Cincinnati Reds prospect Cam Collier hit a solo home run in the third inning to open the scoring for the National League in the MLB All-Star Futures Game on Saturday at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas. The NL went on to defeat the American League 6–1 in the seven-inning matchup of top MLB prospects.
Collier, 19, batted 1-for-2 in the game and was honored with the Larry Doby Award as the Futures Game Most Valuable Player.
The third baseman was the Reds’ No. 3 prospect coming into the season, according to MLB.com. He is hitting .231 with a .714 OPS in 78 games for High-A Dayton this season. Collier was Cincinnati’s first-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Chipola College in Marianna, Florida.
Collier’s home run came off pitcher Caden Dana, the top prospect for the Los Angeles Angels. That was the only run Dana allowed in his one-inning appearance. The right-hander has 97 strikeouts in 90 1/3 innings and a 2.99 ERA for Double-A Rocket City this season.
Atlanta Braves prospect Drake Baldwin hit the NL’s other home run in the sixth inning. Baldwin, a 23-year-old catcher, is batting .309 with a .972 OPS in 24 games for Triple-A Gwinnett. The Braves’ 2022 third-round pick out of Missouri State, he was promoted after 52 games with Double-A Mississippi.
Baldwin’s opposite-field homer was off Fernando Perez, the Toronto Blue Jays’ No. 23 prospect. Perez, 20, has 81 strikeouts in 75 innings and a 3.81 ERA in 14 starts for Low-A Dunedin.
Chicago White Sox prospect Noah Schultz allowed three runs on three hits, putting the first four batters he faced on base in the fourth inning. That gave the NL a 4–1 lead that essentially put the game out of reach. Schultz, 20, was the White Sox’s 2022 first-round pick. He has a 3.66 ERA in 14 starts between High-A Winston-Salem and Double-A Birmingham, striking out 75 batters in 54 2/3 innings.
Other standouts from Saturday’s showcase include Boston Red Sox catcher Kyle Teel, who batted 2-for-2. Teel is Boston’s 2023 first-round draft pick out of Virginia and the organization’s No. 3 prospect. Max Clark (OF, Detroit Tigers, No. 1), Cole Young (SS, Seattle Mariners, No. 1) and Jaison Chourio (Cleveland Guardians, No. 3) each got one hit for the AL Futures.
Getting one hit each for the NL were Justin Crawford (OF, Philadelphia Phillies, No. 3), Termarr Johnson (2B, Pittsburgh Pirates, No, 2), Jeral Perez (2B, Los Angeles Dodgers, No. 17), Bryce Eldridge (1B, San Francisco Giants, No. 2) and Ethan Salas (C, San Diego Padres, No. 1).
On the pitching side, Noble Meyer (Miami Marlins, No. 1) and Quinn Mathews (St. Louis Cardinals, No. 2) each notched two strikeouts for the NL, while Luis Morales (Oakland Athletics, No. 2) did so for the AL.
Source Agencies
