MLB: Five Players To Watch In All-Star Futures Game

The Runner Ups – Austin Meadows* and Francisco Mejia

First, let’s just get one thing straight: Pirates outfield prospect Austin Meadows would certainly have made this list had he not been recently placed on the disabled list with a hamstring strain.

The 2013 first-round draft pick was promoted to the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians in mid-June, after batting .311/.365/.611 in Double-A this season. That included six home runs and a 24-game hit streak for the 21-year-old, who is currently ranked as the second-best prospect in the stacked Pirates system.

However, since Meadows will not take his place in center field for the U.S. team due to his injury, let’s turn our attention to one of the catchers for the World team: Francisco Mejia.

Mejia is the runner-up on this list because there are still many questions surrounding his future, but he’s also very intriguing. Currently, he’s on a 33-game hit streak – the longest in the minor leagues this year. He’s a Top 100 Prospect, but hardly the highest-ranked player headed to the Futures Game.

After beginning the year in Single-A Lake County, he was recently promoted to the Cleveland Indians’ High-A team, where he continued to hit well. So far in 2016, Mejia is batting .344/.374/.524. That includes seven homers, four triples, and 20 doubles. Considering his defense is what the team is most impressed with, Mejia could turn out to be a pretty special prospect.

He’ll split time with Gary Sanchez behind the dish, but keep an eye out for Mejia in Sunday’s game.

Next: #5: Alex Reyes