A Decade Of Stars

Futures Game has given great glimpses of future big leaguers

By Will Lingo
July 8, 2008

We're about to play the 10th annual Futures Game, a significant milestone that I still remember as a pipe dream.

I haven't been to every Futures Game—as far as I know, Major League Baseball officials Jimmie Lee Solomon, Sylvia Lind and Pat Scott, as well as Baseball America president Lee Folger are the only people who can make that claim—but I have participated in every player selection process. So it has been fun to watch the game's list of major league alumni continue to grow, and to see the players become not just big league regulars but stars.

So to mark the 10th game in New York, let's take a quick look back at the first nine Futures Games and note the players who really stand out in our memories from each year:

1999, Boston: The game's first MVP was clearly its standout player as well: Alfonso Soriano, who hit two home runs in the game and was in the big leagues by that September. His Yankees affiliation and quick ascent to big league standout gave the game instant credibility.

2000, Atlanta: Padres third baseman Sean Burroughs was MVP and had a great game, but his career never lived up to that promise. So my enduring memory from this game was talking to Mark Buerhle and Barry Zito in the United States clubhouse, then seeing them pitch in the big leagues for two playoff-bound teams within a couple of weeks.

2001, Seattle: Devil Rays catcher Toby Hall won the MVP, but no one who was there to see Adam Dunn take batting practice will ever forget that. The way he launched balls into the Safeco Field stands, including the restaurant in right field, made an indelible impression.

Also, if MLB would like to hold the all-star festivities in Seattle every year, that would be all right with me. San Francisco is the only other city that's close.

2002, Milwaukee: This is one of the two Futures Games I've missed, but this was clearly the coming-out party for Jose Reyes, who also won the game MVP award. His triple encapsulated the excitement he would bring to New York by the middle of the next season.

The only other things I remember hearing about this all-star experience were bad, with ugly weather, far-flung hotels and of course the tie game to top it all off.

2003, Chicago: I missed this one as well, and again the MVP was also the game's breakout player, with Grady Sizemore getting introduced to a national audience. Up to that point, he was known for his status as a former two-sport high school star, but this 2-for-3 performance with a home run cemented him as a baseball prospect. He was in the big leagues by the next year, in the major league All-Star Game the year after that and then on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

2004, Houston: OK, back in the game now after missing a couple of years, I thought the most notable aspect of this game was the sheer number of uberphenoms in the game, with David Wright and B.J. Upton probably the two most notable examples. The BP in this game was the best of any, just for consistent mashing—and Minute Maid Park's short porch in left didn't hurt.

Late addition Aaron Hill was the MVP, but honestly the player who sticks out most in my memory is Joel Guzman, just because of how big he was. I'm 6-foot-6 so not many baseball players can look me in the eye, but he certainly could.

2005, Detroit: Other than being amazed by the urban decay in Detroit, this was a chance for Justin Verlander and Joel Zumaya to give Tigers fans a taste of what was to come. Frequent Futures Gamer Justin Huber was the MVP, but the pitchers were the ones who stood out this year. Verlander started the game for the U.S. and Zumaya pitched the fourth, and both pitched a scoreless inning. Six pitchers topped 95 mph, including Zumaya, who touched 99.

2006, Pittsburgh: Pittsburgh may be the most underrated city to have hosted the game, so how about we give the good people of Pittsburgh a decent baseball team at some point? Billy Butler gave the Royals back-to-back MVPs, and made a strong impression with his home run in an 11-hit U.S. attack.

2007, San Francisco: Hard to argue with watching a game at AT&T Park, and when you get to see Jay Bruce pound the ball off the wall and leg out a triple, well, then you know you must be living right. Justin Upton's home run was also impressive, in a game that was actually dominated by World pitching.