Lights, camera, prospect action!
The 2022 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game is headed to Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium this Saturday when fifty of the game’s top Minor Leaguers will all take the field together in baseball’s best prospect showcase.
Before the festivities begin, here are some answers to frequently asked questions concerning this year’s Futures Game:
How to watch
First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET (4 p.m. local time) on Saturday. The game will be streamed on Peacock with Scott Braun (play-by-play), Yonder Alonso, MLB Pipeline’s own Jim Callis (analyst) and A.J. Andrews (reporter) at the mics. A replay will also be aired Sunday at 9 a.m. ET on MLB Network. SiriusXM will carry the radio broadcast live for all subscribers.
Rules
Prospects will be split into American League and National League sides. The game first switched from a US vs. World format in 2019, and the NL has yet to lose since, going 1-0-1, including a 2-2 tie in 2019. The exhibition will be seven innings, so prepare for premium stuff from pitchers trying to show off in brief appearances.
Top prospects to watch
As of the last roster update Thursday, twenty-seven of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects are headed to La La Land this weekend. The NL has the advantage in that tally with 17 Top 100 representatives, compared to 10 on the AL side.
Five of our top eight overall talents are present on the Futures Game roster, and the only three missing are either injured or have Major League experience.
All five members of the National League outfield (Corbin Carroll, Jackson Chourio, Pete Crow-Armstrong, Robert Hassell III, Joey Wiemer) and each of its three catchers (Francisco Álvarez, Diego Cartaya, Logan O‘Hoppe) are featured on the Top 100, making those the most loaded position groups this year.
The AL is at its deepest when it comes to pitching. Taj Bradley, Jack Leiter, Ricky Tiedemann and Ken Waldichuk give the junior circuit four Top 100 arms.
Here are the 10 best overall prospects expected to take the field at Dodger Stadium, along with info on their current Minor League club and expected arrivals in the bigs:
No. 2 Francisco Álvarez, C, ETA: 2023 (Triple-A Syracuse, Mets)
No. 3 Corbin Carroll, OF, ETA: 2023 (Triple-A Reno, D-backs)
No. 5 Gunnar Henderson, SS/3B, ETA: 2023 (Triple-A Norfolk, Orioles)
No. 7 Jordan Walker, 3B, ETA: 2023 (Double-A Springfield, Cardinals)
No. 8 Anthony Volpe, SS, ETA: 2023 (Double-A Somerset, Yankees)
No. 12 Jordan Lawlar, SS, ETA: 2024 (Single-A Visalia, D-backs)
No. 13 Diego Cartaya, C, ETA: 2023 (High-A Great Lakes, Dodgers)
No. 15 Eury Pérez, RHP, ETA: 2023 (Double-A Pensacola, Marlins)
No. 16 Jack Leiter, RHP, ETA: 2023 (Double-A Frisco, Rangers)
No. 22 Zac Veen, OF, ETA: 2023 (High-A Spokane, Rockies)
Managers and coaches
Mike Scioscia will man the dugout for the National League. He may be best known for having been skipper for 19 years with the Angels, whom he led to a World Series title in 2002, but he spent all 13 of his seasons as a Major League catcher in Dodger blue. Kenny Landreaux (bench), Dan Haren (pitching), Shawn Green (hitting), Eric Davis (first base), Matt Tuiasosopo (third base) and Cesar Ramos make up the rest of the NL coaching staff.
The American League will be led by three-time All-Star and 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, who returns to Los Angeles after spending the 2015 season with the Dodgers. Rollins will have help from Jerry Manuel (bench), Edwin Jackson (pitching), Adrián Beltré (hitting), Garry Matthews Jr. (first base), Ryan Newman (third base) and Dan Otero (bullpen) as the remaining AL coaches.
Top Futures Game alumni
The Futures Game can sometimes look even more loaded in retrospect. These are some of the stars that once took the field as Futures Gamers:
Miguel Cabrera, 2001 and ’02
Zack Greinke, 2003
Justin Verlander, 2005
Joey Votto, 2006 and ’07
Clayton Kershaw, 2007
Bryce Harper, 2010
Mike Trout, 2010 and ’11
Zack Wheeler, 2010 and ‘12
Jose Altuve, 2011
Paul Goldschmidt, 2011
Madison Bumgarner, 2011
Nolan Arenado, 2011 and ’12
Manny Machado, 2011 and ’12
Xander Bogaerts, 2012 and ‘13
Gerrit Cole, 2012
Francisco Lindor, 2012, ’13 and ‘14
Mookie Betts, 2014
Carlos Correa, 2014
Kris Bryant, 2014
Rafael Devers, 2015 and ‘17
Lucas Giolito, 2015
Aaron Judge, 2015
Alex Bregman, 2016
Ronald Acuña Jr., 2017
Bo Bichette, 2017 and ‘18
Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 2017
Pete Alonso, 2018
Fernando Tatis Jr., 2018
Wander Franco, 2019
Julio Rodríguez, 2021
Bobby Witt Jr., 2021
Adley Rutschman, 2021
Michael Harris II, 2021
Which Futures Gamers are on the cusp of the Majors
No one on either of the active Futures Game rosters has seen the big leagues yet. “Yet” is the optimal word there because many are knocking on the door and could get that elusive call in the second half of the 2022 season. Here are some Futures Gamers who could be Major League options soon:
C Francisco Álvarez, No. 1 Mets
RHP Taj Bradley, No. 1 Rays
RHP Hunter Brown, No. 1 Astros
OF Corbin Carroll, No. 1 D-backs
INF Gunnar Henderson, No. 2 Orioles
C Shea Langeliers, No. 1 Athletics
INF Curtis Mead, No. 2 Rays
INF Spencer Steer, No. 7 Twins
INF Miguel Vargas, No. 5 Dodgers
INF Mark Vientos, No. 5 Mets
LHP Ken Waldichuk, No. 5 Yankees
OF Matt Wallner, No. 8 Twins
Who is missing out
There has been a decent amount of turnover on this year’s rosters. Cade Cavalli (finger), Henry Davis (wrist) and Ezequiel Tovar (groin) each needed to be replaced due to injury, while Brayan Bello, Nick Pratto and David Villar were swapped out because of their respective Major League statuses. (Bello has since returned to the Minors but still won’t be in L.A.)