USA Baseball's top development pipeline is about to reach players as young as 10. The national governing body announced on Oct. 22 that its National Team Development Program will add six age groups in 2027, 10U, 11U, 12U, 13U, 14U and 15U, joining the existing 16U, 17U and Women's programs at its National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.

That makes nine NTDP events next summer, up from three, according to the USA Baseball announcement. The new 13U and 14U programs replace the organization's Athlete Development Program, and the Women's NTDP will now run every year.

Who Can Play in the 10U to 12U Programs

The 10U, 11U and 12U programs are open to boys and girls. Girls 13 to 17 go through the Women's NTDP. Every NTDP spot is invitation-only and earned each year at USA Baseball identification events: tryouts, camps, the Futures Invitational and the National Team Championships. Registration for tryouts and development camps opens in December on USABaseball.com.

Each NTDP is a four-day event with on-field skill work, seminars and intrasquad games. The 2027 dates, subject to change: 16U and 17U on July 26 to 29; 12U, 15U and Women's on Aug. 5 to 8; 11U and 14U on Aug. 12 to 15; 10U and 13U on Aug. 19 to 22.

Development First, Says USA Baseball

The program began in 2012 with two age groups. The organization's pitch for the expansion is that young players are evaluated too early and coached too little. Rick Eckstein, USA Baseball's special advisor of player and coach development, said the youth landscape "often overprioritizes evaluating young athletes at the expense of developing them."

The results already show up on the field. USA Baseball says 11 development program alumni won the 2026 WBSC U-15 Baseball World Cup in Mexico. The expansion was also reported by the youth sports business newsletter Buying Sandlot. More youth baseball on our baseball page.