Hokies baseball prospects to take stage in 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game, MLB Draft

ARLINGTON, Texas – Nearing the finish line of the first half of the MLB season, all eyes will descend this week on Globe Life Field – home of the Texas Rangers – for 2024 MLB All-Star Week, where the Virginia Tech baseball program will be at the forefront of the professional baseball universe.

On Saturday, July 13, Kansas City Royals minor leaguer and former Virginia Tech outfielder Gavin Cross will suit up for the American League in the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game. Since 1999, the All-Star Futures Game has ceremoniously kicked off MLB All-Star festivities by showcasing the brightest stars of tomorrow in an annual exhibition of the game’s top prospects.

First pitch of the 2024 MLB All-Star Futures Game at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. ET. Coverage will air live on MLB Network, MLB.TV, MLB.com and on the MLB App beginning at 4 p.m. ET.

Cross – currently the No. 7 overall prospect in the Kansas City organization – is two summers removed from being taken at No. 9 overall by the Royals during the 2022 MLB Draft, a feat that made him Virginia Tech’s highest all-time MLB Draft selection. During his three seasons with the Hokies (including the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign), the All-American outfielder hit .340 through 124 games played while mashing 28 doubles, 12 triples and 28 home runs, capping his collegiate career with heralded praise as the Most Outstanding Player of the 2022 NCAA Blacksburg Regional.

After sporting a 1.019 OPS during his first professional stint with the Columbia Fireflies (Class A affiliate), Cross has sped through promotions to Double-A, where he is batting .294 this season with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, slugging 17 doubles and eight home runs. He has also twice been invited to compete on the Royals' spring training roster leading into both the 2023 and 2024 seasons.

On Sunday, July 14, Virginia Tech will look to celebrate its next crop of emerging professional stars when the 2024 MLB Draft opens from Globe Life Field. Coverage of the first, second and competitive balance rounds – featuring approximate picks No. 1 through No. 74 – will begin at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN and MLB Network (additional coverage airing via MLB.TV, MLB.com and the MLB App).

Digital coverage of the 2024 MLB Draft will continue via MLB.com on Monday, July 15, at 2 p.m. ET (rounds 3-10) as well as on Tuesday, July 16, at 2 p.m. ET (rounds 11-20), ahead of traditional All-Star festivities taking place at Globe Life Field.

Virginia Tech is once again in line to further its tradition of producing multiple MLB draft picks – a streak the Hokies have maintained for 16 consecutive draft cycles dating back to 2008. Last summer, Tech’s five MLB Draft selections tied its program record for the most picks taken within the event’s opening 20 rounds (2010, 2022, 2023), a benchmark reflective of the draft shortening from 40 to 20 rounds in 2021.

Among Virginia Tech’s draft prospects, junior infielder Carson DeMartini ranks No. 93 overall according to MLB.com and No. 111 overall per D1Baseball. The Hokies’ ACC-era record holder for career home runs (46) hammered 21 homers during the 2024 season, leading the team with his 62 runs scored and 57 RBIs.

Behind DeMartini, infielder Christian Martin as well as outfielders Chris Cannizzaro, Eddie Micheletti Jr. and Ben Watson stand as potential position players who likely could be called off the board this week. From the mound, pitchers Brady Kirtner (who was drafted in 2023 by the New York Mets during the 12th round), Jordan Little and Wyatt Parliament may also hear their name called on the big stage.

Since head coach John Szefc’s Blacksburg arrival in 2018, Virginia Tech has witnessed 21 players earn selection during the MLB Draft, including four draft classes consisting of three players or more (2019, 2022, 2023). Eleven of the aforementioned 21 picks have been made within the opening 10 rounds of the draft while four have come during the top 100 overall selections.