We won't have to wait until after the All-Star break to see some of the elite prospects in baseball -- unfortunately, it will be a one-game glimpse into the future.
It doesn't quite carry the weight of the All-Star Game, but the Futures Game is one of baseball's best showcases every summer. Those of us in keeper leagues care and enjoy getting a first national TV look at the top prospects who were merely names on the Baseball America rankings or CBSSports.com Fantasy Baseball Roster Trends for minor leaguers.
Fantasy Baseball - Prospects Report: Taking a glimpse at the Futures : FantasyNews.CBSSports.com
The official Futures Game rosters were announced this week and are listed below. Teams were limited to two participants and, because it is the U.S. against the World, it won't be all of the top prospects in the minor leagues (so only two O's pitching prospects make it). Just seven of the players have reached the highest level or the minors and there are no players with major league experience. So, we won't see the most-owned minor leaguers like Clay Buchholz, Matt LaPorta and Brandon Wood.
Hopefully those guys are back in the big leagues before this game is played. There is also a slim chance some of these Futures Gamers will be called up before then -- like Justin Verlander a few years ago -- and have to be replaced on the roster.
Here are our top five must-see prospects in this event, assuming they are not called up before then:
The only things we know about Bumgarner is what we read on his profile. Teenager. Left-handed. And lights out.
His 15 percent ownership ties him as the most-owned CBSSports.com player in the Futures Game.
Bumgarner is the best prospect in the minors, though, and someone we hope will get a lot of play on the broadcast. At 19, he is dominating Double-A, going 4-1 with a 2.13 ERA and a .223 batting-average against. He is a combined (7-2)-1.88-.221 ... as a teenager!
We have seen him rise in the Padres' system and prospect rankings real quickly this spring, but his ownership in CBSSports.com's Fantasy leagues has been slow to respond. He is only owned in 4 percent of our leagues, but his numbers suggest that should change.
Latos, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound future front-line ace, has handled a promotion to Double-A, going 4-1 with a 2.18 and a .217 BAA. He is a combined 7-1 with a 1.39 ERA and a .177 BAA through 58 1/3 innings between Class A and Double-A. He has 64 strikeouts to 12 walks.
The Padres are not in contention this year, but their injury-hit rotation could use some reinforcements and they very well might take a look at this 22-year-old in the second half.
He was a De facto No. 6 in the June 1 "High Five", but an untimely leg injury kept him from being the imminent call-up by the Orioles. The expected Koji Uehara demotion or DL assignment figures to give us a look at David Hernandez on Sunday, but Tillman very well might be the Orioles best starting pitcher today and the proverbial tomorrow.
Tillman is the No. 1 most-owned minor leaguer to be selected to the game, for very good reason. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in a game this season, posting a 5-4 record with a 2.59 ERA and a .235 BAA.
As Erik Bedard tries to prove healthy in the next couple of weeks before the All-Star Game, the Mariners will be hoping they could draw talent in a trade that could come close to Tillman.
Most people recognize this name because he was a often-rumored piece of the Cubs packages for Jake Peavy. The Cubs have to be happy they never made that deal, and not only because Peavy is injured.
Vitters, drafted as a high school talent out of Southern California, got off to a slow start as a professional, but he has popped this year and looks like a future Fantasy slugger, perhaps even an elite top five Fantasy third baseman-type. He could be Evan Longoria/Ryan J. Braun/David Wright good. The 19-year-old will need a few years, though.
In low Class A, Vitters has hit .308 with 13 homers, a .520 SLUG and a .346 OBP. He could use a little more patience as his 37-7 strikeout-to-walk ratio suggests, but how many teenage sluggers are patient?
We have to stay patient, too. It is going to be a long few years waiting for him to arrive.
We had to have at least one World Team player to watch here. It is Feliz, although the Rangers' recent announcement that he will transition to relief is discouraging in keeper leagues. It is great news that he will arrive in the second half, but it is disappointing it will be as a middle reliever to help in this pennant race the Rangers find themselves in.
Feliz is the fourth-most owned CBSSports.com Fantasy player selected to play. The 21-year-old, a key piece in the Mark Teixeira trade with the Braves a few years ago, has a lightning arm that could use a bit more command.
Feliz has held his own in Triple-A, going 3-5 with a 3.86 ERA and a .258 BAA in 60 2/3 innings. He has struck out 55 and allowed just one homer, but has walked 27. His high pitch counts might be the reason the Rangers decided he can help more this season in a Joba Chamberlain-like role. At 6-feet-3, 190 pounds, he is a rail thin Joba.
The U.S. Team traditionally has the most prominent prospects because BA tends to know the most about the American players, having scouted them through high school and the First Year Player Draft. The World Team is also younger and less experienced.
It is like this most years and the World Team tends to impress and perform, perhaps because of the World players' experience in big-time competition in winter ball. Only two of the top 10 most-owned minor leaguers on CBSSports.com will play for the World side.
Prospect watch
Every week, we break down all the minor leaguers who are owned in at least 1 percent of our Fantasy leagues. This will be your essential guide to unearthing the elite prospects before they hit the big time.
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