USA Baseball to Expand National Team Development Program

USA Baseball today announced the expansion of its National Team Development Program (NTDP) to include six new age groups. Beginning in 2027, the organization will host nine NTDPs, one for each age group from 10U through 17U, plus a Women’s NTDP. The NTDPs are four-day immersive events and will be held throughout July and August at the National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.

The expansion adds NTDPs for 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U, and 15U athletes, joining the existing 16U and 17U programs and a Women’s NTDP that will now be held annually. The 13U and 14U NTDPs replace the USA Baseball Athlete Development Program. The 10U, 11U, and 12U NTDPs are open to both boys and girls, and girls ages 13 to 17 can participate in the Women’s NTDP.

“The youth baseball landscape often overprioritizes evaluating young athletes at the expense of developing them,” said Special Advisor of Player and Coach Development Rick Eckstein. “USA Baseball will lead the way in developing talent across the country. Expanding the National Team Development Program amplifies our efforts to help athletes grow in an age-appropriate, national team-like environment at our National Training Complex.”

The NTDP began with two age groups in 2012 to give athletes the opportunity to work alongside USA Baseball coaches and staff and better prepare for future national team opportunities. Each NTDP includes on- and off-field skill development sessions, educational seminars, and intrasquad games under the guidance of the best coaches in the country. Some of the brightest stars in Major League Baseball have participated in an NTDP, including the 2025 AL Rookie of the Year Nick Kurtz, the 2024 AL batting title and 2025 AL Platinum Glove winner Bobby Witt Jr., the 2024 NL Platinum Glove winner Brice Turang, and multi-time All-Stars CJ Abrams, Pete Crow-Armstrong, and Kyle Tucker, among many others.

USA Baseball development programs continue to fulfill their purpose by developing players in preparation for future national team opportunities. In 2026, 11 development program participants went on to win a world championship with the 15U National Team at the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-15 Baseball World Cup in Mexico. Nine more were recently named to the 18U National Team roster and began their pursuit of a gold medal today at the WBSC Americas Pan-American Championships in the Dominican Republic.

Expanding the NTDP brings that same path to more athletes than ever. With a program now offered at every age group, the NTDP creates a continuous national team pipeline that gives athletes an opportunity to develop with USA Baseball every summer from 10U through 17U, whether they are wearing a national team jersey that year or developing toward the next phase. The national team pipeline includes four phases:

• Identification Events: The entry point into the pipeline, including tryouts, camps, and team-based events, such as the Futures Invitational and National Team Championships, where athletes can earn invitations to an NTDP or national team training camp
• National Team Development Program (NTDP): Four-day programs at the National Training Complex held in July and August focused on preparing players for a future national team training camp opportunity
• National Team Training Camps: Evaluation events where final national team rosters are selected
• National Teams: The teams that represent the United States in international competition

“Talent develops at different paces. Some athletes are ready for a national team roster at a young age, and others may not break through for a few more years. Our national team pipeline is now built for that,” said General Manager of National Teams Ashley Bratcher. “With the expansion of the National Team Development Program, there is a way into our national team pipeline no matter when an athlete breaks through, and we are invested in helping every athlete who comes through earn their next opportunity. The better we can develop athletes, the stronger our national teams will be when it’s time to compete for a gold medal.”

Development will not end when athletes leave the National Training Complex. Athletes who enter the national team pipeline will continue receiving instruction and educational resources in the offseason from experienced coaches and players across all levels of the game so they can continue developing year-round and be ready to earn an invitation to the following year’s NTDP or national team opportunity. NTDPs are invitation-only, and invitations are earned each year, keeping the door open for athletes who develop later and ensuring every spot is filled with the best athletes in the country from each age group.

Athletes can earn an invitation to an NTDP by attending one of the identification events USA Baseball holds throughout the year. USA Baseball will host camps and tryouts throughout the country during the spring, summer, and fall seasons, as well as continue to offer its team-based national team identification events as part of its summer schedule, including the Futures Invitational and the National Team Championships. All identification events will be managed by USA Baseball staff members, current and former national team coaches, national team training camp coaches, or task force members. Registration for tryouts and development camps will open in December on USABaseball.com.

The 2027 USA Baseball National Team Development Program Schedule (subject to change):

• 10U NTDP: August 19–22
• 11U NTDP: August 12–15
• 12U NTDP: August 5–8
• 13U NTDP: August 19–22
• 14U NTDP: August 12–15
• 15U NTDP: August 5–8
• 16U NTDP: July 26–29
• 17U NTDP: July 26–29
• Women’s NTDP: August 5–8

A full calendar of USA Baseball events for 2027 will be released later. Follow along on social media for more information on USA Baseball (@USABaseball) and the National Team Development Program (@USABasePipeline).