Kemp, Appel named to Futures Game
Top prospects show off Astros' depth of talent
HOUSTON -- Astros prospects Mark Appel and Tony Kemp were named to the U.S. roster of the 2015 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, Major League Baseball announced on Thursday.
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Kemp, who was promoted to Triple-A Fresno on June 11, is off to a torrid start, hitting .357 with nine RBIs in his first 14 games. In 50 games at Double-A Corpus Christi before the promotion, Kemp hit .358 with 69 hits and 19 RBIs.
Appel, who was promoted to Triple-A Fresno on Wednesday, was 5-1 with a 4.26 ERA in 13 starts at Double-A Corpus Christi. He's currently MLB.com's No. 10 right-handed pitching prospect and the top Astros prospect after Carlos Correa's promotion earlier this season. Appel is set to make his Triple-A debut on Saturday when Fresno travels to Reno.
Joining the duo at the game -- but on the opposing team -- will be Corpus Christi manager Rodney Linares, who will serve on the World Team coaching staff under manager Tony Perez.
'Futures' is now for 5 rising prospects, including Astros' Kemp
The Futures Game is set for a 2 p.m. CT first pitch on July 12 from Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.
The 17th annual SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game takes place at 2 p.m. CT on July 12, and it can be seen live on MLB Network and MLB.com, with Matt Vasgersian, Dan Plesac, Heidi Watney and Jonathan Mayo on the call. In addition, SiriusXM Radio will broadcast play-by-play coverage of the event live on MLB Network Radio (XM channel 89; Sirius channel 209). MLB.com will also provide complete coverage before, during and after the game. Fans can stay updated by following @FuturesGame on Twitter and can send/receive tweets to/from the U.S. and World dugouts during the game by tagging tweets with the hashtags #USDugout and #WorldDugout.