Yankees prospect Martin wins Fall League Home Run Derby
MESA, Ariz. -- Home run prowess from slugging outfielders has become commonplace for Yankees fans at the big league level over the past few seasons. Prospect Garrett Martin etched out his own homer lore with a scintillating final round that earned him 2024 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby winner
This Minors park offers heavenly pretzels, Cubs prospects and very clever fans
This is an excerpt from the latest edition of the Ben's Biz Beat Newsletter, bringing Minor League Baseball business and culture news to your inbox each and every Thursday. Check out the full newsletter HERE.
These are the 2024 Fall Stars Game rosters
The All-Star festivities at baseball’s most elite prospect circuit are always a can’t-miss event, and this year’s are no different. The 18th annual Fall Stars Game, set for 8 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. local on Saturday at Sloan Park in Mesa, will bring the Arizona Fall League’s top performers together
Here's a scouting report on every prospect in the 2024 Fall Stars Game
Call it the mid-autumn classic. The Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game arrives Saturday at Mesa’s Sloan Park at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. local, placing some of the game’s best prospects and the circuit’s best performers on the same field. The game will be broadcast on MLB Network and streamed
Fall League sluggers light up the night in Home Run Derby
The 2024 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby lived up to its billing with a last-second long ball to close things out. Yankees prospect Garrett Martin finished with a flourish in the final round, hitting his 10th tater of the session to inch past Brewers No. 8 prospect Brock Wilken
Cubs' Double-A team brings 'that Wrigley Field vibe' home to Knoxville
Prior to the 2000 season, Knoxville’s Double-A Southern League franchise relocated 20 miles east, to the town of Kodak, and christened themselves the Tennessee Smokies. Twenty-five years later, the team is going back to its roots. The Smokies return to Knoxville in 2025, operating out of brand-new Covenant Health Ballpark
Reds' Phillips spurred on in Fall League by regular-season turnaround
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- A rough second start in the Arizona Fall League on Oct. 16 looked like it might derail the bounceback journey of Connor Phillips, but the Reds’ No. 15 prospect had other ideas. Phillips closed a disastrous regular season at Triple-A Louisville with a strong five-start stretch, and
After late-season tear, Pirates' Siani not letting up in Fall League
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Players can be a stubborn sort, but Sammy Siani knew something had to change. The Pirates outfield prospect was entering his third season with High-A Greensboro and had hit just .217 over 2022 and ‘23 combined with a 33.7 percent strikeout rate. When upward mobility is the
Childhood buddies Ray and Rose battle for bragging rights in the Fall League
MESA, Ariz. -- Put yourself in the shoes of Caden Rose and Dylan Ray. Best friends since childhood growing up in North Alabama, they dreamed of being professional ballplayers. Now they're beginning to see those dreams materialize. Invited to the Arizona Fall League, they've finally gotten to spend time together
Maggi keeps grinding after his long-awaited MLB stint
Benjamin Hill travels the nation collecting stories about what makes Minor League Baseball unique. This article -- which he reported on from Toledo, Ohio, on Aug. 25 -- is one of those stories. Subscribe to his newsletter here.
Dodgers' Swan breaks down his pitches
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Eriq Swan is essentially in his pitching infancy, and that could be a scary thought for the rest of the league. The 23-year-old, 6-foot-6 right-hander picked up pitching late at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, having primarily been a tall shortstop in his prep years. He
These rookies could win a Gold Glove in '25
Defense is increasingly becoming a young man’s game. From 1957, the year they were first handed out, to 2012, only nine rookies won Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The same amount have captured the game’s top defensive prize since 2013, including six in the past three seasons alone. Red Sox right
Painter, Phillies prospects take center stage in AFL doubleheader
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Andrew Painter is just 13 innings into his “official” return to the competitive mound, but the Phillies right-hander has set the bar so high that another three no-hit innings don’t jump off the page. And an argument could be made that he didn't have the most impressive
Vote NOW for the Fall Stars Game Final 2
Fans, the Arizona Fall League wants your help. The 18th annual Fall Stars Game is set for 8 p.m. ET on Saturday at Mesa's Sloan Park, and fans have the last word on the rosters. MLB.com's Fall Stars Final 2 Vote is open now, with one spot on the American
Road to The Show™: A’s righty Morales
Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at third-ranked A’s prospect Luis Morales. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. After an aggressive debut last year, Luis Morales moved
Wilken's Arizona Fall League Derby secret weapon? Dad strength
PEORIA, Ariz. -- In his first at-bat since being announced as a participant in the 2024 Fall League Home Run Derby, Brock Wilken emphatically proved himself worthy of his inclusion. But when Peoria’s eventual 3-3 tie with Surprise on Tuesday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex first started, Wilken’s name
Kurtz, Lopez, Stephan earn AFL Week 4 honors
Week 4 in the Arizona Fall League was all about big flies and flirting with history. These players separated themselves during what was another excellent week of AFL action. Mesa first baseman Nick Kurtz (ATH No. 2/MLB No. 45) slugged his way to AFL Hitter of the Week honors and
Minor League Gold Glove Award winners
There are prospects who can flash the leather, and then there are these guys: the cream of the crop. Now they own some hardware for defensive excellence. Two Top 100 prospects – including baseball's top overall prospect – headlined the nine-player crop of 2024 Minor League Gold Glove Award winners,
Twins' Rosario refining swing just in time to defend AFL HR Derby title
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Finding ways to stay focused and present when you’re the designated hitter can be tough. It's even more of a challenge when you’re used to playing in the field regularly. Then there are games like the one in which Twins outfield prospect Kala'i Rosario served as DH
Angels' late bloomer Natera Jr. starting to flip script in Fall League
MESA, Ariz. -- Angels left-handed pitching prospect Samy Natera Jr. understood why doubters said the things they said, but he made it his mission to prove them wrong. He may be at the early stages of a breakthrough that will silence them permanently. Natera didn’t even start pitching until he
Arizona Fall League Week 4 top performers
Here are the top performers from the fourth week of AFL action:
D-backs prospect Amendt not cooling off one little bit in the desert
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Life as a Minor League reliever has thin margins. Your ERA can be torpedoed by one bad outing. There’s also the obvious caveat that the fewer innings you throw, the less often scouts, evaluators and members of the organization get to see your stuff. But the quickest
Unsatisfied with natural gifts, O's prospect Willems focusing on all facets of his game
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Creed Willems had a chance to play hero, coming to the plate with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning and two out, the score tied, 6-6. Instead, he beat one into the ground to end the inning and send Saturday night’s Peoria-Surprise Arizona
Yankees prospect Durbin trying to swipe his way to 40-man spot
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- The Arizona Fall League has never seen a base stealer like Caleb Durbin. The Yankees prospect added another notch to his stolen-base prowess during Salt River's 8-3 win over Mesa at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Saturday afternoon. By virtue of three stolen bases, Durbin