2017 Futures Game U.S. Rosters And Scouting Reports

Rosters and scouting reports on the players in the 2017 Futures Game, set for July 9 in Marlins Park in Miami. The World Rosters can be found here.


Beau Burrows, RHP

Tigers (Double-A Erie)
Age: 20. Ht: 6-2. Wt: 200. B-T: R-R.
Source: Weatherford (Texas) HS.
Career Transactions: Selected by Tigers in first round (22nd overall) of 2015 draft.
Background: When the Tigers drafted Burrows in 2015, he was their first first-round high school pitcher since Jacob Turner in 2009.
What To Watch For: Burrows has taken a step forward this year as the quality of his 92-95 mph fastball and his downer curveball have both improved.


Jon Duplantier, RHP

Diamondbacks (High Class A Visalia)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 225. B-T: L-R.
Source: Rice.
Career Transactions: Selected by Diamondbacks in third round of 2016 draft.
Background: Duplantier fell in the draft because he missed his 2015 season with a shoulder injury. He missed time with an elbow injury in 2016 as well, but neither injury required surgery.
What To Watch For: Healthy again, Duplantier blitzed through the Midwest League in the first half of the season showing pinpoint control to go with above-average stuff.


Jack Flaherty, RHP

Cardinals (Triple-A Memphis)
Age: 21. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 205. B-T: R-R.
Source: Harvard-Westlake HS, Los Angeles.
Career Transactions: Selected by Cardinals in first round (34th overall) of 2014 draft.
Background: A teammate of Max Fried and Lucas Giolito at Los Angeles’ Harvard-Westlake High, Flaherty became the school’s third first-round pick in three years when the Cardinals picked him in 2014.
What To Watch For: Flaherty has always known how to pitch, but his velocity and the firmness of his stuff has gotten better and better as a pro, giving him the ability to dot corners with a plus fastball.


Foster Griffin, LHP

Royals (Double-A Northwest Arkansas)
Age: 21. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 200. B-T: L-L.
Source: The First Academy, Orlando.
Career Transactions: Selected by Royals in first round (28th overall) of 2014 draft.
Background: Griffin was a high school teammate of 2017 first-round pick Adam Haseley. The two combined to help The First Academy become the only non-California school to win the prestigious National High School Invitational Tournament.
What To Watch For: Griffin has seen the quality of his stuff tick up this year which has allowed him to be more aggressive in attacking hitters.


Jimmy Herget, RHP

Reds (Triple-A Louisville)
Age: 23. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 170. B-T: R-R.
Source: South Florida.
Career Transactions: Selected by Reds in sixth round of 2015 draft.
Background: The Reds have drafted a number of college relievers who they then moved into the starting rotation. In Herget’s case, they moved a college starter into the bullpen and it’s worked out.
What To Watch For: Herget is an incredible crafty righthander who can shock a hitter by changing his arm angles, but he’s crafty while also throwing in the mid-to-high-90s.


Brent Honeywell, RHP

Rays (Triple-A Durham)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 180. B-T: R-R.
Source: Walters State (Tenn.) JC.
Career Transactions: Selected by Rays in supplemental second round of 2014 draft.
Background: Undrafted out of high school, Honeywell was a top draft prospect just a year later coming out of junior college thanks to velocity improvements that have continued into pro ball.
What To Watch For: Yes, Honeywell throws a really good screwball, but even without such an obscure pitch, the rest of his offerings are all potentially above-average pitches.


Michael Kopech, RHP

White Sox (Double-A Birmingham)
Age: 21. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 205. B-T: R-R.
Source: Mount Pleasant (Texas) HS.
Career Transactions: Selected by Red Sox in first round (33rd overall) of 2014 draft … Traded by Red Sox with three others to White Sox for LHP Chris Sale, Dec. 6, 2016.
Background: Kopech has long been one of the hardest throwing pitchers in the minors. Last year he struck out 14 batters per nine innings.
What To Watch For: Kopech should be good for 100 mph in a one-inning short stint, but it’s how well he controls his fastball and slider that will determine how much longer he needs in the minors.


Triston McKenzie, RHP

Indians (High Class A Lynchburg)
Age: 19. Ht.: 6-5. Wt.: 165. B-T: R-R.
Source: Royal Palm Beach (Fla.) HS.
Career Transactions: Selected by Indians in supplemental first round (42nd overall) of 2015 draft.
Background: There are few skinnier pitchers in the minors than McKenzie, a long and lanky 6-foot-5 righthander with a fast arm and very little meat on his bones.
What To Watch For: McKenzie may be skinny, but he needs no projection when it comes to his stuff. He has a swing-and-miss low-to-mid-90s fastball and a promising curveball that can carve up hitters.


A.J. Puk, LHP

Athletics (Double-A Midland)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-7. Wt.: 220. B-T: L-L.
Source: Florida.
Career Transactions: Selected by Athletics in first round (sixth overall) of 2016 draft.
Background: Puk was a significant prospect coming out of Iowa in 2013. Three years later, he had developed into a top prospect pitching in Florida’s loaded rotation.
What To Watch For: Puk gets excellent downhill plane on his mid-90s fastball and his slider has sharpened up this year, making him deadly on lefties–they had no extra base hits against him in the first three months of the season.


Tanner Scott, LHP

Orioles (Double-A Bowie)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 220. B-T: R-L
Source: Howard (Texas) JC.
Career Transactions: Selected by Orioles in sixth round of 2014 draft.
Background: Scott has been the hardest-throwing lefty in the Orioles system for several years, as he can touch 100 mph at his best, but until this year, his wildness too often left him behind in counts.
What To Watch For: Scott has made significant strides this year in throwing more strikes. If he stays around the zone, he can mow down hitters.


POSITION PLAYERS

Zack Collins, C

White Sox (High Class A Winston-Salem)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 220. B-T: L-R.
Source: Miami.
Career Transactions: Selected by White Sox in first round (10th overall) of 2016 draft.
Background: It was a great year for catchers in the Atlantic Coast Conference last year as three different ACC catchers were picked in the first round. Collins was the first picked thanks to a long-track record of power.
What To Watch For: Collins has power potential, but watch to see how well he receives during the game, as that’s the biggest item on his to-do list.


Chance Sisco, C

Orioles (Triple-A Norfolk)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 195. B-T: L-R.
Source: Santiago HS, Corona, Calif.
Career Transactions: Selected by Orioles in second round of 2013 draft.
Background: A high school shortstop turned catcher, Sisco boasts a career batting average of nearly .320 in the minors with his sweet lefthanded swing.
What To Watch For: Sisco is one the game’s best catching prospects due to his elite hitting skill, including the ability to drive the ball to all fields and get on base with discerning eye for the strike zone.


Rhys Hoskins, 1B

Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley)
Age: 24. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 225. B-T: R-R.
Source: Sacramento State.
Career Transactions: Selected by Phillies in fifth round of 2014 draft.
Background: Hoskins hit at Sacramento State. He hit in the summer Cape Cod League. And all he’s done since the Phillies drafted him is hit wherever he’s sent, including 38 home runs last year in Reading.
What To Watch For: Hoskins has plus power potential, but he marries it with a very good understanding of the strike zone and a swing that produces line drives in addition to long bombs.


Ryan McMahon, 1B/3B

Rockies (Triple-A Albuquerque)
Age: 22 Ht.: 6-2. Wt.: 185. B-T: L-R.
Source: Mater Dei HS, Santa Ana, Calif.
Career Transactions: Selected by Rockies in second round of 2013 draft.
Background: A two-sport star who was a prolific quarterback in high school, McMahon has quickly risen through the Rockies system and been prolific driving in runs his entire career.
What To Watch For: McMahon is capable of playing multiple positions across the diamond and has the bat to profile at any of them. Athletic, powerful and skilled, McMahon can affect the game in many different ways.


Scott Kingery, 2B

Phillies (Triple-A Lehigh Valley)
Age: 23. Ht.: 5-10. Wt.: 180. B-T: R-R.
Source: Arizona.
Career Transactions: Selected by Phillies in second round of 2015 draft.
Background: Kingery led the Pacific-12 Conference with a .392 batting average the year he was drafted in 2015. He has continued hitting in pro ball to become one of the Phillies’ best prospects.
What To Watch For: Kingery is capable of driving any pitch, and his emerging power and top-flight speed complement that elite hitting ability to make him an offensive force.


Bo Bichette, SS

Blue Jays (Low Class A Lansing)
Age: 19. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 200. B-T: R-R.
Source: Lakewood HS, St. Petersburg, Fla.
Career Transactions: Selected by Blue Jays in second round of 2016 draft.
Background: The son of former all-star outfielder Dante Bichette, Bo has channeled his father and been an offensive terror with a career .402 batting average and 1.109 OPS since entering pro ball.
What To Watch For: One of the youngest players in the Futures Game, Bichette will get the chance to show his skills will play against older competition and solidify his place as an elite prospect.


Nick Gordon, SS

Twins (Double-A Chattanooga)
Age: 21. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 160. B-T: L-R.
Source: Olympia HS, Orlando.
Career Transactions: Selected by Twins in first round (fifth overall) of 2014 draft.
Background: Gordon comes from an all-star family. His father Tom was an all-star closer for the Red Sox and Phillies, and his older half-brother Dee is currently an all-star second baseman for the Marlins.
What To Watch For: With a cannon for an arm and a line-drive stroke that produces a high volume of doubles and triples, Gordon is one of the finest all-around shortstop prospects in the game.


Brendan Rodgers, SS/2B

Rockies (Double-A Hartford)
Age: 20. Ht.: 6-0. Wt.: 180. B-T: R-R.
Source: Lake Mary (Fla.) HS.
Career Transactions: Selected by Rockies in first round (third overall) of 2015 draft.
Background: Considered the best Florida prep shortstop since Manny Machado as an amateur, Rodgers met those comparisons by hitting .400 in the first half of this season to earn a promotion to Double-A.
What To Watch For: With the ability to hit for average and power, highlight-reel range at shortstop and plus arm strength, Rodgers is one of the most electrifying prospects in the game today.


Brian Anderson, 3B
Miami Marlins
Marlins (Double-A Jacksonville)
Age: 24. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 185. B-T: R-R.
Source: Arkansas.
Career Transactions: Selected by Marlins in third round of 2014 draft.
Background: Anderson led the Arizona Fall League in home runs and has carried his power into this season, tying his career-high in home runs by the last week of June.
What To Watch For: Big and strong in his 6-foot-3 frame, Anderson is capable of punishing baseballs into the gaps or over the fences. With one swing of the bat, Anderson can change a game.


Nick Senzel, 3B

Reds (Double-A Pensacola)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 205. B-T: R-R.
Source: Tennessee.
Career Transactions: Selected by Reds in first round (second overall) of 2016 draft.
Background: Senzel hit .300 or better all three years at Tennessee and was the Cape Cod League MVP in 2015. He has reached Double-A already only one year after being drafted.
What To Watch For: Considered one of the most polished hitters in his draft class and every level of the minors since, Senzel pounds doubles into the gaps regularly while showcasing excellent arm strength and accuracy at third base.


Lewis Brinson, OF

Brewers (Triple-A Colorado Springs)
Age: 23. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 195. B-T: R-R.
Source: Coral Springs (Fla.) HS.
Career Transactions: Selected by Rangers in first round (29th overall) of 2012 draft … Traded by Rangers with two others to Brewers for C Jonathan Lucroy and RHP Jeremy Jeffress, Aug. 1, 2016.
Background: Brinson is a physical specimen who has long caught scouts’ eyes for his blend of size, speed and power. His steady rise up the minors culminated in his big league debut in June.
What To Watch For: Brinson is a perennial 20-20 threat who can also play Gold Glove-caliber defense in the outfield. At any time, he is capable of make a jaw-dropping play.


Derek Fisher, OF

Astros (Triple-A Fresno)
Age: 23. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 205. B-T: L-R.
Source: Virginia.
Career Transactions: Selected by Astros in supplemental first round (37th overall) of 2014 draft.
Background: A broken hamate bone in his hand ruined Fisher’s draft year at Virginia, but the Astros loved his power-speed combo and took him with a first-day pick anyway. It’s paid off.
What To Watch For: Fisher has some of the best power in the Astros organization as well as plus speed. He can drive the ball out of the park or beat out an infield single, depending on the at-bat.


Corey Ray, OF

Brewers (High Class A Carolina)
Age: 22. Ht.: 5-11. Wt.: 185. B-T: L-L.
Source: Louisville.
Career Transactions: Selected by Brewers in first round (fifth overall) of 2016 draft.
Background: A power-speed dynamo at Louisville, Ray hasn’t had a smooth, easy ride in pro ball yet. He was part of the minors’ losingest team last season at high Class A Brevard County, then tore his left meniscus in his knee last October
What To Watch For: Ray has overcome his injury, with his speed playing more than his power so far as a pro. He has the ability to be a potential five-tool center fielder


Bryan Reynolds, OF

Giants (High Class A San Jose)
Age: 22. Ht.: 6-3. Wt.: 205. B-T: S-R.
Source: Vanderbilt.
Career Transactions: Selected by Giants in second round of 2016 draft.
Background: Reynolds started on Vandebilt teams that reached back-to-back College World Series finals in 2014-15, including being the leading hitter as a freshman on the 2014 team that won the national title .
What To Watch For: Reynolds mixes collegiate polish with loud physical tools, including big raw power, excellent speed and the ability to patrol center field with grace and ease.


Kyle Tucker, OF

Astros (Double-A Corpus Christi)
Age: 20. Ht.: 6-4. Wt.: 190. B-T: L-L.
Source: Plant HS, Tampa.
Career Transactions: Selected by Astros in first round (fifth overall) of 2015 draft.
Background: The 2015 High School Player of the Year is on his way to joining his older brother Preston as a big league Tucker. He took advantage of new digs at high Class A Buies Creek and hit his way to Double-A in his second pro season.
What To Watch For: Tucker’s long, lean frame, fluid swing and knack for the barrel invite comparisons to Marlins all-star Christian Yelich.


2017 U.S. FUTURES GAME ROSTER
Pitchers (10)
Player  B/T Ht Wt DOB Team (Org)
Beau Burrows R/R 6-2 200 9/18/96 Double-A Erie (Tigers)
Jon Duplantier L/R 6-4 225 7/11/94 High Class A Visalia (Diamondbacks)
Jack Flaherty R/R 6-4 205 10/15/95 Triple-A Memphis (Cardinals)
Foster Griffin R/L 6-3 200 7/27/95 Double-A Northwest Arkansas (Royals)
Jimmy Herget R/R 6-3 170 9/9/93 Triple-A Louisville (Reds)
Brent Honeywell R/R 6-2 180 3/31/95 Triple-A Durham (Rays)
Michael Kopech R/R 6-3 205 4/30/96 Double-A Birmingham (White Sox)
Triston McKenzie R/R 6-5 165 8/2/97 High Class A Lynchburg (Indians)
A.J. Puk L/L 6-7 220 4/25/95 Double-A Midland (Athletics)
Tanner Scott R/L 6-2 220 7/22/94 Double-A Bowie (Orioles)
Catchers (2)
Zack Collins L/R 6-3 220 2/6/95 High Class A Winston-Salem (White Sox)
Chance Sisco L/R 6-2 195 2/24/95 Triple-A Norfolk (Orioles)
Infielders (8)
Brian Anderson R/R 6-3 185 5/19/93 Double-A Jacksonville (Marlins)
Bo Bichette R/R 6-0 200 3/5/98 Low Class A Lansing (Blue Jays)
Nick Gordon L/R 6-0 160 10/24/95 Double-A Chattanooga (Twins)
Rhys Hoskins R/R 6-4 225 3/17/93 Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Phillies)
Scott Kingery R/R 5-10 180 4/29/94 Triple-A Lehigh Valley (Phillies)
Ryan McMahon L/R 6-2 185 10/14/94 Triple-A Albuquerque (Rockies)
Brendan Rodgers R/R 6-0 180 8/9/96 Double-A Hartford (Rockies)
Nick Senzel R/R 6-1 205 6/29/95 Double-A Pensacola (Reds)
Outfielders (5)
Lewis Brinson R/R 6-3 195 5/8/94 Triple-A Colorado Springs (Brewers)
Derek Fisher L/R 6-3 205 8/21/93 Triple-A Fresno (Astros)
Corey Ray L/L 5-11 185 9/22/94 High Class A Carolina (Brewers)
Bryan Reynolds S/R 6-3 205 1/27/95 High Class A San Jose (Giants)
Kyle Tucker L/R 6-4 190 1/17/97 Double-A Corpus Christi (Astros)

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