Last week I was lucky enough to attend First Pitch Arizona, a baseball HQ conference, and sit on as many Arizona Fall League games as possible. I went to seven Arizona Fall League games total in four days, including the Fall Stars Game on Saturday (you can see me behind the plate!).
If you get a chance to go to the First Pitch event in the future you absolutely should go. Brent Hershey and the guys at Baseball HQ do it right with excellent presentations from your favorite baseball personalities, and the best networking event possible.
Below are my thoughts on twelve of my favorite players from the Fall League. Another post with more quick notes will follow soon and I’ll cover some more players.
Jo Adell | POS: OF | ORG: LAA | AFL: Mesa Solar Sox | Tools: HIT- 50 RAW- 70 RUN- 70 GLOVE- 60 ARM- 55
Adell (pronounced uh-Dell) was the best athlete and slam dunk top prospect in the Arizona Fall League. I didn’t get a chance to get a stopwatch on him but he’s a top shelf athlete with plus-plus raw power, plus speed and feel for the barrel. He’s got thick legs, but he’s still as explosive as anyone I’ve seen. I don’t think he’s a guy that will consistently hit .300 in the majors, as he had some issues with breaking balls breaking down and out of the zone, but he will have his moments when it seems its impossible to get him out with his plus bat speed, high exit velocity and plus foot speed. When he connects he hits the ball hard, and I’d bet was in the top five or so of the entire AFL in exit velocity if I had those numbers. His batting practice was good, not great, but the ball makes an entirely different sound off of his bat. Others hit the ball farther, but he hit the most homers by pure volume. The arm and glove are strong, and he should push Trout to a corner when he arrives. The makeup is off the charts, and he’s fully bought in to the technology the Angels have at his disposal.
Julio Rodriguez | POS: OF | ORG: SEA | AFL: Peoria Javelinas | Tools: HIT- 60 RAW- 65 RUN- 50 GLOVE- 50 ARM- 60
Incredibly, Rodriguez is the youngest player in the Arizona Fall League, as he doesn’t turn 19 until December. He has strong forearms, thick legs and broad shoulders. Can appear to be very stiff at times at the dish, but quickly sheds those concerns as he uncoils. His balance is incredible, and shows off how athletic and controlled he is as he stays behind the baseball while extending on one leg and driving the ball. He was using all fields in batting practice and that carried over into the games. He made a beautiful over the shoulder running catch in center in my looks, and has a strong, accurate arm but will play right field in the big leagues. The body is filled out and will require maintenance as he matures. Rodriguez was treated like the main attraction every time he stepped on the field, showing the power and stealing a few bases. The makeup is plus and he’s well grounded. The game is in good hands with future stars like this.
Royce Lewis | POS: SS | ORG: MIN | AFL: Salt River Rafters | Tools: HIT- 60 RAW- 50 RUN- 60 GLOVE- 55 ARM- 70
If anyone can rival Jo Adell for the best athlete in the AFL its Lewis. The Twins are putting that athleticism on display by playing the former number one overall pick in centerfield and third base. The organization wants him to get more at-bats, and with other players on the Salt River squad tabbed to play short a stipulation of him getting to AFL was that he had to play a utility role. He’s looked strong in centerfield making a difficult catch running back on a ball and also put that plus-plus arm on display at third. Lewis isn’t discouraged by his poor statistical performance in 2019 because his team was winning games and he was told not to make any changes as the under the hood numbers were strong. At the plate the first thing you notice is the high hands but that immediately takes a back seat to the leg kick, which is massive and then the elite bat speed becomes the star. He was pull heavy in my looks including two pull side homers, but he hits the ball hard. Watching him interact with the fans, media and other players was one of the highlights of the AFL.
Vidal Brujan | POS: 2B | ORG: TB | AFL: Salt River Rafters | Tools: HIT- 70 RAW- 40 RUN- 70 GLOVE- 60 ARM- 55
Brujan has been primarily playing shortstop for the Rafters while out here. The switch-hitting Brujan is a much better hitter from the left-side, and is an extra base hit threat threat due to the above-average raw (from that side) and plus wheels. Despite the small frame he controls the zone well. His power will be more doubles and triples than homers. I like his hands, didn’t really get to see the arm but was told it’s above-average. Had an evaluator tell me he sees Brujan as the next Mookie Betts and sees him as a natural fit as an outfielder due to the organizational log jam that’s coming.
Nolan Jones | POS: 3B | ORG: CLE | AFL: Mesa Solar Sox | Tools: HIT- 40 RAW- 60 RUN- 40 GLOVE- 45 ARM- 60
Jones is a physical presence in the box, and looks even more so with how high he holds his hands. It’s a moderate leg kick but a big uppercut swing follows. He works the count very well, and has posted strong walk rates throughout his minor league career. One draw back of working counts is the strikeouts that come with deep counts. He made two nice defensive plays down the line and unleashed his plus throwing arm. If he has to move off of third they should move him to the outfield. He lacks explosiveness but is a respectable runner when he gets up to full speed.
Heliot Ramos | POS: OF | ORG: SF | AFL: Scottsdale Scorpions | Tools: HIT- 45 RAW- 60 RUN- 50 GLOVE- 50 ARM- 60
First name pronounced Elliot. Ramos is physically maxed out 20-year old playing in the Giants organization. He’s listed at six feet, 180 pounds, and while the height may be close, he weighs over 200 pounds. The frame isn’t one that sticks in center, especially in that ballpark. He’s an aggressive hitter that will strikeout. He uses all fields and possesses the strength to hit it out of any big league park. Overall its a collection of average or better tools, and it adds up to an above-average big league right fielder.
Miguel Amaya | POS: C | ORG: CHC | AFL: Mesa Solar Sox | Tools: HIT- 50 RAW- 60 RUN- 30 GLOVE- 60 ARM- 60
One of the players I was most impressed with during my time in Arizona. Amaya has three plus tools in the bag in the raw power, defensive ability and arm. He’s a physically mature 20-year old that will be a franchise catcher with time. His hands are quick and strong, and he has zero issues generating natural loft. Amaya’s Fall Stars BP was one of the best during the event, and he was going blow for blow with Adell, and routinely besting him by 15-20 feet. Defensively his feet are quick, and he stays quiet behind the dish and displays good lateral quickness. The arm is a weapon, and he will stop the running game before it even gets started with pop times consistently around two seconds. He’s adept at blocking pitches, and is athletic even with the solid frame. With the strikeouts and walk rates headed in the right direction, now seems to be a good time to get excited about Amaya. He’s the Cubs top prospect in my mind. First division catcher.
Ivan Herrera | POS: C | ORG: STL | AFL: Glendale Desrt Dogs | Tools: HIT- 50 RAW- 50 RUN- 30 GLOVE- 60 ARM- 60
If it wasn’t for Julio Rodriguez more people would be talking about this guy. Just turned 19, you wouldn’t know it by looking at Herrera. One of the nice things about going to this game was comparing notes on a player you’ve seen earlier in the year and what they look like now. Herrera has filled out some, but he’s still not an imposing figure in the box. He’s a strong kid, and by all accounts he was able to handle the pitching staffs with no issues out here. The swing is simple and efficient and will generate more power as he gets stronger with a strong feel for the strike zone. The Cardinals have pushed him aggressively thus far and he’s a candidate to begin next season in Double-A as a 19-year old catcher.
Seth Beer | POS: 1B | ORG: ARI | AFL: Salt River Rafters | Tools: HIT- 50 RAW- 70 RUN- 20 GLOVE- 30 ARM- 40
Beer was one of the players I was most looking forward to seeing out here, and not much has changed for me. The immediate thing that stands out, he looks uncomfortable anywhere on the baseball field except while he’s in the left-handed batters box. The defensive concerns are very real, but so is the hard contact and power. He was a heavy pull-hitter out here, and the numbers point to that becoming more of a trend for him. He had some timing issues that resulted in weak contact, gets out on his front foot but he’s strong enough to send those balls over the second baseman’s head. I saw him misplay a routine foul pop up on a play that nearly resulted in him ending up on the ground. It’s a bat first and only profile, but I do believe he hits enough to be an option for the D-backs at first during his controllable years.
Jared Oliva | POS: OF | ORG: PIT | AFL: Peoria Javelinas | Tools: HIT- 50 RAW- 55 RUN- 60 GLOVE- 55 ARM- 50
Oliva has more power than he’s shown in games thus far. Projects as a solid big league regular for me. No weakness in the profile. The speed and stolen bases are real, and he’s a 20 or so steals guy in the majors. The raw power is above-average, but most of his in-game power will come from doubles in the gaps. Similar player to Pirates outfielder Bryan Reynolds. Good glove in center with strong reads and average throwing arm. 2.5-3 WAR player, and better than that at peak.
Brandon Marsh | POS: OF | ORG: LAA | AFL: Mesa Solar Sox | Tools: HIT- 55 RAW- 55 RUN- 55 GLOVE- 65 ARM- 60
I left Arizona being very impressed with what I saw with Marsh. The lefty starts in a slight crouch with a slightly opened stance. The hands are high and the swing has a hitch, but there’s enough bat speed and strength to drive the ball. Marsh turned the ball fields of the Arizona desert into his own personal playground as he hit line drives all over the field, and in some cases, over the fence. The swing mechanics are repeatable and he looked like a player that was hitting his stride and making up for lost time. He was even hitting homers out to left and left-center. The baserunning acumen is high, and he consistently grabs the extra base. There was a time when he stole the base completely on the pitcher and was halfway down the line when the pitcher started towards home. Defensively he’s a plus defender. The jumps are elite and he plays all the correct angles. Even the arm is plus. He’s a better defensive outfielder than Adell, just needs to stay healthy.
Geraldo Perdomo | POS: SS | ORG: ARI | AFL: Salt River Rafters | Tools: HIT- 55 RAW- 45 RUN- 60 GLOVE- 55 ARM- 50
This is the player I was most familiar with having somewhere between 20-30 looks at him in Kane County this year. He’s a switch-hitting shortstop that covers the plate well. He has intimate knowledge of the strike zone, and works counts consistently better than anyone else I saw in the Midwest League. The body is lean, and long limbed. He needs to incorporate his lower half more to be a bigger power threat. He will grind out at-bats. He’s a pesky but inefficient baserunner, and he’s aggressive and will get picked off. A good portion of his caught stealings were actually him getting picked off. He’s a plus runner but often stumbles getting out of the box. The hands, actions and arm are enough to be an above-average defender up the middle. He’s a future top of the order hitter that can grow into 15-20 homer power.