Mound Musings: The 2024 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 pitching 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 probably already should be rostered.

Rhett Lowder (Reds)

I have only seen him a couple times as a pro, but 22-year-old righty is making an impression. Cincinnati just bumped him up from High-A Dayton and the college super arm has now been promoted to Double-A Chattanooga. If I confess, he deserves the top spot on this list. His changeup is his best pitch, but his fastball and slider are pretty good, too. He throws all of it for strikes, and despite a rough start to his time in Double-A, he'll adjust. Even his outing at the Futures Game was a case of snakebite – blunders, errors, a misplayed ball in the outfield – which could have led to runs against. You have to have faith. He's not ready quite yet, but his day is coming.

Robby Snelling (Padres)

As a 20-year-old, Snelling is the youngest arm at Double-A and he doesn't look out of place at all. He could even 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 (as well as High-A) in 2023. He spent the end of last season at Double-A San Antonio. So, the high school draftee, being a wispy 6-foot-3, has discovered finding a consistent release point can be a serious challenge. This year, Snelling has logged 70 strikeouts in 63 innings, but they have come with 30 walks. The free passes have been a problem at every level. Snelling  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 trick will be finding consistency.

Brandon Sproat (Mets)

More of a classic power pitcher, Sproat has spent time at High-A Brooklyn and Double-A Binghampton this season, and he actually picked things up a bit after the promotion. He can still be erratic, but with his live arm, he just needs to harness everything. Interestingly, Sproat was actually drafted three different times in the first-year player draft – once by the Rangers, and the last two times by the Mets, who obviously coveted his services. His calling card is a fastball that explodes on the hitter (sometimes touching triple digits). Watching him pitch always reminds me of the song, "U Can't Touch This."

Noah Schultz (White Sox)

I'm going to say he might have been the most fun to watch in the Futures Game. His stuff is electric – albeit the gloves behind him were anything but. The White Sox have certainly set a new standard for flushing the toilet (I don't think they are done), and a team with guys like Schultz is the goal in a few years. The giant (6'9") southpaw is hell on lefty hitters with his arm slot, and unlike most young lefties, he can throw strikes all day long. This season between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, he has issued just 11 walks in 55 innings, allowing him to compile a 0.95 WHIP.

Tink Hence (Cardinals)

Projected to return for this year's game, Hence has a very high ceiling, so this spot was reserved for him. Unfortunately, he didn't appear in the game. He spent the second half at Double-A last year, and is back this year with improving numbers. His fastball with movement sits upper 90s and he owns a plus slider to go with it. Add in an improving curve (that is nasty) and a change-up – both are perhaps already passable – and you can mark him ready as soon as he garners a bit more experience and locks in a release point. That's the only holdup. The 21-year-old can still go through command struggles.

And, here are some Futures Game short takes:

I have only seen him a couple times, too, but 20-year-old righty Fernando Perez is making an impression. Toronto has him working at Single-A Dunedin, so realistically it could be a while before we really see what he has. Another I haven't seen a lot of is the Rangers' Winston Santos. He's now at Double-A, having just been promoted. He got beat up at High-A last season, but logged 81 strikeouts in just 64 innings this year, 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 Ranger I had on my list is Emiliano Teodo who, although he filled the zone in this game, is still working on his command but he has a big fastball and a nearly MLB ready slider.

Some Notable Rotation Happenings:

• The Cubs Justin Steele has been on a roll almost all season, but even he can lose it from time to time. In a couple starts in late May, he got spanked a bit, inflating his ERA to 5.68, but it's been steadily falling, so he entered the All-Star break with a sparkling 2.71 ERA, with an even more impressive 0.95 WHIP.
• The Dodgers moved Yoshinobu Yamamoto to the 60-day injured list. That means he won't be eligible for activation until mid-August, but he just started a throwing program so even with no setbacks he probably won't be ready until then anyway. That should provide plenty of time for him to get ready for the playoffs.
• The Padres' Dylan Cease seemed to be throwing harder than usual today, and the Braves were not hitting him. He allowed just one hit with three walks (and 11 strikeouts) in six shutout innings, but those 18 outs cost him 106 pitches. If he could hit his spots just a little more often, he could get deeper into games.
• Baltimore's Grayson Rodriguez has become a little erratic. He was arguably the staff leader and was cruising through his starts until late June when the Astros got to him for seven runs, and more recently the Yankees posted six runs against him. Hopefully the break helped the youngster get back on track.
• A little bonus coverage from the first-year player-draft last weekend. I was watching for two guys, and the best in the draft, Chase Burns, went second overall to the Cincinnati Reds. Huge arm, a little rough around the edges, but he'll learn a third pitch, and if he does, he has top-of-the-rotation stuff. 
•  The second guy went No. 15 overall to the Mariners. Jurrangelo Cijntje is a "switch pitcher" and it's legitimate. He is better right-handed (he has hit 99 mph from that side) but he is no slouch as a lefty (94 to 95 mph). He switches to lefty as the opponent demands, but I'm looking forward to watching him develop.

Endgame Odyssey:

In what could be the first impactful deadline deal, the Nats sent Hunter Harvey to Kansas City. He's probably a better choice to close than James McArthur, but it may not happen right away. Kyle Finnegan, assuming he isn't dealt, too, is probably locked in now. The clock is ticking for Milwaukee's Trevor Megill who has done a pretty decent job closing, but regular closer Devin Williams began a rehab assignment last weekend and should return shortly after the break. The Blue Jays have anticipated activating Yimi Garcia who has been on the injured list since mid-June. I anticipate him taking over as their closer again until Jordan Romano returns, probably in September. Nothing confirmed just yet but rumors are swirling that Boston's Kenley Jansen would like to find his way back to the Dodgers where he built his incredible career. He would probably be a big boost to their beleaguered bullpen. Stay tuned. It's more trade breezes than trade winds right now, but there are a few competent closers on bad teams who are likely to be targets (like Mason Miller of the A's, Carlos Estevez of the Angels and southpaw Tanner Scott of the Marlins).

Drrrrmmmm. A little drumroll please. Next week we're going to discuss some arms that could change latitudes (a favorite performance angle) as the trading deadline looms.