2016 Futures Game

The 2016 Futures Game was played on July 10th at Petco Park, site of the 2016 All-Star Game. The World team ended a streak of six straight losses to the USA team with an 11-3 win, although the game was close until the World team put up seven runs in the 9th inning. 2B Yoan Moncada was named the winner of the Larry Doby Award as the game's MVP thanks to a two-run homer in the 8th inning that put the World team ahead for good.

Alex Reyes opened the game by pitching 1 2/3 scoreless inning for the World team while striking out four and hitting 101 mph on the radar gun. Joe Musgrove, a local high school product from the San Diego, CA area, got the starting nod for the US and threw a perfect 1st inning. For the US, the early hero was SS Alex Bregman, who tripled off Reyes in the 1st, doubled and scored in the 3rd against Angel Perdomo and singled in the 4th off Francisco Rios. He then had two more chances to hit for the cycle, but he fouled out against Reynaldo Lopez in the 7th and struck out against Adalberto Mejia in the 9th to end the game. DH Ryon Healy also had a pair of hits for the US, a double off Reyes in the 2nd and a single off Dovydas Neverauskas in the 8th. For the World team, Lopez threw a perfect inning and also hit 100 mph on the radar gun; Carson Fulmer, who pitched the 7th for the US, also had a perfect inning, striking out a pair of batters in the process.

In the 4th, the US increased its lead to 3-0 on a homer by C Chance Sisco off Rios, who ironically had only banged out one home run all season before the game. Sisco had made a throwing error earlier in the inning, trying to throw out Moncada at second base on a stolen base attempt after he had singled, but Moncada ended up stranded at third base.

The World team cut the lead to 3-2 in the 6th as Eloy Jimenez drove in the first run with a double. They had a chance to tie the game, but Josh Naylor was thrown out a home by OF David Dahl on a single by Carlos Asuaje to end the inning. The World team showed some good defense in the following innings: in the bottom of the 6th, CF Manuel Margot robbed Carson Kelly of a home run by leaping over the fence to grab a ball, and in the 7th, RF Jimenez made a great catch on a long foul ball by Dylan Cozens jumping over a railing near the right field stands to snag the ball.

The game turned in the 8th inning, when, with Anthony Banda pitching, Raimel Tapia reached on an error by Bregman, who had by then moved to 3B, and Moncada followed with his home run, a line shot to left field. The World team then proceeded to put the game away with a seven-run outburst in the 9th, the highlight of which was a huge three-run homer by Jimenez off Ryne Stanek.

The World team was managed by Moises Alou while the US team was managed by Trevor Hoffman. Both teams wore uniforms inspired by the infamous gold and brown San Diego Padres duds of the 1970s.

Rosters

USA

• P: Anthony Banda, Phil Bickford, J.T. Chargois, Carson Fulmer, Amir Garrett, Josh Hader, Jeff Hoffman, Joe Musgrove, Nate Smith, Ryne Stanek
• C: Carson Kelly, Chance Sisco
• IF: Alex Bregman, Willie Calhoun, Travis Demeritte, Hunter Dozier, Ryon Healy, Dominic Smith, Dansby Swanson
• OF: Andrew Benintendi, Dylan Cozens, David Dahl, Clint Frazier, Hunter Renfroe, Christin Stewart

World

• P: Jharel Cotton, Chih-Wei Hu, Joe Jimenez, Reynaldo Lopez, Adalberto Mejia, Dovydas Neverauskas, Angel Perdomo, Ricardo Pinto, Alex Reyes, Francisco Rios
• C: Francisco Mejia, Gary Sanchez
• IF: Willy Adames, Carlos Asuaje, Yandy Diaz, Ronald Guzman, Dilson Herrera, Yoan Moncada, Josh Naylor, Amed Rosario
• OF: Jorge Bonifacio, Eloy Jimenez, Manuel Margot, Tyler O'Neill, Raimel Tapia

Further Reading

• Jim Callis: "Top tools to be showcased in Futures Game", mlb.com, July 7, 2016. [1]
• Jim Callis: "Top 10 Futures Game performances: Moncada's go-ahead HR nets MVP honors; Bregman racks up 3 hits", mlb.com, July 11, 2016. [2]
• Steve Gardner: "Alex Bregman stars for U.S., but World wins All-Star Futures Game", USA Today Sports, July 10, 2016.

Related Sites

• Game story from Associated Press