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MINNEAPOLIS -- The 2014 MLB Futures Game might someday be remembered as the baseball world's formal introduction to Texas third baseman Joey Gallo, as his grade-80 raw power was on display both during BP and during the game. Gallo still has things to work on as a hitter, but his power is absurd -- he put baseballs into the top deck and onto the right field concourse during batting practice, then hit a mammoth homer off a fastball right down the chute from Astros prospect Michael Feliz. It was a blast that gave the U.S. team a 3-2 lead it never relinquished.
Gallo's bomb followed strikeouts on sliders in his first two at bats -- one swinging on a pitch down and in at his back foot, the other looking on one from Yankees prospect Luis Severino. Gallo wasn't challenged inside like you'd expect, as his power comes when he can get his arms extended on pitches middle to away, but he's already succeeded in improving his coverage from the past season to this spring. If you can live with the strikeouts, he's one of the highest-impact bats in the minors.
Here are more notes from the game.
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Jerry Lai/USA TODAY Sports
Cubs prospect Javier Baez showed off what might be the quickest hands in the minors with an opposite field blast.
• Speaking of power, Cubs shortstop Javier Baez went opposite-field when Washington right-hander Lucas Giolito hung a curveball, for a two-run homer that would probably have been just a long fly out for most hitters. Of course, he also punched out on a slider down from a right-hander and made a very lazy throw to first base on a ground ball from White Sox second baseman Micah Johnson, which allowed for Johnson to beat it out and the first-base ump to blow the call. (Johnson, by the way, is at least a 70 runner, and while his is an unorthodox swing, he seems to have the hand-eye to make it work.)
• The best fastball of the day belonged to Cincinnati RHP Robert "Lighthouse" Stephenson, who touched 98 mph in his inning of work and sat at 94 to 96 mph, with a hard changeup at 88 and curveball at 82. He was nearly matched by the guy who followed him, Mets righty Noah "Thor" Syndergaard, who hit 97 mph with good downhill plane and showed a solid changeup at 85. Minnesota right-hander Alex Meyer sat at 96 or 97 with great life, but his whole inning lasted six pitches -- line out, single, double play -- which means in two Futures Game appearances, Meyer has now thrown a total of 10 pitches. Nine of them were fastballs.
• Giolito's stuff was fine, but his command was not. He was 94 to 96 but took a few pitches to find his rhythm. He hung that one curveball to Baez but threw another that was plus, and he showed some feel for a straight change at 82 to 84. When the Nationals finally let Giolito throw his two-seamer -- for reasons I admit I don't know, he won't be allowed to throw it until he reaches Double-A -- the biggest concern I have about his stuff, the absence of any life to his fastball, will go away.
• Baltimore right-hander Hunter Harvey also scuffled a little, as his delivery was off -- he was landing much earlier and farther to the third-base side of the mound than usual, and because he cut himself off so badly, he didn't command his fastball to either side. He did throw some very sharp curveballs at 75 to 77, and he threw more changeups (80 to 82) in one inning than he threw in the entire outing the first time I saw him.
• Julio Urias set a record as the youngest-ever participant in the Futures Game, at 17 years and 11 months old, but pitched well above his years. The Dodgers lefty was 92 to 95 with an above-average curveball and great rhythm to his delivery. He rotates his hips well, both to hide the ball and to generate arm speed the safer way by using his lower half.
• Minnesota right-hander Jose Berrios started for the World team with 94 to 95 but was still somewhat flat. He's listed at 6-foot but might be a little less, and he wasn't finishing his curveball well and got better action on the changeup. His arm action reminds me of Yordano Ventura's, in that it is similarly loose and quick but also a little tricky to repeat; he might not be using his lower half enough.
• Arizona right-hander Braden Shipley faced three batters in 2/3 of an inning, and pitched 92 to 95 with good depth on an 80 mph curveball, though his changeup remains his best pitch. Development of that curveball is key for him, as he was rarely allowed to throw it in college, even though it looked like at least an average pitch at the time.
• Other big power bats struggled in the game, which was crisp and pitching-dominated, with pitchers throwing a ton of strikes -- there were just two walks in the entire game, thanks to both that control and hitters going up to take their hacks. Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant punched out twice on fastballs up and lined out on a fastball that jammed him inside. Yankees first baseman Peter O'Brien struck out in his only two at bats; he was late on fastballs at 95 to 96 and then struck out on a slider down. His home run total this year is outstanding, but he seems to have a lot of trouble hitting above-average stuff. Minnesota's Kennys Vargas, who stood around first base but is awful over there, showed no ability to cover the outer half or to handle offspeed stuff inside, though he did hit a "double" off the right field wall on a fastball; the throw beat him to second, but the shortstop, Corey Seager, couldn't hold on to it.
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