Bobby Witt, Jr. and Nick Pratto named to Futures Game

Bobby Witt, Jr. may be the most anticipated Royals prospect in decades, and fans will get a chance to see him on a bigger stage during All-Star weekend. Witt and first baseman Nick Pratto have been named as the two Royals prospects selected to participate in the Futures Game, to be played July 11 at Coors Field in Denver, Colorado.

Witt got off to a slow start for Double-A Northwest Arkansas, but has been on fire since mid-May, and is hitting .286/.354/.551 with 12 home runs and 13 steals in just 45 games. He has also improved his plate discipline and now has a 9 percent walk rate while whiffing lower than league average with a strikeout rate of 24.9 percent.

Pratto, a first-round pick in the 2017 draft, has enjoyed a dramatic turnaround from his disappointing 2019 season. This year he has hit .280/.407/.604 with 13 home runs in 203 plate appearances for Northwest Arkansas. He leads the Double-A Central League in walks and is tied for the lead in home runs.

Witt and Pratto will be joined with some of the game’s top prospects, including 32 of the top 50 players in MLB Pipeline’s prospect list. Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman, Tigers infielder Spencer Torkelson, Mariners outfielders Jarred Kelenic and Julio Rodriguez, and Padres shortstop CJ Abrams will also participate. You can see complete rosters here:

LaTroy Hawkins will manage the American League team while Vinny Castilla will manage the National League. The seven-inning contest will stream on MLB.com and will be televised by MLB Network.

Past Royals Futures Game Representatives:

1999 - OF Dee Brown

2000 - P Jeff Austin and P Chris George

2001 - P Chris George

2002 - SS Angel Berroa

2003 - OF Alexis Gomez and P Zack Greinke

2004 - 2B Ruben Gotay and SS Andres Blanco

2005 - 1B Justin Huber

2006 - 3B Alex Gordon and OF Billy Butler

2007 - P Luke Hochevar

2008 - P Julio Pimental

2009 - P Danny Duffy

2010 - 1B Eric Hosmer and 3B Mike Moustakas

2011 - OF Wil Myers and P Kelvin Herrera

2012 - OF Wil Myers, P Yordano Ventura, and P Jake Odorizzi

2013 - P Yordano Ventura and P Miguel Almonte

2014 - P Christian Binford

2015 - 1B Balbino Fuenmayor, SS Raul Mondesi, and 3B Cheslor Cuthbert

2016 - OF Hunter Dozier and OF Jorge Bonifacio

2017 - P Foster Griffin

2018 - OF Seuly Matias

2019 - P Brady Singer, P Kris Bubic

2020 - No game played