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2023 Arizona Fall League: Mesa Solar Sox Prospects To Watch

By Richard Haake
Arizona Fall League Preview Mesa Solar Sox

Moving right along in our Arizona Fall League team preview I am going to break down key prospects to watch on the Mesa Solar Sox. Every season MLB teams will send some of their brightest prospects to the Arizona Fall League to get more reps before the long off-season or see if the prospect will be on the fast track to the majors in 2024. Let’s dive into the Mesa Solar Sox.

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2023 Arizona Fall League: Mesa Solar Sox

(BAL, CHC, HOU, OAK, NYY)

Pitching Prospects To Watch

Matt Sauer, RHP NYY

(17 GP, 16 GS, 74 IP, 93 K, 3.41 ERA)

Once settled in Double-A Somerset, Matt Sauer put together a solid season. In 13 starts with the Patriots, Sauer struck out 83 batters in 68.1 innings pitched; good for a solid 10.93 K/9, all while limiting his walks to 3.82. Sauer had a .196 AVG against this season and did a solid job of keeping the ball on the ground and letting his defense make plays behind him. Sauer profiles as a back-end starter long-term and features a four-seam fastball, sweeping slider, and change-up. Look for Sauer to log some innings this fall and start to make a push toward his debut in 2024.

 

Trystan Vrieling, RHP NYY

(Did Not Play Elbow Injury)

The New York Yankees drafted Trystan Vrieling in the third round of the 2022 MLB draft out of Gonzaga. Primarily a relief pitcher in college, the Yankees had Vrieling bulk up over the off-season to prepare him to handle the workload of a starter in 2023. Unfortunately, an undisclosed elbow injury sidelined Vrieling for all of the 2023 season, making this his first look since being drafted. The pitch mix Vrieling displayed at Gonzaga was a four-seam fastball, change-up, a tight cutter, and a sharp curveball that profiles as a plus offering. With this being the first look for Vrieling, I don’t expect him to go deep into starts or even start at all this fall, but the Yankees will more than likely utilize him as a starter in 2024.

Carter Baumler, RHP BAL

(7 GP, 5 GS, 17 IP, 21 K, 3.18 ERA)

If there is one “sleeper arm” I want to watch this fall it has to be Carter Baumler for Baltimore. Drafted in 2020, it’s been some time since we saw him out on the mound for an extended amount of time. After coming back from Tommy John surgery in 2022, Baumler was only able to log 11.2 innings over four starts at Low-A Delmarva, impressing dynasty managers with a solid 15.43 K/9 in the short sample size. This season Baumler dealt with injuries that kept him off the mound and only was able to log 17 innings in seven appearances (five games started) with 21 strikeouts. Hopefully, Baumler will be utilized as a starter in the Fall League and show off some of the high strikeout upsides he possesses as he preps for a push in 2024.

Hitting Prospects To Watch

Brett Harris, 3B OAK

(108 GP, .279/.383/.424, 9 HR, 62 RBI, 10 SB)

This might be the final cap to Brett Harris’s minor league career this fall. Harris has been solid this season between Double-A and Triple-A, slashing a combined .279/.383/.424 with nine home runs, 63 runs scored, and 10 stolen bases across 108 games. With excellent plate vision and discipline, Harris combined a strikeout rate of 15.9% with a 9.7% walk rate in 461 plate appearances. With the Oakland Athletics slowly bringing up their top prospects to the major leagues it would not surprise me if Brett Harris finds his way to the Opening Day roster for the Athletics with a strong Fall league performance followed up by a strong stellar spring training.

Max Muncy, SS OAK

(123 GP, .275/.353/.411, 10 HR, 62 RBI, 13 SB)

The Oakland Athletics are not afraid to push their young stars in the making and this is obvious with 21-year-old Max Muncy. In 72 games played at High-A, Muncy slashed .255/.327/.385 with six home runs 36 runs scored, and nine stolen bases with a solid 9.9% walk rate before getting bumped to Double-A. Once he was planted in that lineup, Muncy went off, slashing .302/.387/.446 with an improved 23.2% strikeout rate and maintained a solid 9% walk rate in 51 games. This assignment is the Athletics seeing how Muncy will fair against older competition and gives them a good look at when they can expect him to make his debut as a 21-year-old in 2024 perhaps.

James Triantos, 3B/2B CHC

(83 GP, .287/.364/.391, 4 HR, 48 RBI, 16 SB)

There are several young stars making their first Arizona Fall League debuts and James Triantos has been one of the most impressive with an advanced bat. Rising two levels this season, the 20-year-old Triantos displayed his advanced bat-to-ball skills in his combined .287/.364/.391 slash line across 83 games played in 2023. The plate discipline backs up the claims, as Triantos had a combined 13% strikeout rate paired with an 8.7% walk rate across his 363 plate appearances. Look for Triantos to get time at second and third base this fall as he is likely to start the seasons back in Double-A in 2024.

Kevin Alcantara, OF CHC

(102 GP, .284/.345/.466, 13 HR, 71 RBI, 15 SB)

The future Cubs outfield is quickly taking shape, with Pete Crow-Armstrong making his major league debut this season and Alcantara and company on the heels of their own debuts. Most of Alcantara’s games were played at High-A where he slashed .286/.341/.466 with 12 home runs, 66 RBIs, and 15 stolen bases in 95 games played. Once comfortable at the level, Alcantara thrived at the plate, walking 7.6% of the time while lowering his strikeout rate to 23.8%. The 6’6’ outfielder looks like he is coming into his own and with a strong Fall League performance, a timetable for Alcantara’s debut in 2024 might become clear as he is expected to start the season back in Double-A.

Lazaro Armenteros, OF OAK

(110 GP, .252/.383/.496, 20 HR, 82 RBI, 17 SB)

Oakland is sending Lazaro Armenteros to the Arizona Fall League which is great news for dynasty managers that followed our pleads on the Weekly Streamer to pick him last season. In 2023, Armenteros ascended two levels, playing most of the season in Double-A where he slashed .248/.380/.464 with 14 home runs, 72 RBIs, and swiped 10 bags in 96 games played. Armenteros struggles with the strikeouts but was able to walk 15.3% of the time. There is still room for improvement but there are interesting tools here that could flash in the Fall League so stay tuned.

 

Alexander Canario, OF CHC

(53 GP, .273/.356/.488, 9 HR, 47 RBI, 2 SB- Minor League)

The Cubs brought Alexander Canario up for a small cup of coffee this season after putting together a strong display between High-A and Triple-A. In 53 combined games, Canario was solid with the bat, slashing .273/.356/.488 with nine home runs and 47 RBIs. Canario’s ability to draw walks has been a solid benefit to him as he walked 13% in 10 games at High-A and 9.3% in 36 games played at Triple-A. This assignment is just an opportunity for Canario to end the season on a high note and try to win out an opening-day spot in an increasingly stacked Cubs outfield.

Kenedy Corona, OF HOU

(117 GP, .251/.331/.458, 22 HR, 65 RBI, 32 SB)

This might be one of my favorite bats to watch this fall. Kenedy Corona played across two levels in 2023, with the majority in Double-A. In 111 games, Corona slashed .244/.324/.449 with 20 home runs, 63 runs scored, 61 RBIs, and 31 stolen bases. The plate discipline was solid as the 23-year-old walked 9.8% while only striking out 25.9% of the time. This could be a good chance to see Corona shoot up rankings this off-season with a solid performance in the Arizona Fall League on a strong Solar Sox team.

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