DURHAM, N.C. - The 2019 36-man 16U National Team Development Program (NTDP) roster was unveiled by USA Baseball on Thursday, following the conclusion of the 2019 16U National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida. The second-annual 16U NTDP will be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, from July 31 to August 5.
The National Team Development Program offers identified athletes an opportunity to connect with USA Baseball staff to better prepare for a future national team experience. The program includes skill development sessions, off-field education seminars, an intrasquad series between Stars and Stripes teams, and exposure to professional scouts, college recruiters and 18U National Team staff and task force.
"We are extremely excited about the second year of the 16U National Team Development Program and this group of athletes," said 18U National Team Program Director Frank Jagoda. "This is an invaluable opportunity for some of the best players in the country to continue to develop both on and off the field, and we cannot wait to get started."
The roster is made up of 36 athletes who were identified and selected based on their participation and performance at USA Baseball sanctioned events, including the National Team Championships and the National Team Identification Series (NTIS), among others. In total, the roster includes eight alumni of USA Baseball national teams and eight players that have participated on an NTDP team in the past.
Twenty-six invitees are new to USA Baseball national team programming in 2019, including 11 athletes that represented their respective region at the 2018 15U NTIS Champions Cup in Cary, North Carolina, and 13 that were selected from the 2019 National Team Championships in Arizona and Florida.
Davis Diaz (Pittsburg, Calif.) returns to USA Baseball for the fifth consecutive year after winning gold with the 12U National Team in 2015 and the 15U National Team in 2017 and 2018, as well as participating in the 14U NTDP in 2016 and 2017. Diaz will reunite with teammates from both the 2015 12U National Team and the 2018 15U National Team at this year's 16U NTDP.
Daniel Corona Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Thomas DiLandri (Las Vegas, Nev.), Cooper Kinney (Chattanooga, Tenn.), and Nick Kurtz (Lancaster, Pa.) participated together with Diaz on the 12U National Team in 2015 and were all members of the 14U NTDP in 2017.
In addition, Diaz, DiLandri, Samuel Dutton (Southside, Ala.), Cale Lansville (Centennial, Colo.) and Tyree Reed (Vallejo, Calif.) helped lead the 2018 15U National Team to the program's first-ever World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup gold medal.
USA Baseball will announce the staff of the 2019 16U NTDP at a later date. Stay tuned to USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseballNTDP on Twitter for all the information on the National Team Development Program.
2019 16U National Team Development Program:
Name; Position; Hometown
Carson Applegate; SS/RHP; Columbus, N.J.
Jesse Bullard; RHP/IF; Riverside, Calif.
Lorenzo Carrier; OF/RHP; Bear, Del.
Calvert Clark; OF/RHP; Charlotte, N.C.
^Tyler Collins; OF; McKinney, Texas
*^Daniel Corona Jr.; IF; Brooklyn, N.Y.
*^Davis Diaz; IF; Pittsburg, Calif.
Korbyn Dickerson; OF/RHP; Jeffersonville, Ind.
*^Thomas DiLandri; OF; Las Vegas, Nev.
*Samuel Dutton; RHP; Southside, Ala.
Jake Geis; RHP/IF; San Jose, Calif.
Tyler Gough; RHP; Perris, Calif.
Rafael Gross; OF/IF; Pearland, Texas
Blaise Grove; LHP; Summit Point, W. Va.
^Trevor Haskins; IF; San Jose, Calif.
Jack Holman; 1B/C; Wrightwood, Calif.
David Horn; IF/RHP; Murrieta, Calif.
Jayson Jones; IF; Savannah, Texas
Gage Jump; LHP; Aliso, Calif.
*^Cooper Kinney; IF; Chattanooga, Tenn.
*^Nick Kurtz; LHP/OF; Lancaster, Pa.
*Cale Lansville; RHP; Centennial, Colo.
Kyndon Lovell; LHP; Fort Cobb, Okla.
Gabriel Miranda; 1B; Orange, Calif.
Malcom Moore; C; Sacramento, Calif.
Jaron Nevarez; OF/LHP; San Ramon, Calif.
Devin Obee; OF; Nashville, Tenn.
Gavin Ochoa; RHP; Rohnert Park, Calif.
Xavier Perez; RHP/OF; Corpus Christi, Texas
*^Tyree Reed; OF; Vallejo, Calif.
William Rogers; C/IF; Shoreview, Minn.
Michael Saumell; C; Spring, Texas
Chase Spencer; IF/RHP; Plano, Texas
Sal Stewart; INF; Miami, Fla.
Tyler White; OF; Pomona, Calif.
Austin Young; RHP; Saint Peters, Mo.
*Denotes National Team alumnus
^Denotes National Team Development Program participant
