The ninth annual DREAM Series is set to kick off this week at Tempe Diablo Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. The DREAM Series is a premier development camp held over Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend in partnership between Major League Baseball (MLB) and USA Baseball, and focuses on the development of a diverse group of elite high school athletes.
From January 16-19 at the Los Angeles Angels’ Spring Training site, current and former professional players will be in attendance to develop the next generation of minority pitchers and catchers.
Throughout the four-day camp, players will partake in workouts, high-level instruction from coaches, off-field seminars, and athletic-based testing through the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) Performance Assessment. Athletes will be evaluated across the board using metrics gathered from PDP testing and Rapsodo data collection.
Standout numbers and top performances will be highlighted over the weekend, so be sure to follow along and see how the top athletes in the nation stack up with one another.
Performance Testing and Metric Tracking
Prior to taking the field, players will undergo a PDP Performance Assessment, a comprehensive evaluation that utilizes state-of-the-art technology to measure cognitive skills, speed of processing, athletic performance, and on-field talent. All data collected from the assessments will be disseminated to the 30 MLB Clubs in preparation for the MLB Draft and to USA Baseball for national team identification. Additionally, all participants will receive a personalized player report following the evaluation process containing data and metrics from the evaluation, and training tools for improvement and sustained development.
On-field performance is further measured through Rapsodo technology, providing players and coaches real-time access to key performance metrics such as launch angle, exit velocity, and spin rate. Rapsodo also gives players objective results on their performance and areas that they can work on, and relays real-time access to key pitching metrics like velocity, spin rate, and spin axis.
Star-Studded Staff
Leading the event is an experienced group of former big league players, coaches and managers. The 18-member staff of highly decorated individuals brings a combined 170-plus seasons of experience either playing and/or coaching at the major league level. Notable figures include 17-year MLB veteran and 1995 World Series champion Marquis Grissom, longtime coach and 2019 World Series winner Mike Harkey, and 20-year professional Darren Oliver.
In addition, several coaches have current or former ties to USA Baseball in either a coaching or playing capacity. Current bullpen coach for the Minnesota Twins, LaTroy Hawkins, played 20 seasons in the pros, competed in the 2009 World Baseball Classic, and served as pitching coach for the 18U National Team in 2023. Three-time World Series champion and longtime manager of the Anaheim / Los Angeles Angels Mike Scioscia has managed Team USA on three occasions, including the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and the 2024 Premier12 tournament.
Stars and Stripes in the Desert
In attendance this week are six players who have previously represented the United States in international competition. Samir Mohammed and Taytum Reeves competed with the 15U National Team in the Dominican Republic in 2023, while 15U alum Dexter McCleon Jr. played in a five-game series against Australia in 2024. Two-time gold medalist Tristin Gaines will be making his first DREAM Series appearance after most recently playing for the 2025 15U National Team.
In addition, two world champions will be participating, as 12U National Team alum Paris Head and 18U National Team alum Anthony Murphy will both be on site. Head hit .350 and posted a 1.89 ERA in the 2023 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-12 Baseball World Cup in Taiwan, while Murphy started all nine games for the U.S. in its gold-medal run this past summer at the WBSC U-18 Baseball World Cup in Japan.
Top Talent
The event features no shortage of talent, as numerous athletes are currently committed to some of the top programs in the nation. Of the 80 players in attendance, 27 earned DI offers and have committed to their respective schools. More than half of those commits (14) are headed to Southeastern Conference programs, led by LSU’s four commitments. Texas Tech ranks second among all schools with three, while Houston, Miami, TCU, and Vanderbilt each have two future players participating.
Coming Full Circle
Also making appearances this weekend are three active minor league and major league players who have participated in previous DREAM Series events and gone on to play for a USA Baseball national team. Los Angeles Angels outfielder Jo Adell and Minor League Baseball top prospects Termarr Johnson and Braden Montgomery will be returning to the event they have previously played in.
Three-time USA Baseball alum Johnson most recently competed for Team USA at the 2024 Premier12 tournament and won a bronze medal under Scioscia. Montgomery, the Chicago White Sox’s top prospect, donned the stars and stripes in 2023 for the Collegiate National Team. Adell, who represented the United States in the 2019 Premier12 tournament, will be returning to familiar territory this weekend at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
A full breakdown of the roster can be found here.
SOCIAL MEDIA
To follow along with everything regarding the nation’s top prospects and the Prospect Development Pipeline, be sure to follow @USABasePipeline on X and Instagram.
