With no FIFA World Cup match on the calendar Sunday, the sport worth your afternoon is baseball’s future. The 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game opens All-Star Week at Citizens Bank Park, and it brings the best prospects in the minor leagues, from six countries, onto one big-league field.
How to Watch the 2026 Futures Game
- First pitch: 12:00 p.m. ET, Sunday, July 12
- Site: Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia
- TV: NBC
- Stream: Peacock
- Format: Seven innings, ties allowed, AL prospects vs. NL prospects
The game airs exclusively on NBC and streams on Peacock. Melanie Newman handles play-by-play, with Yonder Alonso and Sam Dykstra on analysis and Sande Charles reporting from the field. It is the 27th edition of the event.
Baseball Without Borders, in One Game
This is the WBN game of the day for a reason. Per MLB, six different countries and territories are represented on the two rosters: Canada, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Taiwan, the United States and Venezuela. The headliner is the No. 1 overall prospect in baseball, Brewers shortstop Jesús Made of Venezuela, who leads a National League side loaded with international talent.
Made is joined by fellow Venezuelan Luis Peña, also of the Brewers system, and by catcher Alfredo Duno of the Reds. The Dominican Republic sends Red Sox shortstop Franklin Arias and Pirates outfielder Edward Florentino, among others. Taiwan is represented by Phillies right-hander Wen-Hui Pan, pitching in what will be his home ballpark, and Canada by Rays catcher Nathan Flewelling. Athletics shortstop Leo De Vries, the No. 2 overall prospect and a product of Curaçao, anchors the American League bats.
Athletics’ Leo de Vries talks with fans as he signs autographs prior to a spring training baseball game against the Los Angeles Dodgers, Saturday, March 21, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
The reach is not incidental. Per MLB research, 86.8 percent of Futures Game participants since 1999 have gone on to play at least one major league game, and 21.3 percent have become All-Stars.
The Star Power
Beyond Made and De Vries, the rosters are stacked. Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula, the No. 4 overall prospect, is chasing history as the first repeat winner of the Larry Doby MVP award after homering to win it last year. Pirates right-hander Seth Hernandez, whose fastball has touched 102 mph, became the first minor league pitcher to reach 100 strikeouts in 2026. Mariners teammates Kade Anderson and Ryan Sloan, dominant together at Double-A Arkansas all year, could pair up again on the American League staff.
Milwaukee Brewers’ Jesús Made is seen Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, in Phoenix. This image reflects the Brewers’ active roster as of Friday, Feb. 20, 2026, when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Morry Gash)
Milwaukee Brewers prospects Jesus Made, right, and Cooper Pratt, left, stand in the dugout before a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 27, 2024, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Aaron Gash)
FILE – Los Angeles Dodgers Josue De Paula (95) bats during a spring training baseball game against the Chicago White Sox, March 2, 2025, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Darryl Webb, File)
A Philadelphia Flavor in the Dugouts
The managers are hometown royalty. Phillies legends Larry Bowa and Shane Victorino lead the American and National League sides. Billy Wagner, inducted into the Hall of Fame last year, serves as the National League pitching coach. Since the event switched to an AL-vs-NL format in 2019, the NL holds a 4-1-1 edge.
The Rest of All-Star Week
The Futures Game opens a full week in Philadelphia. The T-Mobile Home Run Derby follows Monday, July 13 at 8:00 p.m. ET on Netflix, and the All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 14 at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX, both at Citizens Bank Park. The 2026 MLB Draft, meanwhile, runs its second day Sunday, rounds 5 through 20, from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. ET.
Los Angeles Dodgers prospect Josue De Paula speaks during a news conference at Truist Park, Saturday, July, 12, 2025 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Charles Odum)
The stars of Tuesday are the story of the week. But the players who make Sunday worth watching are the ones you will be bragging about having seen first.
