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Guerrero, Whitley among AFL Fall Stars

Thirteen Top-100 prospects showcased Saturday in Surprise
Vladimir Guerrero Jr. leads the Arizona Fall League with 22 hits in 12 games for Surprise. (Brian McLeod/MiLB.com)
October 29, 2018

All eyes on Arizona. All eyes on the boys of autumn.With the World Series over, the Arizona Fall League takes center stage this Saturday with the AFL Fall Stars Game, which will be headlined by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Forrest Whitley and 11 other Top-100 prospects, according to Monday's roster announcement. 

All eyes on Arizona. All eyes on the boys of autumn.
With the World Series over, the Arizona Fall League takes center stage this Saturday with the AFL Fall Stars Game, which will be headlined by Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Forrest Whitley and 11 other Top-100 prospects, according to Monday's roster announcement. 

View the Fall Star rosters:East | West
Guerrero -- the game's top overall prospect -- is the biggest name in this year's Fall League and has had no issues living up to the hype. The 19-year-old third baseman is hitting .458/.491/.604 with seven doubles, 13 RBIs, five walks and only one strikeout in 12 games with Surprise. That comes after he produced a .381/.437/.636 line in the Minors this season and won the MiLB batting title.
The Blue Jays third baseman tops the list of seven Top-100 prospects on the East roster. Brewers second baseman Keston Hiura (No. 30), Dodgers catcher Keibert Ruiz (39), White Sox outfielder Luis Robert (44), Yankees outfielder Estevan Florial (45), Braves outfielder Cristian Pache (68) and Blue Jays right-hander Nate Pearson (90) round out that list. Hiura has been particularly productive, hitting .340/.414/.660 with four homers (tied for most in the AFL), a triple, two doubles and a league-best 24 RBIs in 12 games with Peoria. 
Whitley leads the West group of Fall Stars as MLB.com's No. 8 prospect, tops among pitchers. He also leads the AFL with 23 strikeouts -- no one else has more than 17 -- and sports a 3.18 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over his first four starts (17 innings) with Scottsdale. No. 80 overall prospect Jon Duplantier is the only other pitcher ranked among the Top-100 beside Whitley and Pearson headed to Surprise this weekend. The D-backs right-hander has a 3.24 ERA with 13 strikeouts and only two walks in 8 1/3 innings with Surprise.
The Fall Stars Game is more akin to the midseason Futures Game in that it's meant to exhibit top talent rather than the circuit's best statistical performers, and the rest of the West Top-100 contingent knows a thing or two about playing in such a scenario. No. 17 overall prospect Taylor Trammell was the Futures Game MVP back in July after homering and tripling while No. 58 Peter Alonso also went deep for a tape-measure shot in the nation's capital. No. 37 Carter Kieboom and No. 55 Andrés Giménez were on opposite sides of the US-World divide that day but will be infield teammates for the West this time around.
The Fall Stars Game will be broadcast at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on the MLB Network and will also be streamed on MLB.com. 

Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com. Follow and interact with him on Twitter, @SamDykstraMiLB.