DURHAM, N.C. – USA Baseball announced the 2019 18U National Team Trials roster on Friday, which includes the 40 players selected from the inaugural Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League, a premier development opportunity presented by Major League Baseball and USA Baseball, following the event’s conclusion on Thursday. The 2019 18U National Team Trials will be held August 13-17 in Los Angeles.
The athletes invited from the PDP League join five players selected from the 2018 National Team Identification Series (NTIS) on the current 45-man 18U National Team Trials roster. In addition, a select number of athletes from the upcoming 17U National Team Development Program (NTDP) could be chosen to compete for a spot on Team USA, finalizing the 2019 18U Trials roster.
The final 20-man 18U National Team will be named on August 17 and will compete in the 2019 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup in Gijang City, South Korea, from August 30-September 8.
The 18U National Team will be playing for its record-fifth consecutive WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup gold medal after winning the last four events in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. The program has won eight straight international tournament titles dating back to 2011.
“We are extremely honored to announce this group,” said 18U National Team Program Director Frank Jagoda. “We could not be prouder of the effort that all 80 players put forth over the past four weeks. This was an incredibly difficult decision and speaks volumes to the depth of talent our country has to offer. The hard work truly begins now and we cannot wait to get back together in Los Angeles in August.”
The 40 players named to the trials roster on Friday were selected out of the pool of 80 athletes that participated in the first-ever PDP League held in Bradenton, Florida. The invitation-only event is a premier development and showcase experience for high school baseball prospects based in the United States and serves as a primary identification event for the 18U National Team. The four-week PDP League included competitive game play, practice and training sessions, off-field educational seminars and evaluations using modern technologies tailoring individualized curriculums for each player.
Former Major League players and USA Baseball alumni such as Hall of Famers Barry Larkin and Chipper Jones, 14-time All-Star Derek Jeter and three-time All-Star Ryan Howard served as team captains and stopped by to meet with participants throughout the event.
In addition to being named to the 2019 18U Trials roster, the 40 invitees from the PDP League will also make up the teams that will play in the inaugural High School All-Star Game at Progressive Field on Saturday, July 6, as part of 2019 MLB All-Star Week in Cleveland. Seven of those athletes – including Robert Hassell (Independence High School), Austin Hendrick (West Allegheny High School), AJ Vukovich (East Troy High School), Nolan McLean (Garner High School), Jordan Walker (Decatur High School) and Yohandy Morales (Monsignor Pace High School) – have also been chosen to participate in the High School Home Run Derby in Cleveland on Sunday, July 7.
The High School All-Star Game will be streamed live on MLB.com at 1:30 p.m. (ET).
Twenty-three members of the 45-man 18U Trials roster are alumni of USA Baseball national team programming, including five members of the 2018 18U National Team that won the program’s fifth consecutive COPABE U-18 Pan-American Championships gold medal and 15 members of the 2018 17U NTDP. In total, the roster boasts 22 past NTDP participants, while there are 18 players that are new to USA Baseball National Team programming in 2019.
Morales and Carson Tucker (Mountain Pointe High School) were teammates on the inaugural 12U National Team that won gold at the 2013 International Baseball Federation (IBAF) 12U Baseball World Cup.
Dylan Crews (Lake Mary High School), Lucas Gordon (Notre Dame High School), Mac Guscette (Venice High School), Petey Halpin (St. Francis High School), Jackson Miller (JW Mitchell High School) and Robert Moore (Shawnee Mission East High School) will all reunite at 18U Trials after winning a gold medal together on the 2017 15U National Team at the COPABE “AA” Pan American Championships.
American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Hall of Famer Jack Leggett, who guided the 2018 18U National Team to the program’s eighth consecutive gold medal, returns to lead Team USA in 2019. He will be joined on staff by Pitching Coach Scott Bankhead and Assistant Coaches Gerald Laird and Gregg Ritchie.
For more information on the 18U National Team, the PDP League and the selection process, please visit USABaseball.com or follow along on Twitter at @USABaseball18U.
The 2019 18U National Team Trials roster is as follows:
2019 18U National Team Trials roster:
Name; Position; School (State)
^Mick Abel, RHP, Jesuit High School (Ore.)
^Drew Bowser, 3B, Harvard-Westlake High School (Calif.)
^Enrique Bradfield, OF, American Heritage High School (Fla.)
Cam Brown, RHP, Flower Mound High School (Texas)
^Jack Bulger, C, Dematha High School (Md.)
~Jag Burden, 1B/OF, Huntington Beach High School (Calif.)
^Max Carlson, RHP, Burnsville High School (Minn.)
~Harold Coll, MIF, Cathedral High School (N.C.)
*^Dylan Crews, OF, Lake Mary High School (Fla.)
^Dax Fulton, LHP, Mustang High School (Okla.)
*^Lucas Gordon, LHP, Notre Dame High School (Calif.)
*^~Mac Guscette, C, Venice High School (Fla.)
^Hunter Haas, MIF, Corona Del Sol High School (Ariz.)
*^Petey Halpin, OF, St. Francis High School (Calif.)
Colby Halter, UTIL, Bishop Kennedy High School (Fla.)
Kyle Harrison, LHP, De La Salle High School (Calif.)
Robert Hassell, OF/LHP, Independence High School (Tenn.)
^Austin Hendrick, OF, West Allegheny High School (Pa.)
Ben Hernandez, RHP, De La Salle Institute (Ill.)
Cade Horton, RHP, Norman High School (Okla.)
Ed Howard, MIF, Mount Carmel High School (Ill.)
*^Jared Jones, RHP/OF, La Mirada High School (Calif.)
^Colten Keith, 3B, Biloxi High School (Miss.)
*Timmy Manning, LHP, Cardinal Gibbons High School (Fla.)
^Nolan McLean, UTIL, Garner High School (N.C.)
*^Jackson Miller, C/RHP, JW Mitchell High School (Fla.)
*^Robert Moore, MIF, Shawnee Mission East High School (Kan.)
*^Yohandy Morales, MIF, Monsignor Pace High School (Fla.)
^Aaron Nixon, MIF, McAllen High School (Texas)
Kevin Parada, C, Loyola High School (Calif.)
*^Max Rajcic, RHP, Orange Lutheran High School (Calif.)
*^Drew Romo, C, The Woodlands High School (Texas)
Alex Santos, RHP, Mount St. Michael Academy (N.Y.)
Jason Savacool, RHP, Baldwinsville High School (N.Y.)
Nate Savino, LHP, Potomac Falls High School (Va.)
Tyler Soderstorm, C, Turlock High School (Calif.)
Carson Swilling, RHP, Smith Station High School (Al.)
Milan Tolentino, MIF, Santa Margarita Catholic High School (Calif.)
*^Carson Tucker, MIF, Mountain Pointe High School (Ariz.)
~Alex Urban, OF, River Bluff High School (S.C.)
~Jonathan Vaughns, 3B/RHP, St. John Bosco High School (Calif.)
AJ Vukovich, 1B/OF, East Troy High School (Wis.)
Luke Wagner, LHP, Red Land High School (Pa.)
Jordan Walker, 1B/OF/RHP, Decatur High School (Ga.)
Cayden Wallace, 3B, Greenbrier High School (Ark.)
*Denotes National Team alum
^Denotes National Team Development Program participant
~Denotes 2018 NTIS selection
