VERO BEACH, Fla. -- Rookie Shepard may have a first name that says he’s a baseball newcomer, but he has already achieved a lofty designation.
Shepard, whose given name is Rouselle, arrived at the Jackie Robinson Training Complex this weekend prepared to compete in "The Program," an initiative that includes the Breakthrough Series Invitational U17 Tournament, multiple tournaments around the country and weekly coaching from former Major Leaguers.
A versatile 5-foot-10, 170-pound athlete who plays shortstop and catcher, Shepard also flew in from his hometown of North Las Vegas, Nev., as the top-rated prospect in the Class of 2026. He played on the BTS Blue Squad coached by former big leaguers Marquis Grissom, Marvin Freeman and Lou Collier.
“It’s an honor and a blessing,” said Shepard, a lefty-swinging hitter who batted third in the Blue team’s makeup match Saturday morning against SC Tigers Elite. “For all the coaches to be here and the experience I’m learning every single day and to be out here with the best talent in the country with all my guys, all my brothers, my family, it’s amazing.”
In a strong performance behind the plate Saturday, Shepard himself was pretty amazing -- especially on a day when absolutely nothing went right for BTS Blue on offense.
The club fell behind, 3-0, against the Tigers in the first inning -- all the runs the opposition would need. But Shepard put on a rock-solid defensive performance.
Playing catcher on the Teamwork field, Shepard twice blocked swinging third strikes on sliders in the dirt. He also chased down and snared a towering foul behind him, tracking the popup and gloving it as it twisted in the Florida breeze.
Whether it’s in the middle infield or at the plate, the Nevadan reiterated that defense is a top priority.
“The saying is, ‘Defense wins championships,’” Shepard said. “You can hit all you want, but if you make 20 errors in a game, the other team’s going to score. I take a lot of pride in [my defense] myself. You may not be 3-for-3 every game, but if you can contribute defensively, that’s a big part of the team, as well.
“That’s one of the things we’ve talked about here in 'The Program.' You may not contribute in one part of your game, but if you contribute on defense or baserunning, that’s a big thing.”
Those types of smaller plays that aren’t a statistic or show up in the box score helped make him the No. 1 prospect in his class.
“It’s definitely an honor, but I’ve got to be humble,” Shepard said of being designated the best of the 2026 group right now. “Players from one to 1,000 are studs.”
Some of his teammates have also stood out in the first-ever BTS Invitational, such as Miles Young and Deion Cole.
In what seems to be a recent trend of taller young shortstops, the 15-year-old Young is a rangy one, standing 6-foot-3 and weighing 205 pounds -- with a few more inches and pounds likely part of his growth spurt by the time the Draft rolls around.
Young may not wind up being a 6-foot-7 giant like Pittsburgh Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz -- who debuted last season with multiple highlight throws in the high 90-mph range and blazing home-to-third sprints around the bases.
However, he could reach 6-foot-5, the height of Cincinnati’s Elly De La Cruz, who broke out this month with the Reds and is baseball’s latest sensation after blasting a 458-foot shot off Dodgers starter Noah Syndergaard for his first homer on June 7.
Back in the days when Dodgers Pee Wee Reese, Maury Wills, Bill Russell, Cesar Izturis and Rafael Furcal manned the shortstop position at then-Dodgertown, smaller stature was preferred up the middle.
In fact, only Russell -- Los Angeles’ shortstop from 1969-86 -- managed to reach the six-foot mark.
“I can get to more balls because of my reach and long legs. But I feel like I have to work to get down to the ball because of how tall I am,” said Young, a native of Cypress, Texas, adding that he was never discouraged to play the position.
Also uncommitted like Young but an outfielder, Cole said he has benefited from working with Grissom, a four-time Gold Glove center fielder over a 17-year career.
“He’s helped me with my footwork in the outfield and [to] take better reads,” said Cole, who hails from Acworth, Ga.
However, the day belonged to Tigers pitcher Van Froling, an uncommitted 2024 left-hander who spun six perfect innings against BTS Blue, fanning the side in the second for his only strikeouts.
A diving snag of a liner by Bryce Robinson at second base in the third and Shepard’s groundout to second on a ball he nearly beat out for an infield hit in the fifth were the best chances for BTS before a storm ended the contest early. That left the perfect game intact.
Eighteen up, 18 down.
“I kept it in mind as I was going along and didn’t let it get to me,” said Froling, who lives in Sacramento, Calif. “Defense played well, [I was] missing a lot of barrels and [inducing] weak contact. The defense played a clean game.”