ATLANTA, Ga. — Several players born outside the United States made key contributions in the 2025 MLB Futures Game on Saturday afternoon at Truist Park, where the National League defeated the American League 4-2 in a seven-inning exhibition featuring some of Major League Baseball’s most promising prospects.
Owen Caissie, a Canadian-born outfielder in the Chicago Cubs organization, reached base three times and delivered an RBI double in the fourth inning that gave the National League its final run of the afternoon. Caissie, who was born in Burlington, Ontario, is ranked No. 42 overall by MLB Pipeline and is the Cubs’ top prospect.
Owen Caissie carries the momentum from his hot season into the Futures Game!
The @Cubs' No. 1 prospect, who has a .961 OPS at Triple-A, laces an RBI double for the National League.
Watch LIVE: https://t.co/P7RekP7G4k pic.twitter.com/JRNHS9bgX1
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 12, 2025
Venezuelan-born catcher Josue Briceno, part of the Detroit Tigers system, tripled to lead off the top of the fourth and scored on a sacrifice fly from Sebastian Walcott. Briceno was one of only two AL players with an extra-base hit in the game.
¡De La Colonia Tovar!
Josué Briceño, receptor de los Tigres de Detroit, está en el Juego de Futuras Estrellas. Ha tenido un gran año en ligas menores y viene de ganar el MVP y la Triple Corona en la AFL. #RepDetroit | #ElExtrabase⚾️🇻🇪 pic.twitter.com/YFJkMsdjll
— El Extrabase ⚾️ (@ElExtrabase) July 12, 2025
Jesús Made, a middle infielder born in Panama and playing in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, singled in the bottom of the fourth and scored during the National League’s four-run inning. Made continues to show strong bat-to-ball skills and has steadily climbed the Brewers’ farm system.
Switch-pitcher vs. switch-hitter in the Futures Game 🤯
Jurrangelo Cijntje wins the battle against Jesús Made. pic.twitter.com/eSGoDvxo7a
— MLB (@MLB) July 12, 2025
Los Angeles Dodgers minor league outfielder Josue De Paula delivered the biggest swing of the afternoon in the fourth inning. Born in Brooklyn, New York, and raised in the Dominican Republic, De Paula turned a 2-0 deficit into a 3-2 National League lead with a three-run homer to right-center off Chicago White Sox left-hander Noah Schultz.
The 416-foot home run, hit with an exit velocity of 108.5 mph, was the only ball to leave the park and earned him the Larry Doby Award as the game’s Most Valuable Player.
https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1944146547052024285
The 2025 All-Star Futures Game is in the books!
Check out how prospects from each club fared: https://t.co/B99gtAkFjR pic.twitter.com/2UDGQLPspR
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) July 13, 2025
De Paula, 20, signed with the Dodgers during the 2022 international signing period after moving to the Dominican Republic to pursue his career when COVID-19 disrupted high school baseball in the U.S. He currently plays for High-A Great Lakes. He trained at El Niche Baseball Academy, which has produced players such as Juan Soto and Elly De La Cruz.
His decision to pursue professional baseball outside the draft gave him earlier access to development opportunities and professional competition. To learn more about De Paula’s journey from Coney Island to El Niche Baseball Academy in Santo Domingo, this feature by Patrick Ellington Jr.
Yankees prospect George Lombard Jr. opened the scoring for the American League in the third inning. The second baseman walked, stole second, and scored on a groundout by Braden Montgomery. Lombard, who also doubled later in the game, is the son of Detroit Tigers bench coach George Lombard.
Arizona Diamondbacks infielder LuJames Groover had two infield singles and scored the NL’s final run on Caissie’s double. He was the only player in the game with multiple hits.
ATL just got GROOVED 🔥
Congratulations to the National League & LuJames Groover on today’s 4-2 win in the All-Star Futures game! Groover went 2 for 2 with 2 hits and 1 run! pic.twitter.com/IyH8ZwEFwI
— Amarillo Sod Poodles (@sodpoodles) July 12, 2025
Braves prospect JR Ritchie started for the National League and struck out two in a scoreless first inning. Mets right-hander Jonah Tong followed and struck out Mariners catcher Harry Ford with a 77 mph curveball.
Seattle’s Jurrangelo Cijntje, raised in Curaçao, pitched both right- and left-handed in a scoreless second inning. He struck out Made from the right side, forced a flyout from De Paula as a lefty, and returned to right-handed to strike out Joe Mack and end the frame.
Washington Nationals right-hander Marquis Grissom Jr. earned the win for the NL, pitching against his father, former Braves center fielder Marquis Grissom, who managed the AL team. Grissom Jr. allowed Briceno’s triple and a sacrifice fly but kept the game close before De Paula’s go-ahead homer.
Rockies minor league pitcher Welinton Herrera, born in the Dominican Republic, pitched a scoreless seventh to lock down the 4-2 win and earn the save.
Diamondbacks outfielder Slade Caldwell recorded the final out on a sliding catch in left field.
The National League has now gone 4-1-1 in the Futures Game since the exhibition switched to an AL vs. NL format in 2019. The game lasted two hours and nine minutes.
All-Star Weekend continues with the MLB Draft on Sunday, followed by the Home Run Derby on Monday and the All-Star Game on Tuesday in Atlanta.
