8 Red Sox Prospects That Could Make the Futures Game

On March 15^th, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention recommended that gatherings of 50 or more people should be cancelled or postponed for the next eight weeks in an effort to prevent the spread coronavirus. One day later, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred announced that the league would act in accordance with the recommendation and push back Opening Day. This means that the season would begin in mid-May at the earliest, with some speculating that it may be pushed back even further.

With the entire MLB season up in the air, one of the last things on peoples' minds are All-Star Week festivities. Because the timing of these events normally corresponds with the start of the season, their status is even more questionable than the actual season itself. Though Opening Day has been pushed back, there hasn't been any announcements about postponing or cancelling All-Star Week. As of right now, it is still scheduled to take place in Los Angeles from Saturday, July 11^th to Wednesday, July 15^th. The Futures Game always takes place on All-Star Sunday, so that means it is scheduled for July 12^th this year. 

Does this mean that the Futures Game and the rest of All-Star week are still expected to go on as scheduled, or will they be postponed like the start of the season? And if Opening Day gets pushed back even more, will there even be an All-Star Week at all in 2020? While we might not know when the next Futures Game will take place, we can still speculate which prospects might be selected. 


The qualifications for being selected to the game are that the player must currently be in minor leagues and have not used up their rookie eligibility. While there is no official criteria for being selected, it seems as though players are selected based on their performance and, to a lesser extent, their prospect rankings. Each organization is represented in the game with a maximum of three players.

In 2019, the Red Sox's lone Futures Game selection was outfielder Jarren Duran. However, the organization did have a few more prospects that had an argument for being selected. Will they have better luck the next go-around? Let's take a look at eight Red Sox prospects that could be selected to the next MLB Futures game:

Jeter Downs

Out of all the prospects in the Red Sox minor league system, shortstop Jeter Downs is probably the best situated to be selected to the Futures Game. Being the top prospect that the Dodgers sent over in the Mookie Betts trade, Downs has gained a lot of attention from the media and Red Sox since he joined the organization. It seemed as if the team was trying to get Downs acclimated to a major league lifestyle as soon as he arrived in Spring Training. His locker was sandwiched between J.D. Martinez and Mitch Moreland, two veterans and former all-stars, until Kevin Pillar was signed. Also, most prospects are usually assigned Spring Training numbers in the 40s and above. Downs was given 20. Though these assignments may have just been random in the team's eyes, the press ran with it, and Downs was one of the most discussed Red Sox players at the beginning of Spring Training. 

It is unclear whether or not the team was intentionally trying to get Downs used to being an MLB player off the field, but they were certainly preparing him for big-league play. The Red Sox gave him significant game time, playing in 11 Spring Training games before he was assigned to minor league camp. 

Downs will begin the year in AA Portland and all signs suggest that he will carry over the offensive success he had last year to this season. According to Fangraphs, he had a 134 wRC+ (weighted runs created plus) in 107 games with advanced-A Rancho Cucamonga and a 207 wRC+ in 12 games with AA Tulsa. While he didn't hit for a good average this spring, he showed an advanced approach at the plate, getting on base at a .364 clip despite hitting only .176. Between his advanced, yet developing skills and the hype surrounding him, Jeter Downs seems like a prime candidate for making the next Futures Game.

Triston Casas

(July 6, 2019 - Source: Gwinn Davis/gwinndavisphotos.com)

It's safe to say that Triston Casas is a pretty good prospect. He's listed in every major top 100 prospect rankings and, depending on who you ask, is considered either the best or second-best prospect in the Red Sox organization. It will come to no one's surprise if he is selected to the Futures Game one day. What remains to be seen is when- in 2020 (Coronavirus permitting) or beyond? While Casas has exceptional power for a prospect, especially one that just recently turned 20, he has been susceptible to strike outs. If he does get selected, it will probably be based off his home runs total, not his average. This is good news for Casas considering he hit 20 home runs in 2019 when he was just 19 years-old. Now that he has one more year of development under his belt, there is a good chance that his home run rate, and therefore odds for being selected, will increase this upcoming season.

Bryan Mata

(July 14, 2018 - Source: Rob Carr/Getty Images North America)

Having already competed in the 2018 Futures Game, starting pitcher Bryan Mata nearly made the team again in 2019. While his numbers easily justified a second selection, Mata did miss about 3 or 4 starts after spending a month on the IL, which was could have been the deciding factor in choosing someone else over him. In the 10 starts he made before the rosters were announced, Mata had 52 strikeouts, a 1.75 ERA, and 1.091 WHIP in A+ Salem. He was then called up to AA Portland where he had 59 strikeouts in 53.2 innings, but also had a 5.03 ERA and 1.453 WHIP. However, there are signs that Mata will bounce back once he returns to Portland in 2020. 

First, Mata has already shown that he can come back and master a level after being mediocre for half a season. In fact, he did it last year in Salem. Mata was called up to A+ Salem midway through the 2018 season and finished the year there. While he had a solid 3.50 ERA, command became a big issue as he gave up 7.3 BB/9. However, when he returned to Salem in 2019, he put up the previously-mentioned Futures Game-worthy numbers. Second, Mata had a solid showing this Spring Training. He saw limited game action having only pitched in 3 innings, but he still managed to earn praise big leaguers such as Jackie Bradley Jr. and Christian Vazquez. Finally, Mata has big league stuff. His pitching repertoire features four pitches that all have the potential to be at least average MLB offerings, including a fastball that can get up to 98 mph.

Gilberto Jimenez

19 year-old Gilberto Jimenez's first career Spring Training at-bat

Heading into his first full-season level of affiliated ball, 19 year-old outfielder Gilberto Jimenez has a very real shot at making the next Futures Game. Scouts have raved about his athleticism and at the plate he's done nothing but hit since he's turned pro. He has a .338 average in 126 games in his first two pro seasons between the Dominican Summer League and low-A Lowell. As he progresses through the higher levels of the minor leagues his average will surely lower as he sees more advanced pitching, but his power will mostly likely increase as he develops more strength. This upcoming season will be a test for Jimenez, but if he performs as well as he has so far, he will have a very good chance of being selected. If all goes well, don't expect Jimenez to just make the Futures Game. He may also crack some top 100 prospect lists by the end of the season.

Jarren Duran

After having been selected 2019, outfielder Jarren Duran has the chance to make the Futures Game in back-to-back seasons. He started last season scorching hot in high-A Salem, hitting .387 with a .998 OPS in 50 games. However, he struggled a bit once he was called up to AA Portland, where he only hit .250 with a .634 OPS. Duran felt that his struggles were due to an inability to hit inside pitches, so this past offseason he worked on his plate coverage with hitting coach Doug Latta. Duran now feels much more confident at the plate, and it showed in Spring Training. Though he faded a bit towards the end, Duran played like a star in the first few games of the spring, as he put his athleticism on display in the field and on the base paths. Though he hasn't hit for much power since turning pro, he also showed an ability to drive the ball. He opened many eyes this spring, including those of Red Sox manager Ron Roenicke, who was convinced that Duran can be a superstar if he puts all his tools together.

Thad Ward

Thad Ward is another player that put up impressive numbers last season but still fell short of being selected to the Futures Game. He eventually went on to be the Red Sox minor league pitcher of the year after striking out 157 with a 2.14 ERA and 1.156 WHIP in 126.1 innings between full-A Greenville and A+ Salem. Unlike Mata, Ward was completely healthy all of 2019. So, if he had great numbers and didn't miss any games, why was he not selected? Well, in terms of prospect ranks, Ward was an unknown going into 2019. Basically no one featured him in their Red Sox prospect rankings before the season. While this is definitely not the most important thing considered during the selection process, if all things are even, the prospect with more hype/better ranking will usually be chosen. This may have been the reason why Ward was not selected in 2019. Fortunately for him, much more people know who he is, so if he puts up the same numbers as he did last year, he will almost certainly get selected.

Connor Wong

Like Jeter Downs, catcher Connor Wong is another prospect that was sent over from the Dodgers. In 2019 Wong hit .281 with an .878 OPS and 24 home runs between high-A and double A, which was good for 22nd, 9th, and 5th out of all minor league catchers. A non-roster invitee this spring, Wong played as advertised- like an athletic catcher with pop and a tendency to swing and miss. If Wong is able to cut down on strikeouts just a hair while sustaining his power, there may be a chance he earns an invitation to the Futures Game.

Chris Murphy

(August 2, 2019 - Source: Kelly O'Conner/https://sittingstill.smugmug.com)

Ok so I know this one is coming out of left field, but bear with me here. I think the Red Sox may be on to something with Murphy. For those uninitiated with Chris Murphy (which I'm assuming is a good amount), he is a left-handed pitcher that was taken in the 6th round of last year's draft. Coming out of college, Murphy was known for having good stuff, but lacking control. In his final season with the University of San Diego, Murphy posted a 3.50 ERA and 1.35 WHIP with 87 strikeouts in 64 innings- pretty good numbers, right? Well, they could have been much better as he walked 43 batters, good for over 6 bb/9. Es no bueno. However, according to SoxProspects.com, the Red Sox believe that Murphy can improve his control by making some mechanical adjustments, and it seems like they might have been right. Murphy had a great season with low-A Lowell last year, posting a 1.08 ERA and 0.90 WHIP in 33.1 innings while only walking only 7. It may not be a huge sample size, but it's not nothing either, and it is a huge improvement from when he was in college. It may be unrealistic to think that Murphy will sustain that level of control, but if he does, who knows? Maybe there's an outside chance he gets a Futures Game invite. Jarren Duran seemingly came out of nowhere last year (to those outside the Red Sox, anyway) and he still made it. But whether he makes it or not, if the Red Sox have truly fixed the root of his control issues, Murphy might end up being a lot better than what most people thought.