VERO BEACH, Fla. -- For one, baseball is a family tradition, passed down generationally like a gene pool. For the other, the game wasn’t taught, but discovered, and he’s pioneering his own familial legacy on the dirt.
One is a country boy, not unaccustomed to high humidity, rural landscapes and peach trees. The other is a city kid, used to seeing high rises, smelling bacon, egg and cheeses, hearing honking horns and feeling the occasional snowdrop.
Reggie Brown calls Powder Springs, Ga. home. For Jeremy Mercado, Newark, N.J. -- the Brick City -- marks his stomping grounds.
Both are uncommitted upperclassmen attempting to secure a spot on a college roster. Both are shortstops with a sleek sleight of hand, and slick feet to boot. And though their journeys are vastly different, both traversed a road that led them to the Jackie Robinson Training Complex for the 2025 Hank Aaron Invitational.
Featuring 112 hand-selected high school players from diverse backgrounds, the camp offered specialized coaching and drills from several former big league ballplayers, while invitees participated in live action each day. The top 44 players from the week of instruction were invited to Birmingham, Ala., for an exhibition game at historic Rickwood Field.
And though neither Brown nor Mercado were selected for the game, both turned heads and raised their individual profiles as they look to advance to the next level of competition.
Brown, whose father was drafted by the Cubs and whose uncle played at Mississippi State, has long been in the company of baseball excellence. That includes his training partners, one of whom helped him land a spot in the Invitational.
“I train with [former Major Leaguer] Lou Collier,” Brown said. “He was like, I deserve to be out here competing with the best of the best.”
Brown’s talent is easily perceptible. But the McEachern High School rising senior flashed a poise and composure that oozed self-assurance throughout camp activities. And it led to much of the high praise he received from its coaches.
“[Baseball’s] in my blood,” he said. “[I] just started playing at a young age, and picked up on it quick. [My Dad and I were] just outside, [practicing with] Wiffle balls. I learned from my big brother too, he played baseball. It started with Wiffle ball, and then T-ball.”
“I really feel like I’m an underdog,” Brown added. “And I’m hungry, and I’m ready to take whatever opportunity, and be a dog. I’m in front of some great eyes, and [being here] can definitely put the word out. [I’m trying] to go out every day and do me, and do the best I can, hopefully get seen by some good people.”
Brown is already on the radar of a few college coaches. Based on his showing at the camp, that number should only increase with time. And he’s determined to make the next chapter of his family’s baseball story a bestseller.
Mercado, meanwhile, has had scouting eyes on him for years.
Growing up in the Dominican Republic, Mercado established himself as one of his region’s top prospects.
That led to recruiting calls from American coaches, and eventually landed him at St. Benedict’s Prep in Newark. For Mercado, former Major League pitcher and current St. Benedict’s head coach Willie Banks has had a significant role in his development.
“[Banks] was a coach here,” Mercado said, alluding to Banks’ tenure as an instructor at the Invitational. Banks, who still holds the New Jersey title for highest Draft pick out of the state (he was taken third overall by Minnesota out of Jersey City’s St. Anthony High School in 1987), won two World Series rings during his nine-year career.
“He’s a really good person,” Mercado said, “I’m grateful for him. He brought me here.”
Mercado, who is entering his junior season for the Gray Bees, is well traveled. He’s seen top athletes in the Dominican Republic. He’s played on the travel circuit, and faced high-level competition for his high school squad. So he recognizes premier players when he sees them.
“[The competition here] is not the same [as it is in Jersey],” he smiled, praising the camp’s high-caliber talent.
His smile never lagged far behind his presence throughout the week, and by the looks of it, he enjoyed every bit of the first-class action.
“It was great,” Mercado said of the camp. “It was a good experience for me. I would like to play in the Major Leagues. That was my dream since I was little, too. I would love to play in the MLB … that’s my goal.”
A singular dream can exist in many forms. And in Brown and Mercado’s cases, their shared dream led them to a 2025 convergence in Vero Beach. They’re hoping it reconverges them again at a Major League ballpark in the near future.