Arizona Fall League Recap: October 23, 2024

Hello everyone! After an off-day on Monday we are back with a full slate of AFL action. Nick Kurtz joined Mesa which brings another exciting player to the desert and we had plenty of action and standouts on Tuesday.

Beck is tied up with his day-job so it will just be me covering the action. We are just a couple of days away from being in Arizona and bringing you two weeks of live coverage.

Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/23/24

Mesa (Chris)

Nick Kurtz joined the Mesa squad yesterday and is expected to see his first AFL action this week, which is quite exciting. But his teammate stole the show on Tuesday for the Solar Sox.

Denzel Clarke, OF, OAK, 24

Clarke had an impressive game out of the leadoff spot, collecting three hits and ending the day just a home run shy of the cycle. The double and triple were both scorched line drives, having exit velocities of 102.1 and 107.3 mph. He has consistently been one of the best hitters in the desert so far, with a .433 average and a 1.086 OPS. 

The batted ball data looks quite good as well, having an average exit velocity north of 90 mph with respectable contact. Clarke is a major power/speed threat who looks close to ready for MLB.

Scottsdale (Chris)

Thayron Liranzo, C, DET, 21

Liranzo put on a nice firework display of impressive batted balls as he had a double and a triple, but both were hit with an exit velocity north of 110 mph. The bat speed on both swings were considered fast swings, registering at 76.7 and 79.1 mph. 

While Briceño has tried to steal all the thunder, Liranzo has been highly impressive as well, with six extra-base hits and a .435/.519/.783 slash.

Bryce Eldridge, 1B, SF, 20

Eldridge blasted his second AFL home run on a towering shot with a 37-degree launch angle that traveled 396 feet. He nearly left the yard a second time on an opposite-field sac fly with a 104 mph exit velocity. Eldridge also added a single on a line drive to right field. Considering the long season Eldridge had as a 19-year-old who just turned 20, his performance has been quite strong in the fall league.

Josue Briceño, C/1B, DET, 20

At this point, I am honestly a bit tired of writing about Briceño, but his performance warrants it, and it feels like he is running away with AFL MVP. Mashing his sixth home run, Briceño also added a single that left the bat at 107 mph. The bat speed is what stands out to me. Briceño posted a bat speed north of 80 mph, a mark that is quite strong.

Briceño has six home runs, and a triple so far this fall while slashing .460/.500/1.000 in 40 trips to the plate.

Surprise (Chris)

Jac Caglianone, 1B, KC, 21

Caglianone got on the board with a massive home run that left the bat at 110.2 mph and traveled 406 feet. It was his first AFL home run and while the .231/.262/.359 slash line is a bit disappointing, the under the hood numbers look good. Caglianone has made contact on 73 percent of swings with an 89 percent in-zone mark. The 91 mph and 107.5 mph 90th percentile exit velocities stand out as well. Of course, Cagilanone is chasing at a high 36 percent clip, but the production does not match how Caglianone has actually performed at the plate so far.

Carter Jensen, C, KC, 21

Jensen is one of my favorite catching prospects in the game, and he has remained quite underrated. Jensen blasted his second fall home run and added a single to push his slash to .333/.474/1.207. Jensen’s home run traveled an impressive 436 feet with an exit velocity of 104.5 mph. He has 11 batted balls in 19 trips to the plate so far in the AFL with an impressive 96 mph average exit velocity and a max of 115. All while showing strong contact and low chase rates.

Salt River (Chris)

Skyler Messinger, 1B, COL, 25

After a five-year college career, Messenger was selected by the Rockie in the 19th round of the 2022 MLB Draft. Injuries have limited him, especially in 2024, as he had just 94 plate appearances in High-A, where he slashed .232/.301/.354 with two home runs and five doubles. 

Messenger has been quite solid so far in the AFL and he hit his first home run in quite odd fashion. A pop-up that traveled 240 feet with an exit velocity of 70.8 mph dropped in down the right field line, and Messinger raced around the bases with impressive speed for an inside-the-park home run. He now has ten hits in 32 trips to the plate so far in the fall league.

Dylan Ray, RHP, ARI, 23

Ray allowed two earned runs across 2.2 innings of work on Tuesday, but allowed just one hit while walking two and striking out four. The long damage was done after Drew Gilbert walked in the second and Jacob Reimer homered. The outing otherwise was pretty impressive as Ray generated nine whiffs on 22 swings and had a 34 percent CSW. Ray missed bats with all five of his pitches and, for the most part, looked really good. 

Peoria (Chris)

Ethan Salas, C, SD, 18

Peoria’s line mustered just seven hits and one run on Tuesday and had zero extra-base hits. Salas stands out because he reached base three times with a single and two walks. While he has not had a massive AFL, he has made good strides and has a .343/.415/.571 slash with six extra-base hits.

Glendale (Chris)

Edwin Arroyo, SS, CIN, 21

Arroyo had his biggest game all fall, collecting four hits with a double. He saw his batting average take a huge rise as almost half of Arroyo’s hits all fall came in this one game. What is worth noting is the contact skills have looked good, as Arroyo has a 76 percent contact rate and 84 percent in-zone.

Jose Acuña, RHP, CIN, 22

An electric performance from Acuña on Tuesday saw him continue his AFL scoreless streak as he struck out seven batters over four no-hit innings. He did walk two batters, but landed 67 percent of his pitches for strikes while generating a strong 12 whiffs. Considering he just turned 22 several days ago, it is pretty telling that Acuña reached Triple-A this season. 

Acuña’s fastball sits between 92 and 93 mph. It does not stand out in any way, but his changeup does play well off of it, having nearly 15 inches of arm-side run. The changeup sits around 83-84 mph and has late tumble and fading action. He rounds out his arsenal with a slider in a similar velocity band to the changeup, while having a gyro shape.