Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jul 10
MLB Futures Game Showcases 3 Elite Prospects as 6 Shortstops Crowd Sunday Spotlight
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Jul 10

MLB Futures Game Showcases 3 Elite Prospects as 6 Shortstops Crowd Sunday Spotlight

3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Jul 10

Summary

  • Sunday’s MLB All-Star Futures Game in Philadelphia will center on top-ranked shortstop Jesus Made, hard-throwing Pirates right-hander Seth Hernandez and 2025 No. 1 pick Eli Willits.
  • Made, still 19, has already reached Double-A and is batting .283/.355/.445, while Hernandez has struck out 107 in 66 innings after Pittsburgh took him sixth in 2025.
  • Willits headlines a deep prep-shortstop group that also includes JoJo Parker and Kayson Cunningham, adding to a six-shortstop logjam among the event’s most watched prospects.
  • Power bats Josue De Paula, Charlie Condon and Ralphy Velazquez add home-run appeal, with Condon carrying 20 homers and an OPS above 1.000 in Triple-A.
  • The annual showcase has recently previewed fast-rising talent before major-league breakthroughs, including Trey Yesavage and Konnor Griffin from last year’s game.

Insights

The game’s MVP wasn’t a hyped prospect. Does this expose flaws in how we rank baseball’s future stars?
While some peers reach MLB, why are the Rockies deliberately slowing a 20-homer prospect's path to the majors?