Let's take a trip back to the Futures

This story was excerpted from Adam McCalvy’s Brewers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

MILWAUKEE – There are no guarantees of what lies ahead for Brewers shortstop Cooper Pratt, but if history is a guide, he has a great chance to live out his dream of making it to the Major Leagues.

Pratt, a 19-year-old shortstop drafted in the sixth round last year, who ranks No. 4 on MLB Pipeline’s list of the top Brewers prospects and No. 95 in the Top 100, will be Milwaukee’s lone representative at this year’s All-Star Futures Game on Saturday. Since the event’s inception in 1999, the Futures Game has been a springboard to the big leagues for Brewers prospects from Kyle Peterson to Prince Fielder and Josh Hader to Jackson Chourio.

Here’s a trip back to the Futures to jog your memory, with players who made it to the Majors in bold. You’ll notice a lot of bold:

1999 – RHP Kyle Peterson

Talk about a quick rise. Peterson pitched in the inaugural Futures Game at Fenway Park on July 11, then made his Major League debut at County Stadium against the White Sox on July 19.

2000 – RHP Ben Sheets

Sheets pitched in the Futures Game and starred for Team USA in the 2000 Summer Olympics before making his MLB debut at the start of ‘01 and making it back to the Midsummer Classic – this time as a National League All-Star.

2001 – RHP Nick Neugebauer

The former second-round pick made the Futures roster, but didn’t pitch. As a consolation, he was in the Majors a month later.

2002 – OF Corey Hart, INF Bill Hall

In a year All-Star festivities were held at Milwaukee’s Miller Park, Hall was a September callup the same season. Hart had to wait until 2004. Both went on to have 30-homer seasons for the Brewers.

2003 – INF J.J. Hardy, OF Dave Krynzel

Krynzel was a first-round pick whose Major League career was brief, but Hardy turned into a two-time All-Star and three-time Gold Glove Award winner.

2004 – 1B Prince Fielder, INF Rickie Weeks

Before becoming Brewers mainstays, Fielder and Weeks participated in an MLB.com online chat in the dugout during the Futures Game at Minute Maid Park, moderated by a certain young beat reporter.

2005 – INF Hernan Iribarren, OF Nelson Cruz

Iribarren dominated at clubhouse ping-pong but Cruz had the better Major League career, a late bloomer whose best years came after he was traded to Texas.

2006 – INF Ryan Braun, RHP Yovani Gallardo

A year after this duo did little in a Futures Game at PNC Park, they were having big rookie seasons with the Brewers. Braun won the 2007 NL Rookie of the Year Award, and Gallardo had a 3.67 ERA in 110 1/3 innings.

2007 – INF Alcides Escobar

The slick shortstop played parts of three seasons for the Brewers, but he is better remembered as one of the prospects who helped the team get Zack Greinke in a trade with the Royals.

2008 – INF Mat Gamel

Gamel showed his keen eye by working a pair of walks at Yankee Stadium and might have hit for a long time in the big leagues if not for bad luck with injuries.

2009 – INF Alcides Escobar, INF Brett Lawrie

Escobar became the Brewers’ first two-time Futures Game participant, but it wouldn’t take long for another player to share that distinction.

2010 – INF Brett Lawrie

Lawrie, a Canadian, led off for the World Team at Angel Stadium. He was traded to the Blue Jays at the subsequent Winter Meetings for Shaun Marcum and made the Majors the following season.

2011 – RHP Tyler Thornburg

Thornburg began the 2011 season at the Class-A level and was in the Majors by the end of ‘12.

2012 – INF Scooter Gennett

A 16th-round pick who signed for above slot, Gennett overcame doubts about his size to play parts of seven MLB seasons beginning in 2013.

2013 – RHP Jimmy Nelson

Nelson pitched a scoreless seventh inning in a Team USA win that featured two hits from Marlins prospect Christian Yelich. Nelson debuted in the big leagues at the end of the following season.

2014 – RHP Jorge López

Prospect development often requires patience. López made his Major League debut the year after appearing in the Futures Game, but it wasn’t until 2018 that he topped 50 innings in the big leagues.

2015 – INF Orlando Arcia

Arcia was Milwaukee’s top prospect when he made his big league debut in mid-2016.

2016 – LHP Josh Hader

After the U.S. team took the lead in the top of the eighth inning at Petco Park, Hader entered with two outs in the bottom of that inning and struck out the only batter he faced, Josh Naylor. Eleven months later, Hader was in the bigs.

2017 – OF Corey Ray, OF Lewis Brinson, INF Mauricio Dubón

All three went on to play in the Majors, but only Dubón has a positive bWAR.

2018 – RHP Luis Ortiz, INF Keston Hiura

The Brewers traded Ortiz to the Orioles later that month for another Futures Game alum, Jonathan Schoop. Hiura made his MLB debut in 2019 and had a terrific rookie year he was unable to subsequently build on.

2019 – RHP Devin Williams

Capping a long comeback from Tommy John surgery, Williams used the Futures Game as a springboard to becoming NL Rookie of the Year in 2020.

2020 – No game

2021 – LHP Ethan Small

Small, a highly-decorated collegian before the Brewers made him a first-round Draft pick, pitched for Milwaukee in 2022 and ‘23 but never gained a foothold in the Majors.

2022 – LHP Antoine Kelly, OF Jackson Chourio, OF Joey Wiemer

The Brewers traded Kelly to the Rangers weeks later, and as of the 2024 All-Star Game he was Milwaukee’s first Futures Game pick still awaiting his Major League debut. Chourio’s Futures Game assignment was part of his rapid ascent up MLB Pipeline’s Top 100.

2023 – OF Jackson Chourio, RHP Jacob Misiorowski, C Jeferson Quero

Misiorowski was one of the top performers at T-Mobile Park in Seattle, where he struck out three and threw a series of 100 mph pitches.

2024 – INF Cooper Pratt