Young players took center stage in Philadelphia over the weekend as baseball held both its annual amateur draft and Futures Game.
UCLA SS Roch Cholowsky was selected first overall by the Chicago White Sox on Saturday afternoon. The next day, the American League prospects easily handled the National League, winning 6-1, with Tampa Bay Rays C Nathan Flewelling earning game MVP honors thanks to a two-run homer.
Fantasy baseball managers, especially those in redraft formats, should pay far more attention to the Futures Game, as some of the top prospects participated -- and we may actually see some of them in the major leagues this season. That's not likely to be the case for Flewelling, though. While a fine catching prospect, he's only 19 years old and playing for the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods. (Ya gotta love minor league baseball!) Flewelling has an .897 OPS and 16 home runs, but he will not impact fantasy leagues in 2026.
Futures standouts
Rather, several high-profile, impact shortstops earned notice for this game. Athletics SS Leo De Vries, the bounty of last season's Mason Miller trade with the San Diego Padres, led off for the AL team. He singled on a soft line drive to left field off Philadelphia Phillies RHP Gage Wood and showed his speed with immediate steals of both second and third base.
De Vries, 19, then scored the first run when Boston Red Sox SS Franklin Arias (playing 2B) grounded out. Milwaukee Brewers star Jesus Made, arguably baseball's top prospect, singled and knocked in a run on a 106.9 mph groundout in three at-bats. Washington Nationals SS Eli Willits, the No. 1 pick in 2025, walked once in his two plate appearances.
Flewelling's heroics, off Phillies RHP Wen-Hui Pan, came in the sixth inning, extending the lead to 4-1. There were two other extra-base hits in the seven-inning affair -- doubles by Toronto Blue Jays SS JoJo Parker and San Francisco Giants OF Dakota Jordan. In addition to De Vries, Los Angeles Angels OF Nelson Rada and Pittsburgh Pirates OF Edward Florentino also stole bases.
Seattle Mariners LHP Kade Anderson and Pirates RHP Seth Hernandez were two of the highest-profile pitchers to perform. Anderson, 22, dominant at Double-A Arkansas with a 1.36 ERA, an 0.69 WHIP and a 41% strikeout rate, retired the three hitters he faced, albeit without a strikeout. Hernandez, 20, threw his first pitch 100.5 mph and featured a wicked changeup that has resulted in a 40.8% strikeout rate at Single-A. He fanned two of three hitters he faced on Sunday. The Mariners seem in little hurry to promote Anderson and their MLB rotation is full. Hernandez should pitch in Double-A this summer.
Round 1 names to know
As for Saturday's draft, fantasy baseball managers seldom pay close attention because, for the most part, they do not have to. Most fantasy leagues follow the redraft format (not keeper or dynasty) and, unlike professional football and basketball, the players selected this past weekend are quite unlikely to have any big-league impact anytime soon. Baseball is just different than the other sports. Things take longer.
Cholowsky, a natural shortstop who starred for three college seasons, offers tantalizing power potential and he should provide immediate fantasy impact perhaps as soon as 2027. Several top 2025 selections debuted in 2026, and are stars today, including Cincinnati Reds RHP Chase Burns and Athletics 1B Nick Kurtz. Cholowsky hit .320/.452/.636 for the Bruins, winning his second consecutive Big Ten Player of the Year award. He hit 21 home runs in 60 games and 23 home runs the prior season, with more walks than strikeouts.
Fantasy managers with the potential to add Cholowsky in dynasty/keeper formats should already have done so, as it was quite clear the right-handed hitter who has often been comped to former All-Star SS Troy Tulowitzki would become one of the top draft picks. The White Sox employ a star SS in Colson Montgomery, but don't let that dissuade you, potential investors. The White Sox will make room and they should be aggressive. Montgomery can play third base, too.
Meanwhile, it was also a big weekend for young catchers -- and not only because Flewelling homered on Sunday. Just be aware that catchers tend to be far more valuable in actual baseball than for fantasy purposes, because defense is more critical than offense at the position. Perhaps new Minnesota Twins prospect Vahn Lackey, the No. 3 overall selection, moves quickly through the minor leagues after starring at Georgia Tech. Lackey hit .397/.519/.772 this past season.
Similarly, while there may be a handful of potential aces lurking from Saturday's first round, fantasy managers should always choose hitters first, for they are safer -- not just for health, but for performance and handling. Hitters aren't on innings limits. Most organizations handle pitchers carefully, much to the chagrin of fantasy investors. Burns and anyone chosen by the Angels are recent exceptions.
That noted, of the starting pitchers who went early in Round 1, RHP Jackson Flora lands in a positive situation with the Giants, quite near where he grew up in the East Bay. Flora, 21, posted an NCAA-leading 1.06 ERA this past season at UC Santa Barbara, striking out 133 hitters over 102 innings. The Giants lack highly ranked rotation depth in their farm system, so not only should Flora move quickly, performing half the games at pitcher-friendly Oracle Park is a good outcome.