With the Arizona Fall League kicking off today, I decided to write a preview of a league I love so much. This years Arizona Fall League rosters feature 14 players from our mid-season top 100 list, and for my money this is one of the deepest groups of hitting talent to hit the league in a long time. On the pitching side of things I will say that this might be the weakest group we’ve ever seen. Last year we had premium talents like Jackson Jobe and Ricky Tiedemann, and those players just do not exist this time around. There are always some concerns about the quality of play and the quality of pitching and those will remain loud this year.
As part of this preview I have a Google Sheet that I’m pairing with this and on the tabs I have ranked every hitter participating this year from 1 to 93. I have included their PLive+ score as a reference to provide an impartial view of their performance this past season. The rankings come solely from me, and they are ranked by how I would take them if I was building a farm system. Each rank has an accompanying player capsule that functions as a miniature scouting report. The next tab has my top 25 rankings for pitchers, and that was a tough group to parse through. The hitting list will likely hold up a lot better than the pitcher one. I then included a separate tab for each team with the rosters. There is a place for notes and I plan on updating those notes as I watch games and talk to scouts and others in attendance this year.
One important thing I also included on the sheet was each player's 40-man roster year. The ones highlighted in green are already on a big league 40-man roster, and the ones highlighted in red will be available to everyone in the Rule Five draft if they are not added to their clubs 40-man roster after the conclusion of the AFL and World Series.
Here is my 2023 version of the same sheet here. I think the list holds up pretty well.
Top 5 AFL hitters below, full 93 hitters and more on our Patreon at the 55 Tier ($5/mo).
1. Bryce Eldridge (SF, AAA, 19) Scottsdale Scorpions - Even though he didn't participate in the AFL last year Eldridge was still the talk of the scout section as everyone was raving about his performance at Fall Instructs which just wrapped up the week prior. That set the stage for his big 2024 season which saw him rise all the way to Triple-A as a 19-year old. He hit an impressive .289/.372/.512 as he touched four levels of the minors in his first season as a hitter only. Known for his plus-plus power and enormous size, Eldridge could see the big leagues in 2025.
2. Colt Emerson (SEA, A+,19) Peoria Javelinas - The 2023 first rounder was limited to just 70 games this past season due to a small fracture in his left foot. Emerson is a left-handed hitting shortstop that's added strength and muscle since entering pro ball. There's a plus hit tool here with an equally as impressive approach and he could make his debut in 2025. The power isn't here yet but I expect 20+ homers a season here with a stellar approach.
3. Leodalis De Vries (SD, A, 17) Peoria Javelinas - De Vries is the youngest player here, perhaps ever, and the 17 year-old hasn't appeared in a game since August 17th due to a shoulder strain. The Padres are notoriously aggressive with their prospects when they identify their guys and De Vries looks the part, showing power, speed and an advanced approach for his age and he's one of the highest upside prospect in the minor leagues. 36 extra base hits in just under 300 at-bats is impressive stuff for someone that should be a Junior in high school.
4 Xavier Isaac (TB, AA, 20) Mesa Solar Sox - Isaac turns 21 in December and has already managed to climb all the way to Double-A. He's known for his plus-plus power and he deserves a lot of credit for getting himself into better shape. The Rays even had him make some appearances in the outfield later in the season as they look to get creative and add some potential versatility. Isaac saw a sharp rise in his strikeout rate this season, and he will be looking to get that back on track. He will also need to improve against left-handers or risk becoming a platoon bat.
5 Cole Young (SEA, AA, 21) Peoria Javelinas - Cole Young performed well in Double-A as one of the Texas League's youngest players. The strengths to his game are his contact ability and his keen eye for the zone. The only real question mark here is the power as Young hit nine homers in Double-A but also managed 25 doubles. He split time between 2B and SS and is a better fit at second base long-term. He could be the Mariners second baseman early on in 2025.