Padres' prospect Salas providing exciting spring preview in Fall League
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
Reds' infielder returns to Fall League to find his big league routine
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After missing the entirety of the 2024 season following left shoulder surgery, Matt McLain needed at-bats. Even though the Reds infielder had 365 big-league at-bats in 2023 and received Rookie of the Year votes, he opted to come back to the Arizona Fall League, where he played
Road to The Show™: Blue Jays’ Bloss
Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at third-ranked Blue Jays prospect Jake Bloss. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. It’s easy to forget that Jake Bloss just
Ballesteros hopes consistent power in AFL leads to winter ball, spring camp
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The rapid ascent of Moises Ballesteros continues. The Cubs landed the catcher for $1.2 million out of Venezuela in January 2021, and all he’s done ever since is hit. He reached Double-A Tennessee in 2023 as a 19-year-old, so expectations were high for the organization’s No. 4
How Pirates' Curtis went from 2 elbow surgeries to Arizona Fall League
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The fact that Khristian Curtis is throwing from any mound at all is somewhat amazing. That he’s doing it now in the Arizona Fall League is almost hard to fathom. But here he was on Monday night firing four shutout innings for Scottsdale in an eventual 3-1
Patience proving a virtue for Cardinals' No. 4 prospect Saggese
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Late in the 2024 season, Thomas Saggese had an illuminating conversation with Cardinals right-hander and 2021AL All-Star Andrew Kittredge about the young infielder’s approach at the dish. “He was telling me he has good command, and sometimes to him, that means he can throw strikes when he
Arizona Fall League Week 3 top performers
Here are the top performers from the third week of AFL action:
Here's the high-flying new team name of the Dodgers' Triple-A affiliate
On Saturday evening, as Game 2 of the World Series got underway in Los Angeles, the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate made some news of their own. The Oklahoma City Comets have arrived.
‘It just feels like butter’: Brannon, Gladney trade 468-ft homers in AFL
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- While the Yankees and Dodgers were busy tagging home runs that carried significant weight during Game 2 of the World Series on Saturday night, Brooks Brannon and DJ Gladney were sending their own prodigious wallops toward the Dodgers complex located just beyond the left-field wall at Camelback
Breakout campaign for Braves' Baldwin extending from Fall League to Premier12
PHOENIX -- Drake Baldwin has had a busy 2024 already with stops in Double-A Mississippi, Triple-A Gwinnett and Peoria in the Arizona Fall League. That itinerary is about to add a few international stops. The Braves' No. 5 prospect was included in Team USA's Premier12™ roster announcement on Monday. He
Healthy again, Rangers' Stephan proving his worth in Fall League
PHOENIX -- Josh Stephan had been through enough already. He underwent elbow surgery as a freshman pitcher at South Grand Prairie (Texas) High School, and two later knee surgeries limited his amateur career further. Just when he was breaking out as a senior in 2020, that season was cut short
White Sox prospect Montgomery ends AFL stint in a groove and with a bang
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Colson Montgomery put the final word on his second turn in the Arizona Fall League, and that word was boom. The White Sox No. 3 prospect homered on Friday in Glendale’s 7-6 loss to Salt River at Camelback Ranch in what he confirmed would be his final
Angels prospect Kavadas capping whirlwind year by showing off power in Fall League
PHOENIX -- It’s not often that a batter in the Arizona Fall League already has his first Major League homer under his belt. It’s also a rare occurrence for a hitter to return, particularly two years later. But Niko Kavadas finds himself back in the desert after a roller-coaster summer
Guardians prospect Huff's roller-coaster journey makes a stop at home
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Fall League is, for many players, a proving ground, a chance to head west and showcase their skills in front of a whole new audience. For Kody Huff, it’s a homecoming. The Guardians prospect, once a standout at Scottsdale’s Horizon High School, got to return
This Minor League ballpark is full of personality -- even during a rainout
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE. The following ballpark road trip recap is presented by Wyndham, proud sponsor of Minor League
Here are the Minor Leaguers to follow in winter ball this year
The weather is starting to turn in many parts of the United States and Canada, but that doesn't mean baseball goes away after the conclusion of the World Series. It's always baseball season in Latin America. From now through the Caribbean Series in February, winter leagues feature some of the
Phillies' Painter gets a grip on AFL competition with his new slider
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- In many ways, Glendale’s starter Thursday was the old Andrew Painter, the one who posted a zero in 11 of his 22 appearances and finished with a 1.56 ERA across three levels during a legendary 2022 run. In other ways, it was a new Painter. Sure, he’s
Why walk when you can run? Giants' Szykowny finding his inner Nimmo
GOODYEAR, Ariz. – How do you put yourself on the pro radar while playing Division III baseball in cold-weather Wisconsin? Hustle. All the time. Even on walks. In a sport predicated on routine and often on conventionalism, seeing something out of the ordinary always piques interest. One such instance of
Dodgers-Yankees: Who would win an all-prospect World Series?
Who would win a Dodgers-Yankees World Series ... all-prospect version? This week on the MLB Pipeline Podcast, prospect gurus Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo (along with host Jason Ratliff) chewed on that hypothetical courtesy of longtime listener and mailbag contributor "Blah Blah."
Briceño, Santos II earn Fall League Week 2 honors
Week 2 of the Arizona Fall League saw teams score in bunches and pitchers light up the radar gun. These strong performances stood out from the pack. Scottsdale third baseman Josue Briceño (DET No. 9) used another huge week at the plate to earn AFL Hitter of the Week honors
Hold those LSU Tigers: Morgan, Taylor duel in Arizona Fall League
MESA, Ariz. – When LSU spilled out onto Omaha’s Charles Schwab Field to celebrate the 2023 national championship, Tre' Morgan and Grant Taylor were part of the dog pile, teammates jubilant about their club’s success. Fast forward to Wednesday afternoon at Sloan Park during Arizona Fall League action and the
Brewers' Baez reversing his fortunes in Fall League
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- As the Arizona Fall League heads toward the midpoint of its season, samples are beginning to widen, hot players are beginning to cool, cold players are beginning to heat up. The cycle of baseball is working its wonders. One constant through all the games has been Juan
Check Swing Challenge system being tested in Arizona Fall League
It’s one of the great sports debates – was that a swing? Every baseball fan has participated in the discourse at one point or another. You’re watching a game when a pitcher throws, say, a nasty changeup that dives below the zone. Fooled only briefly, the hitter begins to swing