Last 2 No. 2 picks headline Futures Game rosters
Written by I Dig SportsThe last two No. 2 overall Major League Baseball draft picks will play for the National League in the All-Star Futures Game featuring top prospects.
Washington's Dylan Crews, the second pick in 2023, and Arizona's Druw Jones (2022) headline a group that includes a dozen former first-round selections on both the National League and American League rosters. The teams were announced on Tuesday for the July 13 game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
Crews is ranked as MLB's No. 4 overall prospect by Baseball America while Jones is the Diamondbacks' No. 3 prospect. The Detroit Tigers' No. 3 pick in last year's draft, Max Clark, is among the former first-rounders on the AL team. He is rated as the Tigers' top hitting prospect and the No. 10 overall prospect in the majors.
The game will be followed by a hitting contest before the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game.
Two former Texas Rangers stars will serve as managers. Four-time All-Star Adrian Beltre, a 2024 Hall of Fame selection, will manage the AL Futures team. Seven-time All-Star Michael Young, the 2005 American League batting champion, leads the NL team.
The seven-inning game features top minor league prospects competing as part of All-Star Saturday. The National League vs. American League format was introduced in 2019 after 20 years of U.S. vs. World matchups.
Major League Baseball, the MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and the 30 Major League Clubs selected the 27 players named to each team. That includes 25 active players and two inactive players designated for injury/call-up replacements. Each Major League organization is represented and players from all player development leagues were eligible.
Nasim Nunez drove in three runs to lead the NL to a 5-0 victory last year in Seattle.
Of past players from past Futures Games, 87.9% have gone on to play in at least one major league game, while 232 total players (20.7%) have been selected to play in at least one Major League All-Star Game.