MLB TRADE UPDATE: The Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox have formally struck an agreement to sign Los Angeles Dodgers phenomenal world-class first baseman to a $192.7 million contract, according to a Fox report this evening. However….

Since its inception in 1999, the All-Star Futures Game has provided a stage for the next generation of big league stars to show off their tools. Over the years, we’ve seen exciting displays of hitting prowess. But given the nature of the exhibition, it always seemed like the spotlight on those skills was too fleeting.

Until now.

Some of the game’s best hitting prospects will be able to put their considerable tools to the test in direct competition at the conclusion of the Futures Game on Saturday, July 13, in the first-ever MLB Futures Skills Showcase.

A total of eight players — four from each league — will participate in an event inspired by fan-favorite baseball video games of the past and present, giving fans another way to focus on baseball’s future stars after the debut of Spring Breakout earlier this year. Those two events, along with the long-running Arizona Fall League, form a wonderful trifecta of prospect showcases stretching across the calendar.

There will be three rounds of hitting challenges:

1. Hit It Here
Hitters have 10 swings to earn points based on each target’s value. There will be obstacles representing infielders’ traditional starting positions placed on the infield dirt to add a degree of difficulty. Hitters get points for reaching outfield targets on the fly or on a bounce and they earn points by landing the ball on the bunt target.