Prospect of the Day

Once a Dirtbag, now an AquaSox, Brett Lorin (Mariners) doesn’t seem to mind what the nickname of the team he is playing for may be. Lorin was sensational on Sunday for Everett, delivering six innings of one run ball in his first professional win. The Mariners’ fifth-round draft choice out of Long Beach State is an imposing presence on the mound at 6-foot-7, 245 pounds. and Northwest League batters will have even more to fear after his outing Sunday. Lorin struck out 13 Boise batters while not allowing a walk. A reliever at Long Beach State, Lorin struck out just 31 in 48 innings this spring. [...] Continue Reading »

PROSPECT OF THE DAY

For the second time in a week, Neftali Soto (Reds) claims POTD honors. Soto has been the most impressive performer thus far in the Pioneer League and added to his resume with a 3-for-4 day on Sunday, including a pair of doubles. Soto, who the Reds drafted as a shortstop in 2007 has always been considered a prospect who would move to a different position as he matured because of his size and has made all his starts in Billings at either third base or DH.

PROSPECT NUGGETS

Kingsport third baseman Richard Lucas (Mets) had been scuffling coming into Sunday’s matchup against Johnson City with only three hits on the year. But on Sunday, the Mets fourth round pick in 2007 broke out in a big way. Lucas went 2-for-6 with a double and a home run in the Mets 13-4 rout of Johnson City. Lucas chipped in three RBI in the win. Lucas began the year with Savannah in the South Atlantic league but struggled, hitting only .185 before being sent to Kingsport for the opening of Appalachian League play…For hot hitting Kingsport shortstop Wilmer Flores (Mets) it was just another day at the office on Sunday. Flores went 2-for-5 in the Kingsport victory with a pair of runs scored, along with an RBI…Elizabethton roared to a 10-2 win over Pulaski on Sunday, paced by a pair of Evan Bigley (Twins) home runs. Bigley, the Twins 10th round pick out of Dallas Baptist, has gotten off to a hot start in pro ball, batting .385 on the year…Most expected that Esmailyn Gonzalez (Nationals) would play in 2008 in short season or Low A ball, but Gonzalez is doing his best to impress in the Gulf Coast League. Gonzalez, who received a $1.4 million bonus from the Nationals in 2006, had a double in a 3-for-5 day on Sunday, bringing his average to .500 on the young season…Facing off against Gonzalez was highly touted Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez. Martinez, on a rehab assignment in Port St. Lucie went for 1-for-3 on Sunday…Orioles second round pick Xavier Avery is still looking for his first pro hit after going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Sunday’s loss to the GCL Pirates…Avery’s teammate, Baltimore third round pick, L.J. Hoes (Orioles) made his pro debut Sunday, going 2-for-5 with an RBI…First round pick Aaron Hicks (Twins) made his GCL debut on Sunday. The former Long Beach Wilson standout got the start in centerfield on Sunday, going 2-for-4… Helena left fielder Erik Komatsu (Brewers) went 2-for-3 on Sunday. Komatsu, the Brewers 8th round pick out of Cal State Fullerton, had a pair of RBI, along with a double in Helena’s 3-2 win…

What to Watch for Today

Martinez will continue his rehab stint in Port St. Lucie tonight. He is rehabbing a right hamstring injury sustained on May 14th.
 

Frisco was in line to have three starters in the South lineup at the Texas League All-Star Game on Wednesday night in Springfield, but two of them have since been called up.

The Rangers promoted Max Ramirez from Frisco after the catcher hit .363/.459/.662 with 17 home runs. First baseman Chris Davis (Rangers), 22, was originally penciled in to draw the start at first for the South team, but has been promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma after ripping through the TL, batting .333/.376/.618 with 13 home runs and 14 doubles. Davis has continued his torrid pace in Oklahoma, batting .359/.424/.738 with 10 home runs in just 103 at-bats.

The only RoughRiders remaining in the starting lineup are outfielders Steven Murphy and Ben Harrison (Rangers). Shortstop Elvis Andrus, who entered the season as the organization’s top prospect, will be on the bench as a reserve. The 19-year-old is batting .270/.324/.329 in 237 at-bats.

Corpus Christi shortstop Tommy Manzella (Astros) is one of two Hooks in the starting lineup, along with second baseman Drew Sutton (Astros). Chris Johnson (Astros) will be a reserve infielder in the game. Johnson, the son of former big leaguer and Red Sox Triple-A manager Ron Johnson has had a breakout year, batting .327/.370/.504 with 19 doubles for the Hooks.

Andrew Carignan (Athletics) will be coming out of the bullpen for the Southern team. A fifth-round pick last year, Carignan has posted a 1.77 ERA in 20 innings for Midland.

Kyle Blanks (Padres) will get the start at first base for the Southern team after posting a .314/.405/.447 line in 255 at-bats for San Antonio.

The Northern pitching staff is led by Northwest Arkansas (Royals) righthander Daniel Cortes. Cortes, who came to the Royals via a 2006 trade with the White Sox. Cortes, the top pitching prospect int the Royals system, has a 3.58 ERA with a 53 strikeouts and to 21 walks in 50 1/3 innings.

[...] Continue Reading »

The Athletics promoted lefthander Brett Anderson from high Class A Stockton to Double-A Midland, forming one of the more prospect-laden rotations in the minors.

Anderson had a 4.14 ERA in the high-offensive environment of the California League, with most of the damage centering around three starts in May when Anderson was battling through a thumb injury, which may have hampered his command. His overall numbers remained strong, however, as Anderson used his fastball-curveball-changeup combination to strike out 80 while issuing just 18 walks in 74 innings.

Anderson joins righthanders Trevor Cahill and James Simmons in the Midland rotation. Cahill, 20, made his first start for Midland on Friday after establishing himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in the minors with Stockton.

Simmons, Oakland’s first-round draft pick in 2007, was dominant in his first seven starts for Midland. Simmons had a 2.02 ERA in 35 2/3 innings during that stretch with a 31-8 K-BB mark. However, Simmons had a rough start against Frisco on May 14, then went on the disabled list. Including that May 14 start, Simmons has a 9.35 ERA in his last five starts, with 16 strikeouts and five walks in 17 1/3 innings. On the season, he’s 2-4, 4.08 with 47 strikeouts and 14 walks in 53 innings.

Neftali Feliz continued to mow down Midwest League hitters, Connor Graham finally broke his victory drought and Freddie Freeman hit his 10th home run.

South Atlantic League

Prospect Of The Day

Asheville (Rockies) righthander Connor Graham tossed eight shutout innings against Augusta (Giants) to earn his first win since May 2—a span of sevens starts—and take home today’s POTD honors. The hard-throwing Graham limited the GreenJackets to just four hits and two walks to go with five strikeouts. He lowered his ERA to 1.98, tying him with teammate Jhoulys Chacin for fourth in the league.

Prospect Nuggets

Rome (Braves) teammates Freddie Freeman and Cody Johnson each had good nights as the Braves knocked off Savannah (Mets) 7-3. Freeman went 2-for-4 with a home run, his 10th, and two RBIs. Johnson had four RBIs and also went 2-for-4 with a home run, his 10th as well, and added his 15th double … Greenville (Red Sox) center fielder Che-Hsuan Lin went 2-for-5 with an RBI and two stolen bases in a 10-5 win over Hickory (Pirates). Lin is 23-for-28 in the stolen bases department for the year … West Virginia (Brewers) right fielder Caleb Gindl went 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs in a rain-shortened 8-7 win over Kannapolis (White Sox). Gindl raised his line to .271/.355/.414.

[...] Continue Reading »

The California League had a day off in preparation for the Carolina-California League All Star Game.

Carolina League

Prospect Of The Day

There was minimal action in the CL yesterday as one game was shortened by rain. Lynchburg’s (Pirates) Jamie Romak raised his average to .295 after going 2-for-4 against Myrtle Beach (Braves). His two hits were doubles and he had three RBIs and two runs scored in the 11-2 rout of the Pelicans.

Prospect Nuggets

Brandon Erbe tossed four innings and was handed a tough loss as Frederick (Orioles) fell to Potomac (Nationals) in five innings. Erbe gave up two runs on three hits while walking four and striking out two. He is now 6-6, 4.25 this season…Beau Mills was 2-for-5 with his ninth home run and Alex Castillo lifted Kinston (Indians) to a win with a solo home run in the bottom of the tenth, making the final 12-11. [...] Continue Reading »

Joe Koshansky continued to belt extra-base hits, and teammates Seth Smith and Franklin Morales also got in on the act, as Colorado Springs cruised to an 8-2 win. Also, Wade LeBlanc struck out nine and Reid Brignac drove in three.

PACIFIC COAST LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

With a perfect 3-for-3 showing with a walk, a home run (18), a double (29) and three RBIs, Colorado Springs first baseman Joe Koshansky (Rockies) claimed the PCL lead in doubles and furthered his lead in RBIs (73) and extra-base hits (49). The 26-year-old slugger has done something else remarkable: He has nearly matched his power output from last year, which he also spent with the Sky Sox—and he still has half the season remaining.

For a player who had belted 30 or more homers in his previous two seasons, Koshansky’s 2007 in the PCL was seen as a disappointment. He batted .295/.380/.490 in 498 at-bats with 21 home runs and 30 doubles. The lefthanded batter also struggled against his own side, batting .276/.330/.412 versus lefties. Koshansky has improved those averages to .338/.415/.592 through 71 at-bats this season. [...] Continue Reading »

Dexter Fowler continued his stretch of outstanding hitting, Jason Donald’s stock as one of the better middle infield prospects in the minors rose a little bit, Mat Gamel homered in a three-hit night and Kyle Blanks blasted three extra-base hits in yesterday’s Double-A action. 

TEXAS LEAGUE

Prospect Of The Day

At 6-foot-6, 270 pounds, Kyle Blanks is about as big a player as you’ll find in professional baseball. He had as big of a night as anyone else in the minors last night, going 3-for-4 with a home run and two doubles, raising his OPS 31 points in one game to .852 (.314/.405/.447). The home run was Blanks’ sixth of the year and the two doubles gave him 10 this season. While his superficial power numbers have been down a bit this year, part of that is a byproduct of his home park in San Antonio, a park that supresses run scoring and home runs. Blanks has always shown an excellent handle of the strike zone (he has 35 walks and 35 strikeouts this season in 301 plate appearances.

Prospect Nuggets

Had Dexter Fowler not entered the game as a pinch hitter on June 20 (when he went 0-for-1), the Tulsa center fielder would have a 15-game hitting streak. Fowler had hit in 13 straight games prior to his pinch-hit performance, then had two hits in each of his next two games, including yesterday when he went 2-for-5 and hit his seventh homr run. Fowler kicked off the streak with six multi-hit games and had 10 multi-hit games in that stretch of 16 games (including the pinch-hit game). In all, Fowler hit .431/.479/.723 during those 65 at-bats with 28 hits, half of which went for extra-bases.
 
While Fowler’s one particular hot stretch in June stands out, his entire body of work this season has been superb. The No. 3 prospect in the Rockies system entering the season, the 22-year-old Fowler iss batting .314/.3395/.493 in 332 plate appearances. Always lauded by scouts for his excellent tools and 6-foot-4, 175-pound frame, Fowler has been a two-way threat, as his 70 speed on the 20-80 scouting scale makes him a plus fielder in center.

F [...] Continue Reading »

That didn’t take long.

After six starts with high Class A Vero Beach, Rays lefty David Price is headed to Double-A after the Rays promoted him to Montgomery. In 34 2/3 innings with Vero Beach, Price had a 1.82 ERA, 37 strikeouts and seven walks.

The promotion teams Price, the top overall pick in the 2007 draft, with fellow preseason top 100 prospects Jake McGee (No. 15) and Wade Davis (No. 17). That should form one of the most dominant and prospect-laden rotations in the minor leagues this season. All three pitchers can reach the mid- to high-90s with their fastballs, but McGee and Davis have been solid but not dominant Double-A.

McGee, 21, has 65 strikeouts (7.5 per nine innings), 37 walks (4.3 per nine) and a 3.94 ERA in 77 2/3 innings. Davis, 22, has 58 strikeouts (6.3 per nine), 34 walks (3.7 per nine) and a 4.03 ERA in 82 2/3 innings.

For McGee, the problems have usually come after the fourth inning. In innings one through four, McGee has a 2.41 ERA and a 54-20 K-BB mark in 56 innings. In innings five through seven, McGee’s ERA is 8.07 in 21 2/3 innings. Part of that could be due to the bullpen allowing an above-average number of its inherited runners from McGee to score, but McGee’s K-BB in those innings of 11-17 indicates that’s probably not the main source of his problems. That’s a small sample size but still noteworthy for a player who scouts believe could excel as a power reliever if his secondary stuff and control don’t develop.

Checking last year’s numbers with Vero Beach, McGee’s ERA took a hit after the fourth inning, but his strikeouts and walks remained similar. In innings one through four, McGee had a 1.85 ERA, 106 strikeouts and 31 walks in 82 2/3 innings. In innings five through seven, McGee’s ERA ballooned to 5.56 in 34 innings, though his 39-8 K-BB mark remained solid.

Because we know it can be difficult to track the various prospect promotions and demotions on all 185 domestic minor league teams, we present a review of what’s happened in the last week, from June 14 through last Friday.

Diamondbacks: Promoted RHP Matt Torra (supp. 1st round, 2005) to Triple-A Tucson

Braves: Promoted RHP Julio Teheran (2007 international sign, $850,000) to Rookie-level Danville

Red Sox: Promoted SS Will Middlebrooks (7th round, 2007) to short-season Lowell

Cubs: Promoted RHP Jose Ceda to Double-A Tennessee

Indians: Promoted RHP Steven Wright (2nd round, 2006) to Double-A Akron

Dodgers: Promoted RHP Bryan Morris (1st round, 2006) to Low A Great Lakes [...] Continue Reading »

Chris Marrero injured his right ankle sliding into home plate in the fourth inning on Wednesday. That slide will now cost Marrero at least a month as the Nationals placed him on the disabled list.

“We’re looking at at least four weeks of no activity,” Potomac manager Randy Knorr said.

The high Class A Potomac first baseman ranked as the Nationals’ top prospect entering the season and has hit .250/.325/.453 in 256 at-bats. Marrero had been in the midst of a good stretch of hitting in his last 13 games, raising his OPS 74 points in that stretch while hitting .378/.420/.689 in 49 plate appearances.

Taking into consideration the context of his age and his environment, Marrero’s season has been a good one. At 19, Marrero is the second-youngest player in the league, older than only Frederick (Orioles) third baseman Billy Rowell. Despite being so young, Marrero has been an above-average hitter relative to other Carolina League players who have played the majority of their games at first base this season.

The ankle injury will set back Marrero’s development as he misses playing time and works to regain his health, but he’s already ahead of the curve.

Phillies center fielder Greg Golson is expected to miss about a month with a sprained left wrist that has him on the disabled list.

"The damaging thing is for his development," (Reading manager P.J. Forbes said). "That’s the thing that hurts. He loses out on 40, 50, 60 at-bats. That’s the thing that hurts is losing this time in development for him, because that’s what’s important."

Golson, 22, was batting .299/.335/.450 in 251 at-bats for Double-A Reading. A rough June dropped his OPS 89 points since the end of May, however, as Golson has gone 5-for-38 with no extra-base hits, one walk and 12 strikeouts this month.

By Jack Magruder

PHOENIX—The Diamondbacks placed prized righthander Max Scherzer on the disabled list with right shoulder inflammation and fatigue a week after retuning him to the minor leagues following an impressive first stop in the majors.

Scherzer, Arizona’s first-round pick in 2006, was not recovering well from an appearance June 15, Diamondbacks farm director A.J. Hinch said, so he was given an MRI. Hinch said the injury does not appear serious.

“Basically, he needs to strengthen his shoulder. We’re going to give him a break,” Hinch said. “We’re not going to jeopardize the long-term health of one of our significant players.”

Scherzer, 23, will continue to be groomed as a starter, and is considered to be the front-runner to take Randy Johnson’s place in the rotation in 2009 if the Diamondbacks do not re-sign the veteran lefty, who can become a free agent after this season. [...] Continue Reading »

Prospect of the Day

Players picked in the 22nd round don’t draw the most attention heading into rookie ball play, but Ryan Groth (Angels) has gotten off to the kind of start that will make people notice. Groth is 6-for-11 in his first three games and had an enormous night in Orem’s 11-6 win over Ogden. The Orem left fielder went 4-for-6 in the game with four RBIs. The Oral Roberts product had two doubles in the game.

Prospect Nuggets

Cesar Puello (Mets) got his Gulf Coast League season off to a quick start on Thursday, going 3-for-4 with a double. The 17-year-old from the Dominican Republic was seeing his first stateside action…Tyler Ladendorf (Twins), the second-round pick for Minnesota, made his debut  for the GCL Twins on Thursday. Ladendorf went 0-for-2 with a walk and a strikeout…Former Tennessee Vol Chadwick Maddox (Braves) opened up GCL play with a bang. Maddox went 3-for-3 with three doubles and four RBI…On the day his brother signed a record contract with Tampa Bay, Jeremy Beckham made his debut for the organization in Pulaski. The second baseman went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts…Michael Harrington (Twins) had his first career double in Elizabethton’s 7-1 win over Bluefield. The College of Charleston product drove in two in the victory …23-year-old Shayne Moody (Braves) went 4-for-5 for Danville in their 11-3 win over Burlington. The Braves shortstop ripped a double and had four RBI in the rout…Greeneville cruised to an 8-0 win over Kingsport to take their opening series and center fielder Jay Austin (Astros) played a big role in the win. Batting from the leadoff spot, Austin went 2-for-3 with a  double and scored twice…Dock Doyle (Mets) made his first appearance behind the plate in a Kingsport uniform on Thursday. Doyle went 1-for-4 on the day, but grounded into a double play and struck out… After a huge day Wednesday, Neftali Soto (Reds) was in the lineup as Billings’ DH on Thursday. Soto added another home run, his third of the year in the 6-3 Billings win, while going 1-for-4…Cutter Dykstra (Brewers) finally had a productive night at the plate Thursday in Helena’s loss. Dykstra went 2-for-5 at the plate, but was caught stealing.

What To Watch For Today

The Appalachian League has completed its first round of series and the Pulaski Mariners will return home to open their home opener. Their hasn’t been baseball in Pulaski since 2006 because they were unable to secure an affiliation in 2007.  

Prospect of the Day

It may a bit early to start comparing Ryan Dent (Red Sox) to a Yankee legend with his own place in Red Sox lore who shares his last name, but Dent’s performance Thursday might help the Dent name sound a bit better to Sox fans. Dent had three hits in Lowell’s 7-6 win, including home runs in his first two at bats. Dent has also played a slick shortstop thus far in 2008 for Lowell, while batting leadoff.

Prospect Nuggets

Staten Island’s 7-2 victory over Brooklyn was keyed by third baseman Mike Lyon’s (Yankees) 3-for-5 night. The 24th-round pick of the Yankees had a pair of RBI and a double in the win…Auburn first baseman David Cooper (Blue Jays) had his second multi-hit game in the past two days. The Blue Jays first-round pick went two-for-five with a run scored in Auburn’s 7-0 defeat of Batavia…Batavia first baseman Xavier Scruggs (Cardinals) remains hitless in professional baseball after an 0-for-2 performance Thursday. Cooper did draw a pair of walks in the loss to Auburn…T.J. Steele (Astros) may wish his Arizona Wildcats were in Omaha, but he has played exceptionally well in his pro debut with Tri-City. Steele was 4-for-5 Thursday with a double and two RBI…Stephen Fife (Red Sox) picked up his first pro win in Lowell’s win, going two innings and allowing two hits. A run did score with Fife on the hill, but it was unearned…Logan Forsythe (Padres), the Padres supplemental first-round pick, had his first multi-hit night for Eugene on Thursday. The Eugene third baseman went 2-for-4 in the 8-4 Emerald win…Cooper Brannan (Padres) who drew national attention after the Padres signed him after two tours of duty in Iraq, picked up his first win of 2008. The Eugene right hander threw 1.1 innings, allowing just one hit and striking out one…What To

Watch For Today

The Brooklyn Cyclones will be happy to leave Staten Island and travel to Aberdeen after a bizarre conclusion to last night’s game. When switch-pitcher Pat Venditte faced off against switch-hitter Ralph Henriquez in the ninth inning, both pitcher and catcher continued to switch which hand they would use. After much discussion, Henriquez was forced to one side of the plate and went down swinging to end the game.

Eastern League

Prospect of the Day

Travis Snider (Blue Jays) hit two doubles to move his total in that category to 11 and increase his hitting streak to 12 games. The right fielder is the Blue Jays top prospect, and he has performed up to the lofty expectations after being considered the top hitter in the 2006 draft.

Prospect Nuggets

Neil Wagner (Red Sox) ripped two home runs in a big win. The first was a three-run shot and the second was a solo bomb, as the designated hitter bumped his average up to .267. He knocked in four runs on the day…Jordan Zimmerman (Nationals) had a good outing, lasting five innings and giving up just one run on two hits. He picked up the win to move to 2-1…Michael Bowden also grabbed a win and lowered his ERA to 2.2 by strikeing out five in 5.2 innings of work…Mark Melancon (Yankees) gave up two runs in two innings, and his ERA is now 1.75.

What to Watch for

Trenton and Binghamton will square off today in a battle of two teams that are a combined 21 games above .500. Binghamton will look to narrow the four-game gap that separates the teams.

[...] Continue Reading »

INTERNATIONAL LEAGUE

PROSPECT OF THE DAY: David Robertson, rhp, Scranton/Wilkes-Barre

The last time David Robertson gave up a home run, North Carolina had not been to the College World Series since 1989.

Then Robertson, pitching for Alabama in 2006, gave up a two-run, ninth-inning homer to Tar Heels first baseman Chad Flack, a game-changer that sent North Carolina to its first-ever super-regional victory. Robertson’s college career, as it turned out, was over; Flack will bat sixth tonight in a College World Series game against Louisiana State. The Yankees drafted Robertson as a 17th-round pick, as the eligible sophomore’s signability was thought to be in question. He started strong in the Cape Cod League and the Yankees signed him for a $200,000 bonus.

He has rewarded them since with a career ERA of 1.17, a rapid ascent to Triple-A (in just his second full season) and an impressive 180-54 strikeout-walk mark in 131 innings. Most impressively, Robertson has yet to give up a home run, a streak he continued Thursday with two scoreless innings in a 4-3 Scranton loss to Toledo. [...] Continue Reading »

California League

Prospect of the Day

A postgame scoring change helped Archie Gilbert (Mariners) hit for the cycle last night in a blowout win. Griffin started things off with a bang, smashing a three-run homer in the second inning. He tripled in the fourth and doubled in the fifth before his last at bat in the ninth. In the last frame, he hit a grounder to second that was bobbled and originally ruled an error, but a late change in the box score gave him the reverse cycle. The four hits and four RBIs were both career highs for the designated hitter. He also scored twice and raised his average to .278.

Prospect Nuggets

Gilbert’s teammates also had a big day in the 19-run outburst. Chris Carter (Mariners) hit two home runs and a triple in a four-RBI performance . . . Sean Doolittle (Mariners) added two hits, scored and knocked in a run to boost his average to .326…Jason Place (Red Sox) laced two doubles and scored twice…Sean O’Sullivan (Angels) got touched up for seven runs on nine hits in five innings, but still earned a win to improve to 8-4.

What to Watch For

Gilbert and Carter lit up High Desert pitching for seven hits and three home runs combined yesterday in a 19-7 drubbing. They’ll get another shot at the same staff at 10:05 p.m.

Carolina League

Prospect of the Day

Jared Goedert (Indians) led off the second inning with a single, but he was far from done. After Kinston batted around in the frame (in which they would eventually put up 13 runs), Goedert stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and sent a grand slam into the left field seats. Goedert is the Indians’ top prospect at second base. [...] Continue Reading »

The Staten Island Advance reports on the professional debut of former Creighton All-American Pat Venditte, the switch-pitching reliever who signed this year with the Yankees as a 20th-round pick, and it was all anyone could have hoped for.

First, the Yankees played well, with short-season Staten Island picking up its first victory of the season. Second, Venditte threw one scoreless inning. And third, and most deliciously, he faced a switch-hitter. [...] Continue Reading »

The Futures Game will have a twist this year, as Major League Baseball announced today that the 2008 Team USA Olympic trial team will form the USA roster.

"This year’s event will be particularly special as our fans will have the opportunity to get a first look at many of the players who will make up Team USA and represent our country in August at the Beijing Olympics," MLB’s President and Chief Operating Officer Bob DuPuy said in a press release.

The USA roster will be managed by Davey Johnson, who will also manage the Olympic team. Tino Martinez will manage the World team. Players on the USA roster for the Futures Game will not necessarily play on the team that USA Baseball sends to the Olympics, but it will draw from that pool of players to help form the Olympic team. The final roster for the Olympic team is expected to be announced shortly after the Futures Game.

“It’s going to be a team of exceptional young players who are part of a larger pool of athletes that we are looking at very closely for the Olympic baseball team," said Paul Seiler, the executive director and CEO of USA Baseball. "Watching them compete in the Futures Game is part of the overall scouting process that will help us better identify which players give us the best shot at gold in Beijing.”

The other change to the Futures Game, which is Sunday, July 13, is that the contest will last nine innings. In previous years, the game was a seven-inning event, except in 2000 when the game went nine innings.