Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Prospects Anderson, Guerrero chosen from Marlins’ system
Miami Marlins prospects Brian Anderson and Tayron Guerrero are among the talent-packed rosters unveiled Thursday for the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game.
The 19th edition of the exhibition showcasing baseball’s best up-and-coming players in the minor leagues will be July 9, 4 p.m. at Marlins Park (shown live on MLB Network). The squads feature 27 players from MLBPipeline.com’s list of the top 100 prospects.
Anderson, a third baseman ranked as the No. 3 prospect in the Marlins’ system, will play on Team USA, managed by former Marlins catcher Charles Johnson. Guerrero, a right-handed pitcher from Colombia, will be on the World Team under his countryman Edgar Renteria, who made his mark on Marlins history with the winning hit in the 1997 World Series.
Lewis Brinson, a Coral Springs High product who has appeared in 14 games for the Milwaukee Brewers this season, is an outfielder on the U.S. team. Brinson was recently sent to Triple-A Colorado Springs. Also on the squad is Chicago White Sox prospect Zack Collins, a catcher who played for American Heritage-Plantation and the University of Miami.
The U.S. team also includes Nick Gordon, brother of Marlins second baseman Dee Gordon. The younger Gordon is a shortstop moving rapidly through the Minnesota Twins organization and projected to reach the majors by next season if not later this summer.
Anderson, a third-round draft choice of the Marlins in 2014, has made notable strides in the past year and is regarded as a potential future starting third baseman for Miami. He was batting .259 with 11 homers and 42 RBI at Double-A Jacksonville.
Guerrero is a lanky, 6-foot-8 right-hander with a 100-mph fastball and an intriguing background from Isla Tierra Bomba off the Colombian coast. His hometown of Bocachica is so remote it has been dubbed “the village tourism forgot,” and he used to trek through snake-infested jungle and commute by boat to play youth baseball in Cartagena.
Guerrero pitched for Colombia in the World Baseball Classic during the first round at Marlins Park in February. He and Anderson both were in the Marlins’ big-league camp during spring training and appeared in Grapefruit League games.
Last year, the Marlins had only one representative in the Futures Game, their 2015 first-round draft pick Josh Naylor, who was subsequently traded to San Diego. The Canadian-born Naylor, still is Class-A ball, will again play for the World Team.
The international team also contains Vladimir Guerrero Jr., whose father had a long career in the majors, mainly with the Expos and Angels.
The World Team won last year’s Futures Game, 11-3, in San Diego. Participants included a number of players now contributing to major league clubs, including Alex Bregman, Dansby Swanson, Andrew Benintendi and Hunter Renfroe on Team USA and Gary Sanchez, Manuel Margot and Raimel Tapia on the World Team.
The coaching staffs this year are loaded with notable former Marlins. Johnson will be assisted by Cliff Floyd (hitting coach), Al Leiter (pitching coach) and Jerry Manuel, a former bench coach. Luis Castillo, the Marlins’ all-time leader in games played, hits and runs will serve as Renteria’s bench coach. record total of 61 homers over three rounds. The remainder of the field is awaiting confirmation from other notables including Yankees rookie phenom
the majors’ home run leader.
Aaron Judge,