Fall Stars: Martin, Durbin leave their mark on Arizona Fall League

Throughout the fall, former Renegades players have continued playing baseball in the prestigious Arizona Fall League, with Garrett Martin, Antonio Gomez, Jackson Fristoe, Harrison Cohen, Ben Cowles and Caleb Durbin making their names known among some of the top prospects in the sport.

The team they played for, the Salt River Rafters, finished the year by winning the Arizona Fall League Championship, led in big part by the contributions made by these former Renegades.

Named the AFL Breakout Prospect of the Year, Durbin was the star of the circuit this fall, hitting .312/.427/.548 with five homers in 24 games. He set a league record with 29 stolen bases, shattering the previous record of 24 which stood since 1994.

He was named an AFL Fall Star and earlier this week was added to the Yankees 40-man roster to protect him from selection in the Rule 5 Draft.

“I think he’s a stud, frankly,” said New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone of Durbin last week to reporters. “Great bat-to-ball [skill], elite ability on the bases as a base stealer, a good defender in the middle of the diamond at second base. He’s really started over the last year-plus to create some position flexibility, too. … Really competitive, kind of that hard-nosed, tough player. I’m excited for him. I think he’s going to play a big role for us this upcoming season.”

Another star performance came from Martin, who hit .225/.329/.493 with five home runs and 16 RBIs in 19 games. Not only did Martin provide offensive punch and his typical plus defense in the outfield, but he won the 2024 AFL Home Run Derby. That was no surprise for anyone who watched Martin in the Hudson Valley throughout 2024, and saw his ability to carry the team on offense and the tape measure homers that he could hit.

Antonio Gomez was a late addition to the Rafters this fall and hit a solid .244/.367/.268 in 13 games while reaching base safely in 11 contests. Just over a year removed from Tommy John surgery which kept him out for half of the 2024 regular season, Gomez showed the baseball world that he was fully recovered, throwing out 7 of 25 (28.0%) would-be basestealers, the best percentage of any AFL catcher (min. 15 SBA).

Harrison Cohen only appeared in three games for Salt River, and allowed one run in 2.2 innings, good for a 3.38 ERA out of the bullpen. He struck out four batters and walked only one while allowing two hits and posting a 36.4% strikeout rate.

After an injury-riddled 2024, Jackson Fristoe appeared in six games in the AFL, making five starts. He allowed two runs or fewer in four of his six appearances, but two rough outings skewed his ERA. His best performance of the season came on Oct. 24 against the Glendale Desert Dogs where he threw 2.1 innings, allowing one run on two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.

Finally, Ben Cowles played 19 games in the AFL for the Mesa Solar Sox, batting .213/.298/.320. After being traded to the Chicago Cubs at the trade deadline, Cowles suffered a season-ending injury, playing only four games. He had four multi-hit games, including a contest on Oct. 25 where he had three doubles and an RBI. Much like Durbin, Cowles was added to the Cubs' 40-man roster earlier this week.