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The Orioles figure to send several players to next month’s All-Star Game in New York, but their minor-league system will also be represented as Double-A outfielder Henry Urrutia and Single-A pitcher Eduardo Rodriguez have been selected to play in the Futures Game.
Both players will play for the World Team in the minor-league contest taking place July 14 at Citi Field.
Urrutia, a Cuban outfielder in the midst of his first year in the Orioles system, was also chosen to represent the Baysox in the Eastern League All-Star Game. He is hitting .365 with seven home runs and 37 RBIs and is rumored to be heading to Triple-A Norfolk in the near future.
At 26, the defector could arrive in Baltimore sooner rather than later as he’s impressed with his hitting prowess and has improved defensively in his time with Bowie.
Rodriguez, a 20-year-old from Venezuela, is 6-4 with a 2.85 earned run average in 14 starts for Frederick this season. He is regarded by many as the best pitching prospect in the system behind Kevin Gausman and Dylan Bundy.
The southpaw threw a scoreless inning in last week’s Carolina-California League All-Star Game.
Last year, Bundy and Manny Machado were selected to play in the Futures Game before both made their major league debuts later in the 2012 season. Other Orioles to appear in the minor-league contest in past years included Zach Britton, Jim Johnson, Brian Matusz, and Chris Tillman.
