2013 MLB All-Star Futures Game's Team USA, World Rosters Released
The rosters for the 2013 MLB All-Star Futures Game have been officially released, as one of the newest additions to the MLB All-Star Weekend festivities will take place on July 14.
The U.S. and the World teams have played a very competitive series over the first 14 games, as the U.S. leads the series 8-6. The U.S. is on a three-game winning streak, including a 17-5 shellacking of the World team last year.
The Futures Game is always a great way to watch the best prospects in baseball battle it out, and to get a look at the future stars of the game, and this year is no exception.
Here is everything to you have to know about the rosters for both teams in this year's game.
Pitchers
1 of 6U.S. Pitchers
| Player | Organization | Age | Throws | Minor League Level |
| Jesse Biddle | PHI | 21 | L | AA |
| Archie Bradley | ARI | 20 | R | AA |
| Eddie Butler | COL | 22 | R | A |
| Kyle Crick | SF | 20 | R | A |
| Taylor Guerrieri | TB | 20 | R | A |
| Taylor Jordan | WSH | 24 | R | AA |
| Jimmy Nelson | MIL | 24 | R | AAA |
| Anthony Ranaudo | BOS | 24 | R | AA |
| Noah Snydergaard | NYM | 20 | R | AA |
| Taijuan Walker | SEA | 20 | R | AAA |
World Pitchers
| Player | Organization | Age | Throws | Minor League Level |
| Miguel Almonte | KC | 20 | R | A |
| Carlos Contreras | CIN | 22 | R | A+ |
| Rafael De Paula | NYY | 22 | R | A+ |
| C.C. Lee | CLE | 26 | R | AAA |
| Rafael Montero | NYM | 22 | R | AAA |
| Andre Rienzo | CWS | 25 | R | AAA |
| Eduardo Rodriguez | BAL | 20 | L | A+ |
| Enny Romero | TB | 22 | L | AA |
| Yordano Ventura | KC | 22 | R | AAA |
| Michael Ynoa | OAK | 21 | R | A |
*ESPN Top 100 Prospect
The one very noticeable trend on both of these rosters is how few lefties there will be at the Futures Game.
The U.S. team only boasts one southpaw in Jesse Biddle, while the World team only has Eduardo Rodriguez and Enny Romero.
The righties have clearly become the more dominant pitchers in the minor leagues, and it will be interesting to see how this affects hitters on both sides of the plate.
Catchers
2 of 6U.S. Catchers
| Player | Organization | Age | B-T | Minor League Level |
| Austin Hedges | SD | 20 | R-R | A |
| Josh Phegley | CWS | 25 | R-R | AAA |
World Catchers
| Player | Organization | Age | B-T | Minor League Level |
| Jorge Alfaro | TEX | 20 | R-R | A |
| Christian Bethancourt | ATL | 21 | R-R | AA |
| A.J. Jimenez | TOR | 23 | R-R | AA |
*ESPN Top 100 Prospect
Only five catchers will be on display during the 2013 MLB All-Star Futures Game, with Josh Phegley being the closest one to seeing the MLB.
However, the top prospect to watch is Austin Hedges, who belongs to the San Diego Padres.
Hedges is the only Top 100 prospect behind the plate, and while he is only in Single-A ball he is still making waves, batting .275 in the minor leagues.
Infielders
3 of 6U.S. Infielders
| Player | Organization | Age | B-T | Minor League Level |
| C.J. Cron | LAA | 23 | R-R | AA |
| Delino DeShields | HOU | 20 | R-R | A |
| Matt Davidson | ARI | 22 | R-R | AAA |
| Joey Gallo | TEX | 19 | L-R | A |
| Brad Miller | SEA | 23 | L-R | AAA |
| Addison Russell | OAK | 19 | R-R | A |
| Joey Terdoslavich | ATL | 23 | S-R | AAA |
| Kolten Wong | STL | 22 | L-R | AAA |
World Infielders
| Player | Organization | Age | B-T | Minor League Level |
| Arismendy Alcantara | CHC | 21 | B-R | AA |
| Xander Bogaerts | BOS | 20 | R-R | AAA |
| Maikel Franco | PHI | 20 | R-R | AA |
| Dilson Herrera | PIT | 19 | R-R | A |
| Jordan Lennerton | DET | 27 | L-L | AAA |
| Francisco Lindor | CLE | 19 | R-R | A+ |
| Miguel Sano | MIN | 20 | R-R | AA |
*ESPN Top 100 Prospect
This is the group of players to watch, as it has four of the best prospects in the world among it.
With four prospects of the Top 11 of the world in Xander Bogaerts (No. 5), Francisco Lindor (No. 7), Addison Russell (No. 10) and Miguel Sano (No. 11), you can bet that there are at least two or three future All-Stars in this talented bunch.
Keep an eye on the shortstop position on the World team as well, as Bogaerts, Lindor and Sano are all listed at short.
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Outfielders
4 of 6U.S. Team
| Player | Organization | Age | B-T | Minor League Level |
| Byron Buxton | MIN | 19 | R-R | A |
| Billy Hamilton | CIN | 22 | S-R | AAA |
| Joc Pederson | LAD | 21 | L-L | AA |
| George Springer | HOU | 23 | R-R | AA |
| Christian Yelich | MIA | 21 | L-R | AA |
World Team
| Player | Organization | Age | B-T | Minor League Level |
| Yeison Asencio | SD | 23 | R-R | AA |
| Gregory Polanco | PIT | 21 | L-L | AA |
| Jorge Soler | CHC | 21 | R-R | A+ |
| Oscar Taveras | STL | 21 | L-L | AAA |
| Henry Urrutia | BAL | 26 | L-R | AA |
*ESPN Top 100 Prospect
The outfielders for the MLB All-Star Futures Game are almost as good as the infielders, and seven of the 10 outfielders cracked ESPN's Top 100 Prospects list.
Two Top 10 prospects will be on display, as the U.S. Team has Christian Yelich (No. 6) and the World Team boasts the highest rated prospect in the game in Oscar Taveras (No. 2).
Taveras is on the cusp on joining the St. Louis Cardinals in the MLB, as he is batting .306 with 32 RBI in 46 games in Triple-A this year. Unfortunately, Taveras is on the DL and will likely miss the game, but it'd be nice to see him make a comeback somehow.
Team-by-Team Breakdown
5 of 6Organization: Numbers of Prospects
Arizona Diamondbacks: 2
Atlanta Braves: 2
Baltimore Orioles: 2
Boston Red Sox: 2
Chicago Cubs: 2
Cincinnati Reds: 2
Cleveland Indians: 2
Colorado Rockies: 1
Chicago White Sox: 2
Detroit Tigers: 1
Houston Astros: 2
Kansas City Royals: 2
Los Angeles Dodgers: 1
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: 1
Miami Marlins: 1
Milwaukee Brewers: 1
Minnesota Twins: 2
New York Mets: 2
New York Yankees: 1
Oakland Athletics: 2
Philadelphia Phillies: 2
Pittsburgh Pirates: 2
San Diego Padres: 2
Seattle Mariners: 2
San Francisco Giants: 1
St. Louis Cardinals: 2
Tampa Bay Rays: 2
Texas Rangers: 2
Toronto Blue Jays: 1
Washington Nationals: 1
Top 5 Prospects to Watch
6 of 65. Taijuan Walker, Seattle Mariners
Walker is the top pitching prospect in this year's Futures Game.
He has been on fire as of late, including throwing six shutout innings and scattering three singles compared to four strikeouts in his first Triple-A start.
Walker will be facing some of the best hitting prospects in the game when he takes the mound, and it will be interesting to see if he is up to the challenge.
4. Miguel Sano, Minnesota Twins
The third baseman for the Twins has been excellent this year, batting .330 with 16 home runs in Single-A ball.
He was recently promoted to Double-A, where he is still adjusting to the game, but he is now facing much better competition and should be ready for his time to shine in July.
Sano is one of two elite prospects for the Twins, and Minnesota fans should keep an eye on this guy.
3. Xander Bogaerts, Boston Red Sox
Bogaerts started the year as the No. 5 prospect in the nation, according to ESPN. With Taveras out he is the highest rated prospect, and he will be seen at shortstop in this game.
Bogaerts batted .311 with six home runs and 35 RBI in Double-A before being promoted to Triple-A, where he has hit four home runs in 12 games.
This 20-year-old kid is on his way up, and I wouldn't be surprised to see him make his MLB debut in a year or so.
2. Christian Yelich, Miami Marlins
With Oscar Taveras hitting the DL, the top outfielding prospect is now Yelich, who will be playing for the U.S. Team.
Yelich is batting .262 with four home runs and 28 RBI in 41 games in Double-A this season, and is ranked as ESPN's No. 6 prospect, as of February 5, 2013.
While he has a problem with strikeouts (47 in 41 games), Yelich has the raw power to put on a show in this game if he gets things going early.
1. Byron Buxton, Minnesota Twins
No prospect is getting as much hype as Buxton entering the Futures Game.
The talented outfielder was a first round pick in the 2012 MLB Draft, and he has been killing it this year, batting .341 with 8 dingers and 55 RBI over 68 games, with 15 doubles, 10 triples, 32 steals and an astonishing .431 OBP.
Buxton is hot right now, and he will likely be one of the stars of this game.
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