An Upland native and a junior heading into the 2014-15 academic year, Ponce competed for the Brewster Whitecaps this summer. The Cape Cod League has been the premier amateur baseball league since 1885.

He earned entry into the league's All-Star Game and throughout the summer months, he attracted the attention of the scouts and media. 

Last week, Baseball America's Aaron Fitt released an article that listed the Cape Cod League's Top 30 prospects. Ponce was near the top of the list at the No. 3 spot.

His profile in the story reads:

"Ponce came out of nowhere this summer to establish himself as a potential first-round pick in 2015. Like Kyle Cody, he is built like a workhorse (6-foot-6, 240 pounds), though his arm action is not as loose as Cody's, and his fastball has a tendency to flatten out more. He needs to do a better job staying on top of his pitches and getting downward plane, but his arm strength and four-pitch repertoire are tantalizing.

Ponce works comfortably at 90-94 and regularly touches 95-96. This summer he developed a promising cutter at 86-89 with sharp tilt when he throws it right. His 78-82 mph curveball projects as an average pitch as he learns to repeat it more consistently, and he is making progress with an 82-86 changeup against lefthanders, using it mostly as a strike pitch early in counts."