Velazquez marches on towards AFL MVP

Mesa 3, Salt River 1

With less than a handful of games left on the docket, it's almost impossible to envision a scenario where Nelson Velazquez doesn't win Arizona Fall League MVP honors.

The No. 29 Cubs prospect started off hot and with the season winding down, hasn't let up. Contreras doubled, singled twice and drove in all three of the Solar Sox runs. The 22-year-old opened the scoring with a run-scoring two-bagger and added two more RBI knocks, giving him 24 RBIs, tied with Mesa teammate JJ Bleday (MIA 5) for third in the league.

Nelson Velazquez is coming for the AFL MVP.

The @Cubs’ No. 29 prospect slugged this double 111.1 mph off the bat. pic.twitter.com/7Fvsg28BIF

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 19, 2021

Already leading the AFL in homers with nine, Velazquez is now second in batting at .385 to go along with a 1.191 OPS. He leads the AFL with 40 hits, 74 total bases, 24 runs and 16 extra-base hits.

Bleday, baseball's 71st overall prospect, tripled, walked and scored twice for Mesa in support of starter Michael Dominguez. The Toronto right-hander tossed four hitless innings and worked around two walks and an error during his 44-pitch outing. Dominguez struck out two, giving him 22 whiffs in 21 2/3 innings. More »

Fifth-ranked #Marlins prospect JJ Bleday rips a ball down the right-field line for a triple. pic.twitter.com/Avyu8mZ8Gy

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 19, 2021

Peoria 7, Surprise 6

The importance of the games matters little when a player accomplishes what Drew Lugbauer did on Thursday afternoon.

With the Javelinas trailing by five runs entering the seventh and final inning, the Braves' prospect unloaded for a go-ahead grand slam to lift his club to victory. Lugbauer's sixth AFL homer and fourth this month capped another multihit performance for the 25-year-old who is batting .375/.483/.750 with 18 RBIs in 15 games.

The 2017 Draft pick left the yard 18 times with Double-A Mississippi this season, although it came with a .223 average and 131 strikeouts. Lugbauer's swing-and-miss tendencies haven't waned this fall, but offensive skillsets have been on full display. The West Valley, N.Y., native leads the AFL in slugging and OPS (1.233), and ranks second in OBP and seventh in RBIs (18).

🚨🚨🚨PEORIA HAS TAKEN THE LEAD 🚨🚨🚨

DREW LUGBAUER GRAND SLAM AND THE JAVELINAS LEAD 7-6. pic.twitter.com/acJInAsPCa

— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) November 18, 2021

Ji-Hwan Bae (PIT 22) doubled, singled and kicked off Peoria's rally with a bases-loaded walk. Bryson Stott (PHI 2) went hitless but set up Lugbauer's slam with a sacrifice fly. MLB Pipeline's No. 97 overall prospect is tops on the circuit with 28 RBIs.

Elijah Dunham (NYY 24) drove in a run hiked his average to .370 with three singles in four at-bats for Surprise. Jackson Cluff (WAS 19) stroked a pair of RBI singles and swiped his eighth base of the fall.

RBI single from #Nationals SS Jackson Cluff gives Surprise a 1-0 lead pic.twitter.com/UV5GO1vjRv

— Jonathan Mayo (@JonathanMayo) November 18, 2021

Royals prospect Stephen Woods Jr. turned his first Fall League start into his best outing to date. The 26-year-old right-hander scattered three hits and struck out two in three scoreless frames during his first start of the AFL. More »