You can now follow Beating the Bushes on Twitter, including live coverage of Wednesday’s Double-A All-Star Game in Trenton: https://twitter.com/NYP_Bushes

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Unfortunately, I couldn’t live blog and twitter for most of the Futures Game because of the four-hour rain delay the game endured before finally getting underway. But two of the three local prospects in the game – the Mets’ Wilmer Flores and the Yankees’ Jesus Montero – started and played for the World Team. Flores, a shortstop who is currently playing for the Mets’ Low-A affiliate, the Savannah Sand Gnats, started at second base and went 0-for-2 for the World Team due to the presence of the best defensive shortstop in the minor leagues, the Brewers’ Alcides Escobar, on the roster. It could be a sign of things to come for Flores, who scouts don’t expect to be able to stick at shortstop – though he’ll probably be moving to a corner outfield spot or first base down the line.

For his part, Montero, who has dominated throughout the 2009 season with both High-A Tampa and Double-A Trenton this season, also started for the World Team. He was the team’s catcher, and went 0-for-2 with an RBI. Yankees fans interested in getting a chance to see Montero play for themselves can head to Trenton Wednesday for the Double-A All-Star Game, where he is a deserved injury replacement for Binghamton catcher Josh Thole.

The two local pitching prospects who were selected to play in the game, Jenrry Mejia (Mets) and Manny Banuelos (Yankees) both didn’t play in the game for different reasons. Mejia was taken off the roster before the game began because of a strained middle finger on his right (pitching) hand, while Banuelos was simply caught in a numbers crunch because of the rain delay, which limited the game to seven innings instead of the usual nine.