Want to know who the next great players in Major League Baseball will be? Then you better watch the 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
Need proof? Eight of the top 10 active captains in the war, and 14 of the top 20, all played in the Futures Game before becoming major league stars.
Be sure to study this year’s game lists, which were released on Monday, carefully. Then it’s on to the 24th edition of The Showcase Showcasing the Game’s Greatest Odds on Saturday, July 8 at 7 PM EST (4 PM PT) at T-Mobile Park in Seattle.
The seven-inning contest will be played in the National League vs. American League format and will air exclusively on Peacock and SiriusXM. MLB Network will co-produce the telecast with Dave Sims (game-by-game), Yonder Alonso (analyst), Jonathan Mayo (analyst), Sierra Santos (reporter) and Caroline Pineda (reporter) on the call.
This year’s group of 50 future players includes 28 prospects in the newly updated MLB Pipeline Top 100 Players list. He starts with No. 1 prospect, and No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, Jackson Holiday of the Orioles, and includes five other members of baseball’s top 10 prospect: Brewers outfielder Jackson Chorio (No. 3), Red Sox shortstop Marcelo Meyer (No. 5), Nationals outfielder James Wood (No. 6), D-backs shortstop Jordan Lawler (No. 7) and Cubs outfielder Pete Crowe-Armstrong (No. 10).
There are five Top 100 pitchers heading to Seattle in all, including four pitchers for the NL: Giants left-hander Kyle Harrison (No. 14), Phillies right-hander Mick Appel (No. 46), Cardinals right-handed Tink Hence (No. 66) and Brewers righty Jacob Misiorowski (No. 93). Rangers right Owen White (No. 48) is a top 100 prospect in the AL starting lineup this year.
Both squads will be filled with the top 50 talents who cross the top 10. Featuring Premier League players Jackson Merrill (No. 12), Reds player Noelvi Marty (No. 19) and Pirates catcher/Andy Rodriguez (No. 39). Meanwhile, the AL will also have Rays player Jr. Caminero (No. 17), Mariners catcher Harry Ford (No. 29), catcher A/first baseman Tyler Soderstrom (No. 37), Orioles player Heston Kjerstad (No. 40), Ray All Barsman Kyle Manzardo (#42) and Tigers player Colt Keith (#43). In total, the NL has 16 Top 100 prospects, compared to 12 for the AL.
The teams feature 14 former first-round draft picks (eight in the AL, six in the NL), two competitive B-round draft picks, 10 second-round draft picks, two third-round draft picks, four fifth-round draft picks, and two sixth-round draft picks. two draft picks, one seventh-round pick, two eighth-round picks, one thirteenth-round pick, one fifteenth-round pick, one sixteenth-round pick.
In addition to Holliday, the lists include three other top 10 draft picks in Kjerstad (No. 2, 2020), Mayer (No. 4, 2021) and Lawlar (No. 6, 2021). The 2020 draft is represented by five first rounds (Crow-Armstrong, Abel, Nick Yorke, Soderstrom, and Kjerstad), while the 2021 draft also has five (Ford, Nationals No. 2 Brady House, Merrill, Mayer, and Lawlar). Holiday has teammates in 2022 Justin Crawford of the Phillies, Spencer Jones of the Yankees and Drew Gilbert of the Astros.
A pair of former Seattle Mariners favorites will be featured as managers as a two-time All-Star and current MLB network analyst Harold Reynolds will head the AL Futures team, while MLB Senior Vice President of Field Operations Raul Ibañez will manage the NL Futures team.
Those who have served as coaches at the Futures Game include former Major League legends All-Stars and Mariners Adrian Belter, Jay Buehner, Mike Cameron, Alvin Davis, Felix Hernandez, Jimmy Moyer, Dan Wilson and Randy Wein.
Seven players who participated in MLB and USA Baseball-led developmental programs have been named to Futures rosters, including Lawrence Butler (Breakthrough Series, Hank Aaron Invitational), Crawford (Breakthrough Series, DREAM Series, Hank Aaron Invitational), Ford (DREAM Series), Hence (Breakout Series, Dream Series), JB Massey (Breakout Series, Dream Series), Nasim Nunez (Breakthrough Series, Hank Aaron Invitational), and Keren Paris (Breakout Series, Hank Aaron Invitational).
The two teams combine 11 internationally born players representing five countries and territories outside of the United States. The Dominican Republic is represented by four players, followed by three players from Cuba, two from Venezuela, one from the Bahamas and one from the Netherlands.
SiriusXM, the official satellite radio partner of Major League Baseball, will provide live play coverage of the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on MLB Network Radio. SiriusXM subscribers can hear the game on SiriusXM Radios (channel 89), on the SXM app, and online at SiriusXM.com/mlb.
Gates open at 2 p.m. PT on Saturday All-Stars. Tickets for the All-Star Saturday July 8, as well as the HBCU Swingman Classic presented by T-Mobile on July 7, can be purchased at AllStarGame.com. Capital One PLAY BALL PARK tickets are also on sale now. All-Star Saturday tickets will include access to both the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the Corona All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.
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