Top 10 Futures Game performances

Moncada's go-ahead HR nets MVP honors; Bregman racks up 3 hits

July 11th, 2016

SAN DIEGO -- The World team hadn't won a SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game this decade. For most of Sunday afternoon at Petco Park, it appeared it wouldn't again this year.
The World was down to its last five outs when U.S. shortstop Alex Bregman's (Astros) error put the tying run on base. Up came second baseman Yoan Moncada (Red Sox), the best prospect in the Futures Game and arguably the best in baseball. When Anthony Banda (D-backs) hung a changeup, Moncada crushed a 406-foot homer into the upper deck in left field for a 4-3 lead.
Box score
Moncada already had shown off his defensive prowess (making a nice play to throw out speedy Red Sox outfielder Andrew Benintendi in the third inning) and his basestealing ability (easily swiping second base in the fourth and advancing to third on an errant throw by Orioles catcher Chance Sisco). His blast capped his MVP performance, and it was the signature play of what became an 11-3 rout when the World poured on seven runs in the ninth after not scoring that many in a game since 2007.
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"I'm really happy with the game I had and how we all united as a team the entire game," Moncada said. "This is the first time I've played in a big league stadium. This was a great experience for me to be part of the All-Star Game."
Moncada first from Cuba to win Futures MVP
Here are nine other players who provided memorable Futures Game moments:
Eloy Jimenez, OF, Cubs
It's not like the Cubs need another stud position prospect, but here comes Jimenez, the top-rated prospect on the 2013 international market. He's enjoying a breakout season in Class A at age 19 and would have been a worthy MVP choice as well. Jimenez ripped a sixth-inning double to drive in the World's first run, then he jumped over a railing down the right-field line and hung on to make a spectacular catch on a foul ball off the bat of Dylan Cozens (Phillies) in the seventh.
Jimenez on fast track to future with Cubs
"When I hit the wall, I just tried to keep the ball in my glove,'' said Jimenez, who did interviews in English as well as Spanish, the result of work in the Cubs' language program. "If I jump and the ball drops, it's no good."
Jimenez also put the exclamation on the World's seven-run ninth with a three-run homer off Ryne Stanek (Rays), a 401-foot shot that clanked off the third deck of the Western Metal Supply Co. building in left field.

Alex Bregman, 3B/SS, Astros
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 Draft tore up Double-A to start this season and has gotten even hotter since a promotion to Triple-A last week. Bregman looked ready to help Houston on Sunday, when he tripled to right, doubled to center and singled to left in his first three at-bats. He took a 98-mph Alex Reyes (Cardinals) fastball the other way for the triple, hammered a 92-mph Angel Perdomo (Blue Jays) heater for the double and pulled an 84-mph Francisco Rios (Blue Jays) slider for the single.
Bregman making strong case for call to Astros
"I'm excited for the future," Bregman said afterward. "I want to help the Astros win games now. I want to help them win in the postseason. I feel like I can help contribute, and whenever that time comes, I'll be ready."

Alex Reyes, RHP, Cardinals
Reyes was the best prospect in the Futures Game, so it was no surprise that he showcased the best stuff. He hit 100 mph twice and 101 once while averaging 98 with his heater, fanning Clint Frazier (Indians) with a 99-mph bolt and Hunter Renfroe (Padres) with his fastest pitch of the day. Reyes' secondary pitches were working well, too, as he opened the game by whiffing Benintendi on a changeup and later struck out Dansby Swanson (Braves) on a curveball.
Reyes auditions for Cards' bullpen in Futures start
"Reyes has an unbelievable arm," Bregman said. "It was cool to face him. You've got to want to compete with the best of the best and when the pressure's on."

Joe Musgrove, RHP, Astros
Musgrove can't light up radar guns like Reyes can, but the suburban San Diego product did what he does best in front of his home crowd. He threw strikes (eight of his 11 pitches) and got ground balls (three of them) while retiring three of the World's best prospects -- Manuel Margot (Padres), Raimel Tapia (Rockies), Moncada -- in the top of the first.
Chance Sisco, C, Orioles
The only U.S. player who didn't homer during batting practice was the only one who went deep during the game. Sisco pounced on a 93-mph fastball from Rios in the fourth and drove it 401 feet into the seats in left-center.
"I just got a fastball up in the zone and tried to put the barrel on it," Sisco said about his homer. "I didn't think it was going out. Maybe it would be a double. But when I saw it go over the wall, it was awesome."
Sisco is one of the better pure hitters among catching prospects, though his Futures Game homer matches his output in 71 Double-A games this year.

Manuel Margot, OF, Padres
Margot scored two runs and drove in another, but he'll be remembered more for his glove. In the sixth, Carson Kelly (Cardinals) unloaded on a 94-mph Ricardo Pinto (Phillies) fastball, which seemed destined to land over the 396-foot marker in right-center. Margot had other ideas, however, racing over and reaching over the wall to rob Kelly of a homer.
Margot wows with homer-robbing catch
"He catches the ball like no one else," said fellow Padres prospect Renfroe. "His ability to cover ground -- he's gliding and easy. It's like: 'How the heck did you get to that ball?'"

Ryon Healy, DH, Athletics
Healy's production has increased in each of his four years in pro ball, and he's on the verge of contributing in Oakland. He proved he could handle velocity on Sunday, turning on a 99 mph Reyes fastball to double down the left-field line in the second and pulling a 97 mph heater from Dovydas Neverauskas for a single in the eighth.
"I've just been trying to minimize giving away at-bats, too," Healy said. "I'm really keeping my mind and my approach focused after making some key mechanical adjustments."

Reynaldo Lopez, RHP, Nationals
Lopez threw five four-seam fastballs in his perfect inning of work: 99, 99, 99, 100 and 99 mph. He also was the first pitcher to retire Bregman, getting him to foul out to first base on a curveball, and threw seven of 11 pitches for strikes.
Lopez flashes dominating stuff at Futures Game
Carson Fulmer, RHP, White Sox
Drafted eighth overall last June and rushed to Double-A to start his first full pro year, Fulmer battled control woes at the beginning of this season. He had no trouble finding the strike zone on Sunday, however, doing so nine times in 11 tries during a perfect seventh inning. Fulmer averaged 92 mph with his fastball and recorded strikeouts with his changeup (Gary Sanchez, Yankees) and curveball (Dilson Herrera, Mets).