It’s been an epic start to the year for Tread’s athletes – with tons of work being done behind the scenes across thousands of athletes.
We frankly have too many stories to tell (a good problem to have), so for those of our athletes who aren’t mentioned here – know that we appreciate every single one of you for trusting your careers to Tread.
We don’t take that lightly.
That being said, as you all take a breather at the halfway point of the pro season, here is my yearly update on some of our most notable stories, and what’s been happening in the Tread ecosystem.
Let’s dive in.
1. 21 Tread pitchers were drafted 👏
A big congrats to this year’s draft picks.
This year was a record for for Tread in terms of draft picks, and I couldn’t be prouder of the great work being done by our team and by these athletes.
This isn’t as much about Tread, as it is about the achievement of a lifelong dream for these guys.
Just take a look at the absolute squad that is this list:
Tread athletes came off the board from Round 4 (Ethan Norby, Reds) through Round 19 (Sam George, Brewers).
Notably, four UNLV arms were drafted – a strong showing for the Mid-Major.
One cool part for me is that nearly every athlete here had visited Tread in person over the last year (and we have video of nearly all of their pens). That’s not an accident – that’s the hybrid training approach in action.
Year-round programming, communication (including coordinating with their school development staffs in almost every case) and continuity, with scheduled in-house touch points at key inflection points during the year.
In our mind, this model is the best of both worlds, providing the flexibility of remote year-round coaching with the benefits of hands-on touchpoints, at a value that is still within reach for most of the amateur population.
A couple stories worth mentioning:
- Ryan Marton (Cubs, 17th Round) was an upper-80s arm touching low 90s just 3 years ago. After a full mechanical and arsenal overhaul, including a new cutter and changeup, he was sitting 93-95 for UNLV and had committed to Mizzou before the Cubs came calling.
- Carson Lane (Guardians, 14th Round) rebuilt his arsenal and mechanics from the ground up this year, driving his velo up to 93-95 mph, a jump from 88-90 three years ago.
- Ariston Veasey (Cubs, 11th Round) had thrown all of 10 innings before working with Tread last year. This spring at Clemson, he sat 95 and touched 98 with a 20″ IVB cutting fastball, paired it with a nasty slider, and posted a 60% whiff rate on that two-pitch mix alone.
- Parker Dillhoff (Guardians, 18th Round) was a success story from the 2025 Transfer Portal Showcase after going from 7 strikeouts in 7.1 innings in 2025 at Louisiana-Lafayette to 94 strikeouts in 69.1 innings as UNLV’s workhorse this spring, a massive jump in both role and results.
- Jase Evangelista (Red Sox, 14th Round) started training with Tread in 2023, sitting 87-88 mph. Now, he’s worked his way up to 94-96, even recently touching 97 mph. Jase struck out 64 across 46.2 innings at UNLV this spring, he committed to Texas A&M and is now getting a professional opportunity. 📈
- Fabio Bundi (Marlins, 11th Round) spun a 2.20 ERA with 101 Ks in 86 IP at Monterey Peninsula College, flashing a mid-90s fastball. Here’s a brief look at his progress.
This is especially exciting considering how much more difficult it is to get selected these days.
The combination of 20 rounds and a much more competitive landscape is a totally different dynamic from when I was selected over 10 years ago.
I still remember the rush and excitement that a lifelong goal had finally been achieved.
I was sitting in the bullpen late in a do-or-die Super Regional when our coach came down to break the news…while also letting me know I was pitching the next inning.
And that’s just the perfect representation of the emotions of the situation.
There’s a huge sense of relief and accomplishment – recognizing the work it took to get there. But then, just as quickly, that disappears and it turns to a sober recognition of the huge uphill battle still to come.
A big congrats to these guys.
My reminder to them: the work is just getting started.
2. MLB debut spotlight
A big congrats to Brycen Mautz on making his MLB debut in the first half (just a cup of ☕️ so far).
The 2025 Cardinals MiLB Pitcher of the Year has continued to shove in AAA this year with a 2.92 ERA in 71.0 IP thus far as he awaits his next opportunity.
As the game keeps getting exponentially more competitive, it’s cool to see another guy get his shot. Now the challenge is sticking there.
3. MiLB standouts 🏆
With hundreds of MiLB and Indy ball pitchers, it’s impossible to cover everyone in a mid-season update. That being said, here are a few who are shoving right now:
- Ben Simon (Mets, Triple-A Syracuse) has logged a 2.55 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 30 appearances with 4 saves. He also touched 100 mph for the first time. Check out how smooth these mechanics are, and the case study we put together.
- Tyler Vogel (Giants, Double-A Richmond) has 12 saves and a 2.36 ERA out of the Richmond pen, 6-1 with 39 Ks in 34.1 IP. Here he is throwing absolute fuel at Tread this offseason.
- Michael Forret (Rays, Triple-A Durham) is 7-2 with a 3.30 ERA and 83 Ks in 79 IP as a 22 year old. Keep an eye on his stock. More on his story below:
- Grant Manning, a former D3 pitcher, signed with the Nationals and has posted 68 Ks in 55.1 IP with a 3.58 ERA and 11.1 K/9 thus far. Check out his underdog story below:
Click here to see our full list of signs, draft picks and debuts!
4. 49 50 more free agent signs
In a trend that just keeps chugging along, Tread continues to be the place affiliate teams look to for free agent signs. With 63 total signs last year, our athletes are on pace to smash that number this year.
Many of these athletes were signed either directly or indirectly as a result of participating in our annual Pro Day.
Check out the feature that we did here:
Take a look at the current list at the time of this post:
- MT Morrissey (Phillies) was an undersized and undrafted free agent who wound up signing with the Phillies, and he’s posted 39Ks in 34 IP so far this year. Check out his story here:
- Michael Gemma signed out of Tread’s Pro Day after graduating undrafted out of Northeastern. Check out his transformation here:
And then you have a wild story in Ethan Hochendoner, still unsigned as of the writing of this blog, but very much a guy we are rooting for.
Ethan went from an NAIA pitcher topping 89 to touching 98 mph at Tread. He posted a 3.29 ERA across 63 IP with 91K’s this college season, and is still waiting on an opportunity.
- RHP Justin Feld earned First Team All-WCC honors this year at Gonzaga, cutting his ERA from 7.29 to 4.77 and jumping from 90.5 (T95) to averaging 93.1 mph. He then sat 97+ and touched 98.6 mph at Tread HQ and was offered a contract shortly after.
- Gavin Seebold signed with the Toronto Blue Jays 🍁. He earned Second Team All-OVC honors at mid-major Southern Indiana in his first year working with Tread, then transferred up to Indiana. He was an upper-80s, touching low-90s arm at the time. This season, he sat 93-95 and touched 96, cutting his ERA from 7.28 to 4.67 and striking out 56 in 44.1 innings.
We’re excited for all of these guys to have a chance to take the next step in their careers.
5. The Transfer Portal Showcase was our biggest yet [125+ arms] 🔎
As the college baseball landscape continues to rapidly evolve, our goal is to stay ahead of the curve to provide our athletes a competitive advantage when it comes to finding a best fit situation to continue their careers.
This year, over 125 of our pitchers participated, with many setting up visits and committing to a new home within the first week of the event.
Take a look at the feature we just released from this event here:
6. High School Standouts 💥
While there are too many to count, here are a couple that jump out:
- Bubba Day won Player Of The Year in Nebraska (touching 96+ mph). He has gained over 10 mph since joining Tread in May 2024. He’s got a bright future ahead of him, and we’re looking forward to helping him navigate it at every twist and turn.
- Daniel Head arrived at Tread the summer after his junior year of high school as a primary shortstop, sitting 86 to 88 mph. Less than a year later, he touched 96 mph on the mound and is committed to Mercer University.
Thanks for tuning in to our mid-season update, and feel free to get in touch if you are interested in us taking a look at your situation.
Here’s to reaching your potential,
Ben Brewster
P.S. On a personal note, my wife and I welcomed our first daughter, Brooklyn Brewster, on May 4th. It’s been a blur for the last couple of months, but we couldn’t be happier.
I deeply appreciate everyone in the #TreadFam for holding down the fort during this time and for everyone in our community who continues to entrust their careers to Tread!
