Top performers of 2024 Fall Stars Game

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 deadlocked in the top of the ninth inning Saturday night, Liranzo came through. The Tigers catcher blasted a 94-mph fastball from Griff McGarry (PHI No. 21) over the right-field fence, providing the winning margin in the American League’s 6-5 victory and earning MVP honors.

Here are 12 players who stood out in the AFL’s biggest showcase:

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Edwin Arroyo, SS (CIN No. 3/MLB No. 66)
Making up for lost time after missing the entire season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder, Arroyo hit a pair of line-drive singles in two trips to the plate. He also stole a base and started the game’s only double play.

Jac Caglianone, 1B (KC No. 1/MLB No. 17)
Caglianone got the AL's five-run outburst in the second inning going with a leadoff walk. The highest-ranked prospect on MLB's Pipeline's Top 100 list smoked an opposite-field double and swiped a base in the third inning before capping his night with another free pass.

Caleb Durbin, 3B (NYY)
Durbin has starred in the AFL for two years and did a little bit of everything in the Fall Stars Game. He went 2-for-3 with a two-run double, scored a run, walked, stole a base and made a nifty diving stop and throw on a smash by Geovanny Planchart (Pirates) in the bottom of the eighth.

Allan Hernandez, RHP (CLE)
A sleeper prospect drafted in the 12th round out of a Miami high school in 2019, Hernandez delivered the lone 1-2-3 inning of the night. He needed just 10 pitches to navigate a perfect fourth while working with a mid-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider.

Thayron Liranzo, C (DET No. 6)
Acquired in the July trade that shipped Jack Flaherty to the Dodgers, Liranzo battled McGarry for seven pitches before crushing the final offering 437 feet with an exit velocity of 112 mph. He became the first catcher since Gary Sánchez (2015) to win the Fall Stars MVP award.

Tre’ Morgan, OF (TB No. 10)
Morgan has displayed one of the best approaches in the developmental league and continued to do so by coaxing a pair of walks and doubling in four plate appearances. He also stole a base and made a nice running catch in the second inning.

Samy Natera Jr., LHP (LAA)
One of the league’s top pitching performers, Natera struck out the side in the bottom of the fifth. He caught Jonathan Long (CHC No. 30) looking on a 95-mph fastball, did the same to Robert Hassell III (WSH No. 13) on an 82-mph slider and got Gino Groover (AZ No. 9) swinging on another 82-mph slide piece.

Andrew Pintar, OF (MIA No. 18)
Like Liranzo, Pintar had been slumping, entering the Fall Stars Game in a 2-for-26 slide. He snapped out of it with a double and a single in two at-bats.

Adrian Pinto, 2B (TOR)
Pinto hit the first homer of the game, a three-run blast off Evan Justice (Rockies) in the second that traveled 414 feet with an exit velocity of 107 mph. He hadn’t gone deep in his first 22 AFL regular-season games.

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Ethan Salas, C (SD No. 1/MLB No. 19)
The second-youngest player (18 years, five months) and second-highest ranked prospect on the circuit singled and walked in two plate appearances. Salas showed off his unusual quickness and athleticism for a catcher by swiping second and third base in the span of five pitches in the third inning and scoring on an errant throw.

Eriq Swan, RHP (LAD)
The only pitcher to work multiple innings, Swan got six outs with 26 pitches and retired six of the eight batters he faced. One of the breakout arms in the AFL, he dealt with a 96-97 mph fastball and struck out Durbin looking with an 88-mph slider.

Jett Williams, SS (NYM No. 2/MLB No. 52)
Williams provided the best defensive highlight of the evening, making a leaping grab behind second base to rob Max Ferguson (Red Sox) of a single. He also walked and scored the game’s first run.