They say Brooklyn is the place where stars are born. Biggie Smalls. Michael Jordan. Some of the best to ever do it have roots in “The Borough”. And while every young ballplayer who stepped onto the diamond at Maimonides Park wasn’t from Brooklyn, all five boroughs were represented as some of New York City’s most promising high school prospects brought their five-tool potential to Coney Island.
There was also some serious star power attached to the name of the event itself. JK Select carries the initials of Basketball Hall of Famer Jason Kidd, the NBA legend whose connection to the borough includes coaching the Brooklyn Nets during the 2013-14 season. This time, however, Kidd’s name wasn’t connected to hardwood in Brooklyn. It was attached to an opportunity for New York City’s next generation of baseball talent to show what they could do between the lines.
Home of the High-A Brooklyn Cyclones, Maimonides Park provided a professional backdrop for the JK Select Baseball Tryouts, where more than 60 players from high schools throughout New York City came together for an opportunity to put their skills on display.
Even some less-than-ideal weather couldn’t take much away from the evaluation. The workout was organized by Max Guadalupe and his Unhidden Baseball NYC staff, who put more than 60 players between the ages of 14 and 17 through a series of drills designed to measure the tools that ultimately separate prospects as they advance through higher levels of the game.
Guadalupe wasn’t evaluating the talent alone. His staff included IF/OF Coordinator Josuel Santos and Executive Player Liaison/Advisor Will Fantroy, who is also associated with The Players Alliance, bringing another layer of baseball experience, mentorship and player-development perspective to the workout.
The prospects were tested on raw speed, throwing velocity and accuracy, defensive ability, bat speed and power, along with the overall baseball makeup that can’t always be measured with a stopwatch or radar gun. At this stage of a player’s development, those evaluations aren’t simply about identifying who is best right now. They’re also about projection—body development, athleticism, positional versatility, baseball instincts and which tools have the potential to translate as the competition gets better.
And on a professional diamond in Brooklyn, with more than 60 young players competing for attention, the numbers and names that separated themselves became the real story.
Among the outfielders, a pair of 2028 prospects immediately showed some arm strength. Johan Pastor Castillo of DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx and Jacob Estevez of Coney Island’s own Abraham Lincoln High School both displayed strong, accurate throwing arms during the outfield portion of the workout. At this age, pure arm strength will get your attention, but accuracy and carry are equally important when projecting an outfielder. Both showed enough of that combination to stand out among the group.
The infield offered several intriguing young prospects, including Jaden Gadetta, a 2030 IF/OF from The Eaglebrook School. At just 14 years old, Gadetta already possesses a lanky frame with plenty of physical development still ahead of him. What caught my attention was his above-average speed and smooth glove-to-hand transition on the infield. For a player that young, clean transfer skills and body control can be just as revealing as raw arm strength because those movements usually become even more efficient as the player matures physically.
Ayden Ellison, a 2029 prospect from Phillips Andover who can play second base, shortstop and center field, also showed some tools worth following. Ellison displayed rhythmic footwork on the dirt and paired it with a strong, accurate arm. The ability to move comfortably around the infield while possessing enough athleticism to handle center gives him some early positional versatility, something that becomes increasingly valuable as young players climb through higher levels of competition.
Behind the plate, two catchers separated themselves during my evaluation. Daniel Fettig, a 14-year-old 2030 prospect from Berkeley Carroll, and Angelo Pacheco, a 2028 graduate, were my favorites at the No. 2 position. Both displayed quick pop times and the type of urgency behind the plate you want to see from developing catchers.
Pop time is one of the more revealing measurements for a young catcher because it isn’t strictly about arm strength. The clock from receiving the baseball to getting the throw to second base incorporates the exchange, footwork, release and arm action. A catcher can possess a cannon and still lose the running game with a slow transfer. Fettig and Pacheco both showed quickness getting the ball out of the glove and into throwing position, making them two of the more interesting defensive players I watched during the workout.
What stood out overall was the age of some of these prospects. With players from the 2027 through 2030 graduating classes, nobody should be evaluating them as finished products. The more important question is what tools are already present and which ones have room to develop. Castillo and Estevez showed the outfield arms. Gadetta displayed athleticism, speed and developing infield actions. Ellison brought footwork, arm strength and versatility, while Fettig and Pacheco gave the evaluators something to watch behind the dish.
What ultimately made the JK Select workout valuable wasn’t simply identifying who threw the hardest, ran the fastest or looked the smoothest on the diamond. At 14 to 17 years old, these players are nowhere near finished products. The tools matter, but what happens after leaving Maimonides Park matters even more.
Those who stood out should accept the recognition, but not get comfortable. For those who didn’t have their best day, remember that one workout doesn’t define a baseball player. Bodies mature, velocity comes, swings develop and baseball IQ grows through experience.
That’s why opportunities like JK Select matter for NYC baseball. They give young players a professional stage to measure themselves against some of the city’s best while learning where their games still need work.
Brooklyn may be known as a place where stars are born, but baseball players aren’t simply born. They’re developed. Every rep, every ground ball, every bullpen, every swing and every failure becomes part of that process.
Getting noticed is only the beginning. Now comes the work.