It’s no secret that October is the best time of year to be a baseball fan. While we are all glued to our TV screens watching the best players the game has to offer in some of the most dramatic situations you will see on a baseball diamond, the stars of tomorrow are getting some valuable playing time as well. For us prospect junkies, October is not only marked on our calendar because of the MLB playoffs, but also because of the Arizona Fall League. Things kicked off Tuesday afternoon and over the next couple of days, we will be highlighting the rosters from each of the six squads.
Part One: Peoria Javelinas
Part Two: Glendale Desert Dogs
Part Three: Surprise Saguaros
Part Four: Mesa Solar Sox
Today we move onto the Scottsdale Scorpions
Farm Systems: Cincinnati Reds, Houston Astros, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, San Francisco Giants
Scottsdale, just like the other two teams in the East division, is off to a 1-1 start. They take on Salt River tonight where J.B. Bukauskas gets the start.
Top Position Players To Watch
Cincinnati Reds: OF Taylor Trammell .277/.375/.406 8 HR, 41 RBI, 25 SB
Trammell is a true talent in a pretty good Reds system. He has a plus hit tool and power combined with outstanding speed.
Houston Astros: 3B Abraham Toro-Hernandez .247/.345/.435 16 HR, 78 RBI, 8 SB
Toro-Hernandez is a glove first guy who can play an exceptional hot corner with a good arm. He is a switch hitter who can hold his own at the plate, but could use a little more development.
New York Mets: 1B Peter Alonso .285/.395/.579 36 HR, 119 RBI
A powerful man with an intimidating presence in the box, Alonso is easily a top three power prospect in all of Minor League baseball.
Philadelphia Phillies: SS Arquimedes Gamboa .214/.304/.279 2 HR, 37 RBI, 6 SB
Not much in the way of a hit tool here, but Gamboa can be a force on the basepaths and is a great defender up the middle.
San Francisco Giants: OF Heath Quinn .300/.376/.485 14 HR, 51 RBI, 4 SB
His strength really helps him at the plate and the Samford product has solid tools across the board.
Top Pitchers To Watch:
Cincinnati Reds: LHP Ty Boyles 4.90 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 67 SO, 28 BB
Boyles has struggled as a starter so far, but has recently been moved to the pen. Hopefully that small change of scenery will help him trend in the right direction.
Houston Astros: RHP Forrest Whitley 3.76 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, 34 SO, 11 BB
Perhaps the best pitching prospect in the AFL this season, Whitley is best known for his fastball, curveball combo which is even tougher to pick up on coming from his 6’7 frame.
New York Mets: RHP Stephen Nogosek 4.99 ERA, 1.47 WHIP, 58 SO, 39 BB
I particularly like the floor of Nogosek. He has an extensive repertoire and he can use each pitch effectively.
Philadelphia Phillies: LHP Jonathan Hennigan 2.39 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 46 SO, 20 BB
The Texas State product had a solid year out of the pen across two levels. He doesn’t miss a lot of bats, but he pitches to contact relatively well.
San Francisco Giants: RHP Melvin Adon 5.03 ERA, 1.55 WHIP, 79 SO, 37 BB
A 102 mph fastball has the Giants excited about the potential of Adon in a future bullpen role. Couple that with a decent slider and, if he gets the command under control, Adon could be a force out of the pen.
Featured Image Courtesy of Mathew Carper/LOD
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