The Futures Game

I know its short notice but tonight is one of those events that I look forward to each year and thats The Futures Game. Unlike the big league All Star Game these guys always seem to have something to prove rather than feeling that its just good enough to show up. Its also free from Bud Selig and his gimmick laden tom-foolery (the Home Run Derby is going to be so crappy this year, I mean Hee Seop Choi is competing and he has no place at an All Star event).
Anywho, heres some of the guys I'm looking forward to seeing :

US Future Stars

Thomas Diamond, Pitcher, Round Rock (Texas Rangers AA) 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 11K, 5BB, 11.0 innings
For ages The Rangers have had great hitting but average to below average pitching and this guy could well change all that. He's still a couple of years away from the big club but he has butchered The California League (.191 opponents average, 101k in 81 1/3 innings) and is presently averaging a strikeout an inning in the Texas League.

Justin Verlander, Pitcher, Erie (Detroit Tigers AA) 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 18K, 3BB, 15.0 innings
Verlander recently made a brief appearance in Detroit and without his best stuff he still managed to put together a solid performance after a nerve ridden first inning.
This guy has some seriously nasty stuff and is well capable of getting into the high-90's with his fastball and its definately too much for anyone he's faced in the minors and at the moment The Eastern League is hitting .098 which reads like a typo but it really is .098.
He could be special.

Marcus Sanders, Shortstop, Augusta (San Francisco Giants A) .296, 56 runs, 5 HR, 29 RBI, 40 steals
Here's an interesting quote from Giants farm director Jack Hiatt, "He's a lot like Rickey Henderson or Bobby Bonds, a guy who used to lead off and hit with power." How can you not get excited about a guy with those sort of expectations? It might be tough on the guy but he's got the speed and a good approach at the plate and he's growing into his power.

Chris Young, Outfielder, Birmingham (Chicago White Sox AA) .265, 58 runs, 17 HR, 47 RBI, 15 steals
Chris Young is a guy who wasn't really expected to much in his career but is having a monster year for The Barons racking up homeruns, RBI, stolen bases and strikeouts. The K's are the only thing thats really holding him back at this point but an increased number of walks has seen his OBP get to a respectable level but he's much like Dallas McPherson in the sense that he can be highly productive despite his average.

Delmon Young, Outfielder, Montgomery (Tampa Bay Devil Rays AA) .333, 58 runs, 19 HR, 69 RBI, 24 steals
How's Delmon doing? Just fine. He's among the leaders in practically every offensive catergory and this year that includes steals. This guy is a machine and might already be the best hitter in the entire organisation and that includes the guys with the big club.
Tampa are reluctant to rush him but you have to wonder how long they will allow him to molest minor league pitchers instead of putting him to work in The Bigs because its hard to see him getting a lot better whilst he's playing at this level. This guy will be a star.

World Future Stars

Francisco Liriano, Pitcher, Rochester (Minnesota Twins AAA) 2-0, 3.46 ERA, 32K, 8BB, 26.0 innings
He's had shoulder problems that have hindered his progress but its been a year and a half since the last problem so this might be his chance to start making some big strides.
He can get the gun up into the mid-90's but has developed effective off-speed stuff that he is comfortable throwing at any time so it really is the time to see if he can do it or not.

Yusmeiro Petit, Pitcher, Binghamton (New York Mets AA) 3-2, 2.97, 75K, 10BB, 66 2/3 innings
This is the sort of guy I always like to see pitch. He doesn't light up the radar gun (he can barely hit 90) but he finds a way to be effective and get results. Its always tougher for guys like that to have sustained success at the big league level but there are a lot of teams making inquiries about him that obviously believe he can do it.

Kendry Morales, First Baseman, Arkansas (Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim AA) .256, 8 runs, 4 HR, 18 RBI
A 22 year old Cuban defector (probably means he's 30), Morales had a few problems getting his visa sorted in time for the start of the season but since he started he has shown power and discipline from both sides of the plate and great hands both with a bat and in the field. In short, he has looked fantastic and he's still getting used to life in The States.
Casey Kotchman must be wondering what happened as he's gone from a top prospect to someone wondering where he's going to end up because between Erstad and Morales he has nowhere to really go in this organisation.

Hanley Ramirez, Shortstop, Portland (Boston Red Sox AA) .276, 47 runs, 5 HR, 30 RBI, 18 steals
Ramirez already has the ability to be a plus shortstop at the big league level and his bat isn't far behind.
He has a decent combination of speed and power and should hit for average and the only real problem is that he's got Edgar Renteria in his position with the big club so talk has started circulating that he might be shifted to another position before too long but whatever happens you have to like this kids future.

Hernan Iribarren, Second Baseman, West Virginia (Milwaukee A) .314, 48 runs, 2 HR, 35 RBI, 29 steals
The Brewers are talking about how this guy will fill out and develop plus power. He already has good speed and instincts on the basepaths. Of course he hit .439 in The Arizona League last year which is the second highest in league history which isn't bad I guess.
Its kinda scary what you hear about where this guy could end up and even scarier when you consider that The Brewers have just uncorked a dose of Rickie Weeks on the big league team and if they could combine these two somehow with some of the other guys in their system then this could be a great team in a few years time.