Vote NOW for the Fall Stars Game Final 2
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
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 League team and one on the National League team to be determined by the Final 2 results. Voting is underway here. Polls close at 5 p.m. ET on Thursday.
Who you got? Here are the players up for selection:
American League
Nick Kurtz, 1B, Mesa Solar Sox (ATH No. 2/MLB No. 45)
The fourth overall pick in this year's Draft, Kurtz was limited to 12 games in his pro debut and was a late arrival in Arizona due to hamstring issues. But healthy again, he immediately began raking in the desert. Kurtz hit .364/.500/.636 with eight hits, a homer and eight RBIs over his first six games for Mesa, showcasing the hitting ability that made the 21-year-old such a hot Draft commodity.
Kala’i Rosario, OF, Salt River Rafters (MIN No. 19)
Rosario is the reigning AFL Home Run Derby champion and is set to attempt to defend his crown in this year's event. Why not vote him into the Fall Stars Game as well? The Hawaii native is back in the AFL for a second straight year because elbow issues zapped him of two months. And he's heating up at the plate, hitting .302/.395/.476 with three homers and 14 RBIs over his first 17 games.
Peyton Williams, DH, Scottsdale (Blue Jays)
The 24-year-old Williams is the owner of the fourth-longest home run hit so far in the Fall League this year, a 453-foot tank that highlighted his two-homer game against Peoria on Oct. 29. But he's also shown he can do more than merely slug, with 17 hits in his first 12 games.
National League
Leodalis De Vries, SS, Peoria (SD No. 2/MLB No. 28)
The prize of the past international signing period, the 18-year-old De Vries is, on average, five years younger than his competition in the Fall League. He's more than holding his own, and on Oct. 31 became the youngest player to homer in the Fall League since Bryce Harper back in 2010. He's hitting .229 with 11 hits, one homer, 8 RBIs and three steals across his first 13 games overall.
Kristian Robinson, RF, Salt River (Diamondbacks)
Robinson, a 23-year-old Bahaman who spent this season at Double-A, might be the fastest player in the Fall League, full stop. Over the season's first three weeks, his 31.0 ft/sec max sprint speed was the fastest of any player in Arizona. He's used that ability to steal 8 bases (in 10 attempts), and is also hitting .327 with a .413 on-base-percentage over his first 15 games.
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Tyler Callihan, LF, Glendale (Reds)
Or maybe Callihan, a 23-year-old former third-round pick, is the fastest player in the Fall League. Callihan didn't match Robinson's sprint speed metrics, but he did execute the fastest home-to-first time recorded over the AFL's first three weeks with a 4.08-second dash. He's stolen five bases (in six tries) and registered 15 hits (without a homer) over his first 14 AFL games.