Fantasy baseball dynasty managers hoping to get their first look at the top prospects in the minor leagues should be pleased by what they see on Saturday, July 8, when Baltimore Orioles SS Jackson Holliday and Milwaukee Brewers OF Jackson Chourio will be among the featured options for the annual All-Star Futures Game, to be held this season in Seattle. Holliday and Chourio seem unlikely to debut in the major leagues this season, but they both should be rostered in all dynasty formats by this point.
Holliday, 19, was the top pick in the 2022 draft, and the son of former big league outfielder Matt Holliday has shown few weaknesses in his brief time in the minor leagues. Holliday is hitting .325 with a .994 OPS across two Class A levels, with 27 extra-base hits in 63 games and as many walks as strikeouts -- and quite a bit of each. He is a disciplined, left-handed hitter with emerging power and 20 stolen bases in 25 attempts. The Orioles are loaded with young infielders, but we could see Holliday debut in 2024.
Chourio, also 19, is not having the same type of success at the plate this season, but a .724 OPS in 64 games at Double-A Biloxi (where he is the youngest player in that league) is still successful. Chourio, an international signing from Venezuela in 2021, is batting .252 with 10 home runs and 20 steals, and he could be summoned to the big leagues later this summer, depending on Milwaukee's needs. Chourio hits right-handed and excels in center field.
Fantasy managers may recall some of the top moments from the 2022 Futures Game at Dodger Stadium, which included home runs by New York Yankees OF Jasson Dominguez, Minnesota Twins OF Matt Wallner and Oakland Athletics C Shea Langeliers, the game's MVP. Current Orioles IF Gunnar Henderson and Arizona Diamondbacks OF Corbin Carroll led off for their respective teams. St. Louis Cardinals SS Masyn Winn drew raves for a 100.5-mph throw to first base. Colorado Rockies OF Zac Veen stole two bases. Langeliers threw out Carroll attempting to steal.
Los Angeles Dodgers RHP Bobby Miller, Miami Marlins RHP Eury Perez and Tampa Bay Rays RHP Taj Bradley were among the featured hurlers in that game and each is among the top rookie hurlers this season, all entrenched in a playoff team's rotation.
Is the future now?
Which Futures Game participants could get the call to the major leagues this season? Keep an eye on Rays 1B Kyle Manzardo, a lefty slugger who may be a bit bored at Triple-A Durham, Cincinnati Reds 3B Noelvi Marte (yes, yet another young Reds infielder) and Chicago Cubs OF Pete Crow-Armstrong, a power-speed option lurking at Double-A. Washington Nationals OF James Wood, perhaps the top prospect in the Juan Soto trade, is only 20, but already playing for Double-A Hartford.
I also want to see more of Seattle Mariners C Harry Ford, after watching him play a key role for England in the World Baseball Classic. Ford, 20, is probably two seasons away from the majors, but he is such an enticing prospect, a potential five-category roto provider in the J.T. Realmuto mold. Ford has an .815 OPS at Single-A Everett, showing extra-base hit power and he has stolen 13 bases in 20 attempts. With 56 walks and 58 strikeouts, plate discipline is clearly a strength. I rarely invest in young catchers in dynasty, because so much can go wrong -- defense really matters! -- but Ford seems like he can't miss.
On the pitching side, we saw San Francisco Giants LHP Kyle Harrison struggle in last July's game in Los Angeles, as he permitted four runs (one earned), and allowed the Dominguez and Wallner blasts. Harrison is an electric strikeout option who occasionally struggles to find the strike zone, occasionally giving off a Blake Snell vibe. When Snell has control, though, as he has over the past six weeks, he is great. Harrison, 21, could debut this season. Cardinals RHP Tink Hence and Texas Rangers RHP Owen White are other top-100 prospects selected for this game.
Personally, as a Philadelphia Phillies fan, I am looking forward to seeing RHP Mick Abel and OF Justin Crawford, the franchise's first-round picks in 2020 and 2022, respectively, on the field. Abel is pitching capably at Double-A Reading, with walks being his biggest issue and, since the big league club lacks starting pitching depth, his debut could come this summer. RHP Andrew Painter, if healthy, is first in line, when he is ready. Crawford, the son of former All-Star OF Carl Crawford, is a 19-year-old, speedy, singles hitter with 32 stolen bases in 46 games for Low-A Clearwater. Carl Crawford, by the way, played in the Futures Game way back in 2002. How cool!