After six busy weeks, the Arizona Fall League has come to a conclusion. However, just because the games are done, that doesn’t mean the work is.
After watching several games over the past few weeks, I’ve put together an “All-AFL” team consisting of players that stood out at each position (MLBpipeline.com put out its own version here). Keep in mind, there were several more names that came to mind when putting together this list, but I wanted to limit each position to just two guys (six in the outfield) so several worthy players were left off my list.
Catcher:
New York’s (Yankees) Gary Sanchez: The Yankees may have expedited Gary Sanchez’s path to the Majors when they traded John Ryan Murphy to the Twins. Sanchez hit 18 homers during the regular season and continued to dip into the power as he led the AFL with seven homers and 55 total bases.
In addition to his prowess at the plate, Sanchez showed off a strong arm, nabbing some would-be base stealers, and a quick pop time.
Chicago’s (Cubs) Willson Contreras: It’s unfortunate that Contreras’ stint in Arizona was cut short because of a hamstring injury as he was a very intriguing player. The catcher has only been behind the plate for a couple years, but may be in Chicago sooner rather than later if Schwarber remains in the outfield.
Contreras had a big year offensively as he hit .333 in 126 games with AA-Tennessee and continued to produce at the plate in Arizona, hitting .283 with three homers and eight RBIs in 14 games.
First base:
New York’s (Mets) Dominic Smith: The Mets’ No. 5 prospect may have been one of the most impressive prospects in the AFL this season. Smith hit a career-high .305 with Class-A Advanced St. Lucie this season and then hit .362 with one of the smoothest swings in the AFL.
In addition to Smith’s ability to swing the bat, the first baseman is also a really good defense and was a defensive mentor of sorts to fellow teammate Rowdy Tellez.
Boston’s Sam Travis: Perhaps it should be no surprise that the 2013 University of Indiana baseball team made it to the College World Series riding the bats of Kyle Schwarber and Sam Travis. While Schwarber was putting up monster numbers for the Cubs this year, Travis was also having a productive year at the plate. Travis hit .307 in 131 games between Class-A Advanced Salem and AA Portland.
In the AFL Travis continued to swing a hot bat, hitting .344 in 23 games.
Second base:
San Diego’s Carlos Asuaje: The infielder impressed throughout the AFL and then, prior to the final week, was traded from the Red Sox to the Padres. Asuaje hit .329 and finished the season in the midst of an 11-game hitting streak.
Asuaje has played second base, third base and left field since being drafted, but primarily played second in Arizona and looked really comfortable there, making several nice plays.
Oakland’s Chad Pinder: Pinder wasn’t an everyday player in the AFL, but when he was on the field he made it hard to ignore him. The middle infielder had a productive season at AA Midland as he hit .317 with 15 homers and continued to show some of the pop once he got to Arizona.
Pinder hit four homers in the Fall League and seven of his 12 hits went for extra-bases. He also spent time in Arizona working on his degree.
Third base:
Chicago’s (Cubs) Jeimer Candelario: The Cubs prospect has been known for his bat for a while now and didn’t disappoint in Arizona. Candelario got off to a hot start offensively and swung the bat well through the AFL, hitting 349.
Defensively, Candelario showed off a strong arm and made several noteworthy plays. The third baseman made a trio of errors, but they all came in one game so chalk that up to a bad day at the office.
Oakland’s Renato Nunez: After hitting 18 homers with AA Midland this season, Nunez’s bat continued to shine in Arizona. The third baseman hit .296 with 10 RBIs in 17 games.
Shortstop:
San Francisco’s Christian Arroyo: At just 20 years old, Arroyo was one of the youngest players in the AFL, but you wouldn’t know it from simply watching him play. Arroyo was one of many talented prospects the Giants sent the Fall League and he was very impressive both offensively and defensively.
In 19 games, the former first-round selection hit .308
Tampa Bay’s Daniel Robertson: Roberston found himself in the AFL for the second straight season, but this time with a different organization. Robertson was shipped from Oakland to Tampa Bay prior to the 2015 season and immediately became one of Tampa’s top prospects.
Although Roberston didn’t excel in the Fall League, hitting just .228, he has shown promise both offensively and defensively.
Outfield:
Miami’s Austin Dean: After playing in a career-high 136 games during the regular season it would have made sense if Dean started to show fatigue and watched his numbers slip. However, that was not the case. Dean, acknowledged that the games took a tool on his body, was able to fight through that and had a productive Fall.
The outfielder hit .323 in the AFL.
Cleveland’s Clint Frazier: Frazier entered the AFL as one of the league’s most hyped prospects. Frazier has been highly regarded since high school and has lived up to the expectations so far.
The Indians’ No. 2 prospect has incredibly strong hands and hit .281 in Arizona. He also had hits in eight of his final 10 games.
Colorado’s Raimel Tapia: There were plenty of players putting their best feet forward in the AFL, Tapia just happens to do it faster. The Rockies prospect can absolutely fly and he put that speed on display when he hit an inside-the-park homer. The outfielder stole five bases in the AFL, but he was also caught stealing five times.
Tapia also used his speed to make several nice plays roaming the outfield.
Kansas City’s Bubba Starling: After a disappointing 2014 campaign, Starling bounced back in the 2015 season. Starling hit .269 during the regular season and parlayed that into a nice Fall as he hit .274 with four homers in 22 games.
Chicago’s (White Sox) Adam Engel: Engel wasn’t on very many – if any – top prospect lists entering the AFL, but he sure managed to turn a lot of heads in Arizona. It seemed like every time Engel came to bat, he found a way to get on base as he hit .403 and had a .523 on-base percentage.
And once he got on base, he was off to the races. Engel stole 65 bases in 2015 and swiped another 10 bags in the AFL.
Los Angeles’ (Angels) Chad Hinshaw: Angels’ prospect Chad Hinshaw followed up a strong 2015 season with an equally strong Fall League performance. Hinshaw hit a career-high .291 this season and followed that up by hitting .349 in the Fall League.
Hinshaw was sent to the Fall League after losing some time during the regular season because of a thumb injury and the outfielder certainly took advantage of the opportunity. The Fall League also gave Hinshaw the chance to work with hitting coach Brenton Del Chiaro – who coached Hinshaw in the Angels organization and was also a part of the Mesa staff.
Designated hitter:
Minnesota’s Adam Brett Walker II: If you ever have a chance to watch Brett Walker II take batting practice, do it. The outfielder has immense power – as evidenced by the 31 homers he hit with AA-Chattanooga this season and the five he hit in the AFL.
However, with all those home runs, came plenty of strikeouts. Brett Walker II struck out 195 times this season and has a below-average arm in the outfield, but if he continues to hit for power, there will likely be a spot for him on a roster in the near future.
Texas’ Jurickson Profar: Profar’s road to back to health has been a long one as he’s played in just 12 games over the past two seasons. Although he strictly served as a designated hitter and didn’t get a chance to play in the field, Profar showed why he used to be regarded as the top prospect in baseball as he had several quality at-bats and showed a good approach at the plate.
Pitchers:
San Francisco’s Ray Black: Anytime a player routinely reaches triple-digits with his fastball, people take notice. Easily one of the hardest-throwing pitchers in the AFL, Black showed why the Giants haven’t given up on him despite his extensive injury history.
Black’s stuff certainly plays, but the right-hander still needs to harness his command a bit and work on mixing stuff up. At times Black, by his own admission, relied too heavily on his fastball and threw it over and over again. Black is at his best when he is mixing in his slider and keeping hitters off balance.
Los Angeles’ (Dodgers) Jharel Cotton: The right-hander missed the beginning of the season rehabbing a broken wrist, but once he got back out on the mound, he delivered. Cotton went 6-2 with a 2.45 ERA in 21 games (11 starts) this season and continued to develop with a strong showing in the AFL.
While Cotton showed potential in the AFL, it’s clear there’s still some room to grow. As for how much growth is needed? Well that could depend on whether the Dodgers want him to be a starter or a reliever – he was used in both roles during the regular season, but was a starter in Arizona.
Houston’s Brian Holmes: It was hard not to notice Holmes every time he took the mound because all he did, was put zeros on the scoreboard. The left-hander posted a 1.13 ERA across six starts (16 innings).
Oakland’s Sean Manaea: After the A’s acquired Manaea in a mid-season trade, he went 6-0 with a 1.90 ERA in seven starts with AA-Midland. The left-hander wasn’t quite as dominant in Arizona, but it was still easy to see why he was so coveted.
In six AFL starts, Manaea led the league with 33 strikeouts. Manaea’s command got away from him at times, but when he was commanding all his pitches, he was really good. If the Athletics’ No. 3 prospect is able to really hone in on his command, there’s no reason he can’t have a successful career.
Atlanta’s Lucas Sims: Sims is one of many quality arms in the Atlanta farm system and the right-hander did nothing, but help his stock in the AFL.
In 17 innings, Sims gave up four earned runs and struck out 17.
Cincinnati’s Nick Travieso: Once he finally got on the mound it was easy to see why the Reds selected Travieso in the first round of the 2012 Draft. The right-hander had his first two starts of the AFL rained out, but when he did get a chance to take the mound, he was impressive. Travieso struck out four in three no-hit innings in his AFL debut.
Turns out that was a sign of things to come as Travieso posted a 2.05 ERA.
Colorado’s Kyle Freeland: The Rockies prospect got off to a rough start in the AFL, but bounced back and looked really good in the rest of his outings. Freeland threw five shutout innings in his final start and allowed just two runs over his final 24 2/3 innings – a span of five starts.
Minnesota’s Jake Reed: What’s not to like about a 0.00 ERA? Reed, a fifth-round selection in 2014, burst onto the scene with a huge season last year, but struggled a bit in 2015 as he had a 5.01 ERA in 44 appearances.
However, once he arrived in the hitter-friendly AFL, Reed seemed to get back on track. The right-hander threw 10 2/3 scoreless frames.
Minnesota’s Taylor Rogers: It’s no accident that the Scottsdale team chose Rogers to start the championship game. The Twins prospect – except for one outing – stood out all Fall to the tune of a 2.88 ERA in six starts.
Rogers typically has good command of the zone and said he was using his time in Arizona to develop his change-up.
San Francisco’s Adalberto Mejia: The left-hander had a rough 2014 season, but bounced back well in 2015 as he posted a 2.45 ERA in 12 games (nine starts) and carried that success into the AFL where he had a 3.48 ERA, but gave up just three earned runs over his final three starts.
Milwaukee’s Josh Hader: If the AFL is any indication, the Brewers have to be happy with what they have in Hader. The left-hander, who was acquired at the Trade Deadline in the deal that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to the Astros, posted a 3.03 ERA in 24 games (17 starts) this season and was lights out throughout the Fall League.
Hader appeared in seven game for the Surprise Saguaros and measly 0.56 ERA.
Milwaukee’s Adrian Houser: The Brewers acquired Houser midseason from the Astros in the trade that sent Carlos Gomez and Mike Fiers to Houston and shortly thereafter they got a look at the right-hander as he was called up late in the season and threw two scoreless innings.
Houser was then sent to Arizona and used his stint there to work on some of the stuff he learned during his brief stint in the Majors.
St. Louis’ Alex Reyes: The Cardinals top prospect left the AFL early after he failed a drug test and was hit with a 50-game suspension, but when he was on the mound, Reyes lived up the hype.
The right-hander gave up six runs while striking out 15 during his 15 innings in Arizona and posted a 3.60 ERA across his four starts. While the numbers may be a bit pedestrian, the AFL is a hitter-friendly league and in the two starts I saw, Reyes stuff was very good and his fastball sat around 97-98 MPH.