Four reasons to pay attention to the MLB Futures Game
With all the hype and hoopla surrounding baseball’s annual All-Star Game it can be easy to forget about some of the other big events attached to the Midsummer Classic. The home run derby can be a lot of fun and gets top billing on the Monday, and the annual game between the National League All-Stars and the Kansas City Roya… er, American League All-Stars is the main event on Tuesday.
One event that is worthy of more attention however is the annual MLB Futures Game. Now in its 17th year, the showcase of young talent brings some of baseball’s top prospects to the All-Star festivities for a game between a roster of American players and a team of international players.
The 25-man rosters for each team were unveiled on Thursday, so here then are four reasons you should watch the game on Sunday, July 12.
23 players from MLB’s Top 100 prospects
Of the 50 players appearing in the game, 23 of them were on MLB’s annual list of Top 100 prospects. That includes the No. 4 overall prospect Lucas Giolito, a pitcher in the Nationals’ organization, and former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel. Appel was taken No. 1 by the Astros in 2013.
Familiar names
Being a No. 1 pick, Appel is perhaps familiar to some casual fans but he’s not the only familiar name. Josh Bell, a Pirates prospect, and J.P. Crawford, a Phillies shortstop, are both playing in the game for the second year in a row and are fast-rising prospects. There are also two players who might be familiar on name recognition alone – Orlando Arcia is the brother of Twins outfielder Oswaldo Arcia, and Raul Adalberto Mondesi is the 19-year-old son of former slugger Raul Mondesi.
Kyle Schwarber
Given what he did in a brief introduction to the major leagues, Cubs catching prospect Kyle Schwarber may be worth the price of admission alone. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2014 draft spent six games with the Cubs earlier in June and went 8-for-22 with a home run, a triple, and six RBIs.
See players of the immediate future
The Futures Games recently truly has been a showcase of players on the cusp of stardom in the big leagues. Last year’s game featured the likes of Kris Bryant, Joey Gallo, Noah Syndergaard, and Francisco Lindor – all of who are now regulars in the majors. The 2015 season has been dubbed the Year of the Prospect, so a player in the Futures Game could be the next one to get the call.
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Ian Denomme is an editor and writer for Yahoo Sports. Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter.
