A 2021 Futures Game prospects wish list

A week ago, we presented a wish list of who we would have wanted to see at this year’s SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game had it taken place as scheduled.

This week, we’re looking further ahead to the 2021 Futures Game in Atlanta. Here’s a player from each team we hope to see at the annual exhibition.

AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST

Blue Jays: Orelvis Martinez, SS (No. 6)
The Blue Jays gave Martinez the second-highest bonus of any prospect in the 2018-19 international period, signing the then-16-year-old Dominican shortstop for $3.5 million. He impressed during his pro debut last season in the Rookie-level Gulf Coast League, slashing .275/.352/.549 with 20 extra-base hits in 40 games, and he could have average-or-better tools across the board once fully developed.

Orioles: Heston Kjerstad, OF (2020 first-round pick)
While the Orioles did save some money by taking Kjerstad No. 2 overall in the Draft (we had him ranked No. 10 on our Draft Top 200), they did get perhaps the best left-handed power bat in the class and one of the best college sluggers in the nation. He’s slated for an outfield corner, but the bat should play just fine there and allow him to make his way up the system quickly.

Rays: Shane Baz, RHP (No. 5/MLB No. 90)
A member of Tampa Bay’s 60-man player pool, Baz, 21, has electric stuff, including a fastball that can reach triple digits and a wipeout slider that creeps up into the low 90s. He’s still learning how to harness it all and repeat his delivery consistently, and while there is some risk of him becoming a reliever long-term, the right-hander has all ingredients needed to develop into an impact starter if it all clicks.

Red Sox: Triston Casas, 1B (No. 2/MLB No. 77)
The 26th overall pick in the 2018 Draft out of a Florida high school, Casas ranked among the low Class A South Atlantic League leaders in extra-base hits (49, second), homers (19, third) and slugging (.472, fourth) as a 19-year-old in his first full pro season. He shows advanced feel for hitting and plate discipline to go with his power, and should be a quality defender at first base.

Yankees: Jasson Dominguez, OF (No. 1/MLB No. 54)
Dominguez will be making his pro debut as an 18-year-old in 2021, but we want to see one of the most hyped international prospects in years in the Futures Game next July. Signed for $5.1 million out of the Dominican Republic a year ago, he flashes well-above-average tools across the board and has drawn comparisons to Bo Jackson, Mickey Mantle and Mike Trout.

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Indians: George Valera, OF (No. 4)
One of the best offensive prospects in the 2017 international class, Valera signed for $1.3 million out of the Dominican Republic. He posted an .802 OPS as the second-youngest regular (age 18) in the short-season New York-Penn League last year, and projects as a potential .300 hitter who produces 25-30 homers on an annual basis.

Royals: Asa Lacy, LHP (2020 first-round pick)
The Texas A&M product was the top-ranked pitching prospect in the 2020 Draft (No. 3 overall) and signed with the Royals for slightly above slot value after they selected him with the fourth-overall pick. Lacy compiled a 2.07 ERA and average 13.3 K/9 during his Aggies tenure and has the type of size, stuff — he boasts a trio of plus pitches in a 92-97 mph heater, a low-80s slider and a devastating changeup — and natural deception needed to move quickly through the pro ranks en route to the Major Leagues.

Tigers: Parker Meadows, OF (No. 11)
You probably were expecting to see Spencer Torkelson here, right? Well, there’s a very real chance that the 2020 No. 1 overall pick will be in the Majors by July 2021, so we’re going with Meadows, the Tigers’ second-round pick in the 2018 Draft. He’s an excellent athlete for his size (6-foot-5, 205 pounds), is a plus runner who can play center field, and has plenty of left-handed power still to unlock.

Twins: Wander Javier, SS (No. 8)
This is a little bit of a leap of faith in that Javier has struggled to stay healthy, missing a lot of time with a litany of injuries since signing for $4 million in July 2015. He needs reps to develop, but here’s hoping he’ll get enough of that in time for next July so his excellent tools across the board are ready for a national stage.

White Sox: Garrett Crochet, LHP (2020 first-round pick)
The 11th overall pick in June, Crochet could have gone considerably higher had he not missed the first three weeks of the shortened 2020 season as a precaution with mild shoulder soreness. The Tennessee product generates high spin rates on a fastball that reaches 100 mph and a slider that climbs into the mid-80s, and his changeup can be a well above-average offering at it best.

AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST

Angels: Jordyn Adams, OF (No. 3)
A two-sport star in high school, many felt Adams faced a steep learning curve as he focused on baseball only for the first time. While he has lots of growth to come, he’s also shown a more advanced approach at the plate than expected to go along with 80-grade speed. There’s a ton of ceiling here.

Astros: Freudis Nova, INF (No. 4)
As one of the top all-around prospects in the 2016 international crop, Nova originally agreed to a $2.5 million with the Marlins before testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs and signing with the Astros for $1.2 million. Compared to the likes of Hanley Ramirez and Edgar Renteria, the Dominican has 20-20 upside and well above-average arm strength.

A’s: Robert Puason, SS (No. 4)
We might be jumping the gun here given that Puason signed in July 2019 and hasn’t been able to get out and play yet, but he was the No. 2 player on our Top 30 International prospect list in 2019 and got $5.1 million to sign. He’s getting good experience as part of the A’s 60-man player pool participating in summer camp, so he could be poised to make a big leap to full-season ball in 2021.

Mariners: Noelvi Marte, SS (No. 6)
One of the top international prospects on the market in the 2018-19 signing period, Marte signed with the Mariners that July for $1.55 million then went out and led the Dominican Summer League in total bases during his 2019 debut. He could have made a leap to full-season ball this year and he’s participating in summer camp in Seattle now.

Rangers: Cole Winn, RHP (No. 4)
The only athlete ever to win Gatorade state baseball player of the year honors in two states, Winn moved from Colorado to California before his high school senior season in 2018, when the Rangers drafted him 15th overall as the most polished pitcher in the prep class. He didn’t make his pro debut until May 2019 and looked rusty at first before showing the potential for four solid or better pitches with control to match.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST

Braves: Shea Langeliers, C (No. 5/MLB No. 70)
The No. 9 pick in the 2019 Draft as the second best catching prospect in the class (behind Adley Rutschman, of course), Langeliers is a superior defender who can control the running game with his 70 arm. He went straight to full-season ball during his summer debut and acquitted himself well, putting him on more of a fast track.

Mets: Francisco Alvarez, C (No. 2/MLB No. 63)
After signing with the Mets for $2.7 million in July 2018, Alvarez offered a glimpse of his bright offensive future in his pro debut last summer by slashing .312/.407/.510 and reaching the Rookie Appalachian League at age 17. He could be a plus hitter when all is said and done, with game power that should arrive in lockstep with his physical gains. He’s an agile defender behind the plate and already earns high marks from evaluators for his plus, accurate arm.

Marlins: Max Meyer, RHP (2020 first-round pick)
Meyer’s wipeout 87-91 mph slider was the best pitch in the 2020 Draft and he also had one of the best fastballs as well, a heater that sits at 93-97 mph, has clocked at 98 mph in the ninth inning and topped out at 100. He went No. 3 overall in June, matching Paul Molitor (1977) as the highest pick ever from the University of Minnesota.

Nationals: Cade Cavalli, RHP (2020 first-round pick)
Taken by Washington with the No. 22 overall pick in this year’s Draft, Cavalli, a 6-foot-4, 226-pound righty, is exactly the kind of strong-framed, power-armed pitching prospect the Nationals love to develop. He generates effortless velocity, topping out at 98 mph with a fastball with late life, and complements his heater with a plus curveball, an improving slider/cutter and a changeup that could be average. And while his control and command are both below average right now, most scouts expect the right-hander to improve on that front as he gains experience.

Phillies: Bryson Stott, SS (No. 3/MLB No. 87)
The No. 14 overall pick in the 2019 Draft out of UNLV, Stott had a very solid debut in the short-season New York-Penn League (.295/.391/.494). It’s easy to see him hitting his way to Double-A in his first full season and he has the chance to hit for average with some pop, all while sticking at shortstop long-term.

NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL

Brewers: Garrett Mitchell, OF (2020 first-round pick)
The Brewers got a potential steal in this year’s Draft in Mitchell, who had some of the best all-around tools in the entire class and ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect on the Draft Top 200 before signing with Milwaukee as the No. 20 overall pick. He’s a top-of-the-scale runner and future plus hitter who projects to stay in center field for a long time, and the Brewers expect the 21-year-old will tap into more of his raw power in the pro ranks.

Cardinals: Ivan Herrera, C (No. 4)
Signed out of Panama for $200,000 in July 2016, Herrera was pushed up to full-season ball at age 18 in 2019 and responded by slashing .284/.374/.405 with nine home runs in 87 games across two levels, including Class A Advanced Palm Beach. Herrera continued to impress on both sides of the ball after the season as one of the Arizona Fall League’s youngest players and was named to the Cardinals’ 60-man player pool ahead of the shortened 2020 season.

Cubs: Brennen Davis, OF (No. 3/MLB No. 78)
A 2018 second-round pick who was also a basketball star as an Arizona high schooler, Davis has a lofty ceiling that included 30-30 potential and the tools to stay in center field. Multiple injuries to his right index finger limited him to 50 games in his first full pro season, though he did hit .305/.381/.525 as a 19-year-old in the low Class A Midwest League, a notoriously pitcher-friendly circuit.

Pirates: Nick Gonzales, SS (2020 first-round pick)
We had Gonzales ranked No. 5 overall on our Draft Top 200 as the third-best bat in the country, so the Pirates had to be happy to get him at No. 7 overall. He can flat-out hit and even if he eventually ends up at second base, he’s going to swing his way up the ladder very quickly.

Reds: Hunter Greene, RHP (No. 2/MLB No. 53)
Remember him? He’s making his way back from Tommy John surgery and by this time next year, he should be firing on all cylinders. We all remember the buzz he created with his Futures Game performance in 2018. Think about what a triumphant return it would be for the flame-throwing right-hander.

NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST

D-backs: Corbin Carroll, OF (No. 5/MLB No. 89)
The D-backs made Carroll the headliner of their impressive 2019 Draft haul, taking the Washington state prep with the first of their seven Day 1 picks (No. 15 overall) and signing him for slot value. His pure hitting ability and plus-plus speed were on full display across two levels in his pro debut, as the teenage outfielder produced a .299 average and .896 OPS while also going 18-for-19 on the bases.

Dodgers: Kody Hoese, 3B (No. 7)
Hoese went from zero homers as a Tulane freshman in 2017 to five in 2018 to 23 in 2019, when he went 25th overall in the Draft after setting American Athletic Conference records for longballs, total bases (183), slugging percentage (.779) and runs (72). More than just a masher, he’s a disciplined hitter who should be able to remain at the hot corner.

Giants: Marco Luciano, SS (No. 2/MLB No. 35)
We know we included Luciano on last week’s list of players we hoped to see in the 2020 Futures Game, but he’ll be just 19 in 2021 and we want to see him then too. Signed for $2.6 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2018 and the Giants’ best international prospect in several years, he has electric bat speed and huge power potential.

Padres: Luis Campusano, C (No. 4/MLB No. 50)
The Padres’ 2017 second-round pick had a breakout age-20 campaign in the California League, garnering co-MVP honors after he won the circuit batting title (.325) and finishing second in OPS (.906) and RBIs (81). Campusano also established career highs in home runs (15) and doubles (31), flashing above-average raw power that should improve as he gets stronger and learns how to better leverage his right-handed swing.

Rockies: Michael Toglia, 1B (No. 3)
Toglia had one of the better power bats in the 2019 Draft class and the Rockies were familiar with him, having drafted him out of high school in 2016. The UCLA product then went out and hit nine homers in 145 at-bats during his pro deubt in the short-season Northwest League serving notice that the pop will play at this level.