Holliday would go on to be selected first overall in the 2022 MLB Draft by the Baltimore Orioles. In the two years since, Holliday remained one of the game's top prospects in pro ball, and he made his MLB debut this year already after starring at every stop in the minors. After a bumpy first taste of the MLB, Holliday hopped back down to Triple-A for a stint but was recalled this week and he's hit his first two homers of his career since his return.

Holliday was not yet a famous prep prospect, and his performance at this Future Games was a breakout party, especially given his underclass status at the time. Holliday landed barrel after barrel at the event, looking more or less like the version of himself that has become one of the top propsects in the sport. It was here that he started to become a national prospect fixture.

James Wood OF / IMG Academy, FL / 2021

Wood, an IMG Academy (FL) product by the end of his prep career, began at St. John's College HS in D.C., which actually placed him on the very same Team Mid-Atlantic roster that featured the aforementioned Merrill – and coincidentally, the two were both drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 2021 MLB Draft. Wood is yet another player from the 2019 Future Games who has already made his MLB debut, on July 1.

Since entering professional baseball, Wood has rocketed to high-profile status in pro ball, currently a consensus top-10 prospect or higher. Since debuting for the Nationals, Wood has a .717 OPS with two homers and three steals in 29 games.

At the Future Games, Wood was one of the event's winners with a monstrous physique combined with premium athleticism that made him one of the most intriguing prospects on any roster. His performance in Georgia kept the attention on him, and now he's one of the most exciting young players in the MLB today.

MORE ON THE WAY 🚀

Merrill, Holliday, and Wood look like they'll be joined by more imminent prospects from the 2019 Future Games too, namely RHP Jackson Jobe (Heritage Hall HS, 2021), who absolutely exploded at LakePoint that year. Our own Shooter Hunt called Jobe's slider the "single best pitch" he saw that summer following his performance against Team Texas. He was a primary shortstop at the time he represented Team Oklahoma alongside teammate Jackson Holliday, but Jobe morphed himself into a premier prep pitching prospect, defeating the 'prep righty' adage that pops up around the MLB Draft. He was eventually the No. 3 overall player selected in 2021 by the Detroit Tigers after a fantastic senior spring that actually earned him the Prep Baseball Player of the Year award in the process. Jobe's elite slider stayed that way in pro ball, and he's on the cusp of the MLB these days, ranked as one of, if not the top pitching prospect in the game.

(Jackson Jobe, 2019 Future Games)

Speaking of prep pitching prospects, LHP Thomas White (Phillips Academy HS, MA) competed at the 2019 Future Games a full two years ahead of schedule, as just an incoming freshman at the time. He was advanced as a pitching prospect gets, and he more or less remained that way until he was selected at No. 35 overall by the Miami Marlins in the 2023. He has a 2.68 ERA in High-A, with 49 Ks in 37 innings at the level in 2024.

Here's some more stand-outs from the 2019 Future Games who are in pro ball nowadays and also considered top prospects within their organizations:

FUTURE GAMERS IN THE '24 MLB DRAFT

Here's a list of the the top prospects in the 2024 MLB Draft who also participated at the 2019 Future Games:

Billy Amick (P27 Academy HS, SC), Ivan Brethowr (St. Thomas Aquinas HS, KS), Josh Caron (Sun Prairie HS, WI), Nate Dohm (Zionsville HS, IN), Luke Holman (Wilson West Lawn HS, PA), LP Langevin (École Secondaire de La Seigneurie HS, CAN), Tyson Neighbors (Royse City HS, TX), Griffin O'Ferrall (St. Christophers HS, VA), Rafe Perich (Lehigh Northwestern HS, PA), Emilien Pitre (Northern Pre-University HS, CAN), Jonathan Santucci (Phillips Academy HS, MA), Anthony Silva (Clark HS, TX), Michael Sirota (The Gunnery HS, CT), Peyton Stovall (Haughton HS, LA), Payton Tolle (Bethany HS, OK), and Trey Yesavage (Boyertown HS, PA).

CLASS OF 2026, FOR THE FUTURE

It would be easy to signal some of the top-ranked incoming juniors who attended the 2024 Future Games to call out here as the ones to watch out for in five years time, players like SS Keon Johnson (First Presbyerian Day HS, GA), SS Matt Ponatoski (Archbishop Moeller HS, OH), RHP Trey Rangel (The Colony HS, TX), OF Deion Cole (Etowah HS, GA), and SS Dylan Bowen (Hanover Central HS, IN) as those who could be following the trajectory of the Merrill, Holliday, Wood trio – and they certainly might follow that same track – but we're going to dig a little deeper for the players who more closely resembled Merrill's route, which is someone who flew somewhat under the radar all the way until the first round of the MLB Draft.

Here are some candidates to follow closely by using the athletic testing measurements, swing data, and batted ball metrics captured at the 2024 Future Games.

Kaden Waechter RHP / SS / Jesuit, FL / 2026

"The 6-foot-1, 177-pound two-way was one of the most impressive players at the Future Games, especially on the mound. He ran a 6.78 in the 60 to start the week and was 89 mph across the infield. He recorded a 101.2 mph max EV from 72.3 average bat speed in BP. In game, he went on to collect a single and two RBIs in gameplay. And then on them mound, Waechter started Game Two against Georgia and he threw two innings allowing just one run while striking out four. He ran his fastball up to 92 mph." – Rocco Iervasi, Jr.

Eli Herst RHP / 1B / Seattle Academy, WA / 2026

Herst is the No. 1-ranked player in Washington, and he was a pick-to-click type prospect at this event and he ultimately came away securing a spot on the Class of 2026 roster at September's Prep Baseball All-American Game. At the FGs, Herst was 90-92 mph (T93) with a 2,500 rpm slider, 78-79, and a deceptive changeup that he spotted excellently. His prototypical 6-foot-4 stature and blossoming physicality makes him project like one of the top righties in this class, as it stands.

Jaylen Walker OF / Lutheran South Academy, TX / 2026

Currently Prep Baseball’s No. 48-ranked player in the 2026 class, Walker was a key standout from Team Texas’ workout session on Wednesday. He posted a 31.6-inch max vertical height while running a 6.70 time in the 60-yard dash time (3.77 30 -yard split), putting him towards the top of the event in both foot speed and force production. During his batting practice session on the workout day, Walker produced one of the more complete Blast Motion profiles as well. His hand speed, bat speed, and rotational acceleration all grade out as plus, standing well clear of both the event and national averages, while his 72.1% average on-plane efficiency score displays a uniquely advanced bat path for an underclass player.

Malachi Washington OF / Parkview, GA / 2026

A product of Georgia’s storied Parkview program and Prep Baseball’s No. 121-ranked player nationally, Washington carries all the tools to match his pedigree. During our athletic testing, Washington produced a 37.0-inch max jump height, good for second highest of any player from the event. Washington showcased an impressive combination of bat speed, hand speed, and swing efficiency during the event, carrying his strong batting practice into a highly productive weekend. His peak hand speed of 24.5 mph and top bat speed of 83.3 mph translated into multiple hard-hit balls throughout live gameplay. With such high-end metrics, I’m a believer that he’s demonstrated the potential to be a significant offensive force at the next level.

Rob Czarniecki OF / Chesterton, IN / 2026

Czarniecki, the 2024 Future Games MVP, displayed a remarkable combination of bat speed, hand speed, and overall athleticism, marking him as a standout prospect from our workout sessions down at LakePoint. His hand speed is a standout trait, with a top of 24.8 mph and average of 22.8, combined with a maximum bat speed of 83.9 mph, which ranks well above average, indicating significant power potential. Additionally, Czarniecki showcases strong on-plane efficiency at a rate of 76 percent, reflecting his ability to maintain an effective bat path through the zone, which is a positive indicator for future batted-ball profiles. Athletically, he’s a near plus runner with a 3.71 time in the 30-yard split, and a 6.62 time in the 60-yard dash, translating to a top speed of 21.0 mph. This is as complete of a power/speed profile as you’ll find – and it totally translated into in-game production, as he went 5-for-9 on the week with a triple and a home run.

Nolan Ramoley OF / Brother Rice, IL / 2026

Ramoley, a product of the powerful program, Chicago's Brother Rice, has all the tools of a future professional baseball player. It’s a strong body type at 6-foot, 200 pounds, jam-packed with athleticism and combined strength. With Ramoley, the standout trait is going to be the run tool, where you’re getting 6.52 speed in the 60-yard dash, and from a player with a muscle-bound stature such as his. This is a player who’s physical, fast and produces force at the highest level (34.4-inch max vertical height), so it comes as no surprise that his Blast Motion data is among the elite from this event. There’s plus bat speed here with top end hand speed, which allowed him to produce in game power throughout the live gameplay; he homered and doubled in game; the double below had a triple-digit EV.

He just committed to Kentucky last week.

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