Crews, Mayer headline All-Star Futures Game
The All-Star Futures Game annually puts more of baseball's top prospects on one field than any other event, and this year's edition is no exception. The 25th annual showcase -- along with the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase -- will feature 39 members of MLB Pipeline's recently updated Top 100 Prospects
The All-Star Futures Game annually puts more of baseball's top prospects on one field than any other event, and this year's edition is no exception. The 25th annual showcase -- along with the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase -- will feature 39 members of MLB Pipeline's recently updated Top 100 Prospects list, including nine of the 20 best.
Teams representing the American and National Leagues will face off in seven-inning game July 13 at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Mayer (No. 7 on the Top 100), Tigers outfielder Max Clark (No. 10), Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo (No. 12), Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (No. 13), White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery (No. 16) and White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz (No. 18) highlight the AL squad. Nationals outfielders James Wood (No. 2) and Dylan Crews (No. 4) and Padres catcher Ethan Salas (No. 6) headline the NL roster, though Wood was promoted to Washington on Monday and will be replaced.
Forty-eight of the 54 players also participated in MLB's inaugural Spring Breakout event in March. Twenty-four of them are former first-round picks, including a pair of former No. 2 overall selections in Diamondbacks outfielder Druw Jones (2022) and Crews (2023). Eight different nations and territories are represented: the United States (41 Futures Gamers), Dominican Republic (six), Venezuela (two) and one each from the Bahamas, Canada, Cuba, Nicaragua and Taiwan.
MLB Network will broadcast the game at 4 p.m. ET. A pair of former Rangers stars will manage the teams, with seven-time All-Star and 2005 AL batting champion Mike Young helming the American Leaguers and Hall of Famer and four-time All-Star Adrian Beltré guiding the National Leaguers.
For the first time, MLB will stage a Futures Skills Showcase following the contest. Lee, Red Sox outfielder Roman Anthony (No. 14), Rangers shortstop Sebastian Walcott (No. 73) and Rays first baseman Tre' Morgan (unranked on the Top 100) will represent the AL. Nationals third baseman Brady House (No. 45), Cubs catcher Moises Ballesteros (No. 61), Pirates second baseman Termarr Johnson (No. 77) and Reds third baseman Cam Collier (No. 85) will participate from the NL side.
The eight players will compete in three rounds of a hitting contest, scoring points by hitting targets in the first round (including bunts), displaying their ability to hit to all fields in the second and by driving balls over the fence in the third. Anthony, Morgan, House and Ballesteros will participate in the Futures Skills Showcase but not the Futures Game.
Then-Marlins shortstop Nasim Nuñez, now with the Nationals, won MVP honors at the 2023 Futures Game in Seattle, driving in three runs in a 5-0 NL victory. Of the more than 1,100 players who were selected to the first 24 Futures Games, 88 percent have played in the big leagues and 21 percent were named to an All-Star Game.
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Below are the Futures Game selections for each organization (MLB Pipeline organization/Top 100 ranks in parentheses):
Angels: Caden Dana, RHP, Angels (No. 1/MLB No. 91)
Astros: A.J. Blubaugh, RHP (No. 7)
Athletics: Luis Morales, RHP (No. 2)
Blue Jays: Fernando Perez, RHP (No. 23)
Braves: Drake Baldwin, C (No. 11)
Brewers: Cooper Pratt, SS (No. 4/MLB No. 96)
Cardinals: Tink Hence, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 43); Quinn Mathews, LHP (No. 2/MLB No. 100)
Cubs: Matt Shaw, 3B (No. 2/MLB No. 30); Owen Caissie, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 35); ^Moises Ballesteros, C (No. 5/MLB No. 61)
Diamondbacks: Druw Jones, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 80); Deyvison de los Santos, 1B (No. 14)
Dodgers: Thayron Liranzo, C (No. 8); Jeral Perez, 2B (No. 17)
Giants: Bryce Eldridge, 1B (No. 2/MLB No. 71)
Guardians: Jaison Chourio, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 86); Ralphy Velazquez, 1B (No. 4/MLB No. 88)
Mariners: Cole Young, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 23); Harry Ford, C (No. 2/MLB No. 24)
Marlins: Noble Meyer, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 41); Thomas White (No. 2/MLB No. 58)
Mets: Brandon Sproat, RHP (No. 6/MLB No. 98)
Nationals: James Wood, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 2); Dylan Crews, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 4); ^Brady House, 3B (No. 3/MLB No. 45)
Orioles: Samuel Basallo, C (No. 2/MLB No. 12)
Padres: Ethan Salas, C (No. 1/MLB No. 6); Robby Snelling, LHP (No. 2/MLB No. 47)
Phillies: Aidan Miller, SS (No. 2/MLB No. 28); Justin Crawford, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 56)
Pirates: Bubba Chandler, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 52); Termarr Johnson, 2B (No. 2/MLB No. 77)
Rangers: ^Sebastian Walcott, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 73); Emiliano Teodo, RHP (No. 14); Winston Santos, RHP (No. 15)
Rays: Xavier Isaac, 1B (No. 3/MLB No. 32); Chandler Simpson, OF (No. 10); ^Tre' Morgan, 1B (No. 13)
Red Sox: Marcelo Mayer, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 7); ^^Roman Anthony, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 14); Kyle Teel, C (No. 3/MLB No. 25)
Reds: Rhett Lowder, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 21); ^Cam Collier, 3B (No. 3/MLB No. 85)
Rockies: Chase Dollander, RHP (No. 1/MLB No. 37)
Royals: Ben Kudrna, RHP (No. 3); Gavin Cross, OF (No. 7)
Tigers: Max Clark, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 10); Hao-Yu Lee, 2B (No. 13)
Twins: ^Brooks Lee, SS (No. 2/MLB No. 13)
White Sox: Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 16); Noah Schultz, LHP (No. 2/MLB No. 18)
Yankees: Spencer Jones, OF (No. 2/MLB No. 75); Brock Selvidge, LHP (No. 10)
^^Futures Game and Futures Skills Showcase participant
^Future Skills Showcase participant only