By: J. Daniel Pearson
Caden Scarborough is headed to Major League All-Star weekend. The former Harmony standout was selected to represent the American League and the Texas Rangers at the 2026 Futures All-Star Game Sunday, July 12. Part of Major League’s
All-Star weekend, the seven-inning game features the top minor league prospects in all of
baseball and can be seen on NBC-TV beginning at 12 noon.
“I heard a rumor he was going to be selected, but until they made it official I didn’t want to say
anything,” Harmony baseball coach Heath Williams said. “Caden was scheduled to pitch on the
Friday before the Futures Game and I’m not sure whether they will change his schedule or not.
Whether he actually pitches in the Futures Game or not remains to be seen but the fact that he
was named to the squad is a huge honor. It really points out that he is considered one of the
top prospects in all of baseball.”
After seeing little action in his first two seasons because of injury, Scarborough exploded on the
scene in 2025. Splitting time between Hickory (Low A) and Hub City (High A), he put together a
tremendous season – posting a 2.16 ERA with 114 strikeouts and only 21 walks in 88 innings
pitched.
Scarborough, who was drafted in the sixth round (171 st overall) after a stellar high school career,
parlayed that performance by rocketing up the charts of top prospects. Several rating services,
including MLB.com and Baseball America placed him the top 100 of best overall prospects and
also had him in the top five in the Rangers organization.
Unfortunately, Scarborough suffered a setback in the off-season when he was diagnosed with a
malignant melanoma after going in for a routine scan this offseason. He had surgery on Feb. 2
to have it removed and continues to receive therapy to prevent a reoccurrence.
He was out of baseball for several months as he received treatment, before returning to action
in May where he made two starts in rookie ball. Returning to Hub City he made his season
debut on May 29. In five starts since then, he was 0-2 with 3.25 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 19.1
innings. His best outing came on June 19, where he allowed one run and struck out nine in four
innings of work.
“I spoke to him last week and he’s doing well,” Williams said. “He says he’s continuing to build
up his strength but hasn’t gotten his fastball back. But he’s been working on his other pitches
and is still performing at a high level.”
Williams saw Scarborough’s potential since his final year at Harmony. Although he recorded
just a 1-1 record that season, he was without question the county’s most dominating pitcher.
He posted a 2.19 ERA in 11 starts – striking out 70 in 38 1/3 innings. Scarborough was the team’s
starting shortstop when not on the mound and hit .423 — earning county Player of the Year
honors in both baseball and basketball.
