Matt Thompson has been previewing the futures game for years and continues this tradition by breaking down each player on the 2025 Futures Game roster with a report, future role and tool grades!
American League Roster
Pitchers
Jurrangelo Cijntje, RHP Mariners - 50 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round, 15th overall, in the 2024 draft out of Mississippi State University.
Report: We start the Futures Game preview off with a true unicorn, the switch-pitching Jurrangelo Cijntje. He’s a tremendous athlete and was even drafted out of high school as a shortstop but didn’t sign and his athleticism is what allows him to switch-pitch. From the right-side he can bump the fastball up to 99 and he sits in the mid-90s. His changeup is his best pitch and it's a firm offering, sitting in the upper 80s/low 90s with some fade. He was predominantly a two-pitch arm as a collegiate right-hander but has begun utilizing a sweeper since getting drafted. From the left side he’s fastball/sweeper and will essentially function as a specialist.
Future Role: As a more traditional right-hander Cijntje has the stuff to be a mid-rotation arm with the big fastball and changeup and developing sweeper. The command is a little loose but his athleticism and recent focus on pitching still point to some untapped upside here and perhaps he can blow past that ceiling with more consistent strikes. The more fascinating story with Cijntje is how he is used as a left-hander, or even if at all. Hopefully we can see him eat from both sides of the rubber in this one though. He should finish the 2025 season in Double-A with an eye towards a 2026 debut.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (60), Changeup (60), Sweeper (50), Command (40)
Keagan Gillies, RHP Orioles - 45 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in the 15th round, 437th overall, in the 2021 draft out of Tulane University.
Report: At 27 years old, Gillies is the oldest player in this group. The college reliever at Tulane was tried as a starter in the lower minors but has since converted back to a relief role. He has been working out of the bullpen since 2023 in pro ball, and he could find himself working in high leverage sooner rather than later for the Orioles. He uses his height (6’8”) to his advantage and gets nearly seven feet of extension from a high arm slot. He’s made some significant command improvements in 2025, and has a 3.5% walk rate to go with his 30% strikeout rate. He was just promoted to Triple-A at the time of writing this and he should make his debut this summer as well since he needs to be added to the 40-man this off-season. His fastball sits 93-95 but plays up due to his outlier release height and extension. His cutter and splitter also make him just as lethal against left-handed bats as right-handers. He was walking over 12% of hitters in 2024, so he has made some remarkable improvements as far as command is concerned.
Future Role: There aren’t any real questions surrounding Gillies future role. He’s a reliever all the way. He’s been nasty in that role in 2025 with right-handed hitters hitting .096 against him and left-handers hitting .158. With his age and impending 40-man deadline approaching there is no reason why Gillies shouldn’t debut in Baltimore sometime this summer.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (60), Slider (55), Splitter (50), Command (50)
Brody Hopkins, RHP Rays - 50 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in the 6th round, 187th overall, in the 2023 draft out of Winthrop University. Traded to the Rays with Aidan Smith and Ty Cummings for OF Randy Arozarena.
Report: Brody Hopkins has emerged as the highest upside Rays starting pitching prospect this year, his first full season in the organization. The Mariners drafted the former two-way kid out of Winthrop and he’s shown he can miss bats at a high clip, with a 26% or higher strikeout rate at every professional stop to this point. Hopkins is still just scratching the surface of what he can become as a pitcher, having spent so much time in college as a two-way guy. The upside and athleticism are an exciting combination. Hopkins fastball is in the mid 90s, and his slider is a plus-plus offering in the mid-to-high 80s. There are many variations of the slider and it's his best pitch. His low arm slot can lead to some command issues on the fastball as it can sail on him. His low slot doesn’t really allow for a curveball so he’s been struggling to find a third pitch. He throws a cutter and a changeup aren’t reliable pitches at the moment.
Future Role: Hopkins below average command and lack of a third pitch could put him to the bullpen, but the Rays are one of the organizations that seemingly could be fine with him being a bulk guy or a non-tradition 4-5 inning guy as a starter. The shallow but nasty arsenal could play up in that role. He can and will continue to be used as a starter for the time being though, the multiple slider variants also can act as multiple pitches, varying a hitter's look.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (60), Slider (70), Change (40), Cutter (40), Command (40)
Gage Jump, LHP Athletics - 55 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in Competitive Balance Round B, 73rd overall, in the 2024 draft out of Louisiana State University.
Report: Jump decided to forego the draft coming out of high school and the Southern California prep committed to UCLA. He showed the ability to miss bats in the early going as a freshman but got hurt and required Tommy John surgery. He missed all of the 2023 season and transferred to LSU for 2024 and he was very good in his one season in Baton Rouge before getting drafted. Jump has surged up prospect lists with an incredible 2025 to this point, showing a drastic improvement in fastball command while also improving the breaking stuff. Jump sits 92-94 and touches 97 with the fastball and it plays up due to his delivery, which adds deception and really allows him to get into his lower half. It’s a high effort delivery with a long arm stroke, but Jump has used it to his advantage. Jump has a pair of above-average breaking balls in his slider and curveball. His slider is in the low 80s and his curveball has good depth and comes in in the upper 70s. He will also throw a firm changeup in the mid to upper 80s.
Future Role: Most evaluators around draft time had Jump seemingly as a future reliever and it was the combination of command, delivery, size and injury history. Well, he’s flipped that on its head this year showing improved stuff and good health since Tommy John and now is considered one of the better arms in all of the minor leagues. Jump seems likely to hit Sacramento early in 2026.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (60), Slider (55), Curveball (55), Changeup (45), Command (50)
George Klassen, RHP Angels - 50 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in 6th round, 193rd overall, in the 2023 draft out of the University of Minnesota. Traded to the Angels with Samuel Aldegheri for RHP Carlos Estevez.
Report: Klassen showed some promise in college, cracking the Golden Gophers rotation his junior year after missing most of the first two years on campus due to Tommy John surgery. When he returned to the mound in college he struggled to throw strikes. He didn’t make his professional debut until 2024 and right out of the gate he looked like a different guy, throwing strikes and dominating hitters at the two lowest levels of A-ball. Almost immediately after entering the Angels organization some of the command issues returned, and the walk rates have jumped back north of ten percent. Klassen’s delivery is simple and easy to repeat, a focus of his time with the Phillies was searching for ways to simplify his delivery. He throws hard, living in the upper 90s with the fastball and can reportedly touch 100. He has a four-seam and a two-seam variant. His upper 80s slider is his best secondary, a nasty pitch that has so much movement it often results in a ball outside to right-handers. He has an above-average curveball in the mid-80s and will also throw a cutter. He has a changeup in the upper 80s as well.
Future Role: With Klassen it will always come down to strike throwing and that is still an issue now. His command is fringe, but I think he actually has better command of the slider than any other pitch in his arsenal. He’s had some bad luck in Double-A this year so far, with an ERA several runs above his estimators. He should be an option for the Angels rotation some time in 2026.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (70), Slider (60), Curveball (55), Cutter (40), Changeup (40) Command (45)
Parker Messick, LHP Guardians - 45 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in the 2nd round, 54th overall, in the 2022 draft out of Florida State University.
Report: Parker Messick was one of the top performing pitchers in the nation during his final season at Florida State, with a strikeout rate up over 36% compared to a walk rate around 4.6%. Messick has a unique operation. It’s a high effort delivery and he really gets down the mound which creates a low arm slot and gives the fastball a flat approach angle. His fastball sits 92, but can get up to around 95. His best secondary is his changeup. It’s his primary pitch for whiffs and the bottom just falls out of it. He will also throw a pair of fringy breaking balls and a cutter.
Future Role: Messick has some command issues to address. His command has taken a step backwards this year, as his walk rate has gone from 8% to around 11.5% this year in Triple-A. His fastball and changeup make for a really strong combination to attack hitters, right-handed and left, and he should remain a starter long term. Messick’s ceiling is that of a backend guy, and he could be in the big leagues as soon as this year.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (50), Changeup (55), Curveball (45), Slider (45), Cutter (45) Command (45)
Frank Mozzicato, LHP Royals - 40 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round, 7th overall in the 2021 draft out of East Catholic High School in Connecticut.
Report: Mozzicato made a name for himself as he ripped through the Connecticut high school circuit and turned that into a $3.5 million dollar bonus from the Royals after they selected him 7th overall. Mozzicato has had some inconsistent fastball velocity as pro, but he’s sitting around 88-92 these days and can touch 94. His curveball has plus shape, and is aesthetically pleasing to watch as any pitch out there. It sits 79-82 and has good downward bite. He also throws an 82-84 changeup which is becoming a bigger piece of his arsenal.
Future Role: Mozzicato has struggled in his stint in Double-A this year, walking more batters than he has struck out in just under 30 innings of work. Even when things were going better for him in High-A, he was still walking 15% of hitters. He has to remain a starter to get the most out of his stuff, but severe command issues are working against him.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (45), Curveball (55), Changeup (50), Command (40)
Alimber Santa, RHP Astros - 45 OFP
Acquired: Signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2020.
Report: After several injury plagued seasons, the Astros have shifted Santa to the bullpen full-time and have to be thrilled with the early returns. Santa is in Double-A and has a strikeout rate up over 25% while holding opposing hitters to a .186 average. His four-seam fastball sits 95-97 and can touch 100 at peak. His primary breaking ball is a sweeper in the mid-80s. He will also mix in a curveball but is clearly his third offering.
Future Role: Santa will ride his fastball and sweeper combination into an eventual late innings role in a big league bullpen. Shifting him to the bullpen full-time has helped with his command and the stuff is as crisp as ever.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (55), Slider (55), Curveball (40), Command (50)
Noah Schultz, LHP White Sox - 50 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round, 26th overall in the 2022 draft out of Oswego East High School in Illinois.
Report: Schultz will appear in his second Future’s Game after being also named to the roster in 2024. Schultz has climbed all the way to Triple-A this year but the early results have been pretty tough. The shallowness of Schultz’s arsenal has been the big issue. His slider is still the plus pitch it has always been but the fastball has played down despite the velocity improvements. His two-seamer sits 93-97 with sink, and is tough to pick up due to his arm slot and natural deception. His low 80s slider remains a plus offering with excellent horizontal movement. His changeup is in the mid-to-high 80s and it is tough for right-handers to lift. He’s added a new cutter this year that sits 89-91 and touches 93.
Future Role: Schultz remains one of the higher upside arms in the game with his slider being an elite pitch that gets whiffs and limits hard contact, but the fastball has been hit hard this year. His command has wavered some as hitters in the upper levels are more selective and are staying off of his slider. Schultz has struggled in Triple-A and should spend the rest of the season in the minors. He still also has the durability issues to address, having only gone six innings in one of his outings this year.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (55), Slider (70), Changeup (40), Cutter (45), Command (55)
Trey Yesavage, RHP Blue Jays - 55 OFP
Acquired: Drafted in the 1st round, 20th overall, in the 2024 draft out of East Carolina University.
Report: Trey Yesavage moved into the ECU rotation his sophomore season before catapulting himself up draft boards with a fantastic 2024 season as a Junior, pitching to a 2.02 ERA in the American Athletic Conference which led the nation. Yesavage’s delivery is a bit stiff and its from an over the top arm slot but he still manages to fill up the zone and throw plenty of strikes and the fastball plays well at the top of the zone. The rest of the arsenal plays very well off of the elevated fastball, which sits 93-95 and can touch 97. He throws a gyro slider that can touch 90 that plays well from his vertical arm slot. He will throw a splitter against left-handers that drops off the table and also has a 12-to-6 curveball.
Future Role: Yesavage made his professional debut in 2025 and has already risen to Double-A and there’s a chance he could contribute for the Blue Jays down the stretch run. Yesavage was the clear second tier starter in this most recent draft, but if there was a do-over from the 2024 draft he would go off the board much earlier than 20th overall.
Pitch Grades: Fastball (55), Slider (55), Splitter (55), Curveball (45) Command (55)
Hitters
Josue Briceño, C Tigers - 55 OFP
Acquired: Signed out of Venezuela in 2022.
