PITTSBURGH -- The Pirates will send one representative to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game: right-hander Luis Escobar.
Escobar, a 21-year-old starter from Cartagena, Colombia, will pitch for the World Team in the annual showcase of the top Minor League prospects. Escobar is 6-3 with a 4.77 ERA in 15 games (14 starts) for Class A West Virginia. He leads the South Atlantic League and the entire Pirates organization with 97 strikeouts in 71 2/3 innings.
The 2017 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game takes place on Sunday, July 9, at 4 p.m. ET at Marlins Park in Miami and can be viewed live on MLB Network and MLB.com.
:: 2017 Futures Game coverage ::
Signed on July 8, 2013, Escobar began his career as an 18-year-old in the Dominican Summer League in 2014. He spent most of '15 with the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League Pirates before ascending to short-season Class A ball last year. He finished the '16 campaign with a 6-5 record, 2.93 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 67 2/3 innings.
Escobar has held hitters to a .225 average this season, allowing 7.7 hits per nine innings after permitting 6.7 hits per nine last season. Walks remain a problem for the right-hander, however, as he has issued 31 this season and four per nine innings in his four-year career.
Escobar will be the only Pirates prospect in Miami. Last season, Pittsburgh sent right-hander Dovydas Neverauskas to pitch for the World Team. Outfielder Austin Meadows was also selected to play for the U.S. squad, but he was unable to attend due to an injury.
In past years, the Pirates were represented by top prospects and current big leaguers like Josh Bell and Elias Diaz (2015), Gregory Polanco ('13), Gerrit Cole and Jameson Taillon ('12) and Starling Marte ('11).