Two callups and an injury have opened up places in the Futures Game. Now we know who will be stepping in.
Fellow Diamondbacks prospect Tyler Skaggs will replace Trevor Bauer as a pitcher on the U.S. team. While now quite as highly regarded as his former teammate at Double-A Mobile, Skaggs does rate as one of the game’s 15- or 20-best pitching prospects. The 20-year-old lefty is 5-4 with a 2.84 ERA and a 71/21 K/BB ratio in 69 2/3 innings in the Southern League this year. The Diamondbacks acquired him from the Angels two years ago in the Dan Haren trade. It will be his second straight Futures Game appearance.
Replacing the Rockies’ Edwar Cabrera as a pitcher for the World team is Angels right-hander Ariel Pena. The 22-year-old Pena is 5-4 with a 2.94 ERA and an 86/34 K/BB ratio in 88 2/3 innings for Double-A Arkansas. Some viewed him as a relief prospect entering the season, but he’s made gains with his command, particularly of late, and he might be a mid-rotation guy for the Halos in a couple of years.
Tigers catcher Rob Brantly is the other addition to the U.S. team. He takes the place of the Jays’ Travis d’Arnaud, who suffered a torn PCL in his knee while playing for Triple-A Las Vegas this week. Brantly, 22, has hit .303/.350/.417 between Double- and Triple-A this year, though he has struggled since his promotion. The Tigers likely jumped at the chance to showcase him; while he’s a decent prospect with a chance to be a starting catcher, he’s probably not going to fit in Detroit in any capacity, since he and Alex Avila are both left-handed hitters.
