I'm on the blue line to Target Field right now. Anybody else going to be at the Futures Game?

I am just watching the futures game on MLB.com since my cable carrier does not have MLBNetwork. Here is a link to the game: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/82896484/v34463741/live-xm-allstar-futures-game

 

Kennys Vargas struck out in first and probably only at bat. Berrios about to take the hill as the World Team starter. Hope he pitches better than Phil is pitching.

JO Berrios is flat out nasty. Fastball sat 95-96 and explodes out of the hand. Change seemed to have good movement. Only took about 10 pitches to get 3 outs. Looks like he won't be out for the second inning.

 

Meyer is slated to pitch in the 5th.

Great inning for Berrios.

Man, this kid is a pitcher!

Really good stuff, but what is going to carry him is that command and pitching IQ he just showed there.

I'm excited for this kid.

I'm at the park now watching him throw heat. First of hopefully many times I see him at target field.

I'm at the park now watching him throw heat. First of hopefully many times I see him at target field.

You are one lucky SOB. Looks like lots of empty seats. What is atmosphere like? How about those self serve beers?

Thanks for the link. Looks like a lot of people there to me. Wish I could have caught Berrios pitching...

Kennys Vargas on deck!

Vargas with a nice double.

That was effortless.

Little Papi with the double off the wall!

 

BTW, I got section 125, row 5 seats for $35 each. Below face. I guess futures games are less broad audience. Oh, and no word on the self serve beer station. I had my wifego get me beer, and she agreed! Love that woman!

Hope nobody blinked. Meyer with a 5 pitch inning.

Alex Meyer sits at 96-97. He looked good, but batters were making some contact. He only threw like five pitches.

4 pitch inning for Meyer.

Alex Meyer sits at 96-97. He looked good, but batters were making some contact. He only threw like five pitches.

Not just contact, but pretty solid at that. Looked like all fastballs too.

Yikes!

 

What a bomb by Gallo.

Yeah, Meyer got lucky. The first out was a smoked at 'em ball. Next guy hit another liner in just about the same spot that dropped in, then a double play got him out of it. I was hoping for at least one K.

 

Berrios was nasty, though, and Vargas was as advertised. He made a nice snag of a line drive. Showed off his 6 inch vertical.

Edited July 14, 201412 yr by tharasix

Heh. I guess I don't feel bad for failing to check this thread during the game.

Here's an ESPN chat log with lots of interesting tidbits, though Eric Karabell is a fantasy guy more than a prospect guru, but Chris Crawford seems to know his stuff, though most his work is behind the paywall.

There were two threads. Sorry, but I missed this one.

KLAW was not impressed with Vargas, said Berrios was flat and continues to worry about him, and it is hard to say much about Meyer.

KLAW was not impressed with Vargas, said Berrios was flat and continues to worry about him, and it is hard to say much about Meyer.

Sounds like a ringing endorsement for each of them given KLAW's past criticisms.

KLAW was not impressed with Vargas, said Berrios was flat and continues to worry about him, and it is hard to say much about Meyer.

 

Mocking the Vargas double was a little unfair, that was a rope. But he did look a little overmatched on stuff on the outer half.

 

Berrios had much better reviews from other analysts at the game. My personal view is that his fastball wasn't as straight as I thought it would be and change was great too. Breaking ball left a little to be desired.

KLAW was not impressed with Vargas, said Berrios was flat and continues to worry about him, and it is hard to say much about Meyer.

 

I was so bloody disappointed that Berrios didn't go out for the second inning. I wanted to see how he fared after batters got a better look at him.

 

Was pretty unimpressed with Meyer. Nice fastball velo but he wasn't fooling anybody.

Man - really great to watch the prospects play. It's such a small sample size, and there were lots of mismatches (AAA pitching vs. A batters and vice versa). The Cubs SS Baez looked really good.

Pitching for the most part made the hitters look foolish, even Kris Bryant, the top prospect to play in the game yesterday looked lost at times.

 

Gallo's homer cracked the windshield of a Chevy truck that was on the plaza for a giveaway, a bunch of people were taking snapshots of it after the game.

I was so bloody disappointed that Berrios didn't go out for the second inning. I wanted to see how he fared after batters got a better look at him.

 

Was pretty unimpressed with Meyer. Nice fastball velo but he wasn't fooling anybody.

 

As Tom Kelly told his US team players, "you're all entertainers, now go put on a show." And just like all entertainers, for the Futures Game, the idea for pitchers is to always leave the audience wanting more.

 

As for Meyer, he also was part of the "entertainment", he announced before the game that he was only going to throw the heater. I think it's pretty hard to leave with any impression of Meyer, as a "pitcher" anyways, after only 4 pitches, all of which he tipped to the World team plenty in advance of what was coming.

 

As for Vargas, I thought he legged out his double far beyond my expectations, he doesn't look nearly as overweight as one might suspect a 275 pounder would look. And he was matching Gallo and Bryant in batting practice for Home Run prodigiousness.

As Tom Kelly told his US team players, "you're all entertainers, now go put on a show." And just like all entertainers, for the Futures Game, the idea for pitchers is to always leave the audience wanting more.

 

As for Meyer, he also was part of the "entertainment", he announced before the game that he was only going to throw the heater. I think it's pretty hard to leave with any impression of Meyer, as a "pitcher" anyways, after only 4 pitches, all of which he tipped to the World team plenty in advance of what was coming.

 

As for Vargas, I thought he legged out his double far beyond my expectations, he doesn't look nearly as overweight as one might suspect a 275 pounder would look. And he was matching Gallo and Bryant in batting practice for Home Run prodigiousness.

 

I forget who the USA team had in RF, but he had a strong throw back in on that Vargas double - I was surprised by the throw and that Vargas beat it out (the infielder covering 2nd didn't hold onto it, but I think Vargas would've been safe regardless). Vargas hit it pretty solidly, but I was thinking it would have been a single since the RF was playing deeper.

I forget who the USA team had in RF, but he had a strong throw back in on that Vargas double - I was surprised by the throw and that Vargas beat it out (the infielder covering 2nd didn't hold onto it, but I think Vargas would've been safe regardless). Vargas hit it pretty solidly, but I was thinking it would have been a single since the RF was playing deeper.

The double from Vargas was a really nice hit. He definitely had the throw beat too, but it was close and a really nice throw was needed to even make it close.

 

Overall, it was a fun time. I am glad that I got to be there.

Vargas defense looked a lot better than the las time I saw him. I think he could play there everyday if needed.

 

If you playing in the futures game, people outside the org. Think you can play at the MLB level one day. It encouraging that we have had 6 players picked in the last 2 years.

I was there with my son and had a great time!

My son is 26 and we had a great day together! Reliving past games together and watching the future players coming up.

Celebrity softball game was a lot of fun and I won't forget Adrian Peterson's eyes after the Jennie Finch high riser:) And Nelly? He plays really good!

Fanfest with my 5 yr. old Granddaughter today:D