PL Missoula PaddleHeads

Two Former Osprey Honored as Futures Game All-Stars

Published on June 28, 2019 under Pioneer League (PL)
Missoula PaddleHeads News Release


MISSOULA, MONT - Rosters for the 2019 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which will be played at 7:00 p.m. (ET) on Sunday, July 7th at Progressive Field in Cleveland, were announced by Major League Baseball earlier today on MLB Network's "MLB Central." The SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which is now in its 21st year, features the top Minor League prospects competing as part of All-Star Sunday.

Gracing this roster of the top prospects in all of baseball are two familiar faces - SS Isan Diaz (Missoula '15) representing the Miami Marlins and OF Alek Thomas (Missoula '18).

Diaz, member of the 2015 Pioneer League Champion Osprey and 2015 Pioneer League MVP, has taken quite the journey since being drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Competitive Balance Round B of the 2014 Major League Draft. After being tabbed as the Pioneer League MVP and D-Backs Minor League Player of the ear in '15 after hitting .360 with 13 HR and 51 RBI - he was shipped to Milwaukee along with another former Osprey (Chase Anderson) as a part of the D-Backs acquisition of SS Jean Segura. After the 2016 season, Diaz was again named Minor League Player of the Year, this time in the Brewers organization. The affair in Milwaukee only lasted one more season, as the top prospect Diaz was again a key cog in a blockbuster trade - this time, in the now infamous 2018 Brewers acquisition of Christian Yelich. Changes of scenery have been no issue for Diaz, in 2019 the SS is hitting .287, carrying an OPS of .907 with 16 HR and 47 RBI.

Thomas, the 2018 2nd round selection, joined Missoula amidst the heart of the 2018 Osprey season, joining a roster packed with top Diamondbacks prospects, and wasted no time making his presence felt. In just 28 games, Alek produced at the dish with ease with a slash line of .341/.396/.496, 12 XBH, 2 HR and 17 RBI. 2019 has seen Thomas waste no time in Kane County (Low-A). Through 65 games Thomas has been the battery of the Mid-West League Cougars, hitting .296 with 18 XBH, 7 HR, 34 RBI and 8 SB.

For the first time in its history, the Futures Game will feature an American League vs. National League format, following the U.S. vs. World match-ups of the last 20 years. In addition, the game will return to a seven-inning format and will follow the All-Star Celebrity Softball Game. Hall of Famer Jim Thome will lead the AL Futures Team, while four-time All-Star Dennis Martinez manages the NL Futures Team.

Major League Baseball, in conjunction with MLB Pipeline, Baseball America and the 30 Major League Clubs, selected the 25 players currently on each team. Each Major League organization is represented and players from all full-season Minor Leagues were eligible to be selected. Complete Futures Game rosters, prospect analysis and rankings can be found at www.MLB.com/pipeline .

The teams feature a combined 24 former first round draft picks (13 on AL; 11 on NL), one player picked in Competitive Balance Round A (NL), seven second round picks (1 on AL; 6 on NL), two third round picks (1 on AL; 1 on NL); two fifth round picks (AL) and two seventh round picks (AL). Among the 24 first round picks, seven were selected in the 2018 Draft, nine in the 2017 Draft and eight in the 2016 Draft.

The two squads contain a combined 15 internationally-born players representing nine different countries and territories outside the 50 United States. The Dominican Republic is represented by five players, followed by Colombia (2), Cuba (2) and Puerto Rico (2). Canada, Mexico, Panama and Venezuela are each represented by one player on the rosters.

As part of its live All-Star Week programming, MLB Network will exclusively televise and MLB.com will live stream the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at 7:00 p.m. (ET), with Greg Amsinger, Harold Reynolds, Heidi Watney and MLB Pipeline's Jim Callis on the call live from Progressive Field.

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