SAN DIEGO -- Rockies No. 2 prospect David Dahl had his arm tested in center field immediately after entering Sunday's SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in the top of the sixth inning. The World Team would come back to win, 11-3, but it looked as though Dahl might be the hero when that frame ended.
With the U.S. Team ahead, 3-1, Dahl fielded a single from Josh Naylor and attempted to throw out Eloy Jimenez at the plate, but the throw, which was tracked at 95.6 mph by Statcast™, was a little late, and the lead was cut to one run.
"The first one, I came in, [I] just tried to get rid of it pretty quick, tried keep it low and hit my cut," Dahl said. "It was kind of like a warmup throw. I got another."
:: 2016 Futures Game coverage ::
Dahl's second opportunity came with the very next at-bat, when Carlos Asuaje's single up the middle threatened to score Naylor and allow the World Team to tie the score at 3.
"So the [second] one, I was like, 'I can't let this guy score,'" Dahl said. "So I let it go a little bit."
Dahl fielded the ball, hesitated for a split second and realized that Naylor was rounding third and heading for home. He fired a 96.7-mph strike to catcher Carson Kelley, who barely needed to move his mitt to record the final out of the inning and keep the U.S. ahead 3-2.
The throw reinforced the talk about the 22-year-old Dahl's defensive prowess and helped Nate Smith and the U.S. out of a potential jam, even though the World Team would make a late comeback to win.
"It was an amazing experience to play with all those guys, in front of that many people in a stadium like San Diego," Dahl said. "I couldn't ask for anything better. I wish we would have got the win, but it was unbelievable. Something I'll never forget."
In 82 games between Double- and Triple-A with the Colorado farm system this season, Dahl has hit .296/.380/.529 with 15 home runs and 16 stolen bases.