Every player in the Fall Stars Game
The Arizona Fall League has been the best place to see top prospects from all 30 organizations for decades, and this 2023 season has been no different.
The Fall Stars Game puts the best of the best on the field all at the same time. The AFL's version of the Futures Game will take place tonight at 6 p.m. MST (8 p.m. ET) at Sloan Park in Mesa. The game will be broadcast live on MLB Network, with Gregg Caserta, Ruben Amaro Jr. and Jonathan Mayo on the call.
The Fall Stars will once again be divided into the American and National League squads. Below are team-by-team breakdowns of the players named to the AL and NL Fall Stars rosters on Friday:
AMERICAN LEAGUE EAST
BLUE JAYS
Ricky Tiedemann, LHP (No. 1/MLB No. 31)
Selected but will not participate.
Damiano Palmegiani, 3B/1B (No. 18)
Power is the 2021 14th-rounder's calling card after he posted back-to-back seasons with 23 or more homers over the last two regular seasons. That has carried over into the Fall League where he's gone deep four times with a .507 slugging percentage over 19 games, and he'll participate in Saturday's Home Run Derby as well.
Dasan Brown, OF (No. 29)
One of the Fall League's fastest burners, Brown has earned an 80 running grade for his wheels and puts them to good use on the basepaths and in center field. After hitting just .218 in 107 games for High-A Vancouver during the summer, the 22-year-old has bounced back nicely with a .299/.360/.433 line in 18 games for Surprise.
CJ Van Eyk, RHP
Van Eyk missed out on the 2022 season due to Tommy John surgery, and continued complications limited him to only 34 2/3 innings during the regular season. Armed with a five-pitch mix that includes a new-look sinker, the 25-year-old has been healthy and productive this fall with a 2.70 ERA and 12 K's in 13 1/3 frames.
Will Robertson, OF
The 25-year-old outfielder was a solid power-first performer during the regular season at Double-A New Hampshire (.245/.323/.488, 19 homers) but has taken that production to a new level with Surprise, hitting .283/.469/.517 with three homers and 19 walks in 19 games.
ORIOLES
Carter Baumler, RHP (No. 22)
Selected but will not participate.
Trey McGough, LHP
The O's picked up McGough from the Pirates via the 2022 Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft and he came back from Tommy John surgery just this past August. He's made seven relief appearances this fall, allowing three runs (five total) on seven hits and three walks over nine innings, striking out 12.
RAYS
Carson Williams, SS (No. 2/MLB No. 19)
One of the most talented Fall Leaguers in this year's crop, Williams draws strong reviews for his power potential (23 homers in 2023), glovework and throwing strength from the premium position of shortstop. He needs to improve his contact rate to reach his considerable ceiling, and that's a theme that has continued in the AFL, where he's struck out 36.5 percent of the time.
Dominic Keegan, C (No. 9)
Known as a hit-first catcher coming out of Vanderbilt, the 2022 fourth-rounder impressed Rays officials with his defensive growth in his first full season, leading to the AFL assignment for more advanced work. He's continued hitting for Peoria too with a .405/.500/.714 line in 12 games.
Logan Workman, RHP
An oblique injury limited Workman to 63 1/3 innings with Double-A Montgomery this season, and he's added 17 1/3 more over five appearances with Peoria in the desert, striking out 21 in that span. The 24-year-old works with a fastball-cutter-slider-changeup mix.
RED SOX
Zach Penrod, LHP
Penrod has excelled since the Red Sox signed him out of the independent Pioneer League in August, posting a 2.18 ERA in High-A and a 1.29 mark (best among AFL starters) with 14 strikeouts in as many innings since joining Glendale. He backs up a 92-96 mph fastball with a diving mid-80s changeup and a hard upper-80s slider.
Corey Rosier, OF
Part of the Eric Hosmer trade with the Padres in 2022, Rosier features well above-average speed that plays well on the bases and in center field. He's hitting .296/.390/.366 with seven steals in 18 games.
YANKEES
Caleb Durbin, 2B
Acquired from the Braves last December as part of a deal for Lucas Luetge, Durbin is a 5-foot-6 sparkplug who excels at making contact and uses his plus speed well on the bases. He's batting .344/.476/.568 with a 7 percent strikeout rate and 13 steals in 18 games.
AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL
GUARDIANS
Kyle Manzardo, 1B (No. 2/MLB No. 58)
Manzardo joined the Guardians at the end of July in the Aaron Civale trade with the Rays. The best pure hitter in the AFL, he also has shown increased power and is batting .257/.345/.568 with five homers in 18 games.
Chase DeLauter, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 85)
The only first-rounder (2022) in James Madison history, DeLauter has the best combination of size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), athleticism and plate discipline in the Fall League. He's hitting .254/.344/.465 with four homers and five steals in 19 games.
ROYALS
Peyton Wilson, 2B/OF (No. 26)
The 24-year-old switch-hitter has shown good discipline in the Fall League, walking 14 times and posting a .398 OBP over 17 games with Surprise. Known as a quality defender, he's split his duties in the field between second and left.
TWINS
Kala'i Rosario, OF (No. 19)
The Twins' fifth-round pick in the shortened 2020 Draft, Rosario started tapping into his considerable raw power in 2023, leading the High-A Midwest League in home runs with 21 and driving in 94. The pop has continued to show up this fall, as his six homers trail only his organization-mate Aaron Sabato, though he still has work to do on his approach, with a 32.5 percent K rate leading to a .194 average.
TIGERS
Jackson Jobe, RHP (No. 3/MLB No. 54)
Selected but will not participate.
Jace Jung, 3B/2B (No. 4/MLB No. 67)
The brother of World Series champion Josh Jung enjoyed a strong first full season with a .265/.376/.502 line, 28 homers and a 143 wRC+ in 128 games at High-A and Double-A. His AFL offensive numbers haven't been as shiny, but the biggest emphasis this fall has been on his defensive move across the diamond from second to third.
Wilmer Flores, RHP (No. 7)
Selected but will not participate.
WHITE SOX
Colson Montgomery, SS (No. 1/MLB No. 17)
The highest-rated prospect in the AFL, Montgomery was a 2021 first-rounder from an Indiana high school and repeatedly draws Corey Seager comparisons because he's a big, lefty-swinging shortstop who should hit for average and power. He's batting .254/.299/.451 with three homers in 17 games.
Jake Eder, LHP (No. 5)
With a mid-90s fastball and a low-80s slider that can both be plus pitches, Eder has as much upside as any lefty starter in the Fall League. Acquired from the Marlins for Jake Burger in July, he owns a 6.32 ERA with 16 strikeouts in 15 2/3 frames.
Jordan Leasure, RHP (No. 18)
Another July addition by the White Sox, Leasure came from the Dodgers as part of the Lance Lynn/Joe Kelly trade. He flashes an upper-90s fastball with good shape and an upper-80s slider with two-plane depth, which have helped him compile a 1.23 ERA with 13 strikeouts and just four baserunners in 7 1/3 innings.
AMERICAN LEAGUE WEST
ANGELS
Davis Daniel, RHP
Selected but will not participate.
ATHLETICS
Max Muncy, SS (No. 7)
The A's first-round in 2021 made it to Double-A this year and hit well once he got there (.302/.387/.446). Muncy was a late addition to the game via the Final 2 Vote and has four homers and four steals this fall for the Mesa Solar Sox.
Royber Salinas, RHP
Selected but will not participate.
ASTROS
A.J. Blubaugh, RHP
A 2022 seventh-round pick who won back-to-back Horizon League reliever of the year awards in his last two seasons at Milwaukee, Blubaugh works primarily with a 92-96 mph fastball and a solid slider. He owns a 2.45 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 11 innings.
MARINERS
Tyler Locklear, 1B (No. 11)
A broken hand cut short a productive season for Locklear, though he still posted a .908 OPS over 85 games. He's continued to produce in the AFL while making up for some of those lost at-bats, with a .288/.388/.500 line to go along with three homers and 16 RBIs in 17 games. Like he did during the regular season, he's seen all of his time defensively at first base.
Ryan Bliss, 2B/SS (No. 14)
Bliss came to the Mariners at the Trade Deadline in the Paul Sewald trade and finished off a year that saw him become one of three players to reach the 20-50 plateau. He's been playing second base exclusively this fall and while the pop hasn't shown up, he's putting up decent numbers, walking as much as he's struck out, while hitting .280 with a .438 OBP and racking up nine steals.
Troy Taylor, RHP
Taylor's command got better as his first full season of pro ball went on, and he struck out 12.3 per nine across two levels of A ball. His upper-90s fastball and power slider have continued to find the strike zone at a more consistent clip this fall as he's posted a 2.08 ERA over 8 2/3 innings of relief work, walking only two and striking out nine.
RANGERS
Emiliano Teodo, RHP (No. 22)
Armed with a fastball that regularly reaches triple digits and a power breaking ball that can climb into the 90s, Teodo has been the most dominant pitcher in the AFL. Signed for $10,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2020, he leads the circuit with four saves and hasn't allowed a run in 10 innings while fanning 18 of the 33 batters he has faced.
Liam Hicks, C
A 2021 ninth-round pick from Arkansas State, Hicks is an offensive-minded catcher who's a work in progress in terms of throwing and receiving. He recorded the Fall League's first six-hit game in 14 years early in the season and is leading the circuit in hitting and on-base percentage while slashing .459/.548/.541 through 15 games.
Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHP
Selected in the 30th round out of Pierce (Wash.) CC in 2019, Hoopii-Tuionetoa operates with a 94-99 mph fastball and a hard slider. He has been untouchable in the Fall League, working eight scoreless innings with seven strikeouts.
NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
BRAVES
Keshawn Ogans, INF
Taken in Round 20 of the 2022 Draft out of Cal, Ogans has shown excellent contact skills and low strikeout rates in his first year-plus of pro ball. Coming off a solid season in High-A Rome, the utility type has swung the bat well in the AFL, with a .307/.358/.419 line in 16 games for Salt River.
MARLINS
Jacob Berry, 3B (No. 4)
Berry went sixth overall in the 2022 Draft out of Louisiana State because he offered perhaps the best combination of hitting ability, power and patience in that year's college class. After struggling during his first full pro season, he has looked better offensively and defensively in the AFL, batting .262/.328/.426 in 15 games.
Nasim Nuñez, SS/2B (No. 17)
A premium defender and speedster in the Minors, Nuñez won the 2023 Futures Game MVP and finished the year with 52 steals in Double-A during the regular season. He needs to prove he can make an offensive impact -- he hit .224/.341/.286 in Double-A in 2023. A Fall Stars participant via the Final 2 Vote, his glove and speed have shown up in the AFL, with 14 steals in 14 attempts.
Ike Buxton, RHP
Drafted in the 15th round out of Lipscomb in 2022, Buxton relies heavily on a power 93-97 mph sinker while mixing in a slider that can be solid at its best. He has a 6.11 ERA with 19 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings.
METS
Kevin Parada, C (No. 5/MLB No. 89)
Parada missed some time during the season with a right ankle sprain but showed flashes of the plus power that helped make him the 11th overall pick in the 2022 Draft. While he's batted just .194 in the Fall League, his power has continued to show up with seven of his 12 hits going for extra bases, including three homers.
JT Schwartz, 1B
The 2021 fourth-rounder is an atypical first baseman in that he prioritizes hitting balls to the gaps instead of aiming for the moonshots more associated with the position. That was on display in Week 3 of the AFL season when he went 8-for-18 with two homers, five doubles and nine RBIs on his way to winning Player of the Week honors.
NATIONALS
DJ Herz, LHP (No. 16)
Acquired from the Cubs at the Deadline in the Jeimer Candelario deal, the 22-year-old southpaw has been a strikeout machine in the AFL with 25 punchouts in 17 innings, thanks to a 91-94 mph fastball and plus-plus changeup. He still needs to improve his control to shake off concerns that his long-term home is in the bullpen.
PHILLIES
Gabriel Rincones Jr. (No. 9)
The Phillies' third-round pick out of Florida Atlantic University in 2022, Rincones is coming off a solid first full season across two levels of A-ball that saw him hit 15 homers and steal a surprising 32 bags. He's had a productive fall, hitting .284/.418/.460 with a pair of homers and 13 RBIs while going 13-for-14 in stolen-base attempts.
Christian McGowan, RHP (No. 14)
Selected but will not participate.
Andrew Baker, RHP
Baker misses bats, and the strike zone, fairly consistently. He has a fastball that touches the upper-90s and a nasty low-80s slider that have helped him strike out 13.1 per nine in his career so far, but he's also walked 7.9 per nine. It's been more of the same this fall, with 16.7 K/9 and 7.7 BB/9 rates over seven relief innings.
Oliver Dunn, INF
A Minor League Rule 5 pick in 2022 taken from the Yankees, Dunn led the Phillies' organization with his 148 wRC+ during the regular season with Double-A Reading. He hasn't slowed down this fall, sitting fourth in the league with his 1.130 OPS and going a perfect 12-for-12 in stolen-base attempts, all while playing three infield positions.
NATIONAL LEAGUE CENTRAL
BREWERS
Eric Brown Jr., SS/2B (No. 10)
Injuries -- particularly one to his right thumb and a hairline fracture of his left scapula -- kept Brown from generating much momentum during his first full season, but the 2022 27th overall pick has found some rhythm in Arizona with a .304/.409/.430 line through 22 games. He's also swiped eight bags in that span, showing off his above-average speed.
Wes Clarke, 1B/C
The 24-year-old right-handed slugger led the Southern League with 26 homers this season and has kept the power with four more dingers, a .557 slugging percentage and a .999 OPS through 17 games this fall. He'll participate in Saturday's Home Run Derby before taking his place among the Fall Stars.
CARDINALS
Victor Scott II, OF (No. 4)
Scott established his speedy bonafides by tying for the Minor League lead with 94 steals this summer and hasn't stopped moving in Arizona with a joint-league-best 14 thefts for Scottsdale. But he's shown a decent bat too, hitting .278 with a .373 OBP and more walks (10) than strikeouts (seven) over 20 games.
Tekoah Roby, RHP (No. 5)
The Cards picked up Roby in the Jordan Montgomery deal at the Deadline and sent the right-hander to Arizona to make up for innings lost to a previous shoulder injury. The 22-year-old can show as many as four above-average pitches, and those have helped him fan 18 over 13 2/3 innings in the Scorpions rotation.
Cooper Hjerpe, LHP (No. 7)
The 2022 22nd overall pick underwent in-season arthroscopic surgery to address a loose body in his left elbow but recovered in time for a Fall League assignment. Hjerpe hasn't thrown more than two innings or 37 pitches in any of his seven assignments, but he's kept opponents scoreless in five of those seven games and has struck out 15 of his 37 batters faced (40.5 percent).
CUBS
Kevin Alcántara, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 71)
The key piece for the Cubs in the trade that sent Anthony Rizzo to the Yankees in 2021, Alcántara is a lean 6-foot-6 athlete with five-tool upside. He's hitting .257/.338/.543 with five homers in 17 games.
James Triantos, 2B (No. 9)
Triantos reclassified into the 2021 Draft and went in the second round out of the Virginia high school ranks thanks to bat-to-ball skills that have prompted comparisons to Alex Bregman and David Wright. He has batted .427/.511/.720 with 11 extra-base hits and eight steals in 20 games, topping the Fall League in slugging, OPS (1.264), hits (32) and triples (five).
PIRATES
Jase Bowen, OF (No. 27)
Bowen has played the outfield and first base and continued to hit in the AFL. Following up a strong 2023 campaign that saw him go 20-20 and reach Double-A for the first time, he's hit .313/.380/.518 in 21 games for Salt River. He's hit three homers and driven in 16 as he continues to work on refining his approach.
REDS
Michael Trautwein, C
While the 2021 13th-round pick hasn't hit much as a pro, he took a step forward with his on-base skills (.360) and extra-base authority while reaching Double-A for the first time. While he's slugged .500 this fall, his glove is really his calling card and after throwing out nearly 30 percent of those trying to steal during the regular season, he's upped that to 37 percent this fall, particularly impressive given how much success runners have had.
Andrew Moore, RHP
Injuries kept the 6-foot-5 right-hander off the mound until July this year, but he showed an ability to miss a lot of bats (14.0 /9) with a power relief arsenal. He's continuing to work on commanding his mid-90s fastball and upper-80s slider.
NATIONAL LEAGUE WEST
D-BACKS
Ivan Melendez, 3B/1B (No. 8)
The 2022 second-rounder will get to play the role of hometown hero as Arizona's only representative. Melendez is known for prodigious power, and he's taken that to the Salt River roster with six batted balls of 105 mph or higher in front of Statcast cameras this fall, including a 115.5 mph single on Oct. 19. Melendez clobbered 30 homers in only 96 games between High-A and Double-A during the regular season but needs to keep his K rate in check (sitting at 27.1 percent in the AFL).
DODGERS
Ronan Kopp, LHP (No. 16)
Kopp has uncommon size (6-foot-7, 250 pounds) and stuff for a left-hander, starting with a 95-97 mph fastball that peaks at 99 with riding life and a mid-80s slider with sweep that can be a wipeout pitch at its best. A 12th-round pick in 2021 out of South Mountain (Ariz.) CC, he has registered a 1.13 ERA, .120 opponent average and 15 strikeouts in eight innings.
Kendall Williams, RHP
Part of the Ross Stripling trade with the Blue Jays in 2019, Williams uses a low-90s sinker to set up his best weapon, a mid-80s splitter. He owns a 4.86 ERA with a 17/5 K/BB ratio in 16 2/3 innings.
GIANTS
Carter Howell, OF
A non-drafted free agent signed out of NCAA Division II Augustana (S.D.) in 2022, Howell does a little bit of everything and can handle all three outfield spots. He's batting .275/.351/.549 with three homers in 16 games.
PADRES
Jakob Marsee, OF (No. 12)
The breakout star of the 2023 AFL to this point, Marsee ranks among the top three in the league in OBP (.505), slugging (.688), OPS (1.193), hits (30), extra-base hits (14), total bases (53) and steals (14) through 20 games for Peoria. The 2022 sixth-rounder hit .274/.413/.428 with 16 homers and 46 stolen bases in 129 games between High-A and Double-A this summer.
Braden Nett, RHP
Nett has caught some Fall League attention for a mid-90s fastball and impressive looks from his slider and cutter, and he's used those to post a 4.67 ERA with 21 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings in the hitter-friendly circuit. After posting a 20.1 percent walk rate during the regular season, he's also managed to cut that to a more manageable 13.3 percent this autumn, though there's still room to grow.
ROCKIES
Sterlin Thompson, INF (No. 6)
When Thompson is healthy, he hits. He got off to a .463/.513/.746 start in April before a left elbow injury shelved him for over a month. He eventually made it to Double-A, not hitting as well, but he's been swinging a hot bat this fall. The left-handed hitter has a .342/.462/.493 line over 19 games and is in the top 10 in average, OBP and OPS.
Benny Montgomery, OF (No. 8)
The Rockies' first-rounder in 2021 (No. 8 overall pick) is still working on tapping into his considerable raw tools consistently, though he did reach double-digits in home runs and steals with High-A Spokane in 2023. He's hit well for Salt River this fall, posting a .933 OPS through 17 games to go along with a pair of homers and nine steals.
Juan Mejia, RHP
Another hard-throwing reliever in the league, Mejia runs his fastball up to 98 mph and sports an improving slider. After striking out 13.2 per nine and reaching Double-A during the regular season, he's kept missing bats this fall, with 16 K's in 8 1/3 IP (albeit with nine walks), picking up three saves and posting a 2.16 ERA over eight outings.