Mound Musings: The 2023 Futures Game

Mound Musings: The 2023 Futures Game

It has long been one of the highlights of my season. The Futures Game is a showcase of exceptional talent, both in the batter's box and on the mound. I mean, where else can you see so many flashy young arms on their way up, and all pitching in the same place on the same day? Admittedly, it is a little disappointing that they typically only throw one inning, but there are a lot of things to watch for. 

As it always is, despite being rather thin on what I consider blue chip talent, this was yet another interesting Futures Game. Simply put, a lot of the very best young arms are already in the major leagues. Still, I think several pitchers featured in this year's Futures Game could eventually be impact players, and there are a few guys you need to have on your watch list (see my notes below). If you are in a dynasty league, a couple of these guys should probably already be rostered.

Tink Hence (Cardinals)

Possibly the diamond in this year's game, Hence has a very high ceiling. His fastball with movement sits upper 90s, and he owns a plus slider to go with it right now. Add in an improving curve (that is nasty) and a change-up – both are perhaps already passable – so you can mark him ready as soon as he garners a bit more experience and locks in a release point. That's the only hold up. The 20-year-old can still go through command struggles. It doesn't seem like he misses the strike zone so much, but rather he gets too much of it, leading to some hard contact. Honestly, I'd rather see a young pitcher missing in the zone at this stage of his career, so no real worries. He's knocking on the door of my kids list, and if Hence continues to develop, he could eventually slot into the Cardinals rotation, possibly even as high as a legitimate No. 2. 

Mick Abel (Phillies)

As a 21-year-old, Abel could be promoted to Triple-A fairly soon. At his age you might expect him to be pitching at Low-A, but he's already been there in 2022, and at High-A. So, the high school draftee being a wispy 6-foot-5, has discovered finding a consistent release point can be a serious challenge. This year, Abel has logged 70 strikeouts in 61 innings, but they have come with 35 walks. The free passes have been a problem at every level. Abel knows how to use his height, as he gets a lot of extension, making his upper 90s fastball seem even faster. That's his bread and butter. His secondary pitches are still works in progress (although they show good potential) but that fastball with movement is what makes him so promising right now. The challenge will be finding consistency. He's the No. 2 prospect in the Phillies system (behind the highly touted Andrew Painter), but he has to show major progress soon.

Owen White (Rangers)

A classic power pitcher, White has spent time in Double-A and Triple-A this season, and he actually made a cameo in Texas about a month ago. The two innings against the Angels didn't go well (four hits and three runs), but with his live arm, he just needs to harness everything. Last year in the Arizona Fall League, White commanded his four-pitch mix, which led to him being named pitcher of the year in that high-profile league. His command has been on and off this season, perhaps partially because of him missing the second half last year with a forearm injury. His strikeout rate has also declined a bit as he has moved up, but I think that will level out as he gets comfortable with more advanced hitters. Basically, he just needs to stay healthy.

Jacob Misiorowski (Brewers)

I'm going to say he might have been the most fun to watch in the Futures Game. Because these guys knew it was a maximum one inning, they really aired it out. Misiorowski was no exception. I don't think he threw a fastball under triple digits, and his slider was biting, making that heat look even hotter. He did allow a single, but it was a bloop, and the three outs he recorded were all via the strikeout. He just turned 21, has just around 50 pro innings, and he was just promoted to Double-A Biloxi. That qualifies as fast track. Right now, he works with a three-pitch mix – fastball, slider, and curve – so he will likely need a change if he's going to be a MLB starter. Personally, I'd like to see him get some high-leverage relief innings with the Brewers, but I'm the greedy type. Milwaukee is much more likely to take it slower and see if he can develop a starter's repertoire. His day might not be as soon as I would like, but his day will come.

Yosver Zulueta (Blue Jays)

Here's an interesting arm – a repeater on the futures Game watch list. If it weren't for bad luck, Zulueta might have no luck at all, or so it seems. The righty signed as an amateur out of Cuba in 2019, and almost immediately underwent Tommy John surgery. Okay, that happens. Move ahead to 2021. He makes his first start for Low-A Dunedin, and the first batter hits a ball requiring him to cover first base. He takes a bad step, torn ACL, knee surgery, see you next year. So now it's 2022. He starts at Dunedin, dominates there, moves to High-A Vancouver with no problems, so it's on to Double-A New Hampshire. He suffers some knee and shoulder woes, but still makes Triple-A before the season ends. Over the winter, Toronto adds him to the 40-man to protect him. This spring he received consideration to stick with the Jays, but it didn't happen, and his control abandoned him (34 walks in 42 innings). He has a zippy fastball that jumps on hitters, and his other pitches show a lot of potential. He looks like a serious sleeper.

And, here are some Futures Game short takes:

I have only seen him a couple times, but 23-year-old lefty Joey Cantillo is making an impression. Cleveland acquired him from San Diego, and the oft-injured arm has now been promoted to Triple-A. Another I haven't seen a lot of is the Met's Mike Vasil. He's also now at Triple-A and has logged 80 strikeouts in just 69 innings, so maybe it's time to have a closer look. The 20 walks are an obvious problem, but the raw stuff is there. One more I had on my list is San Francisco's Carson Whisenhunt who recently made the jump to Double-A. He's not ready for prime time yet, but he does have an exceptional change-up so pretty high potential with more seasoning at Richmond. 

Some Notable Rotation Happenings:

The Cubs Justin Steele has been on a roll all season, but even he can lose it from time to time. In his last start against Boston, he coughed up five runs in the fifth inning, inflating his ERA to 2.96. It really wasn't that bad as much of the damage (other than a homer by Masataka Yoshida) simply found holes.

I think the Royals' Brady Singer should send me a little financial stipend. He carries an ugly 5.70 ERA, but every time I watch, he looks like a world-beater. In his last start against Tampa Bay, he was twirling a shutout, but I changed channels in the seventh inning, and he got tagged for four runs in the eighth. 

Atlanta's Michael Soroka is back on the hill, and (crossing my fingers) maybe we're seeing some positive signs. He's appeared in just five games, including one three-inning relief appearance, but it looks like he's settling in. He allowed a homer to Luis Robert, but he also threw 25 of 30 pitches for strikes.

He's back. Baltimore's Grayson Rodriguez returned from Triple-A Norfolk and was cruising through his first start until the sixth inning. He put a couple runners on, and one scored before he departed. The bullpen then melted down (allowing more baserunners and eventually a grand slam) that erased his lead. 

Endgame Odyssey:

Ring around the rosie … the Rangers have announced Will Smith will share the closer's role with fellow southpaw Aroldis Chapman Obviously, he has plenty of closing experience, but Smith has been excellent, and mixing roles sometimes creates problems. It's mid-July and the Nats Hunter Harvey just made his first trip to the IL. That has to be a record. The team tried to protect him, but handling closing duties was likely just too much. Kyle Finnegan probably steps back in, assuming he isn't dealt, but here are a couple others to monitor. Both Carl Edwards and Tanner Rainey could be back soon. The Rockies have come up with a new way to frustrate fantasy owners. It's bad enough their bullpen pitches in Coors Field, but they also shuffle roles. Daniel Bard had worked his way back into high-leverage situations with Pierce Johnson bowing out, but Bard is still struggling to throw strikes, so he could share save chances with Justin Lawrence. The Red Sox are over .500 but they are near the bottom in the AL East. Might they consider dealing Kenley Jansen as the deadline approaches? I think if they don't reel off a string of wins in the next few days, it's a very good possibility. Chris Martin is my best guess for a potential handcuff. Even the Dodgers are eliciting head scratches. Earlier this week Ryan Brasier logged a save in a game Evan Phillips had not pitched.

Drrrrrrrrrrrrmmmmmmmmm. A little drum roll please. Next week we're going to discuss some arms that could change latitudes (a favorite performance angle) as the trading deadline looms. Included – are you ready for this – my exclusive prediction as to what cap Shohei Ohtani will be wearing on August 1. Don't miss it!