2024 Futures Game: 10 prospects to watch at MLB All-Star Weekend, including Ethan Salas and yet another Oriole

Major League Baseball released the rosters for the 2024 All-Star Futures Game and Future Skills Showcase event on Tuesday. The Futures Game is an annual seven-inning exhibition that includes one prospect from every organization. This year's game, slated for Saturday, July 13, will be accompanied for the first time by a three-round skills competition that challenges players' bat control and power, among other attributes.

Some of the biggest names on the American League roster include White Sox lefty Noah Schultz ; Orioles catcher/first baseman Samuel Basallo; Mariners catcher Henry Ford; White Sox infielder Colson Montgomery ; Red Sox infielder Marcelo Mayer ; Tigers outfielder Max Clark ; and Yankees outfielder Spencer Jones , who you may recall the organization resisted including in a potential Dylan Cease trade during the offseason.

On the National League side of things, you have the likes of Rockies right-hander Chase Dollander ; Cardinals righty Tink Hence; Reds righty Rhett Lowder ; Padres catcher Ethan Salas; Pirates infielder Termarr Johnson ; Nationals outfielder Dylan Crews ; and Diamondbacks outfielder Druw Jones , the son of five-time All-Star outfielder Andruw Jones, most prominently a member of the Atlanta Braves during his MLB career.

You can see the full roster breakdown for both squads by clicking here .

Below, CBS Sports has highlighted 10 interesting prospects who are worth knowing in the Futures Game. Do note that this is a different exercise than naming the 10 best, and that the players are presented in alphabetical order.

1. Samuel Basallo, C/1B, Orioles

Entering the spring, we explained that we were the low vote on Basallo -- not because we didn't like him or his profile, but because we're always conservative with bat-only prospects until they prove it at the Double-A level. (The same sentiment applied to Rays first baseman Xavier Isaac , also a part of the Futures Game roster.) Basallo has since proved it at the Double-A level, posting a .794 OPS -- as a 19-year-old, mind you -- that is close to 100 points above the league-average mark. He's continued to catch more often than not, too, and while we're not optimistic about him sticking behind the plate for the long haul, there's no denying that he could sport an impact bat.

2. Owen Caissie , OF, Cubs

Caissie, obtained as part of the Yu Darvish trade, has been on breakout watch lists almost every year since thanks to his top-end raw power. He's hit more than 40% of his batted balls this season at 95 mph or higher, and twice he's cleared the 115 mph mark. (That maximum would place him in the top 20 at the big-league level.) The reason Caissie isn't regarded as a top prospect is a lousy hit-tool projection. He's struck out more than 27% of the time in Triple-A this year, and he's prone to getting too far underneath the ball and popping it up. With all that established, there's a non-zero chance Caissie puts on an impressive display of power that again makes him a pick to click.

3. Deyvison De Los Santos , 3B, Diamondbacks

The sickos out there might be familiar with De Los Santos' name. He was selected in last winter's Rule 5 Draft by the Cleveland Guardians , who then carried him deep into the spring. He didn't make the cut, obviously, but he's since improved his stock by launching 26 home runs in 74 games between Double- and Triple-A. De Los Santos hits the ball very hard, including once up to 116 mph this year, putting him in Aaron Judge and Fernando Tatis Jr. territory. The rest of his skill set isn't as polished -- he's concerningly swing-happy and prone to whiffing -- but there's a chance he hits a mammoth home run during the Futures Game that sends everyone to his Baseball Reference page.

4. Harry Ford , C, Mariners

If you've read our draft coverage, you know we're eternally bearish on first-round prep catchers. They never work out. The last one who was an unquestionable success was Joe Mauer , who, by the way, was selected just a few months after Ford was born. Even so, we must concede: Ford looks to be an exception. He's improved behind the dish to the point where that's no longer a question. He's also produced at an above-average clip at Double-A, which serves as the burning blade challenge for offensive prospects. Ford probably won't crack the majors until sometime next summer, but you're worth monitoring anytime you're on pace to be the first to do something since Mauer.

5. Tink Hence, RHP, Cardinals

We've noted time and again in recent years that the starting pitcher role is changing; workload expectations are decreasing, leading to a shift in what teams look for in their starter prospects. Hence is that trend incarnated. He's a small righty (he's listed at 6-foot-1, 195 pounds) who has averaged fewer than five innings per start this season. Nevertheless, you can make a compelling case that he's one of the best pitching prospects in the minors thanks to a quality, well-rounded arsenal. Hence has already established himself at the Double-A level. We're curious to see how the Cardinals handle his workload heading forward, all the way up to his inevitable MLB debut.

6. Chase Dollander, RHP, Rockies

Dollander entered last year's draft cycle in the running for the No. 1 pick. He struggled with his consistency throughout the spring, resulting in him slipping all the way to No. 9. While landing with the Rockies is seldom a positive development in a pitcher's career, the early returns on his professional career indicate he's not bothered. Dollander has the kind of stuff that, should he progress as desired, could make him at least a middle-of-the-rotation starter in the majors.

7. Brooks Lee , 3B/SS, Twins

Lee, who is also partaking in the skills competition, is on the cusp of the majors. In fact, he might already be manning a spot for the Twins were it not for Willi Castro and Jose Miranda's simultaneous breakout efforts. Lee is a polished switch-hitting infielder with good bat-to-ball and zone-control skills. Lee missed the start of the season because of injury woes, but has announced his return by homering six times in 19 Triple-A games. (Lest anyone get the wrong idea about him having middle-of-the-order strength: his maximum exit velocity is just under 105 mph.) Provided he stays healthy himself, you'll be seeing him in The Show at some point sooner or later.

8. Ethan Salas, C, Padres

Loyal readers know all about Salas, the teenage catching phenom who reached Double-A as a 17-year-old in his first professional season. Coming into the year, he appeared primed to become the first teenage catcher at the MLB level since Iván Rodríguez thanks to his shocking defensive polish and budding offensive profile. Alas, Salas has scuffled in High-A to the extent that it's fair to rule him out of the big-league equation until late next year, at the earliest. He won't turn 20 until June 1, 2026, meaning he has plenty of time to match Rodríguez's feat before then.

9. Noah Schultz, LHP, White Sox

Schultz is one of the best pitching prospects in the game. He's a big, physical left-hander who peppers the opposition with a high-quality fastball-slider combination from a low slot. The one aspect holding back his stock had been his durability; he entered the season having delivered fewer than 30 innings since being drafted in 2022. Schultz is up over 50 frames this year, and while he still has a ways to go before he can be described as a workhorse, he appears to be on the right track. Don't be surprised if he wills his way into the White Sox rotation at some point next year.

10. Chandler Simpson , OF, Rays

We'll close out with Simpson, whose skill set is akin to someone doing a min-max experiment in a video game. He's possibly the fastest player in organized baseball, and he's shown a quality feel for contact that has allowed him to walk more than he's struck out this season. Simultaneously, Simpson has bottom-of-the-scale power; he's never homered as a professional, and his spray chart this season suggests he hasn't so much as hit a fly ball to the warning track. Most players with this kind of profile flame out once pitchers realize they can spam them with strikes without fear of getting burned. Simpson, to his credit, has made it work all the way to the Double-A level. Whatever the future holds is to be seen; for now, he's one of the most interesting prospects in the minors.