I was fortunate enough to attend the XM All-Star Futures Game at Yankee Stadium during Taco Bell All-Star Sunday this past weekend. If the game had taken place at another park such as Comerica, Miller, or U.S. Cellular, I think the level of corporate sponsorship would have made my head explode. On the plus side, Taco Bell did give away free programs for the game, which contained profiles of each player in the contest as well as some fun historical information. On the down side, the stadium was very empty, more people were coming for the Legends/Celebrity softball game, and there were at least a handful of people in the stands who were surprised and upset that Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, and Mariano Rivera wouldn't be competing in the Futures Game. That didn't stop me and three cohorts from having an excellent time, and presented below are my thoughts on the game.

Futures Game Notes

I was unable to make it to the stadium in time for batting practice, but several people informed me, and Baseball America reported, that Luke Hughes put on a show in batting practice. Hughes was one of the players I was most interested in seeing, and though he ended up going 0-for-2 in the game, that he was getting some positive press was new. The 22-year-old has an August birthday and was never much of a prospect, but now he's batting .328 with 15 homers in Double-A. He's not a big hitter at 6'0" and under 200 pounds, but he's got a balanced swing that has plenty of uppercut to it. It will be interesting to see if he can repeat the performance in the second half, but if he does he'll end up a highly ranked prospect before the year is out. He looks like a .300-25 hitter if things break right.

White Sox left-hander Clayton Richard got the start for the U.S. team. A big 6'6", 240-pound southpaw, Richard lives on his sinker. It's a tough pitch to hit hard, especially coming from a downhill plane, and it also allows Richard to induce plenty of ground balls. That ground ball tendency was evident when Richard allowed three grounders in the first, though one of them was a single. The World team eventually scored a run in the inning thanks to an error by shortstop Jason Donald, a stolen base by Elvis Andrus, and a fielder's choice by Pablo Sandoval.

Richard was posting a combined 2.44 ERA and 82/20 K/BB in 121 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A before the game. He hit 91 MPH with his sinker at one point in the contest, but he was more consistently in the upper 80s to 90. He's already 24 and doesn't have much upside, but if Richard can keep limiting walks and homers, he could be a No. 3 starter if everything breaks right. He's more likely to be an innings eater, but he's a solid, underrated prospect.

Elvis Andrus, who was red-hot with a .441 average in July entering the day, looked extremely quick on the base paths. He got a good jump on Richard when he stole third in the first inning, and his jump and speed meant there wasn't even a throw. Andrus was later picked off in the contest, but his speed allowed him to make that play closer than usual as well. There's no power in his swing yet, but Andrus is still just 19 and he could develop gap power in time. His batting average abilities, plus speed, and promising defense should make him an above average shortstop if he can smack 35 doubles a season and draw a few more walks. Since he's a future 40-steal threat, fantasy leaguers especially will want to watch him.

Carlos Carrasco got the nod for the World team, and looked as expected. His fastball was anywhere from 90-94, and his pitches were sailing all over. Command has always been a problem for the right-hander, and a bit of a long delivery could be contributing there. At one point Carrasco walked Mat Gamel on four straight pitches, and I suspect he'll have trouble with the more disciplined hitters who won't chase his high heat in the majors. Carrasco did flash his plus changeup in the contest, striking out Cliff Pennington with one in his inning of work. Though he's already in Double-A, Carrasco could probably use a full year and a half more in the minors, and since he's still just 21 that wouldn't be a bad idea. He's a No. 3 starter is he can get a little more consistent, and has No. 2 stuff is his command shows significant improvement.

The U.S. team settled in during the second inning, with Trevor Cahill coming to the mound and looking rather good. His fastball hit 94 and his curve continued to look like a plus pitch. His command was also a plus, as Cahill was consistently putting the ball where he wanted it. Though he did allow a single to Fernando Martinez, Cahill was otherwise excellent while striking out a pair. Cahill is having a breakout season for the A's, posting a 2.66 ERA and 122/41 K/BB in 108 1/3 innings thus far. He looked like the real deal in this one, and could be a No. 2 in Oakland as soon as the second half of next year.

The World team sent out Polin Trinidad in the second. The left-hander looked solid with a high-80s fastball, decent high-70s change and a slider. Perhaps he can develop into an innings eater, but he looked like a future middle reliever or lefty specialist. Trinidad did pitch a scoreless inning, however, thanks to Dexter Fowler's double play ball that erased a Matt LaPorta single.

Fowler had one of the more interesting batting stances on the day, batting left-handed and starting with his lead leg so open that it was almost out of the batter's box. He also cocked his foot back towards the plate for what looked like a pretty uncomfortable position. Fowler's swing did end well once he got it going and he looked surprisingly powerful up there, but the big stride could leave him susceptible to changeups. It hasn't mattered so far, as Folwer was batting .325 with 40 extra-base hits for Double-A Tulsa. Still a pretty lanky 6'4" switch-hitter, Fowler has 25-homer potential if he can continue to fill out his frame. Fowler also made the best catch of the day while running full speed and reaching out for a tough snag. Fowler is noted as a plus defender and has 16 steals to go with his batting average and power, so he's a prospect on the rise.

One of my favorite prospects, Brett Anderson, came out for the top of the third for the U.S. team. He ended up yielding a walk, a single, and a hard hit ball that was caught by Andrew McCutchen, but none of those were the two most interesting parts of his appearance. The first is that Anderson hit 95 MPH on the radar gun, and hit 94 a few times too. He usually works at 89-92, so either Anderson was slinging it since he only had to worry about one inning of work or the Yankee Stadium radar gun was high. Since the gun there has a reputation for being a few MPH higher than most, it's something to keep in mind when reading all of these velocity ratings.

In addition to the fastball readings, Anderson managed to pitch a scoreless inning thanks to two pick-offs. His first attempt at doing so was pretty ugly, but his next two, to Elvis Andrus and Wilkin Ramirez, had both runners sold he was going towards home and taking off for second. Anderson wheeled and threw to first both times, with Matt LaPorta throwing to second to nail each runner. Already a top 25 prospect, a top-notch pick-off move would only help Anderson on the rare occasion a batter reaches first base.

One of the prospects I was most impressed by was Hector Rondon, who came out for the third. The 20-year-old was showing a plus strikeout rate for High-A Kinston entering the game, recording 101 strikeouts in 93 innings. However, his walk rate was only pedestrian and he was allowing a fair amount of hits, including extra-base hits, so his ERA stood at 3.48. He hit 95 during his outing and his breaking pitch looked strong, though he had trouble commanding it at times. Though he didn't strike anyone out, Rondon did induce three weakly hit balls. Rondon will need a better changeup and his command needs some refining, but he's just 20 and looks plenty promising.

Perhaps the lone poor moment for Rondon was when Andrew McCutchen hit a rocket down the left field line that was just foul. McCutchen turned on a 93 MPH fastball with two strikes and put it into the upper deck in left, but it was just west of the foul pole. The power was an encouraging sign for McCutchen, who got off to a fast start in that regard but has just five extra-base hits in his last 37 games. Power is likely the least of McCutchen's impressive five tools, but it's shots like this one that highlight why he still has 20+ homer potential. Since he's also shown the ability to hit for average and 40-steal wheels, he's a must as a fantasy prospect.

Another fast-rising prospect, Jess Todd, came out for the next inning. His fastball was at 88 consistently, which was surprising given some of the other radar gun readings on the day. Todd reportedly hits the low-90s with his fastball, so perhaps it was just a poor day. His slider looked strong as well, though he ran it into the ground a few times. Todd's been having a fantastic season with a 2.13 ERA and 92/24 K/BB between High-A and Double-A and he didn't throw his cutter or changeup in the outing, so there's no reason to make any conclusions based on a single unimpressive outing. Still, Todd didn't dispel the notion that he's not a future front-line starter.

Also as part of the inning, Taylor Teagarden threw out Pablo Sandoval trying to steal second on a 3-2 pitch. The term "wounded buffalo" comes to mind when watching Sandoval run, but it was still an incredibly quick and accurate throw from Teagarden. Later in the game, Teagarden took a low throw and threw a bullet to second base that arrived just six inches in front of the bag to nail Ivan DeJesus. Teagarden walked in his only plate appearance today and has had trouble making contact in the minors, but he was the best defensive catcher here today. Combined with power and patience at the plate, he's going to be a quality big leaguer even if he only hits .250.

Fast-forward to the top of the 5th and the emergence of U.S. team right-hander Will Inman. As the typical scouting repot goes, Inman isn't going to light up a radar gun but has most everything else going for him. His fastball was at 88-90 MPH, but since he hides the ball deep into his delivery and throws across his body it's a hard one to pick up. His curveball also plays well since it hit as low as 71 MPH and is a drastic difference from his fastball. His command wavers at times and he's susceptible to the long ball, but I still like Inman's chances of being a No. 3 starter, particularly since he plays half his games at Petco Park.

The pitching continued in the sixth, when Oriole right-hander Jake Arrieta came to the mound for the U.S. team. Arrieta didn't disappoint, hitting 96 MPH and sitting in the mid-90s consistently. He also showed his plus slider, but it was primarily fastballs from the right-hander. Arrieta generates plus velocity with a clean motion that he repeats well, but he could stand to be a little quicker through his motions and that might help his command. He's at worst a top-notch closer prospect, and his delivery and two plus pitches say he should be left in the rotation to see if his command and changeup catch up.

In the top of the seventh, Che-Hsuan Lin broke the six-inning scoring drought with a two-run blast over the fence in left. The homer came on a 96 MPH fastball from right-hander Ryan Mattheus and was just fair. Lin, who was signed out of Taiwan by the Red Sox for $400,000, was struggling for Low-A Greeneville and I remarked before the game that given his performance and level of play he was perhaps the least qualified player to be there. Naturally, he has the biggest at-bat of the day while also adding a single and then winning the MVP award. Lin has a lot of work left to do, but he's got five tools and the potential to be a .280-20-30 corner outfielder. He joins Alfonso Soriano, Sean Burroughs, Toby Hall, Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Aaron Hill, Justin Huber, Billy Butler, and Chin-Lung Hu as players who have won the Futures Game MVP award.

Casey Weathers came out for the top of the eighth and showed both why he has closer potential and why he still needs time in the minors. On the plus side, Weathers touched 98 MPH and was consistently at 96-97. His slider also looked strong at 96 MPH, and Weathers struck out all three batters he retired. On the down side, Weathers struggled with his command, walking two and also giving up a single. He shouldn't be in the majors until the middle of next year, but Weathers is again the Rockies' long-term closer with Manny Corpas struggling.

The best show of the day from the mound came on the next inning, when Athletic right-hander Henry Rodriguez entered the game and touched 101 MPH with his fastball. He was sitting at 98-100 most of the time and even fell down after one high-90s offering, which drew a few jeers from the crowd. Rodriguez started the season strong in High-A, but he struggled once reaching Double-A and has been susceptible to bouts of command issues. True to form Rodriguez walked the first batter he faced, but he struck out each of the next three batters thanks to his elite fastball. Rodriguez still needs to hone his command, throw his slider more often, and hone a changeup, so he may well end up in the bullpen. He could one day take over for Huston Street.

Fast forward to the bottom of the ninth, when the U.S. team staged a rally for the first time all day. Wes Hodges lead off the inning with a liner down the line in left that bounced into the stands, giving him a double. Pitcher Shairon Matis retired the next two batters, but Matt LaPorta drew a walk and brought the tying run to the plate in Dexter Fowler. Unfortunately, Fowler hit a hard grounder to first that was scooped up by Angel Villalona and the game was over at 3-0.

I'm not one that's averse to pitching duels, but a little bit more hitting would have made this game more interesting. It's tough to blame the hitters for not doing well considering each team was bringing in elite hurlers throwing their absolute hardest for one inning at a time, but it was disappointing nonetheless.

We all know baseball is a funny game, but the stars of the day being a 19-year-old batting .248 and a pitcher with a 5.23 ERA was certainly not the expected outcome. It was a good reminder of just how talented all of the players in this game were, and how all have a chance to be impact big leaguers. As one attendee aptly put it, "Save your program, it'll be worth something when these guys drop the future and become All-Stars."