Arizona Fall League rosters were revealed on September 25th, and unlike last season, this year’s crop of hitter talent is extremely exciting. Several elite prospects headline the class, led by 17-year-old Leo De Vries. Joining De Vries are fellow teens Ethan Salas and Colt Emerson, 2024 first-round pick Jac Caglianone, and Bryce Eldridge, a former two-way player who has dominated his way to Triple-A. Here is a team-by-team breakdown of the top hitting prospects to watch in this year’s Arizona Fall League.
Top Hitting Prospects of the Arizona Fall League
Glendale Desert Dogs (CHW, STL, LAD, PHI, CIN)
The most surprising name in the AFL is Reds first baseman Christian Encarnacion-Strand. CES has 338 career at-bats in the Major Leagues, but a broken wrist limited him to 29 games in 2024. Typically, the AFL is reserved for prospects, but the Reds got an exception for Encarnacion-Strand, who will recoup his lost at-bats and get back into game action.
Joining CES is fellow Reds’ prospect Edwin Arroyo, who missed all of 2024 with a torn labrum suffered in Spring Training. Arroyo just turned 21 and has performed well in three Minor League seasons. He was on an upward trajectory before the injury and could have debuted in 2024. Arroyo has better-than-average power and runs well, but he lacks consistent contact skills, which limits his upside. It will be interesting to see how Arroyo responds to the long layoff.
Cardinals’ prospect Thomas Saggese is another player with MLB experience on this roster. The 22-year-old middle infielder has consistently performed in the Minors and finally got the call to the Majors in September. Saggese is an aggressive swinger with improved contact skills over his career. His exit velocities and batted ball metrics are below average and don’t support the 20+ HR production he’s shown in the Minors. Saggese is a solid offensive player but lacks a true carrying tool in fantasy.
Gabriel Rincones Jr. (PHI) is a surprising addition to the roster, especially considering he played in the AFL in 2023. During his first stint in the Desert, Rincones impressed, batting .293 with two homers, six doubles, and 15 steals. Unfortunately, his momentum did not carry over to the regular season, as a torn ligament in his thumb kept him out for nearly three months. Upon returning, Rincones hit .263 with 11 homers and 20 steals at Double-A. Rincones carried a 28.7% line drive rate this season, but if he can find a way to lift the ball, he has 25-homer power.
One of the most exciting players in the AFL will be Dodgers’ outfielder Zyhir Hope. After missing a quarter of the 2024 regular season with a shoulder injury, he slashed .290/.419/.484 with nine homers and steals in 61 games. Hope has incredible tools for a 19-year-old. He has shown outstanding plate discipline, an above-average hit tool, and impressive raw power. In addition, Hope is a 70-grade runner and grades well defensively. Hope could become a superstar this Fall.
Jake Gelof (LAD) was a 2nd round pick in 2023 but struggled to find consistency in his first full professional season. Gelof has a similar profile to his older brother Zack, a second baseman with the A’s. Both players have decent power and speed but struggle to make consistent contact. But that wasn’t always the case. The younger Gelof was considered to have an above-average hit tool coming out of Virginia, and things haven’t carried over to the pros. Jake hit .214 this season with ten homers and 20 steals, playing at both levels of A-ball.
Mesa Soler Sox (OAK, LAA, CHC, TBR, BOS)
The headliner in Mesa is Rays’ first baseman Xavier Isaac. 2024 was a tale of two seasons for Isaac. He was red-hot in the first half, batting .310 with 12 homers, 15 doubles, and 13 steals. Things couldn’t have gone worse following the All-Star break as Isaac struggled to a .708 OPS with just six homers and a 37.3% strikeout rate. Strikeouts were problematic the entire season, as Isaac struck out 33.3% of the time, well over his career mark. Isaac is looking to get back on track this Fall.
Tre’ Morgan (TBR) will join his organizational mate Isaac on the Mesa roster. Morgan was a third-round pick in the 2023 Draft after winning an NCAA title on a talent-laden LSU roster and has made quite an impression in his debut season. Already an elite defender at first base, Morgan’s bat has come along well. This season, he hit .324 with ten homers and 20 steals across three levels. Although his power has improved, Morgan is a contact-oriented hitter and is more likely to win a batting title than hit 20 homers.
The Cubs are sending top-catching prospect Moises Ballesteros to Arizona, fresh off an impressive 2024 season. What Ballesteros lacks in size (5’7, 200 lbs), he more than makes up for with his bat. Ballesteros hit .289 with 19 homers and 24 doubles while posting a strikeout rate below 20%, splitting his time between Double and Triple-A. Defensive woes have held Ballesteros back from his MLB debut, but the bat is ready to produce at the next level. His inclusion on the roster indicates that the Cubs need to see improved receiving skills before promoting him.
Ben Cowles (CHC) is an intriguing name to watch this Fall. Cowles, who played 88 games in the Yankees’ organization this summer, was traded to the Cubs but played just four games with his new club. Cowles had a solid season at Double-A Somerset, batting .294 with nine homers, 14 steals, and 28 extra-base hits. His profile is relatively boring, but Cowles does everything well. He can hit for average and power, runs the bases well, and gets on base often. Cowles is a glue guy and will be valuable to this roster.
This Fall is crucial for Angels’ shortstop prospect Kyren Paris. The 22-year-old former 2nd-round pick was pretty terrible this season between Double and Triple-A, hitting just .167 with four homers and a 35% strikeout rate. Thanks to organizational attrition, Paris played 21 games for the big league club, and the results were similar (.118 average, .440 OPS). The Angels are going nowhere fast, and the AFL could be Paris’s chance to make a strong impression heading into 2025.
The A’s are sending two highly regarded outfield prospects to Arizona, Denzel Clarke and Henry Bolte. They have mirror image profiles, as both players have decent pop and excellent speed but significant strikeout concerns. Clarke’s K-rate fell a hair below 30% this season, while Bolte climbed up near 35% for the second consecutive year. The main difference between them is that Clarke has better plate discipline. He reads pitches better out of the hand and has improved his chase rate. The big problem for Clarke is that the contact rate is nearly 60%, which is incredibly low. Bolte, who also has a contact rate near 60%, is a free swinger, and his aggression leads to either swing-and-miss or an abundance of ground balls (54.3%).
Peoria Javelinas (SDP, ATL, MIL, SEA, MIA)
Padres’ shortstop Leo De Vries is arguably the highest-rated prospect making his way to the AFL. De Vries, who won’t turn 18 until mid-October, is on a fast track to the big leagues after an aggressive assignment to Class-A this season as a 17-year-old. In his first pro season, De Vries hit .237 with 11 homers, 22 doubles, and 13 steals. The final stat line doesn’t look like much, but he was by far the youngest player at his level. He managed a 13.9% walk rate and 23.3% strikeout rate while posting a 116 wRC+ in 75 games. Based on his current trajectory, De Vries may be knocking on the door to the Majors by late 2025.
Ethan Salas is the second teenager the Padres will send to the Desert. By now you know the story. The top International signing in 2023 came to the US with unrealistic expectations that he could immediately defend at the MLB level, but his bat was still far away. The Padres moved Salas through A-ball quickly, and he finished 2023 in Double-A as a 17-year-old. They checked up on the brakes this season and had Salas playing the entire year at High-A. In 111 games, he slashed .206/.288/.311 with four homers. His 20.9% strikeout rate is admirable, but the rest of his numbers are just meh. There is no doubting Salas’ talent level, but the Padres’ aggression may have backfired a bit. The AFL is a great place for Salas to get additional reps and hopefully restore some of the confidence he had when he came to the US.
The Padres farm system is bleak beyond De Vries and Salas, but 22-year-old first baseman Romeo Sanabria had a great season in 2024. After going the JuCO route, Sanabria was an 18th-round pick in 2022. He showed flashes of potential last season when he slashed .341/.439/.573 with eight homers in Rookie ball and Low-A. In 2024, he continued to impress, hitting .288 with 11 homers and 30 doubles across three levels. Sanabria gets on base at a nice clip with a reasonable strikeout rate. His 76% overall contact rate is above league average, and with some added strength, I think he can reach 20 homers. The AFL gives Sanabria an extended opportunity to build on two consecutive strong seasons and put his name on the radar among the Padres’ top prospects.
Drake Baldwin starred in the 2024 Futures Game, hitting two balls over 100 mph, including a HR. For Baldwin, it was a chance to showcase his skills, and he made the most of them. He’s been a solid contributor in two full seasons as a pro, hitting .272 with 32 homers and 50 doubles. His profile is simple: he makes consistent contact, punishes mistakes, and doesn’t chase. In his career, he has a 13.9% walk rate against a 19.2% strikeout rate. His power from the left side has improved, and the amount of contact he makes should push him into 20-homer territory. After finishing the season in Triple-A, Baldwin has a good chance to be the Braves backup catcher in 2025 and is an exciting upside play moving forward.
The professional career of Brewers’ prospect Brock Wilken has not started out as he imagined. While the 22-year-old has shown glimpses of the raw power that led him to 71 home runs in college at Wake Forest, his overall approach has let him down. He’s too passive at the plate (40.6% swing rate), which puts him behind in the count and leads to a higher strikeout rate (26.6% career K-rate). That, coupled with adjusting to the pro level, has led to overall disappointment in his outcomes. In addition, Wilken missed over six weeks this season with a broken face after a HBP. Wilken is still a top-50 prospect for me, but I would love to see a more aggressive approach early in the count.
Various injuries limited Mariners’ shortstop Colt Emerson to 71 games in 2024, and the consensus Top-25 prospect will look to the AFL for some much-needed reps. Emerson, the #22 pick in last year’s Draft, is an exciting player with significant upside. He has shown outstanding plate discipline, an excellent hit tool, and raw power, and he is one of the most gifted athletes in the Minors. In limited action, he hit .263 with four homers and a 50:58 walk-to-strikeout rate across three levels. If not for the injuries, Emerson likely would have finished 2024 at Double-A and should be a fast riser when healthy.
Emerson is joined by organization mate Cole Young, a middle-infielder who is often overlooked in the Mariners’ system. Young doesn’t possess the offensive upside of Emerson but has a great feel for hitting and is projected as an outstanding source of batting average. Young makes contact at well over 80% and tapped into a bit more power this season, hitting nine homers at Double-A, including six at home in an environment not suited for hitters. With his high batting average, if Young can reach double-digit homers and steals annually, his fantasy value will fall into the Top 200 in Dynasty.
Salt River Rafters (ARI, COL, WSH, MIN, NYY)
Of all the players headed to the AFL, Diamondbacks’ shortstop Tommy Troy is most in need of a rebound. The first-round pick in 2023 has struggled mightily as a pro, hitting just .244 with a career .723 OPS. Troy was a star at Stanford, breaking out in the 2022 Cape Cod League before being named a First Team All-American his junior season. Since the Draft, poor performance and injuries have hurt Troy’s prospect status, and he’s looking to bolster that in the Desert.
Twins outfielder Kala’i Rosario is heading back to the AFL one year after winning the league’s Home Run Derby in dramatic fashion. He hit .238 with ten homers this season but had a near-30% strikeout rate in his 69 games. Rosario has exciting power but has struggled to tap into it consistently. He missed the second half of the season with an elbow injury, and Rosario is returning to the AFL with the hopes of finishing 2024 on a high note.
There was a lot of talk about Agustin Ramirez this season, and for good reason, but Yankees’ catching prospect Rafael Flores had a tremendous season in his own right. Flores, who turns 24 in the Fall, hit .279 with 21 homers and a .874 OPS between High-A and Double-A while also adding eight steals. His power took a step forward this season, increasing his output by 13 homers while improving his batting average and holding his strikeout rate near 25%. At 6’4″, 220 lbs., Flores is pretty athletic behind the plate but played as many games at 1B this season as he did as a catcher, signaling a permanent move to the corner.
Super-utilityman Caleb Durbin is coming back to the AFL after playing 2023 for Mesa. Durbin, who has played five different positions this season, hit .275 with ten homers and 31 steals in 90 games. Durbin is 5-foot-6 on stilts but has quick hands and a feel to hit. He has three consecutive seasons with more walks than strikeouts, and his OBP was .388 this season. Once he’s on base, Durbin runs at will, stealing 30+ bases for the third straight year. There is nothing sexy in his profile, but as long as Durbin continues to get on base and run, he holds value in fantasy.
Scottsdale Scorpions (SFG, TOR, NYM, PIT, DET)
Bryce Eldridge is the biggest draw on a Scottsdale team filled with intriguing but disappointing names. Eldridge has not disappointed this season. The 6’6″ first baseman has been incredible, slashing .291/.374/.516 with 23 homers and 52 extra-base hits at four Minor League levels, finishing the season at Triple-A. The former two-way player has focused on hitting and first base this season, and that decision has paid dividends. Eldridge has moved into the Top 15 on most boards and should debut as a 20-year-old next season for the Giants. The lone weakness in his profile is some swing-and-miss, but a 30+ homer upside with a solid batting average is hard to ignore. Eldridge will be a star in the AFL.
Admittedly, I was out of the loop on Giants’ outfielder Bo Davidson, a second-year pro who has played very well this season across Rookie Ball and Low-A. He slashed .327/.438/.608 with nine homers and six steals. Davidson doesn’t make a ton of contact, but his strikeout rate was just 24.7% in his first full season with some pop. Davidson has better speed than his production would indicate, so hopefully, we will see more of that in the AFL.
After a breakout 2023 season, versatile Mets prospect Jett Williams missed most of this season, including a wrist injury that required surgery in June. When he did play, he did not look like the same player as 2023, hitting just .215 with four homers. Williams is diminutive, standing just 5-foot-7 (more like 5’5″), but has shown flashes of average power with above-average speed. What Williams does well is make consistent contact, although his batted ball data is below average (106 max EV, 87 mph average EV). Williams is one of the more polarizing prospects, ranking in the top 25 for some and well below for others (me included).
A hamstring injury, followed by missed time after a HBP, limited former top prospect Drew Gilbert to 62 games this season for the Mets. Gilbert closed the year on a power surge, mashing nine homers over his final two months, although he hit just .193 with 37 strikeouts. Although he isn’t much bigger than Williams physically, he has shown more raw power with lesser contact and speed. Gilbert’s stock has fallen significantly in the prospect ranks over the past 18 months and currently sits outside my Top 150.
Not many prospects have seen a bigger fall from grace than Pirates’ infielder Termarr Johnson. Shortly after the 2022 Draft, Johnson was a consensus Top 25 prospect, but the tools we saw pre-draft have gone away. The hit tool was considered among the best in his class, but Johnson has completely transformed his swing, opting to sell out for power over hit. He is still walking at a nice clip (15.6% this season) with a reasonable strikeout rate (21.3%), but his power production isn’t enough to overcome his batting average woes.
When the Tigers traded Jack Flaherty at the Trade Deadline, they did so with the idea of giving up this season. Now that they’re playoff-bound, the Tigers are prospering on the field and in the Minors. The feature piece of that deal was Thayron Liranzo, a big, physical catcher with massive raw power. After joining the Tigers organization, Liranzo slashed .315/.470/.562 with five homers and more walks than strikeouts. He played first base this season for the Dodgers but exclusively behind the plate for Detroit. It will be interesting to see where Liranzo plays in the AFL.
Yet another catcher from the Tigers’ organization is heading to the Arizona Fall League; this time, it’s 20-year-old Josue Briceno. He is an offensive-minded catcher who has also manned first base at times this season. Briceno has a solid hit tool with improving power and has been an OBP monster in limited Minor League action. This is a big opportunity for both Briceno and Liranzo, who can establish themselves as the catcher of the future for the Tigers.
Surprise Saguaros (HOU, CLE, BAL, TEX, KCR)
The cream of the crop for Surprise is Guardians’ outfielder Chase DeLauter, who is making his second trip to the AFL. When he’s healthy, DeLauter is dynamic offensively and a no-doubt Top 10 prospect. He slashed .261/.341/.500 with eight homers and ten doubles in just 39 games this season. Unfortunately, a fragile left foot has continued to hamper DeLauter and, ultimately, has kept him from debuting. I hope this is the final springboard for DeLauter before he joins the Guardians on Opening Day next season.
Creed Willems is exactly what he sounds like; a big, bulky catcher with outstanding power. Willems has been ultra-productive over the past two seasons, playing almost exclusively at Low and High-A before finally reaching Double-A in September. He is a solid defender with a strong arm, but he could be a long-term DH if he cannot stick behind the plate. This trip to Arizona appears to be a showcase of Willems’ ability before the Orioles move him in a trade.
The most polarizing player in the 2024 Arizona Fall League is Royals 1B Jac Caglianone. Cags was the sixth overall pick in this year’s Draft after an incredible season as a two-way player at Florida. Following the Draft, Caglianone had a quick stop at High-A, where he hit .241 with two homers and nine doubles in 29 games. Caglianone has some of the best power of any player in the Draft class and projects as a 30+ homer bat. The biggest focus is how Caglianone performs against offspeed pitches, which seemed to give him problems in a small sample this season. If he can adjust and hit for a decent average, Caglianone could be in KC late next season.
Carter Jensen had a breakout season in 2024 after two so-so years in the Minors. Jensen slashed .259/.359/.450 with 18 homers and 17 steals, splitting time between High-A and Double-A. In addition, Jensen really improved defensively, which should push his timeline up as a backfill for an aging Salvador Perez. There’s no prolonged stolen base potential with Jensen, but if the power continues to develop, he could provide solid fantasy value at the Major League level.