Dodgers’ Alex Verdugo, Yadier Alvarez and Angels’ Jaime Barria selected to Futures Game
Outfielder Alex Verdugo and right-handed pitcher Yadier Alvarez have been selected to represent the Dodgers in the Futures Game.
Verdugo, 21, the Dodgers’ top prospect among position players, is batting .344 with three home runs at triple-A Oklahoma City. He is riding an 18-game hitting streak, has walked more than he has struck out, and has stolen eight bases in nine tries. He is a leadoff batter and center fielder; his defense is regarded as exceptional.
Alvarez, 21, is 2-4 with a 5.05 earned-run average at Class A Rancho Cucamonga, in his first full pro season. He has struck out 54 in 52 innings and given up just three home runs.
The Dodgers signed Alvarez out of Cuba for $16 million. Baseball America ranked him as the team’s best pitching prospect at the start of the season, although that label now belongs to double-A right-hander Walker Buehler, who might well join the Dodgers’ pitching staff later this season.
The Angels’ Futures Game representative is right-hander Jaime Barria, who is 5-4 with a 2.12 ERA this season, split between double-A Mobile and Class A Inland Empire. The Angels signed Barria, 20, out of Panama for $60,000.
The Futures Game is July 9 in Miami.
Follow Bill Shaikin on Twitter @BillShaikin
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