8 prospects who stood out in the AFL Championship Game
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- And just like that, the curtain has fallen on the 2024 Fall League campaign. The Salt River Rafters thwarted the Surprise Saguaros’ attempt at a three-peat in unconventional fashion as the road club in their home park (by virtue of Surprise finishing with the regular season’s best
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- And just like that, the curtain has fallen on the 2024 Fall League campaign.
The Salt River Rafters thwarted the Surprise Saguaros’ attempt at a three-peat in unconventional fashion as the road club in their home park (by virtue of Surprise finishing with the regular season’s best record) with a 3-2 victory on Saturday night. For D-backs, Nationals, Rockies, Twins and Yankees prospects, it meant ending the campaign holding up a championship banner and partying around the mound after the 27th out.
Before the contest got underway, the league recognized its regular-season award winners, presenting them with their hardware. Once “Play ball” rang out, there were eight performances that stood out.
The highest-ranked prospect playing in the 2024 Fall League starred in its final game. Despite having played his first contest of the year exactly nine months ago for the Florida Gators, MLB’s top first-base prospect was still fresh enough to record a trio of hits: an infield single he beat out in the first inning, a sharp base hit to center in the fifth (off college teammate and D-backs prospect Phillip Abner) and a 105.2 mph base knock in the seventh.
A two-way sensation during his college days, Caglianone didn’t pitch during his stint in the Fall League -- but the Royals plan to let him open 2025 as both a hitter and pitcher. On Saturday, his double duty included playing first base and doing in-game interviews with MLB Network.
“To me, it’s always been what I’ve done, so I kind of know how to navigate it,” Caglianone told MLB Network’s Jim Callis. “Kind of figuring out what my body can handle and what it can’t is probably going to be the biggest thing, but I don’t think it’s anything I can’t handle.”
Kala'i Rosario, OF (MIN No. 19)
The 2023 Fall League Home Run Derby champ returned to the desert after an injury-hampered year with Double-A Wichita, this time walking out a champion. The right-handed slugger staked Salt River to a lead in the third inning it wouldn’t relinquish, slashing a hanging slider down the left-field line for an RBI double.
“I would say when we walked in this morning, man, I mean, we were excited to be here and we knew we were the team to beat,” Rosario said. “And we knew if we came out here and played [our game], nobody could stop us.”
Evan Justice, LHP (COL)
After making Fall League history by throwing 8 2/3 no-hit innings during the regular season, the southpaw added one more to his ledger for good measure. Justice worked around a walk and a hit batsman to earn the save, securing Salt River's first league championship since 2019.
Working with a deceptive motion, the 2021 fifth-rounder has incorporated a sinker into his arsenal in hopes of sticking with the big league club consistently next season and beyond -- he rode it in the ninth on 16 of his 19 offerings.
A late addition to the Rafters roster, Gomez was the glue behind the dish throughout the title game. The Saguaros’ only basestealing attempt was thwarted in the bottom of the fourth when the Yankees prospect ripped off an 88.5 mph throw (which grades out in the 99th percentile per Baseball Savant) with a 1.41-second pop time to cut down the lead runner. Unique to the Fall League has been the incorporation of the ABS (automated ball-strike) system, which the 23-year-old navigated to earn his club multiple overturns.
Marc Church, RHP (TEX)
After making his MLB debut for the Rangers on Sept. 28, Church got to extend his year with a stint at the club’s complex in Surprise. The 23-year-old retired all six batters he faced, including three by strikeout. His fastball routinely sat 96-97 mph, while his upper-80s slider notched two of his punchouts. Of his 23 pitches, Church recorded nine swings-and-misses.
Ryan Ritter, SS (COL No. 12)
Two playoff games, two multihit efforts for Ritter. After slugging a two-run homer in his final at-bat during Salt River’s commanding Play-In Semifinal win, the club’s designated hitter added a pair of hard-hit singles -- 99.5 mph in the fourth, 106.2 in the sixth -- to close out his Fall League foray.
Max Acosta, 2B/SS (TEX)
Responsible for both of Surprise’s RBIs and hits with runners in scoring position, Acosta got the scoring started in the first with a 106.6 mph run-scoring single. After walking in the fourth, the 22-year-old beat out an infield single in the fifth to plate another run, ripping off a 28.7 ft/sec sprint speed (tied for his second highest of the AFL) in the process.
Skyler Messinger, 1B (COL)
After coming off the bench in the club’s Play-In Semifinal victory on Friday night, Messinger was inserted into the starting nine and quickly served as a sparkplug at the bottom of the lineup. The lone player in the contest to score multiple runs, he reached base three times -- twice via walk, once on a 103.4 mph double to open the third. Even his lone out -- a 101.4 mph flyout to center in the ninth -- was hard-hit.
Jesse Borek is a reporter/coordinator of prospect content at MLB Pipeline and MiLB. Follow him on Twitter @JesseABorek.