Call to the pen
Fansided

Arizona Fall League kicks off 2018 season

By Benjamin Chase

MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 07: Ronald Acuna #34 (ATL), Luis Urias #9 (SD), Lourdes Gurriel #21 (TOR) and Josh Tobias #13 of Peoria Javelinas (BOS) sit in the dugout in the Arizona Fall League game against the Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park on November 11, 2017 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 07: Ronald Acuna #34 (ATL), Luis Urias #9 (SD), Lourdes Gurriel #21 (TOR) and Josh Tobias #13 of Peoria Javelinas (BOS) sit in the dugout in the Arizona Fall League game against the Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park on November 11, 2017 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
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Arizona Fall League
WASHINGTON, DC – JULY 15: Taylor Trammell #5 runs the bases during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Nationals Park on July 15, 2018 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /

Scottsdale Scorpions

MLB affiliations: Reds, Astros, Mets, Phillies, Giants
Willie Harris, Manager
Derrin Ebert/Aaron Fultz, Pitching Coaches
Ryan Ellis/Troy Snitker, Hitting Coaches

Pitchers (* = left-handed)
Melvin Adon
Gerson Bautista
Matt Blackham
Ty Boyles*
J.B. Bukauskas
Jonathan Hennigan*
Chase Johnson
Luke Leftwich
Seth McGarry
Stephen Nogosek
Austin Orewiler
Erasmo Pinales
Alex Powers
Wyatt Strahan
Trent Thornton
Tyler Viza
Forrest Whitley
Garrett Williams*
Sam Wolff
Joe Zanghi

Catchers
Mark Kolozsvary
Ali Sanchez
Matt Winn

Infielders
Peter Alonso
Arquimedes Gamboa
Andres Gimenez
Darick Hall
C.J. Hinojosa
Shed Long
Alfredo Rodriguez
Abraham Toro-Hernandez
Luke Williams

Outfielders
Ronnie Dawson
Drew Ferguson
Desmond Lindsay
Austin Listi
Heath Quinn
Taylor Trammell

Prospects to watch

The big guns here are two Astros arms, Forrest Whitley and J.B. Bukauskas. Whitley is a legit top-10 prospect in all of baseball, a 6’7″ towering righty who has at least 4 plus pitches, and possibly even 5, depending on the day and how one grades his cutter and his two fastballs.

The Mets sent a pair of interesting infielders to follow. Peter Alonso didn’t get a MLB call at the end of the season in spite of crushing baseballs in AA/AAA all season. He is a very poor defender, so that could be his focus here, or he could be showcased for a potential trade to an AL club. The other player is the top prospect in the Mets organization, shortstop Andres Gimenez. He’s a dynamic young player that will be interesting to watch play with mostly guys older than he is.

Finally, the outfield will contain two guys to watch for two different reasons. Taylor Trammell has pushed his way to one of the top 50 prospects in all of the game. Heath Quinn struggled through injury in 2018, but when he was healthy, he showed the legit power/average combo that he could offer at the plate.

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