Sunday night, the 2016 All-Star week festivities will begin with the Futures Game, MLB's annual showcase of the game's very best prospects. Team USA and the World Team, each with 25 of the best prospects in baseball, will play in San Diego's Petco Park.
Here is how you can watch this year's Futures Game:
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Television: MLB Network (broadcasters: Matt Vasgersian, Jonathan Mayo, Heidi Watney)
- Stream: MLB.com
You can see the full Futures Game rosters right here. Four players from the initial rosters had to be replaced due to injury, promotion, or suspension. The two teams will play a full nine-inning game, but they won't play extra innings if it is tied.
Here are four things to know about this year's Futures Game.
1. The timing isn't great
I've never understood why the Futures Game is played on Sunday, when it competes against regular MLB games. The Giants and Diamondbacks are playing the ESPN Sunday Night Game at 8 p.m. ET, for example. Casual fans are going to watch that game instead, not a bunch of kids they've never heard of.
I think it would be best to play the Futures Game during the day on Monday, before the Home Run Derby. That complicates things slightly because the league holds their All-Star Media Day that day, but it's not unworkable. Either way, the Futures Game is always left competing with actual MLB games for an audience. That's a shame.
2. The rosters are loaded with top prospects
As you'd expect, both Team USA and the World Team feature some of the best prospective big leaguers in baseball. These are future household names and superstars. Brad Penny, Michael Cuddyer, Aramis Ramirez, Lance Berkman, Vernon Wells, Rafael Furcal, Mark Mulder, and Rafael Furcal played in the first Futures Game in 1999.
Earlier this week the folks at Baseball America released their updated top 100 prospects list. Twenty-seven of the 100 will appear in the Futures Game. Here's the list:
2B Yoan Moncada, Red Sox (No. 1 according to Baseball America)
RHP Alex Reyes, Cardinals (No. 2)
SS Dansby Swanson, Braves (No. 7)
IF Alex Bregman, Astros (No. 8)
OF Andrew Benintendi, Red Sox (No. 9)
OF David Dahl, Rockies (No. 16)
SS Amed Rosario, Mets (No. 18)
OF Clint Frazier, Indians (No. 21)
LHP Josh Hader, Brewers (No. 22)
SS Willy Adames, Rays (No. 23)
LHP Amir Garrett, Reds (No. 31)
RHP Joe Musgrove, Astros (No. 32)
C Gary Sanchez, Yankees (No. 36)
OF Manuel Margot, Padres (No. 39)
OF Tyler O'Neill, Mariners (No. 45)
OF Eloy Jimenez, Cubs (No. 46)
RHP Reynaldo Lopez, Nationals (No. 48)
RHP Jeff Hoffman, Rockies (No. 49)
RHP Phil Bickford, Giants (No. 50)
OF Hunter Renfroe, Padres (No. 66)
C Francisco Mejia, Indians (No. 70)
RHP Carson Fulmer, White Sox (No. 73)
OF Raimel Tapia, Rockies (No. 79)
C Chance Sisco, Orioles (No. 85)
LHP Adalberto Mejia, Giants (No. 91)
2B Willie Calhoun, Dodgers (No. 98)
1B Josh Naylor, Marlins (No. 100)
It's worth noting teams do have some control over the Futures Game rosters, and could hold players out for a number of reasons. The Pirates, for example, held righty Tyler Glasnow out of the Futures Game because they were considering calling him up to the big-league team. Sure enough, he made his MLB debut Thursday.
3. Some will make the majors later this season
Just because these players are prospects doesn't mean they are years away from the show. A dozen players played in the Futures Game last year, then made their big league debuts in the second half, including Kyle Schwarber, Michael Conforto, Ketel Marte, and Trea Turner. No 2015 Futures Game players are 2016 MLB All-Stars -- that's not common, because usually one or two players are All-Stars the very next season -- but we're going to see a bunch of these guys down the stretch, and as we saw with Schwarber and Conforto, they have the potential to impact a pennant race.
4. Some of these players will be traded too
No one likes to think about their favorite team trading their favorite prospects, but it happens all the time. That's baseball. Three players from last year's Futures Game were traded only a few weeks later at the deadline:
- RHP Zach Davies -- Traded from Orioles to Brewers for Gerardo Parra.
- OF Nick Williams -- Traded from Rangers to Phillies in Cole Hamels deal.
- RHP Jairo Labourt -- Traded from Blue Jays to Tigers in David Price deal.
Other 2015 Futures Gamers were traded in the offseason, including Sean Newcomb (for Andrelton Simmons), Frankie Montas (for Todd Frazier), and Manuel Margot (for Craig Kimbrel).
Which 2016 Futures Game players are most likely to be traded at the deadline this year? That's tough to say, but I could see the Giants parting with Phil Bickford or Adalberto Mejia for outfield and/or bullpen help. You can never rule out the Red Sox making a blockbuster trade too, especially given the state of their rotation, which means Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi could be in play as well.