CARY, N.C. – Major League Baseball and USA Baseball today announced that MLB Network will air “Top 25 Prospect Development Pipeline,” a special program highlighting the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) League this Saturday, January 22, at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT.

Co-hosted from Studio 21 by MLB Network’s Greg Amsinger and Harold Reynolds, the 60-minute program will reveal the first 25 student-athletes invited to this year’s PDP League, which is an invitation-based development and assessment program for the top 96 high school players eligible for the 2023 MLB Draft. Two-time MLB All-Star, 2013 batting title champion and PDP League Hitting Coordinator Michael Cuddyer and other special guests are scheduled to join the discussion about this annual event. MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo also will join the show to break down and analyze the prospects who have accepted the invitation.

During the program, Amsinger and Reynolds will announce the first 25 athletes invited to the PDP League and speak with select players and coaches throughout the program.

Said Amsinger: “The PDP League is at the forefront of discovering the next wave of young talent in our game. It’s exciting to be part of a show that celebrates that initiative and introduces America to some of the freshest faces that will be household names in the next five to 10 years.”

“Thanks to the support of Major League Baseball, the PDP League is the preeminent development opportunity for athletes in all of amateur baseball,” said USA Baseball 18U National Team General Manager Ashley Bratcher. “We are thrilled to showcase this unique event on MLB Network and announce the first group of players who have earned an invitation to the league. It will be a great introduction to these athletes who will use the PDP League to compete for an invitation to the 18U National Team Trials.”

Launched in 2018 as part of the Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP), the PDP League provides athletes with an unprecedented amateur experience, including competitive gameplay, player development sessions, educational seminars, and other programming led by former Major Leaguers and current MLB Club representatives to prepare players for a professional baseball career.

The PDP League also serves as the primary identification opportunity for the USA Baseball 18U National Team, which will compete in the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) U-18 Baseball World Cup 2021 in Bradenton and Sarasota, Florida from September 9-18, 2022. The 2022 PDP League will be held at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, from June 29–July 6.

The Prospect Development Pipeline (PDP) is a collaborative effort between Major League Baseball (MLB) and USA Baseball to establish a player development pipeline leading to the MLB Draft for amateur baseball players in the United States. At the heart of the Prospect Development Pipeline is the PDP Performance Assessment, 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.

For more information on the PDP and PDP League, visit MLB.com/Prospect-Development-Pipeline or follow @BaseballPDP on Instagram and Twitter.

About USA Baseball

USA Baseball is the national governing body for baseball in the United States and is committed to serving, protecting, and supporting the game of baseball and its 15.6 million participants. Founded in 1978, USA Baseball fields six national teams annually and is a member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC). On the diamond, USA Baseball is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and the reigning World Baseball Classic champion, and its national teams have won 62 gold medals in international competition. Off the field, the organization is dedicated to the proliferation and health of the sport through the creation and management of numerous development initiatives including BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education), Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL and the Prospect Development Pipeline. For more information on the organization, its national teams, and development-driven initiatives, visit the official website USABaseball.com or USABDevelops.com.