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2017 Futures Game Showcases Top Prospects

The 2017 All-Star break kicked off Sunday afternoon with the biggest showcase of young, up and coming talent you will see all year. The top American born prospects in baseball suited up to take the field against the best young ballplayers from the rest of the world. Spoiler alert: the teams were stacked. There were 27 of MLB’s top 100 prospects playing in the game this year, including top prospect Yoan Moncada.

Tampa Bay Rays number two overall prospect Brent Honeywell took the mound for the US squad and showed exactly why he is knocking on the door of the show. He worked two scoreless innings, allowing one hit, while striking out four batters with a repertoire unmatched by any 22 year old in the game. Honeywell had all five of his pitches working, including that devastating screwball he is so well known for.

The pitching wasn’t the only strong start to the game for the US as their bats managed to put up all seven of the team’s runs in the first four innings. Cincinnati Reds prospect Nick Senzel got things started in the bottom of the first when he singled home the Houston Astros Derek Fisher.
The scoring continued in the bottom of the second frame when Chance Sisco, the number one prospect in the Baltimore Orioles organization, tripled to drive in Brian Anderson. Sisco would then come in to score himself after a Brendan Rodgers sacrifice fly. Another run in the third and two more in the fourth were scored by the US off of three separate doubles.

After Honeywell’s solid two innings, Michael Kopech and Beau Burrows both tossed a scoreless inning a piece. The game was truly a tale of two halves as the US accounted for all of the scoring in the first four innings and the world team scored all of the runs from the fifth on, beginning with Josh Naylor’s RBI single that plated Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

Two more runs in the sixth and one in the seventh made for what would be a very eventful ninth inning. A.J. Puk of the Oakland A’s replaced Triston McKenzie on the mound with one out in the top of the ninth. Estevan Florial drew a walk before Guerrero Jr. popped out. With a three run lead and and two outs in the inning, it looked like the US team was going to cruise to another Futures Game victory. However, the World team would not go away quietly.

Yordan Alvarez singled to center and after US centerfielder Corey Ray committed an error, Florial came home to score all the way from first base. With Alvarez now standing on second, Tomas Nido drove him in on a single to right. The Americans decided it was time for a brief mound visit in an attempt to calm down their 6’7 left hander. The strategy appeared to have worked as two pitches later Puk had Mauricio Dubon ground out to end the game and the world team’s hopes of a comeback.

Top Performers
United States –
Derek Fisher (HOU): 1/2, 1 2B, 2 RBI
Chance Sisco (BAL): 1/3, 1 3B, 1 RBI
Brent Honeywell (TB): 2 IP, 0 R, 1 H, 4 SO, 0 BB
Beau Burrows (DET): 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 SO, 0 BB

World –
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. (TOR): 2/4, 2 R
Tomas Nido (NYM): 2/2, 2 RBI
Jaime Barria (LAA): 1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 2 SO, 1 BB

The All-star festivities continue tonight with the Home Run Derby set to take place at 8pm ET in Miami. The All-Star game is scheduled for Tuesday at 8pm ET.

Featured Image Courtesy of mlb.com

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