July 13th, 2024
Mark Bowman
@mlbbowmanThe 25th annual MLB All-Star Futures Game took place at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday with the National League earning a 6-1 victory over AL prospects. You can watch the replay of the game at the top of this article.
This year’s contest was followed by the inaugural Futures Skills Showcase, a three-round hitting challenge inspired by fan-favorite baseball video games, which airs on Sunday at 10 a.m. ET on MLBN, MLB.com and the MLB App.
More on the Futures Game
• Gameday
• Collier wins MVP
• Teodo makes history in start
• Top moments from the game
• How each team's prospect fared | Fun facts
• Futures Skills Showcase
• History | Complete coverage
Of the 53 players on the Futures Game and Future Skills Showcase rosters, 38 are on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, including eight of the top 18 prospects.
Here's a look at the game's top moments:
Collier's calling card? Power
Cam Collier (Reds No. 3 prospect) provided a glimpse of why so many folks are excited about his power potential. The 19-year-old third baseman drilled a 409 ft. homer off Angels No. 1 prospect Caden Dana to begin the top of the third inning. The solo shot came off his bat at 105.1 mph and would have been a homer in 29 of 30 MLB ballparks, while the bat itself is heading to Cooperstown after Collier donated it to the Hall of Fame. Collier, the 18th overall pick in the 2022 Draft, has hit 13 homers for High-A Dayton this year and received game MVP honors for his performance.
Collier is a product of MLB Develops’ extensive youth programming. He played in multiple events, including the 2017 Elite Development Invitational, 2018 and 2021 Breakthrough Series, 2019 Hank Aaron Invitational, 2020 Dream Series and 2021 Hank Aaron Invitational.
Teodo impresses hometown fans
Rangers No. 14 prospect Emiliano Teodo lived up to the hype of his explosive arsenal after drawing the honor of being the American League’s starter. Teodo needed just 14 pitches to complete two perfect innings. The 23-year-old hurler has posted a 1.71 ERA with 89 strikeouts in 68 1/3 innings through 14 starts for Double-A Frisco this year.
- ABS system gets audition at Futures Game, with broadcast tweak
First fetch
Dizzy, an English Cream Golden Retriever who serves as a ballpark dog for the Arkansas Travelers (Double-A affiliate of the Mariners), got things started by delivering the ceremonial first pitch -- well, kind of. After fetching the baseball, Dizzy didn’t run toward the plate; instead, he veered back toward the third-base dugout. The direction of this pitch conjured memories of when Nuke LaLoosh drilled the bull in Bull Durham.
Representing ... without the Cheese
Before the game, Drake Baldwin proudly showed off a bright yellow bat that recognized the cheese heritage that exists in his native Wisconsin. But the fast-rising Braves catcher wasn’t using that “cheese stick” when he hit a 411 ft. opposite-field homer off Fernando Perez in the sixth inning. The solo shot came off his bat at 107.3 mph and marked the hardest-hit ball during the contest. Baldwin, the Braves' No. 11 prospect, has hit six homers in the 94 at-bats he has tallied since being promoted to Triple-A Gwinnett in June.
One year later
Noble Meyer was taken by the Marlins with the 10th overall selection in the 2023 MLB Draft during last year’s All-Star festivities. He made his mark during this year's event by tossing a scoreless second inning for the National League. The Marlins' top-ranked prospect (MLB No. 40) recorded a pair of strikeouts of fellow Top 100 overall prospects and pitched around a walk.
Throwing heat
Brandon Sproat (Mets' No. 6 prospect) produced the game’s two hardest-thrown pitches -- a pair of 99.2 mph fastballs -- during a scoreless third. The 23-year-old right-hander was a two-time Draft selection by the Mets out of the University of Florida, first in the third round in 2022 (after which he returned to school) and then the second round of the 2023 MLB Draft. A recent addition to MLB Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects list, Sproat has posted a 1.71 ERA while combining to make 14 appearances (13 starts) for High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghamton this year. He has a 29.2 percent strikeout rate over the eight starts he has made since being promoted to Binghamton.
Teel's extra-base pop is for real
Kyle Teel showed why he could be one of the game’s top offensive catchers at some point within the next few years. One year after being taken by Boston with the 14th overall pick, the former Virginia Cavalier standout tallied a pair of doubles, making him the only player in the game to deliver a mutilhit performance.
The left-handed-hitting backstop doubled off a slider from MLB's No. 20 prospect Rhett Lowder (Reds) in the fifth and a 98.4 mph heater from MLB's No. 51 prospect Bubba Chandler (Pirates) in the seventh. Teel ranks as MLB’s No. 24 prospect (Red Sox's No. 3) and has hit .298 with eight homers and an .839 OPS for Double-A Portland this year.
