Arizona Fall League Recap: November 12, 2024
Chris breaks down Monday's Arizona Fall League action.
For the first time in two weeks, we don’t have a live report from the AFL. That does not mean we won’t be here to tell you what happened. The home run derby and Fall Stars have passed, and we have entered the final week of the AFL season.
At this point, there is only so much to say about the game players, but here is what you need to know!
Be sure to check out my updated top 500 prospects
Mesa (Chris)
Denzel Clarke, OF, OAK, 24
Clarke is an incredible athlete and has tools for days. Contact has been a bit of a question throughout his career, but he made significant strides in the second half of the regular season. Clarke’s setup is interesting as he gets in a deep squat and almost arches his back in a way, but he has made it work.
Leading off on Monday, Clarke blasted his second AFL home run and collected three hits. He contributed to all three of Mesa’s runs as he scored twice and drove in the other.
Clarke is surging up prospect rankings, and it is not just because of his AFL performance. The data has been strong, and the improved contact skills are impressive.
Scottsdale (Chris)
Josue Briceño, 1B, DET, 20
Briceño extended his odds as the front-runner for AFL MVP as he mashed his ninth home run and collected two hits in Scottsdale’s win on Monday. He drove in two runs, scored one, and even reached base a third time by way of a walk.
Not that AFL stats matter in the slightest, but Briceño has been dominant in every aspect of the fall league, having a .403 average with a 1.309 OPS. Briceño has a massive frame that I would guess is at least 6’5” at this point. The power comes easy, and Briceño has a good feel to hit. He is a first baseman through and through at this point. I am not sure he ever goes back to catching, but the bat will play at first.
Salt River (Chris)
Caleb Durbin, INF, NYY, 24
At this point, Durbin will go down in the record books as the all-time stolen base leader in the Arizona Fall League. On Monday, he swiped four bases to break the single-season AFL record, pushing his total to 27. This followed his 21 stolen bases performance in 2023. Likely to end the season with north of 50 career fall league stolen bases, it seems Durbin will wear that crown for a long time.
He continues to make contact at absurd rates, having an 88 percent overall mark in the AFL and over 94 percent in-zone contact rate. Durbin has chased just 27 percent of pitches out of the zone. The crazy thing is that these numbers are not surprising at all, as Durbin has always had a strong contact profile.
Entering his Rule 5 year, if the Yankees don’t protect him, I would not be shocked to see Durbin land with a team that could use him as a utility bat. The buzz is building, especially after receiving some hype from Yankees’ manager Aaron Boone.
Garrett Martin, OF, NYY, 24
Fresh off winning his home run derby on Friday, Martin blasted a mammoth 442-foot home run that left the bat with a 111 mph exit velocity. He added a single and drove in three runs. The blast was Martin’s fifth home run of the fall, and he currently has a slash of .239/.338/.522.
The bat speed is electric from Martin’s strong frame and the ball jumps off the barrel of his bat. There have been issues with contact at times, but Martin has posted strong in-zone contact rates in the AFL, which is an encouraging sign. He will still need to show major improvements in that department to be a viable option for the Yankees, but the power upside is enticing.
Surprise (Chris)
Austin Deming, INF, HOU, 24
Deming is a player I have seen a ton after he spent the end of 2023 and most of 2024 in Asheville, and he has always looked strong. He mashed 19 home runs and added 24 doubles while slashing .262/.348/.464 between High-A and Double-A this year. Despite the bigger frame at 5’11”/213, Deming moves extremely well and makes plays in the field.
Surprise did nothing on Monday, collecting six hits and scoring two runs. Deming collected two hits and drove in a run. In his first trip to the plate, Deming smoked a line drive to center field. In the seventh, another line drive was single, this time to left field. Deming is a deep league name to know, but someone to keep an eye on.
Glendale (Chris)
Zyhir Hope, OF, LAD, 19
No player has increased their stock more than Zyhir Hope has this fall. The AFL performance has been fine, but nothing out of this world, but maybe it was the stellar data that people became more familiar with. After Hope blasted a 470-foot home run during the first week of the AFL season, the Hope rocket ship was in blast-off mode.
Regardless, Hope is a stud. He's of shorter stature but is well-built. He is close to physically maxed out but is a good athlete who moves well with immense power. He makes a ton of in-zone contact and rarely expands the zone.
On Monday, Hope blasted his fourth AFL home run on a shot to dead center field in Mesa. Despite not making it past Single-A in 2024, I would not be shocked if Hope moved quickly in 2025.
Matt McLain, MI/OF, CIN, 25
McLain is one of the older and more experienced bats in the Arizona Fall League. Having a full year of MLB service time under his belt, McLain should dominate AFL pitching. On Monday, he blasted two home runs and drove in four runs.
In an interview recently with Foul Territory, McLain discussed his injury and the rehab process. He talked about how it is going to be hard to get fully back to 100 percent. McLain stated that, overall, it felt normal despite being a bit sore after two straight weeks of game action.
Having several months after the AFL to rest before Spring Training should mean McLain is fully good to go for 2025. The home runs on Monday are a good way to start his final AFL week.
Peoria (Chris)
Leodalis De Vries, SS, SD, 18
De Vries hit a majestic home run on Monday on from the right side of the plate that was a no-doubter. It left the bat at 104 mph and traveled 418 feet. It was De Vries's second home run of the fall.
He looks natural from both sides of the plate even though the swing can get a big long from the right side. The splits were good in 2024, as De Vries posted a .779 OPS from the left side and .865 from the right. Interestingly, De Vries hit seven home runs in 99 right-handed plate appearances. It will be something to watch, but De Vries has shown strong traits from both sides of the plate as a young hitter.
De Vries has the potential to be the top prospect in baseball. It is just a matter of continuing to develop and not being rushed by the Padres.