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In case you missed it, the Futures Game took place yesterday at 2:00 PM EST. Some of the best prospects in baseball were there. The US team, in three consecutive innings, ran out Noah Syndergaard, Taijuan Walker, and Archie Bradley, arguably the three best pitching prospects in the minors.
If you’re unfamiliar, the Futures Game has a "World" team and a "U.S" team, and every organization sends at least one member to participate. Last year, the Tigers sent Nick Castellanos and Bruce Rondon. This year, they sent Jordan Lennerton and James McCann.
James McCann, a 23 year old catcher for Erie, has a .283/.328/.367 line at Double-A this season. I recently ranked him number 13 on my top 30 list. McCann has the ability to become an every day catcher, but I see him as more of a good backup long term. In the game, he grounded out sharply to third.
Jordan Lennerton, a 27 year old first baseman for Toledo, has a .296/.398/.454 line at AAA ball. He didn’t make my top 30 prospects, but has shown an excellent eye at the plate in the minors. Lennerton sports a .381 career on-base percentage in the minor leagues, but it’s important to remember that he’s 27 years old, and still at Triple-A. I wouldn’t say he’s a "non prospect" at this point, but, truth be told, he’s fringy. His swing looked relatively long, and he may have trouble barreling up mlb pitching consistently. If nothing else, he’s a slick fielding first baseman that may be able to draw walks. In the game, he worked a walk against Taijuan Walker, after a lengthy at-bat. He also hit a sacrifice fly to left field.
While neither of these guys are in the class of some of the prospects at the game, it was great to see a two guys who have been having success in the minor leagues get rewarded.
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