News
Santana, Weglarz to play in Futures Game
Indians prospects will represent club on World roster
By Anthony Castrovince / MLB.com
06/25/09 1:16 PM ET
PITTSBURGH -- Carlos Santana and Nick Weglarz will get a vacation from Double-A next month.
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Futures Game
representatives
representatives
As announced Thursday, the two promising Tribe prospects have been selected to represent the Indians on the World roster at the 11th annual XM All-Star Futures Game at Busch Stadium.
The Futures Game, which pits the best Minor League prospects from the United States against the best from the rest of the World, will be held on All-Star Sunday, July 12, at 2 p.m. ET. MLB.com will provide complete coverage before, during and after the game, which can be seen live on ESPN2 and ESPN2 HD and followed live on MLB.com's Gameday. Past Tribe participants in the Futures Game include Grady Sizemore, who was the game's MVP in 2003, Victor Martinez and Matt LaPorta. Here's a rundown of this year's participants: Carlos Santana, C, Double-A Akron (World Team)The Indians have received raves in the industry for landing Santana in the trade last summer that sent Casey Blake to the Dodgers. One of the more highly regarded catching prospects in all of baseball, Santana batted a combined .326 with 21 homers, 39 doubles and 117 RBIs in 130 games at the Class A level last season. He finished second among all Minor Leaguers in RBIs. After impressing the Indians' big league coaching staff in Spring Training, Santana, 23, reported to Akron for his first taste of Double-A ball. Through 65 games, he was batting .265 with 10 homers, 16 doubles, a triple, 45 RBIs and a .905 OPS. Santana was signed out of the Dominican Republic by the Dodgers in 2004. Nick Weglarz, OF, Double-A Akron (World Team)
A native of Canada's Niagara Falls, Weglarz represented his country at last summer's Beijing Olympic Games and again in the World Baseball Classic this spring. Now, he'll get to represent the organization that selected him in the third round of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft. Weglarz, 21, is a baby-faced Canuck with a Paul Bunyan body. The Indians like to tell the story of him showing up for a pre-Draft workout at Progressive Field when he was 17 and watching him pelt homers into the upper deck in right field. With the Aeros this season, Weglarz got off to a woeful start in April, batting .089 in the month. But he recovered with a torrid May in which he hit .325 with a 1.055 OPS. He has raw power, but he also has a strong eye at the plate that helps him rack up the walks.
Anthony Castrovince is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
