Giolito, Turner to play for US in Futures Game
WASHINGTON -- Right-hander Lucas Giolito and shortstop Trea Turner, two of the Nationals' top prospects, have been selected to represent the team in the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on July 12 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
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"It's a great opportunity for both of them. It's a good chance to be on a national stage and show their talent," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "They are very talented young players. They are improving quickly. It's good for the organization, it's good for them to be able to be a part of that and represent, so good for both of them."
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Giolito, 20, is ranked by MLBPipeline.com as the Nationals' top prospect and No. 4 on the overall Top 100 Prospects list. He will play for the U.S. team in the Futures Game for the second consecutive year. Giolito is 2-4 with a 3.71 ERA, 57 strikeouts and 12 walks for Class A Advanced Potomac. Giolito was named the Nationals' 2014 Minor League Pitcher of the Year after going 10-2 with a 2.20 ERA in 20 starts for Class A Hagerstown. He led Nationals farmhands with 110 strikeouts last year.
Turner, who will also play for the U.S. Team, was part of a three-team trade that sent outfielder Steven Souza Jr. to the Rays, Wil Myers to the Padres and right-hander Joe Ross to the Nationals. Turner was drafted by the Padres last year, so he wasn't eligible to join the Nationals until earlier this month.
Turner has gone 14-for-39 (.359) with four RBIs, four stolen bases and six runs scored with Double-A Harrisburg. He joined the Nationals after hitting .322 with five home runs, 35 RBIs and 24 walks for Double-A San Antonio.
A first-round selection in the 2014 Draft (No. 13 overall) by the Padres, Turner is considered the third-best prospect in the Nationals' organization. He is No. 51 on the Top 100 Prospects list.
The 17th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game takes place at 3 p.m. ET on July 12, and it can be seen live on MLB Network and MLB.com, with Matt Vasgersian, Dan Plesac, Heidi Watney and Jonathan Mayo on the call. In addition, SiriusXM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on MLB Network Radio (XM channel 89; Sirius channel 209). MLB.com will also provide complete coverage before, during and after the game. Fans can stay updated by following @FuturesGame on Twitter and can send/receive tweets to/from the U.S. and World dugouts during the game by tagging tweets with the hashtags #USDugout and #WorldDugout.