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The Red Sox will have plenty of representation during the 2014 MLB Futures Game. A pair of the organization's top prospects, Mookie Betts and Henry Owens, will play for the U.S. squad in the annual event. As with the All-Star Game, the Futures Game will take place at Target Field, only right before rather than during the All-Star Break.
Betts was promoted to Double-A Portland before the season began, and proceeded to extend his on-base streak to 71 games before it finally snapped. He hit .355/.443/.551 in 54 games at the level before finding himself in Triple-A Pawtucket as an almost full-time outfielder: the Sox switched Betts from second base to the outfield, in part due to the lack of outfield prospects in upper levels of the system and the existence of Dustin Pedroia at second in the majors.
The 21-year-old Betts has batted .321/.402/.457 for Triple-A Pawtucket, and has reached base in all of his 20 games at the level. He's arguably Boston's top prospect overall, not just position prospect, now that Xander Bogaerts is entrenched in the majors, so his placement in the Futures Game was assumed.
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The same goes for Henry Owens, who is also 21, but still in Double-A through no fault of his own. While his performance suggests he should already have moved up a level, there simply isn't room in Pawtucket given the other pitching prospects there. Owens is the best of the bunch, however, or at least has the potential to be: he's produced a 1.99 ERA in his 14 starts and 86 innings for the Sea Dogs while striking out over a batter per inning, and has held the opposition to a single run and a .161/.212/.194 line in his last five starts and 35-2/3 innings.
You can catch Betts and Owens in the Futures Game on Sunday, July 13. The 16th annual contest will air live on the MLB Network at 5 pm eastern. MLB.com has released the full rosters, if you're curious to see who Betts and Owens will play alongside on the U.S. side, and who they'll be opposing from the World squad.