PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays prospect Nathan Flewelling hit a two-run home run and earned MVP honors, and the American League needed only five hits to beat the National League 6-1 on Sunday in the All-Star Futures Game.The 19-year-old Flewelling is rated the second-best prospect in Tampa Bay’s organization and was a third-round pick in the 2024 amateur draft. Flewelling and Theo Gillen — Tampa Bay’s top-rated prospect — combined for three RBIs in the seven-inning game that included most of minor league baseball’s best players.Flewelling catches for Class-A Bowling Green and the 20-year-old Gillen is an outfielder for Double-A Montgomery.Phillies minor leaguer Gage Wood earned the start and allowed one run and threw 11 pitches in his one inning of work. Leo De Vries, a 19-year-old Athletics shortstop ranked as the No. 2 prospect by MLB.com, hit a leadoff single and stole second and third and scored on a groundout by Boston’s Franklin Arias. Wood threw nine strikes and hit 97 mph on his fastest pitch.Former Phillies outfielder and National League Futures manager Shane Victorino made the call to tell Wood he would start the game.
“I hope it was a moment that he’ll never forget, other than the next call hopefully to the big leagues soon enough,” Victorino said. “It’s always an honor to hand the ball to someone obviously that’s a hometown or home-team kid and get that opportunity hopefully someday to pitch for that team.”
