Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

All Star Futures Game

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Frequency
  
Annual

Inaugurated
  
1999

Location(s)
  
Varies (see prose)

All-Star Futures Game

Most recent
  
July 10, 2016 Petco Park, San Diego, California

Previous event
  
July 12 2015 Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, Ohio

Next event
  
July 9, 2017 Marlins Park, Miami, Florida

The All-Star Futures Game is an annual baseball exhibition game hosted by Major League Baseball. Started in 1999, a team of minor league baseball prospects from the United States and a team of prospects from other countries in the World compete against each other. It is played as part of the festivities of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game.

Contents

Origins

The Futures Game was conceived by Jimmie Lee Solomon, an Executive Vice President of Baseball Operations for Major League Baseball, looking for an event to showcase the minor leagues and round out the All-Star week festivities. Early versions of the game created marginal interest in the baseball community, but the event has drawn significance each successive year.

Format

Rosters for the Futures Game are selected by Baseball America magazine, in conjunction with MLB and all 30 major league teams. Every organization is represented, with no more than two players from any organization, and 25 players per team, divided into U.S. and World teams based on place of birth.

Players born in Puerto Rico are part of the World team despite being U.S. citizens by birth, because that territory has its own national baseball federation and national team.

Games last nine innings (seven innings prior to 2008), with up to two extra innings available to settle a tie after playing all regulation innings; if after 11 innings total, a tie still remains, the game ends. Pitchers can pitch up to three outs.

Rosters are selected by a joint committee consisting of Major League Baseball, MLB.com, and Baseball America magazine.

Any player selected to the All-Star Futures Game but promoted to the majors prior to the game is replaced.

Changes in 2008

Two major changes took place in the 2008 game:

  • For the first time, the United States team was drawn from the pool of players selected by USA Baseball for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
  • The game lasted nine innings in regulation, rather than seven.

    • Larry Doby Award

    Note: For the award winners, see the "MVP" column in the "Results" section (below).

    Each year, an award is presented to the game's most valuable player. In 2003, the name was changed from Futures Game Most Valuable Player Award to the Larry Doby Award.*

    Five of the 18 award winners through 2016 have gone on to become MLB All-Stars: Alfonso Soriano, José Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Aaron Hill and Billy Butler.
     * This award should not be confused with the Larry Doby Legacy Award, which is presented by the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum.

    References

    All-Star Futures Game Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA