Though the quality of pitching in the Arizona Fall League continued to decline, the developmental circuit's best prospect did his work on the mound. Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter returned to competition after missing the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons and quickly re-established himself as the most promising young arm in

There’s no denying that the 2024 Arizona Fall League season was historic. There was a little bit of everything in the desert, with record books being rewritten during the 32nd year of prospects putting their skills on display. It’s always difficult to gauge just how significant six weeks' worth of

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When the Royals selected Jac Caglianone with the sixth overall pick in July, fans and the front office alike saw the vision: a power-hitting middle-of-the-order bat with prolific collegiate slugging exploits teaming with Bobby Witt Jr. at the heart of the lineup for years to come. Those

The Arizona Fall League concluded with the Salt River Rafters claiming an unlikely title with their win over Surprise in Nov. 16’s AFL championship game, bringing a dramatic close to Week 6, and this year, of AFL play. The players honored for their performances in the season’s final week were

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – As the Salt River Rafters posed with their Arizona Fall League champions banner, they held their pinky fingers and thumbs pointed out in the form of “the shaka” or hang-ten as they cheered. “Kala’i Rosario is from Hawaii, he's been one of our team leaders here,” Rafters

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

For six more weeks again this year, some of the best prospects in baseball shined in the Arizona Fall League, the game’s most elite prospect circuit. Now it’s time to give out some hardware. The Fall League annually awards the Joe Black MVP Award to its top performer, and since

When you’re as good as Andrew Painter can be on the mound, a rehab assignment can turn into an award-winning performance. After a two-year layoff following Tommy John surgery, the goal was for the No. 32 prospect in baseball to simply get his first competitive innings in the Arizona Fall

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – You don’t always know that you’re witnessing history when you see it. But anyone who watched Josue Briceño on a daily basis during the 2024 Arizona Fall League campaign knew that he was hitting at a prolific rate unlike anything seen in the circuit’s 32 years. On

MESA, Ariz. – MLB’s July 30 Trade Deadline had passed five minutes earlier when Triple-A Worcester catcher Mark Kolozsvary approached first baseman Niko Kavadas with a fist bump. “Congrats,” Kolozsvary said. “We survived the Deadline.” Kavadas reciprocated, then was getting ready to take the field when he was told manager

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Watching Chase DeLauter hit a double can be a thing of beauty. And at the Arizona Fall League this season, the entertainment didn't stop when he got to second. MLB's No. 41 prospect, as well as his Surprise Saguaros teammates, would strike a saguaro cactus-like pose to

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Fall League playoffs started a day early on Thursday, with the matchup between the Scottsdale Scorpions and Glendale Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch serving as a de facto play-in game to Friday’s semifinal contest. Riding back-to-back homers from Adrian Pinto (Blue Jays) and Jacob Reimer

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- When the Arizona Fall League season got underway on Oct. 7, it offered participants a chance to hit reset on their Minor League statistics. For Evan Justice, that was a welcome reprieve on a year where not much went right on the hill. But nearly everything went

GLENDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Fall League has been host to a who’s who of baseball royalty that cut their teeth in pro ball early in their careers -- future Rookies of the Year and Most Valuable Players Bryce Harper, Mike Trout and Ronald Acuña Jr., to name a few.

MESA, Ariz. -- Three years into his Major League career, Bobby Witt Jr. has already had 2,035 regular-season plate appearances. That’s a lot of chances to make an impression. But when it comes to your wedding, you only get one chance to hit it out of the park.

SURPRISE, Ariz. – Mission accomplished. Andrew Painter arrived in the Arizona Fall League six weeks ago, having not pitched in game action since he sprained his elbow during a Spring Training appearance on March 1, 2023. He tried to rehab the injury before having Tommy John surgery that July, and

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Nick Kurtz's bat got him selected by the A’s fourth overall this year, and his bat has the first baseman ranked No. 45 overall by MLB Pipeline. Where will he land on the other side of the ball? Well, at the very least, he's broadened his horizons

PEORIA, Ariz. – When the Braves selected Adam Maier in the seventh round of the 2022 Draft out of the University of Oregon, they handed a hurler with just 34 2/3 collegiate innings under his belt a massive overslot amount of $1.2 million to forego his remaining eligibility and begin

Week 5 in the Arizona Fall League was about spotlighting the best the top prospect circuit had to offer, with Fall Star festivities limiting regular-season AFL play to only four days in the desert. These two players stood out for squeezing exceptional performances into that small sample. Mesa corner outfielder/infielder

MESA, Ariz. -- The Denzel Clarke Arizona Fall League showcase continues. With three more hits for Mesa in the Solar Sox’s 7-3 loss to the Desert Dogs on Monday, the A’s No. 10 prospect ranks second on the circuit with a .506 on-base percentage -- and he added to his

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Caleb Durbin made a valiant run at the Arizona Fall League’s single-season stolen base record last year, only to come up three short with 21. He wouldn’t be denied in his return. The Yankees sent Durbin back to the AFL this year to get more at-bats after

Call it a last-chance saloon in the middle of the desert. The Arizona Fall League provides more than just an opportunity to see some of the game’s top prospects in one spot. It’s also the final place certain Minor Leaguers can prove they are deserving of a 40-man roster spot

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Josue Briceño set the stage for a 2024 breakout by launching 20 extra-base hits in 44 games during his U.S. debut the year before. He got off to a good start in Single-A this season before spraining the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in mid-May

Here are the top performers from the fifth week of AFL action:

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- At 5-foot-5 and 120 pounds, you wouldn’t recognize Tyler Uberstine in his high school days. Cut twice from Chaminade Prep in Los Angeles as a teen, he didn’t exactly scream prospect or future pro ballplayer. Uberstine made the varsity team his senior year -- and barely played,