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MLB All-Star Weekend: Players to watch in the Futures Game

Padres catcher Ethan Salas is among the players Kiley McDaniel is most excited to watch at All Star week. Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

MLB All-Star Week festivities kick off Saturday with the MLB Futures Game in Arlington, Texas. This showcase of young players from across the sport is a great place for more casual fans to see the top prospects in baseball. The diehards -- and those who work in the industry -- use it as a check-in to see if they have missed any risers or fallers in the first half of the minor league season.

If you're looking for those to pay particular attention to this year, these are the baker's dozen prospects whom I'm most excited to see in this year's game (breakout Phillies shortstop Aidan Miller doesn't make the list only because I already tracked him down earlier this spring in Florida).

The future ace