Enough about late December. The most wonderful time of the year is coming Sunday, if you’re a devoted baseball prospect fan that is.
The 2021 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game will be Sunday at Coors Field in Denver. (It happens to be the same day that the first round of the MLB Draft will be held in the same city.) It’s an opportunity to see many of the game’s top prospects all on the same field, and that should feel like even more of a joy after the pandemic robbed us of both the 2020 Minor League season and last year’s edition of the Futures Game that was meant to be held in Los Angeles.
To prepare for Sunday’s big event, here are some answers to frequently asked questions about the year’s biggest prospect showcase:
How to watch
The game will be held Sunday at 3 p.m. ET (1 p.m. local time) at Coors Field. Fans can tune into the game on MLB Network or via a live stream on MLB.com. Scott Braun will have the call alongside analysts Yonder Alonso and Jonathan Mayo while Heidi Watney will work the game as a reporter. A radio broadcast will also be available via SiriusXM for subscribers.
Rules
The Futures Game moved to an American League-National League format in 2019. It had previously split up the two teams between U.S. and World rosters. It is also scheduled to go seven innings under the new system, though the 2019 edition went eight in an eventual 2-2 tie.
Top prospects to watch
It’s called a prospect showcase for a reason. As of this writing, 31 of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects are on Futures Game rosters with a near-even split between the sides — 15 in the AL, 16 in the NL. That’s out of the 50 total participants on both squads.
That includes the two most recent No. 1 overall Draft picks in catcher Adley Rutschman (Orioles) and corner infielder Spencer Torkelson (Tigers), ranked the Nos. 2 and 3 overall prospects in baseball right now behind only Major Leaguer Wander Franco. Mariners outfielders Jarred Kelenic (No. 4) and Julio Rodríguez (No. 5) round out the Top 5 representation, and it’s notable that all four in that group will suit up for the American League.
Don’t forget about 18-year-old Yankees phenom Jasson Dominguez, either. When the switch-hitting outfielder suits up for the AL, he’ll become the first player without full-season experience in the history of the Futures Game.
That said, the NL will boast the top four pitching prospects in this year’s Futures Game in No. 20 Max Meyer (Marlins), No. 27 Matthew Liberatore (Cardinals), No. 37 Quinn Priester (Pirates) and No. 43 Nick Lodolo (Reds).
Here are the 10 best prospects headed to Denver this weekend, their current teams in the Minor Leagues and when they are expected to reach The Show:
No. 2 Adley Rutschman, C, ETA: 2021 (Double-A Bowie, Orioles)
No. 3 Spencer Torkelson, 3B/1B, ETA: 2022 (Double-A Erie, Tigers)
No. 4 Jarred Kelenic, OF, ETA: 2021 (Triple-A Tacoma, Mariners)
No. 5 Julio Rodríguez, OF, ETA: 2022 (Double-A Arkansas, Mariners)
No. 7 Bobby Witt Jr., SS, ETA: 2022 (Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Royals)
No. 12 Marco Luciano, SS, ETA: 2023 (Low-A San Jose, Giants)
No. 15 Riley Greene, OF, ETA: 2022 (Double-A Erie, Tigers)
No. 16 Austin Martin, OF/SS, ETA: 2022 (Double-A New Hampshire, Blue Jays)
No. 20 Max Meyer, RHP, ETA: 2022 (Double-A Pensacola, Marlins)
No. 24 Jasson Dominguez, OF, ETA: 2024 (Rookie-level FCL Yankees, Yankees)
Scouting reports on all Futures Game participants can be found here.
Managers and coaches
The two coaching staffs will have some obvious Rockies flavor at the top for this year’s event in Denver. Vinny Castilla, who ranks third in franchise history with 239 homers, will manage this year’s NL roster while LaTroy Hawkins, who appeared in 143 games for Colorado over three seasons, shall serve as AL skipper. Also of note, Yankees Minor League hitting coach Rachel Balkovec will serve the same role for the AL, making her the first woman to coach in Futures Game history. Five-time All-Star Andruw Jones will be the NL hitting coach.
Top Futures Game alumni
Need more proof that the future of the Majors will be on display Sunday? Here are some of the best current Major Leaguers who have appeared on Futures Game rosters in the past.
Miguel Cabrera, 2001 and ’02
Zack Greinke, 2003
Justin Verlander, 2005
Joey Votto, 2006 and ’07
Clayton Kershaw, 2007
Bryce Harper, 2010
Mike Trout, 2010 and ’11
Zack Wheeler, 2010 and ‘12
Jose Altuve, 2011
Paul Goldschmidt, 2011
Madison Bumgarner, 2011
Nolan Arenado, 2011 and ’12
Manny Machado, 2011 and ’12
Xander Bogaerts, 2012 and ‘13
Gerrit Cole, 2012
Francisco Lindor, 2012, ’13 and ‘14
Mookie Betts, 2014
Carlos Correa, 2014
Kris Bryant, 2014
Joey Gallo, 2014
Rafael Devers, 2015 and ‘17
Lucas Giolito, 2015
Aaron Judge, 2015
Alex Bregman, 2016
Ronald Acuña Jr., 2017
Bo Bichette, 2017 and ‘18
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2017
Pete Alonso, 2018
Fernando Tatis Jr., 2018
Wander Franco, 2019
Which Futures Gamers are on the cusp of the Majors
The “Future” part of the equation could always be in the short term. In fact, Vidal Bruján and Jake Burger have both reached the Majors after being initially named to the American League roster. Of those remaining, Jarred Kelenic (Mariners), Jose Barrero (Reds) and Luis Campusano (Padres) have already seen the Majors themselves and could be headed back to The Show at any time in the second half. Here are some others who could be Major League options soon in 2021:
RHP Shane Baz, No. 5 Rays
RHP Marcos Diplan, Orioles (unranked)
SS/2B Jeter Downs, No. 2 Red Sox
3B/2B Nolan Gorman, No. 2 Cardinals
LHP Matthew Liberatore, No. 1 Cardinals
RHP Manuel Rodriguez, Cubs (unranked)
C Adley Rutschman, No. 1 Orioles
LHP Ethan Small, No. 4 Brewers
OF Drew Waters, No. 2 Braves
SS Bobby Witt Jr., No. 1 Royals
Who is missing out
Unfortunately (or fortunately as the case may be), five of the prospects originally named to Futures Game rosters will miss out on the exhibition itself as of Thursday. CJ Abrams (Padres), Emerson Hancock (Mariners) and Roansy Contreras (Pirates) were removed due to injuries. Burger was taken off because of his Major League status. Bruján will also miss out while he spends time in The Show.