This previous Saturday, the Arizona Fall League performed host to a tripleheader, with begin occasions staggered sufficient to see a minimum of most of all three contests on the numerous ballparks within the japanese a part of the Phoenix metro space. My notes and ideas on the standouts from that day, in addition to Monday’s solo sport in Peoria, are under. Yow will discover the end-of-year stories and grades on the 2024 Fall Leaguers on the Fall League tab of The Board.
Andrew Painter, RHP, Philadelphia Phillies
This was the 21-year-old Painter’s first aggressive motion since present process Tommy John surgical procedure in late July of 2023. He had develop into among the many finest pitching prospects in baseball within the yr previous to his surgical procedure, and was a risk to interrupt 2023 camp as a part of the Phillies’ massive league rotation lower than two years after he was drafted out of highschool. As a substitute, the timing of his harm and the Phillies’ strategy to treating it (they took an opportunity he’d heal sufficient with a plasma-rich platelet injection to pitch late in 2023) led to him lacking everything of the final two seasons.
Like most Tommy John rehabbers, the very first thing to return for Painter has been his velocity. He sat 98-100 mph throughout his two innings of labor, consistent with the height velocities he confirmed as a first-year professional in 2022. Painter’s fastball runs downhill due to his top and excessive arm slot, which narrows its skill to overlook bats to the world at very high of the zone and above. He was residing there constantly earlier than he blew out, and it’s commonplace or regarding that his really feel for dotting this location wasn’t as exact on Saturday. Right here is his total outing, with muted video throughout his warmup to accommodate a copyright declare on “Don’t Cease ‘Til You Get Sufficient”:
On Saturday, Painter’s secondary stuff (a slider within the 86-90 mph vary and a curveball within the 83-85 mph vary) wasn’t as crisp and lethal because it was earlier than his surgical procedure, nevertheless it’s just too early to fret about that. Command and secondary pitch high quality are inclined to arrive later for TJ rehabbers. At its finest, Painter’s stuff performs just like the way in which Justin Verlander’s does, working at three vertical ranges and with various speeds by way of a fastball/slider/curveball troika. If Painter goes all six weeks of Fall League with out exhibiting nasty breaking stuff, there may be one thing extra concrete to remove from his efficiency. For now, let’s see how he seems to be as he goes deeper into video games and reclaims really feel for his breaking pitches.
Ethan Salas, C, San Diego Padres
Salas had two doubles Monday and popped sub 1.9 seconds on throws to second base a number of occasions, together with some 1.84-1.89 occasions that hosed two runners. He’s receiving properly across the fringe of the zone and doesn’t appear overwhelmed by the tempo or stage of stuff he’s catching, or by some other side of the Fall League to this point.
Salas slashed a mediocre .206/.288/.311 at Excessive-A this yr, which naturally conjures up one to ponder how a lot his age ought to inform the way in which we interpret his poor offensive efficiency in 2024. I’m inclined to be affected person right here. Salas might be 18 years outdated till subsequent June. His stats are barely higher than Adley Rutschman’s had been throughout his freshman yr at Oregon State.
Catchers additionally usually aren’t nice to judge throughout Fall League. They’ve performed all yr and are usually gassed, they usually need to discover ways to work with a completely new employees of pitchers for six weeks whereas sharing time with a number of different catchers. Moving into any sort of rhythm out right here will be difficult, and I don’t essentially assume Salas has to gentle the league on hearth along with his bat to stay a high 10 general prospect or “bounce again,” so to talk.
Zyhir Hope, OF, Los Angeles Dodgers
Hope was traded to the Dodgers as a part of the Michael Busch deal in January, simply six months after he was chosen because the Cubs’ 2023 Eleventh-round decide. He then missed many of the first half of the 2024 season with a shoulder harm and was restricted to simply over 60 video games. He’s among the many most necessary gamers for me to judge this fall, because the timing of his commerce and harm precipitated him to slide by means of the cracks of The Board in the course of the common season.
Skepticism is necessary in relation to digesting Cal League offensive output, however Hope’s instruments are for actual. He has develop into tremendously sturdy since turning professional and generates ridiculous energy for a hitter his age, and in a brief mechanical distance. Hope hit a 470-foot homer final week and homered once more yesterday (each had been off of Padres reduction prospect David Morgan, whose fastball can contact 100 mph), this time to the other area on a pitch that he largely fought off. His swing is comparatively grooved however there may be going to be a lot energy right here that it won’t matter very a lot. Hope can even actually run, however he spent most of 2024 in left area as a result of poor ball abilities. He has little or no professional expertise and must be given an opportunity to develop in middle. It is a very thrilling, high-variance prospect.
Josue Briceño, 1B/C, Detroit Tigers
Briceño, a Decide to Click on coming into the season, homered thrice on Saturday. The wind was blowing out to proper area (Thomas Saggese hit an oppo homer on a ball that left the bat at simply 95 mph), which aided two of Briceño’s bombs, nevertheless it’s nonetheless a particular factor to see a man go deep thrice in a single sport. Right here they’re: