AFL alums dominate Futures Game rosters
The Arizona Fall League is still doing an outstanding job at predicting the future.
The lineups for the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game were released Friday, and 18 of the players who will play in the prospect showcase have already been featured in the Arizona Fall League. Some of the others may well play in this year's edition of the AFL, but 36 percent of the 50 players have already starred out west.
Fourteen of the 18 players with AFL ties played in Arizona last fall -- a group headlined by Houston prospect Mark Appel, the top overall selection in the 2013 MLB Draft, and Josh Bell. Bell is the Pirates' No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. He began his transition to first base in Arizona last fall.
Shortstop Trea Turner, who was recently sent to the Nationals as a player to be named later, played in last year's Arizona Fall League while still a member of the San Diego organization. Aaron Judge, No. 2 on the Yankees' prospect list, was named to the AFL's All-Prospect Team last fall.
The U.S. Team will be especially heavy with AFL alumni. Nearly half of the team's players -- 12 of 25 -- have played in the AFL at some point during their journey. The World Team features six prospects who have competed against the best the AFL has to offer.
Here's a list of the players involved and the corresponding teams they played for in the AFL:
U.S. Team
Mark Appel, RHP, HOU (2014 Salt River Rafters)
Zach Davies, RHP, BAL (2014 Glendale Desert Dogs)
C.J. Edwards, RHP, CHC (2014 Mesa Solar Sox)
Josh Bell, 1B, PIT (2013 Scottsdale Scorpions)
Matt Olson, 1B, OAK (2014 Mesa Solar Sox)
Richie Shaffer, IF, TB (2012 Phoenix Desert Dogs, 2013 Salt River Rafters)
Trevor Story, IF, COL (2014 Salt River Rafters)
Trea Turner, SS, WSH (2014 Salt River Rafters while with SD organization)
Aaron Judge, OF, NYY (2014 Scottsdale Scorpions)
Brandon Nimmo, OF, NYM (2014 Scottsdale Scorpions)
Kyle Waldrop, 1B, CIN (2014 Surprise Saguaros)
Nick Williams, OF, TEX (2014 Surprise Saguaros)
World Team
Frankie Montas, RHP, CWS (2014 Glendale Desert Dogs)
Elias Diaz, C, PIT (2014 Scottsdale Scorpions)
Cheslor Cuthbert, IF, KC (2013 Peoria Javelinas)
Max Kepler, 1B, MIN (2014 Salt River Rafters)
Raul Adalberto Mondesi, SS, KC (2014 Peoria Javelinas)
Yorman Rodriguez, OF, CIN (2013 Glendale Desert Dogs)