2024 Arizona Fall League Roster Preview

This week the Arizona Fall League (AFL) announced preliminary rosters for this year’s campaign. It a strong group of prospects for fantasy managers to evaluate this fall. The league starts on October 7^th and lasts through November 16^th, meaning attendees of First Pitch Arizona, which runs October 31^st through November 3^rd at the Sheraton Wrigleyville West in Mesa, will have several opportunities to attend games. If you are interested in attending First Pitch Arizona and haven’t pulled the trigger yet, check out this Link for more information.

The AFL has a lot of top position prospects. Pitching is lacking, even more than usual. Peoria and Scottsdale have the best rosters on paper; Salt River the weakest. Each AFL team is ranked in the order of deepest prospect pool, and the MLB organizations are listed. Within each team, the prospects are ordered in terms of relevance based on my personal evaluation. For me, I’d take the top five prospects on Peoria and Scottsdale over any of the top prospects on the Salt River roster.

 

Peoria Javelinas (ATL, MIA, MIL, SD, SEA)
Notable Prospects: Colt Emerson (SS, SEA), Ethan Salas (C, SD), Leodalis De Vries (SS, SD), Drake Baldwin (C, ATL) & Cole Young (IF, SEA)

• Emerson suffered a foot injury in his first full professional season and may be the league’s best overall fantasy prospect. He has a plus hit tool, nearly walking more than he struck out this season, and is expected to get to 25+ HR power by maturity.
• The Padres have pushed Salas in their farm system since signing him in January 2023. He turned 18 in June, and spent the entire season in High-A, putting up a forgettable slash Line, catching in two-thirds of the his games. He had a solid final 6 weeks, and the Padres hope Salas will continue to turn the corner in the AFL.
• The Youngest player in the AFL is De Vries, who signed with the Padres as an International Free Agent in January.  De Vries, 17, missed time due to a shoulder injury but put up great stats at Low-A, considering his age, logging 36 extra base hits in 299 AB. 
• Baldwin is clearly the best position prospect the Braves have had post-pandemic. With Sean Murphy entrenched as the Braves primary catcher for years to come, Baldwin might be auditioning for the other 29 teams. He slashed .276/.370/.423 in 124 games across the Braves upper-level affiliates.
• Young was solid at Double-A with the bat, splitting time at 2B and SS. He’s likely a big-league 2B with a similar skill set as Royals UT Adam Frazier. Nothing flashy, just a solid, hit tool driven player.

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Scottsdale Scorpions (DET, NYM, PIT, SF, TOR)
Notable Prospects: Bryce Eldridge (1B, SF), Jett Williams (SS/OF, NYM), Termarr Johnson (2B, PIT), Thayron Liranzo (C/1B, DET) & Drew Gilbert (OF, NYM)

• A former two-way player, Eldridge became a full-time position player last offseason. He played across four levels this season as a 19-year-old, slashing .289/.372/.514 with 23 HR in 446 AB. He should make his MLB debut as a 20-year-old next season, providing enormous power potential from the left side. 
• Williams, the top prospect in the Mets organization, struggled with wrist pain throughout the early part of the season and opted for surgery in early June, missing a lot of time in between. He presently doesn’t have a position. However, his speed, on-base ability, and impact skills will likely find a way into the Mets Lineup in 2025.
• Johnson went from one of the most disappointing prospects in the first two and half months to a hot July, which catapulted him to Double-A. There, he still struggled with breaking ball recognition and his hit tool, seen as a plus tool when he was drafted, may forever be lost. 
• Liranzo, acquired in the Jack Flaherty trade with Los Angeles, was exceptional over the last two months of the season. He’s coming to the AFL to get additional reps at catcher, the position the Tigers see him playing long term.

• Gilbert struggled throughout the season with production. He also suffered a hamstring injury, costing him several weeks of the season. Gilbert hopes to get back to his pre-2024 performance, where he looked like a budding corner OF prospect.

   

Glendale Desert Dogs (CIN, CHW, LA, PHI, STL)
Notable Prospects: Colson Montgomery (SS, CHW), Zyhir Hope (OF, LA), Edwin Arroyo (SS, CIN), Thomas Saggese (IF, STL) & Grant Taylor (RHP, CHW)

• Montgomery is the highest rated prospect on this team, returning for his second stint in the AFL this year. Montgomery played over 130 games at Triple-A but did not put up great numbers. There has been buzz that he played through a nagging injury for at least part of the season. 
• Hope is the most exciting prospect on this team and possibly in this league. Acquired in the offseason from the Cubs by the Dodgers, had a breakout season in Low-A, showcasing plus power potential and double-plus speed despite missing time due to a shoulder injury.
• Arroyo missed the entire 2024 season with a torn labrum in his left shoulder. Arroyo is a solid fantasy prospect when healthy. 
• Saggese made his MLB debut in 2024. He struggled in a small sample at the big league level. His versatility and overall solidness to carry the profile. 
• The best pitching prospect is in the league is Taylor who the White Sox drafted last year injured as he was recovering from Tommy John surgery. He made his professional debut this season. However, missed the last half of the season with another injury. 

 

Mesa Solar Sox (BOS, CHC, LAA, OAK, TAM)
Notable Prospects: Xavier Isaac (1B, TAM), Moises Ballesteros (C/1B, CHC), Tre' Morgan (1B/OF, TAM), Henry Bolte (OF, OAK) & Denzel Clarke (OF, OAK)

• Isaac had a great first half in High-A but struggled after he was called up to Double-A. His previously-plus contact tool has backed up, mostly due to trading some contact for over-the-fence power. He also struggled mightily at times with pitch recognition.  
• Ballesteros is one of the best pure hitters in the minor leagues, producing a .289/.354/.471 slash Line as a 20-year-old across Double-A and Triple-A. He makes fantastic swing decisions and could battle for a batting title or two as an MLB hitter. He’s in the AFL to get reps behind the plate, where he’s a fair defender on his best days. 
• Morgan's hit tool has never been a question mark. He’s a first baseman without power to carry him to regular playing time. The Rays have sent Morgan to the AFL to get reps as an outfielder, where he played sparingly in 2024.
• Bolte is a power/speed prospect who struck out 189 times in 468 AB. You could say Bolte is a project. A strong kid, his power plays to the opposite field. He piles up swings and misses and can be passive at times.
• Clarke had a solid season in Double-A, just not as exciting as his 64-game sample in 2023 where he got on base and hit for power.  This is his second stint in the AFL, having slashed .275/.370/.475 in 2022 for Mesa. Clarke struggles making contact. 

 

Surprise Saguaros (BAL, CLE, HOU, KC, TEX)
Notable Prospects: Chase DeLauter (OF, CLE), Jac Caglianone (1B, KC), Carter Jensen (C, KC), Alejandro Ozuna (OF, TEX) & Jose Fleury (RHP, HOU)

• DeLauter returns to the AFL for the second consecutive season after a mostly lost season due to a foot fracture. This is the second issue he’s dealt with as a pro with his left foot and hasn’t had a fully healthy season, post-pandemic. When healthy, all DeLauter does is impact the baseball.
• Caglianone, a two-way player and the Royals first round pick from this year’s draft, is going to the Arizona Fall League to play hit, not pitch, much like he did in his pro debut at High-A. The Royals hope to give the power hitter additional reps after a playoff run in Double-A.
• After a disappointing 2023, Jensen really came into his own as a hitter this season. Split between High-A and Double-A, the 21-year-old showed an improve feel for contact while not compromising his plus power, slashing .259/.359/.450 with 18 HR.
• Ozuna returns to the Arizona Fall League after spending 2023 as a taxi squad player. The 21-year-old repeated High-A, hit for a .824 OPS before earning a mid-season callup to Double-A, where he dominated. While Ozuna has plus power potential, it’s getting to it often that has been an issue. He certainly did in his two-and-a-half month stint in Double-A. 
• Fleury has one of the best CU in the minor leagues, with a whiff rate north of 40%. The rest of his pitches grade out to be average or slightly less. He missed 6 weeks of the season due to injury and the Astros are hoping he can get those innings back during the AFL season. 

 

Salt River Rafters (ARI, COL, MIN, NYY, WAS)
Notable Prospects: Tommy Troy (2B, ARI), Cayden Wallace (3B, WAS), Rafael Flores (C, NYY), Yu-Min Lin (LHP, ARI) & Gabriel Hughes (RHP, COL)

• The best prospect on the Salt River team is Troy, a 2023 first round pick and a fringe top 100 prospect. Troy missed the first two months with a foot fracture and has permanently moved off shortstop. His slash didn’t look great in High-A, but he finished the season strong.
• Wallace, acquired in the Hunter Harvey deal with Kansas City, missed significant time in 2024 due to an oblique strain. Wallace has an average tool shed but has failed to impact the ball since the Royals took him in the 2^nd round of the 2022 draft. 
• Flores, an undrafted free agent from Rio Hondo Junior College in California, is one of the more intriguing prospects in the Yankees farm system. Flores is a big kid with some whiffs in his profile. However, he finds a lot of barrels, hitting 52 XBH and 21 HR, split between High-A and Double-A.
• 2024 was a tale of two different seasons for Lin, who struggled like most arms do at Double-A Amarillo before figuring things out (throwing strikes) and pitching to his strengths late, even earning a Triple-A callup. Lin has a SP4/SP5 upside with a feel for spin.
• Hughes missed all of 2024 rehabbing from 2023 Tommy John surgery. The 10^th overall pick in the 2022 draft flashed swing and miss stuff in 2023 before injury, albeit while giving up lost of home runs. He’ll likely appear in only abbreviated outings. 

                                                                                                                                    

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