In less than two weeks, the 2022 MLB All-Star Game will bring the best baseball talent in the world to Los Angeles, as Dodger Stadium plays host to this year’s midsummer classic. As part of those festivities, two of Long Beach’s brightest young baseball stars will get a ceremonial homecoming as both Spencer Steer and Ricky Tiiedemann have been selected to play in this year’s All-Star Futures Game.
Each year before the MLB All-Stars take the diamond, the best and brightest minor league stars get to showcase their talent in the Futures Game, offering a preview to the next generation of stars. In 2019, Long Beach State product Jarren Duran hit a home run in the Futures Game and would debut with the Red Sox two years later.
Steer has been on an absolute tear this season in the Minnesota Twins’ system (19 HR, 58 RBIs, .917 OPS in 71 games), earning a promotion to Triple-A on May 23. The Millikan grad was a third-round pick out of Oregon in 2019, and he’s shown consistent power at the plate in 2022, smacking 11 home runs in just 36 games at Triple-A. The 24-year-old infielder is on track to set career highs in nearly all statistical categories this year and could even earn a shot at the big leagues if he continues to swing a hot bat.
Tiedemann, meanwhile, has shown abundant potential from the outset to his pro career. The former Lakewood Lancer, who pitched one season at Golden West College, was a third-round pick of the Toronto Blue Jays in the 2021 Draft. The 6-foot-4 Tiedemann has been nearly unhittable at two stops in A-ball, posting a 1.71 ERA and miniscule 0.81 WHIP across 13 starts. His stuff has been dominant as well; the southpaw has 96 strikeouts in just 63.0 IP, which averages out to a blistering 13.71 K/9.
At just 19 years old, Tiedemann will be the fourth-youngest player at this year’s Futures Game and he’s the youngest American-born player on either roster. Steer and Tiedemann will be teammates on the American League Futures Roster, and oddly enough, they were drafted two years and one pick apart. Steer was the 90th pick in 2019, while Tiedemann was pick No. 91 in ‘21.
The 2022 MLB All-Star Futures Game will be played Saturday, July 16 at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles at 4pm. It will be broadcast live on Peacock and SiriusXM.
