This previous Saturday, the Arizona Fall League performed host to a tripleheader, with begin instances staggered sufficient to see at the very least most of all three contests on the numerous ballparks within the jap 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. You 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 turn out to be among the many greatest pitching prospects in baseball within the 12 months previous to his surgical procedure, and was a menace 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 an alternative, the timing of his harm and the Phillies’ method 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 the whole thing 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, according to 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 potential to overlook bats to the world at very prime of the zone and above. He was residing there persistently earlier than he blew out, and it’s common or regarding that his really feel for dotting this location wasn’t as exact on Saturday. Right here is his complete 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, but it surely’s just too early to fret about that. Command and secondary pitch high quality are inclined to arrive later for TJ rehabbers. At its greatest, Painter’s stuff performs much 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 displaying nasty breaking stuff, there is perhaps one thing extra concrete to remove from his efficiency. For now, let’s see how he seems 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 instances, together with some 1.84-1.89 instances that hosed two runners. He’s receiving effectively 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 facet of the Fall League to date.
Salas slashed a mediocre .206/.288/.311 at Excessive-A this 12 months, which naturally evokes 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 previous till subsequent June. His stats are barely higher than Adley Rutschman’s have been throughout his freshman 12 months at Oregon State.
Catchers additionally sometimes aren’t nice to guage throughout Fall League. They’ve performed all 12 months and are typically gassed, and so they should 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 form of rhythm out right here might be difficult, and I don’t essentially assume Salas has to gentle the league on hearth together with his bat to stay a prime 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 a lot 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 vital gamers for me to guage this fall, because the timing of his commerce and harm triggered him to slide by the cracks of The Board in the course of the common season.
Skepticism is vital in relation to digesting Cal League offensive output, however Hope’s instruments are for actual. He has turn out to be tremendously robust 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 have been off of Padres reduction prospect David Morgan, whose fastball can contact 100 mph), this time to the alternative discipline on a pitch that he principally fought off. His swing is comparatively grooved however there’s going to be a lot energy right here that it won’t matter very a lot. Hope may also actually run, however he spent most of 2024 in left discipline as a consequence of poor ball abilities. He has little or no professional expertise and needs to be given an opportunity to develop in middle. This can be a very thrilling, high-variance prospect.
Josue Briceño, 1B/C, Detroit Tigers
Briceño, a Decide to Click on coming into the season, homered 3 times on Saturday. The wind was blowing out to proper discipline (Thomas Saggese hit an oppo homer on a ball that left the bat at simply 95 mph), which aided two of Briceño’s bombs, but it surely’s nonetheless a particular factor to see a man go deep 3 times in a single sport. Right here they’re:
