The Cubs' top two prospects are both going to play in this prestigious showcase of minor league talent.
Iowa Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant and shortstop Javier Baez were named to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, an annual event that pits the top US-born prospects against the top prospects from the rest of the world.
Bryant being named to the team is not a surprise at all, since, with his home run in this afternoon's Iowa Cubs game. in 74 games, Bryant has hit 27 home runs. He led the Southern League in all three triple-crown categories before his promotion to Iowa, batting .346 (with a .448 OBP) and 58 RBI.
Baez was the Cubs' top prospect coming into this season, but he's struggled a bit at Iowa. Still, he's shown signs of turning it around lately and he still has 11 home runs in just 65 games. He's still one of the top 10 prospects in all of baseball.
Both Baez and Bryant were first-round picks by the Cubs. Baez was the ninth overall pick in 2011 out of a Jacksonville, FL high school and Bryant was the second overall pick out of the University of San Diego.
While they are teammates in Iowa, Baez and Bryant will be playing on opposite teams in this game.
Beyond Bryant and Baez, there are a ton of great prospects in this game. The Rangers' Joey Gallo will challenge Bryant for the best power in the game. Baez will probably come off the bench for the World team behind the Indians' Francisco Lindor. The Blue Jays' Daniel Norris will pitch for Team USA, and he's been mentioned in trade rumors for Jeff Samardzija.
Really, there are too many great prospects to name them all, so check out the complete roster here.
The Futures Game will be played on Sunday, July 13 at 4 p.m. Central time at Target Field in Minneapolis. That's the Sunday before the All-Star Game. You can watch the game on MLB Network.