Live From The Arizona Fall League: November 2, 2024

Chris and Beck break down the AFL action from Friday's action.

We made it to the weekend, and the Arizona Fall League is wrapping up its fourth week of action. We had another full day of coverage at all three games and almost even saw a no-hitter.

Let’s talk about the players you need to know from Thursday’s action.

Arizona Fall League Recap: 11/2/24

Glendale (Beck)

Connor Phillips, RHP, CIN, 23

It was a pretty tough day for Phillips. He launched a pitch to the backstop while warming up, which proved to be a harbinger of control problems once batters stepped in, and he ultimately issued five free passes in three innings of work. He wasn’t hit very much at all – he surrendered just one hit – but that was partially a function of very few having anything to hit. His stuff was loud, as per usual, and he posted a 27% whiff rate. This was quintessential Phillips on a day when we were hoping for anything but.

Thomas Saggese, 2B, STL, 22

This Saggese guy might be a big leaguer one day, eh? He accounted for three of Glendale’s seven hits, finishing the game 3-for-4 with a double and an RBI. He looked good at second base, which is to be expected for a guy who can reasonably defend the shortstop position. He routinely looks like the most polished player on the diamond, even if the ceiling is rather limited.

Leonardo Bernal, C, STL, 20

The Cardinals are chock full of backstops in their system; they have Willson Contreras, Iván Herrera, Pedro Pagés, Jimmy Crooks, and Leonardo Bernal, and it’s tough to tell who is going to break through for playing time. For his part, Bernal had something of a breakout over 96 games with High-A Peoria, posting a .270/.343/.419 line before getting the bump to Springfield. He’s a big guy to be stationed behind the dish, listed at 6’0 and 245 pounds, and was responsible for two of the four hardest-hit balls in this matchup: a 106.2 mph single and a 105.3 mph home run. He’s not someone I’m jumping out of my chair to pick up, but there are some interesting characteristics, given his frame and ability to switch-hit.

Scottsdale (Beck)

Eddinson Paulino, SS, TOR, 22

Paulino has had a rough go in the AFL – he’s slashing a meager .211/.286/.316 through 12 games – but last night, he looked pretty excellent. He finished 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and two runs scored. He plays with his hair on fire (that is to say, he hustles), and we’ve twice seen him leg out a double that would have held a less enthusiastic runner at first. He was traded to Toronto as part of the Danny Jansen deal at this year’s deadline and struggled after the move, but I think there’s enough to be interesting. He’s managed to crest the 10-home-run threshold a couple of times as a pro despite being rather slight in stature, and at 22 years old, there’s still room to fill out. I wouldn’t prioritize rostering him this offseason, but I am inclined to pay a little extra attention as 2025 unfolds.

Adrian Pinto, 2B, TOR, 22

Pinto has been the David in every Goliath story written but was one of the best players on the field on Friday. He plays well above his measurables (5-foot-6, 156-pounds) in terms of both power and wheels. He gave Eddinson Paulino a solid workout as both his third-inning triple (103.1 mph) and fourth-inning double (105.3 mph) scored him each time. He later stole home on a little-league double steal where Jett Williams baited a throw to second, and Pinto took off successfully from third.

Elijah Pleasants, RHP, SFG, 24

Pleasants was in Indy Ball just a few months ago but successfully out-dueled former 10th overall pick Gabriel Hughes on Friday night. He leaned primarily on two pitches during his 3.1 innings of work: a sinker at 92 - 94 mph and a slider at 83 - 85 mph, both of which were rather effective despite an inconsistent release point. He’s pretty raw and will need to clean up his release and expand his arsenal to be a starter, but in terms of guys just plucked out of independent ball, he has some interesting traits.

Salt River (Beck)

Caleb Durbin, 2B, NYY, 24

I’ve gone full Nate Handy, and I’m rooting for Durbin to have a big impact on the 2025 Yankees. He impacts the game in every facet, particularly as a pest on the basepaths, and plays his heart out. I’ve written him up so many times over the last few years that new nuggets are hard to come by, but last night’s game revealed he can, in fact, play a competent shortstop in a pinch. He’s chasing down the AFL stolen base record and has 21, as I write from Salt River Fields now.

Gabriel Hughes, RHP, COL, 23

Hughes had some tough luck on Friday. His line reads 3.2 innings with six hits, four runs (three earned), one walk, and two strikeouts, but he really should have been charged with less if not for a fielding gaffe by Juan Guerrero that left Bo Davidson with a lucky “double” and led to two additional runs. I wasn’t enamored with Hughes’ fastball (93 - 95) – it didn’t produce a single whiff – but I thought his slider showed nice depth. He missed all of 2024 after undergoing Tommy John last July and is getting his first game action in over 15 months.

Surprise (Chris)

Leandro Lopez, RHP, TEX, 22

Lopez’s 2024 regular season ended in mid-May after an injury during a start in which he allowed eight earned runs across 2.1 innings against Greensboro(High-A). Before that start, Lopez pitched just 10.2 innings with a 4.22 ERA. He struck out 13 while walking seven batters.

He was dealing on Friday night as he struck out seven batters over three no-hit innings. Lopez did walk one, but he was highly efficient and generated ten whiffs while showing a good arsenal. The fastball was up to 95 mph but routinely sat in the 92-94 range. He threw an upper-70s curveball with a good movement profile and a slider in the upper-80s. While Lopez did not throw the changeup often, it sat around 87 and was used against left-handed hitters.

Lopez has been better every time out in the Arizona Fall League and looks like an interesting arm, especially considering the rust from not pitching much in the season.

Josh Stephan, RHP, TEX, 22

Stephan extended the AFL lead in innings pitched and ERA on Friday night as he tossed four perfect innings with five strikeouts. Through 16.2 innings, Stephan has allowed just one earned run, good for a 0.54 ERA. In the process, he has struck out 17 batters and walked just three. 

Stephan does not overpower hitters, sitting 91-93 mph with his fastball, but works the corners extremely well. He can run or cut the pitch and work it to both halves of the plate for both lefties and righties. The slider sits in the 82-84 mph range with a good gyro shape. It has late movement and Stephan was comfortable front and back-dooring hitters. The 86 mph changeup showed a very late tumble and fade, keeping hitters on their toes. 

A strike-throwing machine, Stephan landed 40 of his 54 pitches for strikes, good for a 74 percent rate. I would like to see the fastball tick up to consistently sit in the 93-94 range, but you can’t argue with his command and results.

Quincy Hamilton, OF, HOU, 26

Short and quite strong, Hamilton has looked good in all aspects of the game this week. He robbed a home run on Wednesday, going way up over the wall to snag what would have been a home run to right field. Last night, he mashed a 448-foot home run to dead centerfield that left the bat with a 106 mph exit velocity. 

Spending the 2024 season in Triple-A, Hamilton slashed .246/.344/.424 with 16 home runs and 11 stolen bases. Looking at him, you might not expect the caliber athlete he is. Hamilton may be on the cusp of making an impact in some role in the bigs. 

Doug Hodo, OF, BAL, 24

I have seen Hodo play three straight days now, and he continues to impress. After hitting a big home run on Wednesday, he collected three more hits on Thursday, including a double. Friday, it was another double smoked in the gap and a walk. Hodo just continues to hit. 

Missing some time in 2024, Hodo had 420 plate appearances in which he hit nine home runs and had 20 doubles while slashing .244/.382/.388. His contact skills are slightly above average, but he rarely chases or expands his zone, which helps him run a higher OBP.

Peoria (Chris)

Ethan Salas, C, SD, 18

Looking at the stat line, you might see a 0-4 day. While true, I want to highlight what I saw with Ethan Salas on Friday. He nearly left the yard on a deep flyout and went to the warning track. Salas also showed very strong plate discipline skills and picked up spin well. Part of me wonders if he has gotten a little too passive. With some aggression, I think Salas could be right back on track.

Honestly, Salas looked a little tired as he caught another game. After a full season in which he played 111 games, Salas is already up to 15 here in the AFL. As someone who is a high school senior age, I am sure the long season has been exhausting. 

The talent is undeniable, though, and Salas has a frame that is highly athletic and still has room to fill out. Could we see Salas have a strong 2025 season in Double-A? I think so.

Luis Lara, OF, MIL, 20

A rare thing to say in the Arizona Fall League, “I watched a no-hitter go into the eighth inning.” Yes, that did happen, and Luis Lara was one to break it up with a single up the middle with one out in the eighth. 

Lara is very small, but he is a contact-oriented hitter from both sides of the plate. Seeing him from both sides of the plate, he looks more natural from the left, but his hit was from the right, which left the bat at 102 mph. He also had a long flyout that came off the bat at 93 mph.

While Lara’s stock did fall in 2024, he is still incredibly young and has a chance to rebuild some of that as a hit-tool-oriented outfielder with speed. 

Ryan Bergert, RHP, SD, 24

Bergert dominated on Friday and had the best pitching performance I had seen here this year. He tossed four innings and struck out seven batters while allowing just two hits and one walk. The only damage done was on the Quincy Hamilton home run, but other than that, Bergert made hitters look silly. 

He generated an insane 18 whiffs and showed a strong riding fastball that sat in the 93-95 mph range. He missed a ton of bats at the top of the zone and then dropped in a gyro slider in the mid-80s that kept hitters on their toes. The changeup was thrown to lefties, and it was a bit inconsistent, ranging from 85 to 89 mph, which is on the firmer side. 

During the regular season, Bergert posted a 4.78 ERA in 98 Double-A innings with 87 strikeouts and 33 walks. The overall line in the AFL is not pretty, but what he showed on Friday was pure dominance. 

Mesa (Chris)

Brooks Brannon, C, BOS, 20

Brannon has continued to look good at the plate all fall league, and Friday’s game was no different. He was the only Solar Sox hitter to collect more than one hit, and even though they were both singles, Brannon scorched one of them at 113 mph off the bat on a line drive. 

Brannon was a 2022 ninth-round prep bat who received an over-slot $712k bonus. Much of his career has been riddled with injury, and this year in Single-A, a knee injury limited him to just 54 games. The slash line sat at .251/.326/.396 with six home runs and 16 extra-base hits. 

Tyler Uberstine, RHP, BOS, 25

One of the older players here in the AFL, Uberstine, is a former 19th rounder in 2021 out of Northwestern. Tommy John caused him to miss all of 2023, and he only threw 4.2 innings in 2024 upon return. Uberstine pitched well over two innings yesterday and showed his whole arsenal. 

Uberstine’s fastball sat around 93 mph, but he threw his upper-80s cutter most of any offering. The mid-80s changeup showed heavy fading action, registering 18 inches of arm-side movement at peak. The slider ranged from 81-83 mph and had some depth but inconsistent horizontal movement. 

While he is older, Uberstine does have some arm talent and is someone to keep an eye on.