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Here are the top 30 prospects from the 2024 Arizona Fall League

November 21, 2024

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

'Great year of baseball' for Caglianone includes stamp of approval from Witt Jr.

@JesseABorek
November 19, 2024

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

Here's the 2024 All-Arizona Fall League Team

November 19, 2024

Season No. 32 of the Arizona Fall League is in the books, with the Salt River Rafters beating the Surprise Saguaros, 3-2, in the Championship Game on Saturday. It was another fall full of top prospects and top performances. Below is the 2024 MLB Pipeline All-AFL Team. This is based

8 prospects who stood out in the AFL Championship Game

@JesseABorek
November 17, 2024

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

Phils prospect Painter named Arizona Fall League Pitcher of the Year

November 16, 2024

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

40-man deadline: Which prospects are getting roster spots?

@JoeTrezz
November 14, 2024

For all 30 Major League teams, some of the biggest decisions of the offseason must be made by the Nov. 19 deadline for setting their 40-man rosters. Any player not added to their organization’s roster by then will become eligible to be selected by another organization in the Rule 5

From 16 to 26, here is the best prospect at each age

@benweinrib
November 13, 2024

With the World Series over and the Arizona Fall League wrapping up, now is a good time to take stock of an exciting year in prospectdom. In October, MLB Pipeline released its updated Top 100 Prospects list, which featured several big changes at the top, but we're going to take

Painter aces test with 6 K's in final Fall League outing

November 12, 2024

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

Best of both worlds: Kurtz shows off power, gives outfield a go in Fall League

November 12, 2024

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

These Arizona Fall League prospects are vying for 40-man roster spots

@SamDykstraMiLB
November 11, 2024

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

Arizona Fall League Week 5 top performers

@JoeTrezz
November 10, 2024

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

How each player fared in the 2024 Fall Stars Game

@benweinrib
November 10, 2024

The best of the Arizona Fall League took the field at Sloan Park on Saturday night for the Fall Stars Game. A plethora of baseball's best prospect got their chance to showcase their skills, including Tigers No. 6 prospect Thayron Lirizano, who was named the game's MVP after delivering a

Top performers of 2024 Fall Stars Game

November 10, 2024

MESA, Ariz. -- Thayron Liranzo wielded one of the Arizona Fall League’s most potent bats in the first four weeks of the season, but he had struggled as of late. Coming into the annual Fall Stars Game, he had gone hitless in his last 10 at-bats. But with the contest

Fall League sluggers light up the night in Home Run Derby

@JoeTrezz
November 8, 2024

The 2024 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby lived up to its billing with a last-second long ball to close things out. Yankees prospect Garrett Martin finished with a flourish in the final round, hitting his 10th tater of the session to inch past Brewers No. 8 prospect Brock Wilken

These rookies could win a Gold Glove in '25

@SamDykstraMiLB
November 6, 2024

Defense is increasingly becoming a young man’s game. From 1957, the year they were first handed out, to 2012, only nine rookies won Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The same amount have captured the game’s top defensive prize since 2013, including six in the past three seasons alone. Red Sox right

Painter, Phillies prospects take center stage in AFL doubleheader

November 6, 2024

GLENDALE, Ariz. – Andrew Painter is just 13 innings into his “official” return to the competitive mound, but the Phillies right-hander has set the bar so high that another three no-hit innings don’t jump off the page. And an argument could be made that he didn't have the most impressive

Kurtz, Lopez, Stephan earn AFL Week 4 honors

@JoeTrezz
November 5, 2024

Week 4 in the Arizona Fall League was all about big flies and flirting with history. These players separated themselves during what was another excellent week of AFL action. Mesa first baseman Nick Kurtz (ATH No. 2/MLB No. 45) slugged his way to AFL Hitter of the Week honors and

Vote NOW for the Fall Stars Game Final 2

November 5, 2024

Fans, the Arizona Fall League wants your help. The 18th annual Fall Stars Game is set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Mesa's Sloan Park, and fans have the last word on the rosters. MLB.com's Fall Stars Final 2 Vote is open now, with one spot on the American

Trekking parallel paths, Caglianone & Kurtz heating up in desert

November 1, 2024

PEORIA, Ariz. -- The similarities between Nick Kurtz and Jac Caglianone are almost too numerous to recount. Both are left-handed-hitting first basemen with a ton of power. Both played for a big-time Division I program: Kurtz at Wake Forest, Caglianone at Florida. Both made it to the 2023 College World

Padres' De Vries youngest to homer in Fall League since Harper

@JesseABorek
October 31, 2024

Leodalis De Vries hasn't completed a full year as a professional yet, but he has already amassed an astounding list of firsts and the “youngest-to” designations in 2024. During Peoria’s 12-5 loss to Surprise on Thursday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex, he added another: Youngest player to homer in

Mets' Williams, Gilbert strengthen bond in the desert

Pair of New York's top prospects are enjoying their time in AFL
@JesseABorek
October 31, 2024

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – No tricks here, just a sweet treat for Mets fans. The organization's top-ranked position players, Jett Williams and Drew Gilbert, hammered solo home runs during Arizona Fall League action Thursday afternoon, leading the Scorpions to a 10-1 victory over the Desert Dogs at Scottsdale Stadium. While the

A's Kurtz ending long and eventful year on a high note in the desert

@JesseABorek
October 31, 2024

MESA, Ariz. – Nick Kurtz's first official home run of the 2024 season came on Feb. 17. More than eight months later, much has changed, but one thing has remained consistent: the 21-year-old can still hammer the baseball. Kurtz teed off on Arizona Fall League homer No. 1 on Wednesday

Painter dominates with all four of his pitches in latest sparkling AFL start

October 30, 2024

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Andrew Painter comeback tour continued on Wednesday afternoon. The fourth Arizona Fall League start for the No. 32 prospect in baseball delivered similar results to the Phillies phenom’s previous outing: three scoreless innings, three strikeouts, no walks and one step closer to being ready for a

Here are the Arizona Fall League's top Statcast performers

@JoeTrezz
October 30, 2024

This fall, for the first time, the majority of Arizona Fall League stadiums are outfitted with Statcast technology. That enables us to peek under the hood and get a better sense of how some of the game’s best prospects are performing on the annual elite prospect circuit. With that in

Padres' prospect Salas providing exciting spring preview in Fall League

@JesseABorek
October 29, 2024

PEORIA, Ariz. -- When the Padres break spring camp at the Peoria Sports Complex in February, Ethan Salas will be among the Major League group for the second time, an astounding feat considering he’ll be just 18 years old. While it would be a significant development if Salas were to