The Arizona Fall League annually puts the abilities of the most talented prospects in baseball on display every October and November. As a result, its de facto All-Star Game features the very cream of the crop.Two of MLB.com's top-five prospects, Nationals outfielder Victor Robles (No. 2) and Braves outfielder Ronald
The Arizona Fall League annually puts the abilities of the most talented prospects in baseball on display every October and November. As a result, its de facto All-Star Game features the very cream of the crop.
Two of MLB.com's top-five prospects, Nationals outfielder Victor Robles (No. 2) and Braves outfielder Ronald Acuña Jr. (No. 5), lead a group of 10 Top-100 prospects set to battle Saturday at 8 p.m. ET at Salt River Fields.
That group also includes top Astros prospect (No. 7 overall) Kyle Tucker, another five-tool outfielder. While Tucker is struggling with a .217/.333/.326 batting line in 54 plate appearances and Robles has played just four games after being on Washington's roster for the National League Division Series, Acuna has picked up where he left off after a breakout season that saw him climb from Class A Advanced Florida to Triple-A Gwinnett as a 19-year-old.
Acuna's three AFL home runs are tied for third with two other players. He's also tied for second with Padres No. 10 prospect Josh Naylor with 17 hits and leads the league with 17 runs scored. He ranks in the top six in batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage and boasts a .378/.455/.667 line over 55 plate appearances.
East roster | West roster
Two Top-100 pitching prospects will also represent their organizations in the Fall Stars Game as Pirates No. 2 prospect Mitch Keller and Yankees No. 4 prospect Justus Sheffield were named to the West and East squads respectively. Sheffield's 21 strikeouts are second only to Braves No. 9 prospect Max Fried, and both are tied for the AFL lead with 19 innings pitched. Keller has posted a 2.53 ERA in three starts.
Brewers No. 2 prospect Corey Ray, top Indians prospect Francisco Mejía, fifth-ranked Dodgers prospect Yusniel Díaz and No. 2 Boston prospect Michael Chavis round out the Top-100 prospects participating in the showcase. Chavis is tied with three others with an AFL-leading five doubles, while Mejia's .400 average is tied for second with the Mets' Kevin Kaczmarski.
Six of the aforementioned prospects -- Robles, Acuna, Tucker, Ray, Naylor and Mejia -- also played in July's Futures Game, another showcase of high-level Minor League talent. Astros No. 4 prospect Yordan Alvarez and Orioles No. 6 prospect Tanner Scott also made both the Futures Game and the Fall Stars Game.
Chris Tripodi is an editor for MiLB.com. Follow him on Twitter @christripodi.
