The 2019 All-Star Futures Game is Sunday at Progressive Field in Cleveland, starring an array of former college baseball standouts. This year's format sets the American League against the National League. In the 20 years prior, teams were identified as U.S. and World. And for the first time ever, the ballgame will last seven innings instead of the usual nine.
Here is a look at the NCAA careers of the 15 representing their respective farm systems in the showcase. You can watch the game at 7 p.m. July 7 on the MLB Network or stream on MLB.com.
American League players
J.B. Bukauskas, pitcher, North Carolina (2015-17)
Draft: Round 1 in 2017; No. 98 MLB prospect
In three seasons with the Tar Heels, Bukauskas was nothing short of spectacular, boasting a career 21-6 record, 3.18 ERA and 294 strikeouts in 42 starts. The righty was the No. 15 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft and currently pitches for the Corpus Christi Hooks, a Double-A affiliate of the Houston Astros.
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Justin Dunn, pitcher, Boston College (2014-16)
Draft: Round 1 in 2016; No. 67 MLB prospect
Dunn tied the highest selection for a Boston College pitcher in the school's history when he was the 19th overall pick in the 2016 draft by the New York Mets.
The right-handed prospect took the mound as a starter and reliever from 2014 to 2016 for the Eagles, compiling seven saves and 15 starts. He enjoyed a final record of 9-7, a 3.66 ERA and 130 strikeouts throughout his collegiate tenure.
Today, Dunn plays with the Seattle Mariners' Double-A squad, the Arkansas Travelers.
Brendan McKay, pitcher/dh, Louisville (2015-17)
Draft: Round 1 in 2017; No. 23 MLB prospect
McKay currently pitches and bats as a designated hitter with the Tampa Bay Rays, a skillset rarely embodied in the MLB.
Serving a similar role at Louisville, McKay assembled a .328 career batting average, 28 home runs and 132 RBIs as a first baseman. And taking the bump mostly as a starter with the Cardinals, McKay finished his three years with a 32-10 record, a stellar 2.23 ERA and a mammoth 391 strikeouts.
In what was one of the best careers in the history of college baseball, the dual-threat won the Golden Spikes Award in 2017. His expertise has translated nicely to the pros, recently earning a call-up to play in the big leagues — he will not be eligible to play in the Futures Game because of the promotion.
Kris Bubic, pitcher, Stanford (2016-18)
Draft: Round 1 in 2018
McKay's replacement for Sunday's game certainly possesses worthy pitching prowess of his own. In 51 games at Stanford, the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Bubic composed a 15-10 record, 2.82 ERA and made batters look silly in the process with 235 strikeouts.
Just a year removed from college, the lefty works for the Kansas City Royals' Advanced-A Wilmington Blue Rocks.
Brady Singer, pitcher, Florida (2016-18)
Draft: Round 1 in 2018; No. 45 MLB prospect
Singer was tearing up the diamond as recently as 2017 when he won a national title with the Florida Gators. The righty broke out in his sophomore season and never looked back, achieving a 23-10 record, 3.22 ERA and 281 strikeouts in 60 appearances during his collegiate tenure.
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Drafted in the first round last year, he's quickly risen through the ranks and is currently stationed with the Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals of the Kansas City Royals organization.
Jake Rogers, catcher, Tulane (2014-16)
Draft: Round 3 in 2016
Known for his impeccable defensive abilities behind the plate, Rogers had a modest presence in the batter's box at Tulane — the catcher batted .233 with seven home runs and 57 RBIs in 550 at-bats. But, as a three-year starter from 2014 to 2016, he represented a .991 career fielding percentage, only 12 errors and 1092 putouts.
Rogers approaches the Futures Game as a member of the Toledo Mud Hens in Triple-A, one step away from the Detroit Tigers.
Nick Madrigal, infielder, Oregon State (2016-18)
Draft: Round 1 in 2018; No. 39 MLB prospect
Striking, remarkable, sensational — Madrigal's college career with Oregon State was all of that and then some. The second baseman struck out only seven times in 180 at-bats his junior year while tallying 103 career RBIs and a .361 batting average.
And things have only gotten better professionally for Madrigal. In 434 minor-league at-bats in the White Sox farm system, the disciplined hitter has struck out only 13 times. He is currently with the Double-A Birmingham Barons.
Evan White, infielder, Kentucky (2015-17)
Draft: Round 1 in 2017; No. 81 MLB prospect
White steadily progressed at first base with the Wildcats, enhancing his power and patience at the plate. His third and final year at Kentucky, the Mariners prospect had the highest slugging percentage (.637), home run (10) and RBI (41) total of his college experience. That same season, he also reached 25 walks and only 31 strikeouts, the best single-season counts of his career.
After mustering up a .356 batting average with 17 dingers and 109 runs driven in after three seasons, White landed with Seattle's organization and is now awaiting his shot at the bigs with the Double-A Arkansas Travelers.
Jarren Duran, outfielder, Long Beach State (2016-18)
Draft: Round 7 in 2018
Presently playing right field with the Double-A Portland Sea Dogs in the Boston Red Sox system, Duran was a master of getting on base in Long Beach. The former collegiate infielder put up a .376 OBP and .294 batting average from 2016 to 2018. Those numbers have escalated since joining the minors where he shows off a .399 OBP paired with a .344 average at the dish in 2019.
Daniel Johnson, outfielder, New Mexico State (2015-16)
Draft: Round 5 in 2016
Johnson only spent two seasons with the Aggies after transferring from Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College and had a monster of a season in 2016, hitting .382 with 12 bombs and 50 RBIs.
Departing school with a career batting average of .339, 14 total homers and 66 runs knocked in, the outfielder joined the Washington Nationals organization in 2016 and has since reached the Triple-A level with the Cleveland Indians with the Columbus Clippers.
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National League players
Ben Bowden, pitcher, Vanderbilt (2014-16)
Draft: Round 2 in 2016
Primarily serving in a relief role for the Commodores from 2014 to 2017, Bowden pitched in 37 ball games, earning a 3.63 ERA with 74 strikeouts.
The left-handed flamethrower has three knockout pitches that he's put on display throughout his minor-league career despite missing 2017 with an injury. Bowden is 7-3 with a 3.11 ERA, 151 punch-outs and 20 saves in the Colorado Rockies system. He's been unhittable this season and has worked his way up to Triple-A with the Albuquerque Isotopes.
Anthony Kay, pitcher, UConn (2014-16)
Draft: Round 1 in 2016; No. 95 MLB prospect
Kay had no trouble sitting batters down with the Huskies, notching 263 strikeouts in 39 games from 2014 to 2016. The left-handed starter went 22-12 with a 2.64 ERA and even added three saves in a relief role.
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Another big season could bump Kay up to the majors as he pitches for the the Triple-A Syracuse Mets, a New York affiliate.
Joey Bart, catcher, Georgia Tech (2016-18)
Draft: Round 1 in 2018; No. 19 MLB prospect
A catcher with the ability to put the ball in play on a consistent basis, Bart has been highly anticipated professionally since the moment he stepped off Georgia Tech's diamond. The now 22-year-old hit .321, with 30 long balls and 112 runs plated with 65 walks in his three seasons in Atlanta.
With only one full minor-league season in the books, Bart is primed for more experience with the Advanced-A San Jose Giants under, you guessed it, the San Francisco Giants.
Daulton Varsho, catcher, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (2015-17)
Draft: Round 2 in 2017
The catcher from Chili, Wis., enjoyed a .335 batting average with 24 homers and 124 RBIs over three years. Varsho also compiled 998 putouts as a wall behind home plate.
At 23 years old, he currently plays for the Jackson Generals in Double-A for the Arizona Diamondbacks organization.
Alec Bohm, infielder, Wichita State (2016-18)
Draft: Round 1 in 2018; No. 38 MLB prospect
Bohm was born in Omaha, Neb., so he's from a town that celebrates some of the most historic teams and players in college baseball's history — and it's paid off.
The key statistics — a career .317 batting average with 33 home runs and 125 runs batted across — illustrated the type of impact the third baseman had at Wichita State.
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Bohm has already transitioned to Double-A Reading after being drafted in 2018 by the Philadelphia Phillies in the first round.
Will Craig, infielder, Wake Forest (2014-16)
Draft: Round 1 in 2016
See Craig's reaction in the picture above? He had a lot of that throughout his time hitting and pitching for the Demon Deacons.
His junior year in 2016, the righty earned nine saves while putting together a 2-0 record and 3.54 ERA in 28 innings. He was great on the mound, but his .347 career batting average, 37 homers and 160 RBIs were the real highlight of his three seasons at Wake Forest.
So Craig has settled in at first base with the Indianapolis Indians in Triple-A where he has 17 home runs to bolster his case for a promotion to Pittsburgh.
FULL ROSTERS: 2019 All-Star Futures Game
