Cease, Basabe to Play in All-Star Futures Game

Barons duo named to annual showcase at Nationals Park on July 15

July 11, 2018

Birmingham Barons outfielder Luis Alexander Basabe and right-handed pitcher Dylan Cease have been selected to participate in the 2018 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, set to take place on July 15 at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C. The contest will occur ahead of the 2018 MLB All-Star Game on July 17. Cease will represent Team USA and Basabe will play for the World Team.
Currently ranked the No. 4 prospect in the White Sox system and the No. 40 prospect in all of baseball by MLB.com, Cease has been in fine form in 2018. Throwing a fastball in the high 90s, he was named a Carolina League All-Star after leading the league with 82 strikeouts over the first half of the season while posting a 9-2 record and a 2.89 ERA (23 ER in 71.2 IP) over 13 starts.
Acquired as part of the trade with the Cubs for pitcher Jose Quintana last season, Cease was promoted to Birmingham on June 21. In three starts for the Barons, Cease has racked up 23 strikeouts in 16.2 innings in his first action at the Double-A level.
Basabe is currently ranked as the No. 13 prospect in the White Sox system according to MLB.com. The 21-year-old Venezuelan began the season with Advanced-A Winston-Salem and was named a Carolina League All-Star after hitting .266 (55-for-207) with nine home runs, 30 RBI, 12 doubles, five triples, and seven stolen bases over 58 first half games for the Dash. He was also named White Sox co-Minor League Player of the Month for April after hitting .313.
Acquired from Boston as part of the Chris Sale trade in December 2016, Basabe was also promoted to Birmingham on June 21. Since then, the outfielder has batted .213 (16-for-75) with two triples and four stolen bases over his first 19 Double-A games.
Cease and Basabe are the latest in a long line of Barons to participate in the Futures Game. Over the last two seasons, pitchers Michael Kopech and Carson Fulmer have represented the Barons for Team USA. Additionally, Frankie Montas played for the World Team in 2015. Back in 2009, catcher Tyler Flowers and infielder Dayan Viciedo opposed each other at the showcase in St. Louis.
On the coaching side, five Barons managers have been selected to coach in the All-Star Futures Game. Julio Vinas was the most recent to accomplish the feat in 2013, joining Bobby Magallanes (2011), Ever Magallanes (2009), Razor Shines (2005), and Nick Capra (2000).
The SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game is set to take place at the home of the Washington Nationals as part of Major League Baseball's All-Star weekend. The exciting showdown will take place at 3 p.m. CST on July 15. The game will be nationally televised on MLB Network.