1. Alessandro Ercolani, RHP, Pirates

The youngest player in the AFL this season will be Ercolani, a righthander from San Marino, a small, landlocked country in the middle of Italy. The 19-year-old Ercolani missed the final month of the season on the injured list but struck out 66 hitters in 65 innings with Low-A Bradenton before landing on the shelf. Ercolani works primarily with a 93-95 mph fastball, a low-80s slider and a mid-80s cutter. He will drop in the occasional curveball and changeup as well. 

The post The 10 Youngest Players In The 2023 Arizona Fall League appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

Here are links to all six teams’ rosters and analysis of which players to watch. Each story linked below has many more players to focus on for each team.

We also have a look at the 10 youngest players headed to the Arizona Fall League.

The post 2023 Arizona Fall League Rosters And Analysis appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

In addition to the traditional six-week slate, the AFL this year will feature two special site days. On Oct. 14, all three games will played at Goodyear Ballpark, the spring training home of the Guardians and Reds. Two weeks later, two of the league’s games (Salt River vs. Glendale and Peoria vs. Mesa) will be held at Hohokam Stadium, in Mesa. 

This year’s rosters include nine of Baseball America’s current Top 100 prospects, led by White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who ranks No. 14.

Roster Analysis

Top 100 Prospects: None 

Intriguing Prospects: Cubs OF Kevin Alcantara has been on and off the Top 100 list the last few years and is one of the more exciting players in the league.

Alcantara leads a talented outfield group that features fellow Cubs OF Alexander Canario and Astros center field prospect Kenedy Corona.

The infield group is led by Astros 3B Zach Dezenzo. A 12th-round pick out of Ohio State, Dezenzo has some of the best raw power in the league with strong plate skills to back it.

The Cubs positional contingent is one of the strongest in the league and in addition to Alcantara and Canario, the Cubs are also sending infielder James Triantos who has some of the best plate skills in the league this Fall.

Between Max Muncy and Brett Harris the Athletics send two infielders with upper minors experience. Harris is a well rounded hitter who could turn out to be one of the biggest sleepers entering this fall.

As far as pitching the Solar Sox will roll out two of the better swing and miss arms in the league in Oakland’s Royber Salinas and the Astros’ Miguel Ullola. In Salinas the Solar Sox may possess the best slider in the 2023 AFL and in Ullola the league’s best fastball.

The post 2023 Arizona Fall League: Mesa Solar Sox Roster Analysis appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

In addition to the traditional six-week slate, the AFL this year will feature two special site days. On Oct. 14, all three games will played at Goodyear Ballpark, the spring training home of the Guardians and Reds. Two weeks later, two of the league’s games (Salt River vs. Glendale and Peoria vs. Mesa) will be held at Hohokam Stadium, in Mesa.

This year’s rosters include nine of Baseball America’s current Top 100 prospects, led by White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who ranks No. 14.

Roster Analysis

Top 100 Prospects: Colson Montgomery, SS (14)

Montgomery is trying to catch up on at-bats he missed because of oblique and back injuries that sidelined him for the first half of the 2023 season.

Other Intriguing Prospects: Mets C Kevin Parada had a somewhat disappointing season offensively, but he remains one of the Mets better prospects. A stint in the AFL lets him work on refining his defense behind the plate.

White Sox LHP Jake Eder is still working his way back to full speed after Tommy John surgery. If he returns to his pre-injury form, he will be one of the White Sox’s best pitching prospects.

Twins OF Kala’i Rosario was one of the breakout stars of the Midwest League this year as he began tapping into his impressive power. This will be a useful way to get him prepped for a move to Double-A in 2024.

Roster

The post 2023 Arizona Fall League: Glendale Desert Dogs Roster Analysis appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

In addition to the traditional six-week slate, the AFL this year will feature two special site days. On Oct. 14, all three games will played at Goodyear Ballpark, the spring training home of the Guardians and Reds. Two weeks later, two of the league’s games (Salt River vs. Glendale and Peoria vs. Mesa) will be held at Hohokam Stadium, in Mesa.

This year’s rosters include nine of Baseball America’s current Top 100 prospects, led by White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who ranks No. 14.

Roster Analysis

The Surprise roster features prospects from the Rangers, Royals, Reds, Brewers and Blue Jays.

Top 100 Prospects: Ricky Tiedemann, LHP, Blue Jays (34)

Other Intriguing Prospects: Tiedemann is the lone Top 100 Prospect on this roster, and he has a case for the best pitching prospect in the league. The lefthander was limited by injuries to just 40 innings this season, but he was filthy when he got on the mound. With a mix of three plus or better pitches, he has the power to overwhelm the opposition any time he takes the hill.

Reds righthander Zach Maxwell has one of the best fastballs in the minor leagues, and the pitch was getting noticed as early as minor league spring training. The pitch sits in the upper 90s and features more than 20 inches of induced vertical break that helps him get plenty of whiffs both in and out of the zone. Maxwell backs the fastball primarily with a high-80s slider. That combination helped him strike out 96 hitters in 61.1 innings.

Rangers prospect Abimelec Ortiz had an outstanding season split between Low-A Down East and High-A Hickory. The hulking Ortiz got vision-correction surgery over the offseason and made some mechanical changes, which led to excellent results. Ortiz slammed 33 home runs while hitting for both average and power at both stops. There are questions about his ultimate defensive value, but his offensive outburst made him one of the minor leagues’ biggest breakout stars this summer.

Rangers shortstop Cam Cauley will flash intriguing tools on both sides of the ball, including a whip-quick bat and excellent defense up the middle. There’s still plenty of polish to be applied, but he’s got an intriguing foundation upon which to build as he moves up the ladder.

Roster

The post 2023 Arizona Fall League: Surprise Saguaros Roster Analysis appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

In addition to the traditional six-week slate, the AFL this year will feature two special site days. On Oct. 14, all three games will played at Goodyear Ballpark, the spring training home of the Guardians and Reds. Two weeks later, two of the league’s games (Salt River vs. Glendale and Peoria vs. Mesa) will be held at Hohokam Stadium, in Mesa.

This year’s rosters include nine of Baseball America’s current Top 100 prospects, led by White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who ranks No. 14.

Peoria Roster Analysis

Top 100 Prospects: Carson Williams, SS, Rays (22); Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians (59); Harry Ford, C, Mariners (62); Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians (91); Tyler Locklear, 1B, Mariners (92)

There are only nine Top 100 Prospects in the entire AFL spread across six teams. Peoria has five of them. Yes, this is easily the most prospect-heavy roster in this year’s AFL.

Other Intriguing Prospects: The group of Javelinas first basemen is impressive. In addition to Top 100 prospects Manzardo and Locklear, Peoria can also roll out Padres breakout prospect Nathan Martorella, who showed power and on-base ability during a season split between High-A and Double-A.

San Diego’s hitter group as a whole is intriguing. Graham Pauley and Jakob Marsee each put up excellent numbers. The latter finished the regular year with a .413 on-base percentage and more walks (98) than strikeouts (97) while the former went 20-20 with 23 home runs and 22 stolen bases.

Marlins shortstop Nasim Nuñez should be one of the league’s most prolific base burglars. The 2023 Futures Gamer used his blazing speed to steal 52 bases in 59 tries, moving his career total to 183 stolen bases. He also plays excellent defense up the middle and has shown modest power improvements as he’s matured.

Roster

The post 2023 Arizona Fall League: Peoria Javelinas Roster Analysis appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

In addition to the traditional six-week slate, the AFL this year will feature two special site days. On Oct. 14, all three games will played at Goodyear Ballpark, the spring training home of the Guardians and Reds. Two weeks later, two of the league’s games (Salt River vs. Glendale and Peoria vs. Mesa) will be held at Hohokam Stadium, in Mesa.

This year’s rosters include nine of Baseball America’s current Top 100 prospects, led by White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who ranks No. 14.

Below is an analysis of the Scottsdale roster, which features prospects from the Phillies, Giants, Angels, Cardinals and Nationals.

Top 100 Prospects: None

Intriguing Prospects: Phillies righthander Christian McGowan returned in July from Tommy John surgery and could make a name for himself with a strong AFL campaign. The seventh-rounder in 2021 from East Oklahoma State JC features a heavy sinker in the mid 90s and complements it with a slider and changeup that each check in around 87 mph. He used both pitches to get grounders by the bushel and struck out 28 hitters in 25.2 innings at four stops since his return.

Righthander Tekoah Roby came over from Texas in the deal that sent Jordan Montgomery to the Rangers. He’s been excellent since joining his new organization, going 0-0, 3.00 in four starts with Double-A Springfield, with 19 strikeouts and just three walks in 12 innings. Roby’s bread and butter is a combination of a mid-90s fastball and a nasty curveball in the high 70s. He also throws a mid-80s slider and high-70s changeup.

Giants prospect Reggie Crawford was drafted as a two-way player and was mostly a pitcher this season, but he’ll used exclusively as a hitter this year in the AFL. The hulking Connecticut alum took just 18 at-bats this season between Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene, but three of his four hits (all with Low-A) went for extra bases, including his first professional home run. His performance will be fascinating given his combination of limited experience and high upside.

Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II is likely the fastest player in the league. The West Virginia alum burned up the basepaths this year with 95 stolen bases, the most in the minor leagues since 2018, when Vidal Brujan swiped 103 bags. Scott hit .303/.369/.425 between High-A and Double-A and was one of three players in the minor leagues with 20+ doubles, 10+ triples and 50+ stolen bases.

Roster

The post 2023 Arizona Fall League: Scottsdale Scorpions Roster Analysis appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

In addition to the traditional six-week slate, the AFL this year will feature two special site days. On Oct. 14, all three games will played at Goodyear Ballpark, the spring training home of the Guardians and Reds. Two weeks later, two of the league’s games (Salt River vs. Glendale and Peoria vs. Mesa) will be held at Hohokam Stadium, in Mesa.

This year’s rosters include nine of Baseball America’s current Top 100 prospects, led by White Sox shortstop Colson Montgomery, who ranks No. 14.

Top 100 Prospects: Jackson Jobe, RHP, Tigers (53), Jace Jung, 2B, Tigers (98). 

Intriguing Prospects: Beyond Jobe – one of the top two pitching prospects in the league – you could make a case that Salt River has the most talented pitching staff.

The Rafters have multiple pitchers with MLB experience in the Braves LHP Dylan Dodd and RHP Darius Vines. Two former Top 100 prospects in the Tigers RHP Wilmer Flores and the D-Backs LHP Blake Walston, as well as talented young hurlers like RHP Tanner Kohlhepp.

Power shouldn’t be a problem for the Rafters. Tigers 2B Jace Jung hit 28 home runs this year while showing improved defense as well. D’backs 1B Ivan Melendez hit 30 home runs between High-A and Double-A. D’backs 2B/3B Sterlin Thompson has power (14 home runs) and speed (17 stolen bases).

Tigers OF Justice Bigbie is coming off one of the best seasons in the minors in 2023. He arrives in the AFL looking to cement his status as one of the breakout prospects of the 2023 season. He hit .341/.403/.532, handled a mid-season promotion to Double-A and if finishing the year in Triple-A.

Rockies OF Benny Montgomery, the team’s 2021 first-round pick, is looking to have a strong October after an up-and-down season at High-A Spokane.

Roster

The post 2023 Arizona Fall League: Salt River Rafters Roster Analysis appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

Kyle Harrison, LHP, Giants: San Francisco’s top prospect opposed Sheehan in a Thursday night all-prospect tilt at Dodger Stadium. In his sixth big league start, the lefthander surrendered two earned runs on three hits while striking out two and walking one. He allowed a home run to J.D. Martinez. Harrison got three swings and misses and topped out at 95 mph with his four-seam fastball.

Dom Hamel, RHP, Mets: Needing a win to reach the Eastern League Championship Series, Hamel delivered. The 24-year-old Dallas Baptist alum deconstructed Somerset over 7.2 masterful innings, striking out eight while holding the Patriots scoreless.

Homer Bush Jr., OF, Padres: San Diego selected Bush Jr. in the fourth round of the most recent draft and have already rocketed him to Double-A. So far, he hasn’t seemed out of place. The speedy Grand Canyon alum went 12 for 28 with San Antonio in the regular season and notched two hits in the Missions’ loss to Amarillo in the second game of the Texas League Division Series.

Connor Norby, 2B, Orioles: The East Carolina alum has been on fire of late. Norby’s most recent box score included four hits against Buffalo, with a double and a grand slam as part of the ledger. He’s homered in three straight games and has a 1.056 OPS in September.

The post Prospect Report: Emmet Sheehan Graduates With a Strong Start appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.

The 22-year-old reliever started the season at Low-A Clearwater and finished it at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. In between, he spent the bulk of the season with High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading.

Before moving to Triple-A on Sept. 20, Kerkering recorded a 1.54 ERA in 52.2 innings over 48 appearances. He struck out 78 and walked 12 while allowing four home runs and a .180 opponent average.

The post Orion Kerkering: Phillies 2023 Minor League Player Of The Year appeared first on College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects - Baseball America.