Ben Weinrib
The third annual DRD International Baseball Academies Tournament got underway Saturday in Puerto Rico with its largest field of amateur prospects yet. Ten countries and territories are competing from Saturday-Friday at Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan as the hosts look to defend their title.
Amateur academies from around the world are split into two groups of five, with five days of round-robin play before the top two teams from each group head into a single-elimination tournament to determine the champion.
Group A includes Australia, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Czech Republic. Group B includes Aruba, Canada, the Dominican Republic (which won in 2022), Germany and the United States.
The United States are represented by IMG Academy out of Bradenton, Fla., one of the top programs in the nation. The school has produced six Major Leaguers in the last decade and 45 more professional players -- and more could be on the way.
Outfielder and left-handed pitcher Noah Franco, MLB Pipeline's No. 23 Draft prospect, highlights the talented IMG team. Outfielders Dean Moss (LSU commit) and Sean Gamble (Vanderbilt) figure to be top 2025 Draft prospects, and Duke commits Andre Modugno and Jayden Stroman (Marcus' younger brother) make up a strong left side of the infield.
Additionally, 2024 Draft prospects Aukai Kea (Vanderbilt) and Blake Larson (TCU) and underclassmen Dillon Moss (Stanford) and Kyler Meccage (uncommitted) are notable contributors.
Puerto Rico's team features most of the island's top youth players, many of whom could hear their names called in the 2024 MLB Draft. Catchers Iván Luciano, Gabriel Rosado and Ediel Rivera, along with outfielders Jan Reyes and Jaden Guzman, lead a team that beat Germany in last year's finals.
Games will be streamed on social media accounts for the Puerto Rico Department of Recreation and Sports (DRD), including YouTube.

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