PHILADELPHIA -- Sparked by speed and sustained by teenage talent, the American League Futures shone brightest Sunday afternoon at Citizens Bank Park.
A sixth-inning homer from 19-year-old Rays catching prospect Nathan Flewelling (TB’s No. 2 prospect, MLB Pipeline’s No. 72 overall) gave the AL youngsters separation in a 6-1 victory over the NL in seven innings in the 27th edition of the All-Star Futures Game.
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Flewelling's deep fly earned him the Larry Doby Most Valuable Player Award. He was the third member of the Rays organization to earn the honor in the Futures Game, joining Toby Hall (2001) and Brent Honeywell Jr. (2017).
Managed by Phillies icon Larry Bowa, the AL team got things started off right with a scoreless inning from the game’s top-ranked hurler, Kade Anderson (SEA No. 1, MLB No. 5), manufactured a pair of runs with the speed of Leo De Vries (ATH No. 1, MLB No. 2) and Nelson Rada (LAA No. 2) and then put it away with the late big fly from Flewelling and more insurance.
The above-average abilities of De Vries, the shortstop the A’s acquired one year ago this month when they traded Mason Miller to the Padres, were on display immediately.
Batting from the left side against Phillies right-hander Gage Wood (PHI No. 2, MLB No. 51), De Vries lined a single to left, and then was off and running. By the time the next at-bat was over, the 19-year-old De Vries had successfully swiped second and third, then he scored on a groundout from Franklin Arias (BOS No. 1, MLB No. 7) to put the AL ahead, 1-0.
After the NL manufactured a run to tie it in the third, the AL leaned on more speed in the fifth to regain the lead. Rada was aboard via fielder’s choice and promptly stole second with two outs. When Theo Gillen (TB No. 1, MLB No. 9) grounded a single through the hole on the left-hand side, Rada was off and running, hit third in stride and slid headfirst safely into home as the errant throw from left went wide. That gave the AL a 2-1 lead.
Finally, after all that small ball, Flewelling pounced in his only at-bat in the sixth. Facing right-hander Wen-Hui Pan (PHI No. 12), he jumped on the first pitch he saw -- a 96-mph heater -- and punched it over the right-field wall for the game’s only homer.
A long RBI double off the same wall from another 19-year-old, shortstop JoJo Parker (TOR No. 1, MLB No. 27), was the highlight of a two-run seventh as the AL put the game away.