VERO BEACH, Fla. – The 2025 Breakthrough Series has officially kicked off at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex in Vero Beach, Florida! The Breakthrough Series, established in 2008, is a joint effort on behalf of USA Baseball and Major League Baseball (MLB). This unique program focuses on developing the player on and off the field through seminars, mentorship, gameplay, scout evaluations, video coverage and the highest level of instruction, while providing a platform for the players to perform for scouts and collegiate coaches. Like similar initiatives such as Dream Series, Hank Aaron Invitational, and the Elite Development Invitational, the Breakthrough Series events allow for consistent growth opportunities both in competitive and non-competitive settings and will aid in the continued advancement of their life and baseball skills.
As part of the event, athletes will be evaluated in various statistical categories, including the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) Performance Assessment tests. Follow along and see how the top athletes in the nation stack up with one another and see who tops the leaderboard on the field and in performance assessment athletic tests!
The Brass
At the forefront of the Breakthrough Series is a decorated and accomplished coaching staff who will provide guidance to an elite group of high-school age student athletes. World Series champions, All-Stars, former MLB players and executives highlight the star-studded list of personnel. Among the 17 coaches on site at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex, 11 have played professionally in the MLB while six have experience coaching or managing in the majors.
In addition, several coaches have made appearances as a coach in USA Baseball’s development programs or with national teams. 20-year MLB veteran LaTroy Hawkins not only played for Team USA in 2009, he also served as pitching coach for the 2023 18U National Team and as bullpen coach for the United States in the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) Premier12 tournament. Breakthrough Series assistant coach Jemile Weeks most recently served as Team USA's first base coach alongside Hawkins during Team USA’s bronze medal-run in Tokyo, Japan, with the 2024 Professional Team. Finally, Rick Eckstein has appeared in numerous roles with USA Baseball, highlighted by his stints as hitting coach for the 2024 Professional Team and manager of the 2024 and 2025 18U National Team.
The Roster
73 players hailing from 19 states comprise the 2025 Breakthrough Series roster. While a majority of players are high school juniors and seniors, Isaiah Cador, Reginald Marshall, Gideon Mayo, Caleb Soto, and Brandon Williams earned Breakthrough Series invites as freshmen and represent the class of 2028. In addition, 19 players are committed to play baseball at the Division I level. Among those 19 players, five are committed to Louisiana State University, while George Malone and Kaleb Traylor are committed to hit the diamond for the Mizzou Tigers.
Representing the red, white, and blue this weekend in southeast Florida is LSU commit, Will Adams. The lefty from Hoover, Alabama most recently donned the Team USA uniform with the 2023 15U National Team. During the team’s five-game slate in its International Friendly Series against the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, Adams co-led the team in innings pitched (4.0), ERA (0.00), and earned a 1-0 record on the bump.
PDP Testing
Prior to taking the field, players will participate in performance assessments. PDP Performance Assessments consist of a series of comprehensive evaluations that utilize state-of-the-art technology to measure cognitive skills, speed of processing, athletic performance, and on-field talent.
Rapsodo Testing
Rapsodo gives players and coaches real-time access to key performance metrics like launch angle, exit velocity, and spin rate. This gives players objective results on their performance and areas that they can work on. Rapsodo also gives real-time access to key pitching metrics like velocity, spin rate, and spin axis. These objective metrics give players insight to their performance and areas where they can improve.
On Deck
Following the conclusion of Breakthrough Series, a select group of players will earn an invite to compete for the Breakthrough Boyz – MLB Develop’s elite team of 17-and-under athletes – to compete in various summer circuits, including USA Baseball’s 17U National Team Championships slated to be held June 10-13 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
To follow along with all the action with the Prospect Development Pipeline and the Breakthrough Series, be sure to follow @USABasePipeline on Instagram and X.
