Every year, the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game gives us some memorable moments from the game¡¯s brightest Minor League talents. These were some of the best from this year's game, a 6-4 American League victory over the National League on Saturday at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. The prospect showcase will be rebroadcast on MLB Network at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday.
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Bobby Miller strikes out the side in first inning
The Dodgers¡¯ No. 2 prospect looked a little shaky with his command in the first inning, perhaps borne of playing in his future home ballpark, but he still managed to get all three of his outs via the K as the National League starter. He got Jasson Dom¨ªnguez flailing on an 82.9 mph changeup, Anthony Volpe swinging on an 80.1 mph curveball and Matt Wallner whiffing on an 86.4 mph slider.
The 23-year-old right-hander showed good velocity as well, averaging 98.9 mph on his fastball and touching 100.3. He was, however, charged with a run after walking Gunnar Henderson, allowing the Orioles infielder to advance two bases on a wild pitch and serving up an RBI single to Dustin Harris.
Miller has a 4.12 ERA with 82 strikeouts over 67 2/3 innings at Double-A Tulsa this season, and if he can find ways to rein in his command, he could be an option for the Dodgers at some point in the second half.
Masyn Winn clears a Statcast throwing record ¡ by a lot
An 80 arm is an 80 arm, and there's nowhere better to show it off than at the Futures Game.
Playing shortstop for the NL, the Cardinals¡¯ No. 4 prospect collected a bouncing ball from Yainer Diaz in the second inning and fired over at 100.5 mph. The fastest Major League infield throw recorded in the Statcast era came just this week at 97.8 mph from Pirates shortstop Oneil Cruz -- a mark Winn surpassed with relative ease Saturday.
It¡¯s worth noting that Winn was drafted in the second round of the 2020 Draft as a potential two-way player, and he does have some pro experience on the mound. His athleticism has worked well at the plate, but it¡¯s the arm that should long remain his standout tool.
The American League powers up in the third inning
Dom¨ªnguez made a two-run error in the bottom of the second when he dropped a fly ball to center field, thus giving the NL a 3-1 lead. It didn¡¯t take long for the Yankees¡¯ No. 3 prospect to make up for it.
Batting from the right side, the 19-year-old switch hitter drove a fastball from Giants southpaw Kyle Harrison 415 feet out to center field for the first homer of the 2022 Futures Game. It could be a good going-away present for The Martian as he¡¯s being promoted from Single-A Tampa to High-A Hudson Valley after Saturday's exhibition.
Twins No. 8 prospect Matt Wallner also went deep in the third on a 115.8 mph laser to right three batters after Dom¨ªnguez¡¯s blast to give the AL a 5-3 advantage. For reference, that would be the highest Statcast-measured exit velocity on a Twins homer this season, beating out Carlos Correa¡¯s 113.4 mph homer on April 10.
Shea Langeliers lights one up against a former teammate
Langeliers, who was acquired by the A¡¯s in the spring in the Matt Olson deal, has a history with Braves lefty Jared Shuster. The two were batterymates last season at Double-A Mississippi, and that background may have given the AL backstop an advantage Saturday.
The 24-year-old catcher gave the AL its third homer of the day in the fourth inning, when he drove an 81.4 mph changeup from Shuster 392 feet out to left-center.
The top A¡¯s prospect also showed off his defense earlier Saturday when he threw out No. 3 overall prospect Corbin Carroll on an attempted steal of third in the first frame.
That complete performance helped Langeliers win the 2022 Larry Doby Award as Futures Game MVP. He becomes the fifth backstop to win that honor, joining Toby Hall (2001), Hank Conger (2010), Kyle Schwarber (2015) and Sam Huff (2019). His bat is headed to the National Baseball Hall of Fame as a Cooperstown memento.
Oscar Colas robs Darren Baker
Dusty Baker is going to take the All-Star stage as the American League manager on Tuesday. Three days earlier, his son Darren -- a second baseman in the Nationals system -- almost had an All-Star moment of his own, until Colas stepped in.
The No. 2 White Sox prospect came sprinting in and to his left to nab a Baker liner before it hit the ground in left center in the fifth inning. To his credit, Baker did sting the ball at 98.2 mph (exceeding the hard-hit threshold of 95 mph), but it wasn't a match for Colas' glove.
The 23-year-old outfielder signed with the White Sox for $2.7 million last January and stands out most for his plus power and arm, but he showed a little something with the glove Saturday too.
Emerson Hancock fans three in perfect frame
Miller wasn¡¯t the only right-hander to fan three in an inning Saturday. In fact, one AL hurler even surpassed him in that accomplishment.
Hancock, the Mariners¡¯ No. 5 prospect, struck out Zac Veen, Mark Vientos and Jordan Lawlar to complete a perfect sixth inning. The strike threes were each on mid-90s sinkers.
Hancock has earned a 60 grade for his fastball and 55s on his slider and change but has fallen out of the MLB Pipeline Top 100 due to previous injury concerns. With stuff like Saturday's, the 2020 sixth overall pick could find his way back into that ranking before he reaches Seattle.
Denzel Clarke provides his own highlight
The NL showed signs of threatening in the seventh inning when Pete Crow-Armstrong doubled and advanced to third on a Wilmer Flores balk with one out. Brewers slugger Joey Wiemer looked like he was going to add an extra-base hit of his own with a drive deep to right, only for A's No. 13 prospect Clarke to make a tremendous snag going back and to his left.
Clarke managed to hang on for the second out despite slamming into the right-field fence, and while Crow-Armstrong scored on the sacrifice fly, the catch limited the NL damage in the final frame.
Is that Bad Bunny?
Highlights weren't limited to on-field action either.
In the seventh inning with Bad Bunny¡¯s song ¡°Party¡± blaring through the Dodger Stadium speakers, a fan wearing a Bad Bunny Marlins jersey was shown on the big screen. The fans in attendance, who were anxiously awaiting to watch the global icon in the celebrity softball game, erupted with excitement. The biggest ovation, of course, came when the real Bad Bunny took the field later in the night.
Prospects such as Elly De La Cruz, Francisco ?lvarez, Miguel Vargas and Diego Cartaya stood around following the Futures Game, hoping to meet the Puerto Rican artist.