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 of the pitchers featured in this year's Futures Game could eventually be impact players, and there are a few arms 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.
Noah Schultz (White Sox)
He was top of my list for this game. He's 6'10" and so am I to start, but he's also a southpaw with a little wildness like Randy Johnson in his early days. Watching him pitch always reminds me of the song, "U Can't Touch This." This outing was disappointing. He allowed a bloop single, a groundball that bounced off his leg, and then he missed his spot and the pitch ended up in the seats. We'll
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 of the pitchers featured in this year's Futures Game could eventually be impact players, and there are a few arms 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.
Noah Schultz (White Sox)
He was top of my list for this game. He's 6'10" and so am I to start, but he's also a southpaw with a little wildness like Randy Johnson in his early days. Watching him pitch always reminds me of the song, "U Can't Touch This." This outing was disappointing. He allowed a bloop single, a groundball that bounced off his leg, and then he missed his spot and the pitch ended up in the seats. We'll give him a mulligan.
Jurrangelo Cijntje (Mariners)
Okay, at least part of his appeal is a "special" ability, but regardless, you just don't see a switch-pitcher every day. And, maybe more unique, he's the real deal – to a point. He can effectively throw with either arm, but it's effectiveness has limitations. To me, he looks like two different pitchers. Right-handed he looks like a starter developing a repertoire to compete as a starter. He is consistently in the upper 90s, and while his command isn't perfect, it appears to be coming. As a lefty, he looks a bit more like a reliever/specialist. He's lower 90s, and it's more off speed and breaking stuff.
Jonah Tong (Mets)
He pitched one uneventful inning early in the game. He didn't allow a baserunner while striking out one. He has been practically untouchable at Double-A Binghamton, and this outing should only help his chances of being bumped up to Triple-A Syracuse in the near future. I'd really like to see more of Tong, as he has impressed me with his cool demeanor.
Thomas White (Marlins)
His had maybe the most frustrating outing. He wasn't hitting his spots, and he wasn't holding baserunners. He walked a couple, gave up a hit and allowed one run, but it could have been worse. He ended up tossing 30 pitches in the inning. White he is certainly better than this; I have seen him focused and effective.
Trey Yesavage (Blue Jays)
Oh the frustration, LOL. As I mentioned, my biggest wish would be the chance to see more of the pitchers I really wanted to see. Yesavage was high on the list, and I got to see one batter. His calling card is a sharp splitter that explodes on the hitter. The hitter he faced struck out, chasing a ball out of the zone. Stay in touch with him.
Gage Jump (A's)
He was also on my list to watch, but this will be brief – as in four pitches brief. The lefty recorded two outs without allowing a baserunner. All four pitches were strikes, which backs up the reports that he does have solid command. The biggest question he faces is whether his future lies in a rotation spot or in the bullpen.
Travis Sykora (Nationals)
One of my favorite kids, Sykora was scheduled to appear in the Futures Game, but he did not pitch due to injury. He currently has a sore triceps and is expected to miss two to three weeks. Sykora has worked his way up the list and could see the majors later this season.
And, here are some Futures Game short takes:
George Klassen of the Angels has a hot arm (touches triple digits), but his resume is full of command questions. They have cleaned up his motion somewhat, and his control has improved. Keep an eye on him. One they kind of snuck in on me was Houston's Alimber Santa. I wasn't very familiar with him, but I saw some things I liked. His breaking stuff was better than his fastball, although the word is we didn't see his best hard stuff. As a reliever he'll need more to get into higher-leverage innings. And, Carson Whisenhunt displayed a great feel for his off-speed stuff including a strikeout of the first batter he faced on three nasty breaking balls.
Some Notable Rotation Happenings:
- The Yankees' Max Fried struggled through a short outing last weekend, allowing nine baserunners and four runs (three earned over just three innings. However, it was reported he was suffering from a blister, which could have contributed. That is unlikely to be a problem going forward, and he should be ready for his next start.
- Last weekend, the Mets' Frankie Montas (2-1) allowed a run on four hits and struck out five without walking a batter over five-plus innings to earn the win Saturday over the Royals. He really appears to be rounding into form, which might be a tip off for a nice second half. He missed the first half of the season with a lat strain.
- The Red Sox have lost Hunter Dobbins for the remainder of the 2025 season with a torn ACL (knee). Over the short term that opens a spot for the mediocre Richard Fitts, but they hope to have Tanner Houck back near the end of July.
- Milwaukee's Brandon Woodruff continues to show he is likely to round into form for the second half. He has given up three homeruns, but he has struck out 18 without issuing a walk over just 10 innings. I think he's a good one to pursue, but you better hurry.
- Yusei Kikuchi came out of his last start in the sixth inning after taking a line drive off his throwing (left) shoulder. He actually stayed in the game for one more batter (a single), but then left with two outs in the inning. The team announced it was precautionary with the All-Star break on tap, but stay tuned for further updates.
- My smoke and mirrors award for today goes to Miami's Janson Junk. They moved him to the rotation, and he has a 4-1 record with a 2.63 ERA. It's not that his stuff is really "junk," but he doesn't miss enough bats to maintain this. The good news is he tends to stay around the strike zone, but I expect hitters to catch on with more familiarity.
Endgame Odyssey:
In what could be the first impactful deadline deal. The Mets' Edwin Diaz tossed two scoreless innings to record a save last weekend. Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase did the same. By itself you might not give it a second thought, but it's becoming more common these days. It's actually a symptom of a growing problem. The handful of reliable relievers is getting overworked, and as the season progresses, they'll get tired, and you'll see more and more bullpen meltdowns. The Rockies have deployed a committee at closer including Victor Vodnik and Seth Halvorsen. Both have decent, but not really dominating, stuff, but I'll give the edge to Halvorsen. Arizona pretty much has its back to the wall. Kevin Ginkel has to hope his past experience closing comes in handy as the injury-riddled D'Backs just don't have many options. The Dodgers dropped another tough game heading into the break. Tanner Scott was asked to protect a 2-0 lead, but he allowed a single followed by a pinch-hit homer, earning him his seventh blown save. They need to do better, but who, Alex Vesia? Kirby Yates?
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A little drumroll please...Next week we're going to discuss some arms that could make a huge difference as we recap the first-year player draft.
Find out which projected starters are going and when with RotoWire's Probable Pitchers page!
