Mariners’ Julio Rodríguez, Jarred Kelenic, Emerson Hancock to play in MLB Futures Game
Jun 30, 2021, 10:52 AM | Updated: 8:30 pm
Julio Rodríguez, who was just promoted to Double-A, will play in the Futures Game. (Getty)
(Getty)
The Mariners’ stacked farm system will be well represented in the Futures Game held during the MLB’s All-Star week in Denver.
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Outfield prospects Julio Rodríguez and Jarred Kelenic will be joined by pitcher Emerson Hancock as Mariners representatives in the Sunday, July 11 game at Coors Field. The M’s, who have the No. 3 ranked farm system in baseball per MLB.com, are tied with Colorado for the most players from their organization headed to the annual showcase.
Kelenic (No. 4) and Rodríguez (No. 5) are both ranked in the top five of all prospects by MLB Pipeline, while Hancock, a righty who Seattle picked in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft, is ranked 23rd.
This will be Kelenic’s second appearance in the Futures Game; he played in the 2019 game along with Mariners teammates Justin Dunn and Evan White, starting in left field for the American League and going 0 for 3. He is one of four players on this year’s rosters who also played in the 2019 game.
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Kelenic, 21, made his MLB debut in May but returned to the Triple-A Tacoma Rainiers earlier this month. Though he hit just 8 for 83 (.096) in 23 MLB games, he has a .310/.383/.610 slash line with eight home runs, four doubles and a triple in 24 games with the Rainiers in 2021.
Kelenic crushes a leadoff blast for @RainiersLand! pic.twitter.com/nwgPHMRCTd
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) June 30, 2021
The 20-year-old Rodríguez just received a promotion from High-A Everett to Double-A Arkansas this week, and he has also been a star in Olympics qualifying play for his native Dominican Republic this year. He posted a .325/.410/.581 slash line with six homers, eight doubles and two triples in 28 games with the AquaSox, and he went 2 for 5 with a double and an RBI in his Double-A debut on Tuesday.
Add on an RBI double for @J_RODshow in his @ARTravs debut 🙌 pic.twitter.com/Xu9Kh2XilR
— Mariners Player Development (@MsPlayerDev) June 30, 2021
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Hancock, a 22-year-old product of the University of Georgia, is 2-0 with a 2.42 ERA, 1.038 WHIP, 25 strikeouts and 11 walks in seven starts (26 innings) with the AquaSox. This is his first pro season.
.@Mariners' Emerson Hancock, the No. 6 overall pick in the 2020 Draft, notched three strikeouts in two hitless frames for his pro debut. pic.twitter.com/5ZRplfdelm
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) May 7, 2021
The Futures Game will be seven innings, pitting prospects from American League organizations against prospects from National League teams, and will be a precursor of sorts to the first round of the 2021 MLB Draft that is set to begin that same afternoon. The Futures Game will air at noon July 11 on the MLB Network and stream on MLB.com, followed by the draft at 4 p.m. This year’s game will be the first since 2019, as the 2020 All-Star festivities were canceled due to the pandemic.
For full rosters for the Futures Game, click here.
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