Here are the Arizona Fall League's top Statcast performers
This fall, for the first time, the majority of Arizona Fall League stadiums are outfitted with Statcast technology. That enables us to peek under the hood and get a better sense of how some of the game’s best prospects are performing on the annual elite prospect circuit. With that in
Reds' infielder returns to Fall League to find his big league routine
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- After missing the entirety of the 2024 season following left shoulder surgery, Matt McLain needed at-bats. Even though the Reds infielder had 365 big-league at-bats in 2023 and received Rookie of the Year votes, he opted to come back to the Arizona Fall League, where he played
Reds' Arroyo looking healthy post-surgery in Arizona Fall League
PEORIA, Ariz. -- The last time Edwin Arroyo had a four-hit game in a professional setting was with Single-A Modesto on June 3, 2022. That feels like a lifetime, or maybe even two, ago in the career of the 21-year-old shortstop. Arroyo was traded from the Mariners to the Reds
McLain brothers in lineup together again Arizona Fall League
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The world looked a lot different the last time Matt McLain and Sean McLain started in the same lineup on Aug. 10, 2020. No longer with their college teams at UCLA and Arizona State, the Orange County natives joined the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate
Resurgent Arroyo leads Cincinnati's Arizona Fall League contingent
When the Mariners and Reds swung a blockbuster Trade Deadline deal in July 2022, the first name mentioned wasn’t Edwin Arroyo. Nor was it the second. Luis Castillo, then a two-time All-Star, and Noelvi Marte, then MLB’s No. 18 overall prospect, were the headliners, even if many evaluators were thinking
Arizona Fall League Week 1 top performers
The 32nd season of the Arizona Fall League is a week old, and already, there are top prospects standing out amid the field of, well, top prospects. Here are the top performers from the first week of AFL action:
Reds' Phillips hopes wild ride leads him from Fall League back to Cincy
GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Connor Phillips went from the top of the Reds organization to the bottom in nine months. After making his big league debut last September, he found himself reassigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League this June. Because Phillips posted a 9.92 ERA with as many walks as
Lowder has opposition seeing Red in Triple-A debut
Rhett Lowder was packing up on Sunday night in preparation for Double-A Chattanooga’s away series in Mississippi when he got a phone call from Lookouts manager Jose Moreno. As it turned out, the MLB’s No. 35 prospect wasn't going to join the team on the road since he was promoted
Bats skipper gets new hurler from Korea -- his son
After spending the past six seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization, Casey Kelly returned to a Triple-A mound in the United States on Sunday and found some things had changed. But at least one thing was very familiar. "It's a little bit of an adjustment. There are new rules, there's
The weirdest, wackiest stats from the past month
Welcome to Crooked Numbers, a monthly column dedicated to Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. The edition, rounding up the month of July, features intra-organizational no-nos, wild romps, unexpected mound dominance and, of course, much more. Keeping track of this type of thing is a team effort, so get
Player of the Week Spotlight: Reds' Collier
From MVP of the All-Star Futures Game to Midwest League Player of the Week, the hits just keep coming for MLB's No. 82 overall prospect, Cam Collier, this summer -- literally. Collier earned the Minor League Player of the Week Spotlight after going 10-for-17 with five extra-base hits, hitting safely
Road to The Show™: Trade Deadline lookback
Each week, MiLB.com profiles prospects by chronicling the steps they’ve taken toward achieving their Major League dream. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. The 2024 Trade Deadline is upon us, and with it comes a slew of deals that are sure to shake
Hats all folks: Top MiLB caps at the Futures Game
This year's Futures Game featured more old-fashioned, Minor League-style fun than ever, and the most visible addition was one fans could see at every moment. Each of the 45 players who appeared in the game wore on his head the cap of his Minor League team. As a result, some
All-Star Futures Game, Skills Showcase FAQs
Forty-nine of MLB’s top prospects will compete at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday in the All-Star Futures Game. This year’s iteration, which marks the 25th anniversary of the contest, will feature the first-ever Futures Skills Showcase, a three-challenge event that will test participants’ precision and power at
Ranking the best tools in the Futures Game
Since its 1999 debut at Fenway Park, the All-Star Futures Game has showcased baseball's best prospects. Joe Mauer will become the first Futures Gamer inducted into the Hall of Fame in a couple of weeks. Mookie Betts, Miguel Cabrera, Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw, Mike Trout, Justin Verlander and many others
Lookout for this mom when foul balls are near
Mother's Day has passed this year, but it's never to late to honor the heroics of one motherly figure. In the bottom of the fifth inning of the Chattanooga Lookouts' Friday night contest with the Rocket City Trash Pandas (Angels), Reds prospect Nicholas Northcut fouled off the first pitch of
Road to The Show™: Reds' Collier
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 fourth-ranked Reds prospect Cam Collier. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. Cam Collier popped up on prospect radars at a
Here are the top switch-hitters in the Minors
In an era that places a premium on platoon advantages, switch-hitters can be the most versatile members of a lineup -- even if they've become increasingly hard to find. Over the past four seasons, the number of switch-hitting batters in the Majors has slowly ticked down from 10.7 percent in
The weirdest MiLB stats, plays from the past month
After a multi-season hiatus, Crooked Numbers returns with a heaping portion of Minor League Baseball on-field oddities and absurdities. This edition, covering the start of the season through the end of April, has a disproportionate number of items from the Triple-A level. As for why that is, who knows? Maybe
MiLB Player of the Week Spotlight: Lowder
Since being selected with the No. 7 overall pick in last year's Draft by Cincinnati, Rhett Lowder has found that one of the biggest adjustments going from the college game to being a pro is -- time. The 22-year-old says he has a lot more free time on his hands
Tortugas walk it off in Little League fashion
The Daytona Tortugas seem to have a knack for walk-off hits. Two of their three home wins this season have been of that variety. But it's going to be difficult to top the way Cincinnati's Single-A pulled off Wednesday night's 5-4 win at Jackie Robinson Ballpark.
Check out these five MiLB alternate identities
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. The season is imminent and yet new alternate identities just keep on coming. Here are
Ben's Biz eats: From Tennessee to Ohio
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. Subscribe HERE.
The Road to The Show™: Reds’ Phillips
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 fourth-ranked Reds prospect Connor Phillips. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here. The unique circumstances surrounding Connor Phillips’ first start in
Some of the Minors' most popular jerseys
Jerseys can be gateways. And in the Minor Leagues, there’s plenty to explore. The kit can represent the town, a favorite food, the local culture, an important issue. And with longer affiliation partnerships, more teams have used them to connect with their parent clubs. Not to mention, they’re nice to