MESA, Ariz. – The Arizona Fall League is perennially stacked with the game’s top prospect talent. This go-round, there are 15 members of the Top 100 list in the desert, including those who might soon go on to serve as the face of their respective franchises.
Former big leaguer Daniel Robertson – who now serves as a coach in the Guardians' system – has had a dugout view of those players through the first three-plus weeks while serving as the manager for the Surprise Saguaros. He’s been able to assess the talent not only from his own organization, but that of the entire circuit.
“Unfortunately, I think the best player is going to be Angeibel Gomez [of the Royals],” said a laughing Robertson, citing the talent that Cleveland will have to contend with from its division rival. “He's learning how to separate himself. The way he carries himself as a 17-year-old kid is kind of scary because he should be a junior in high school.”
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Gomez (KC No. 2 prospect) was something of a surprise inclusion for the Fall League not based on talent (he ranks as MLB’s No. 76 prospect, after all) but the fact that he won’t turn 18 years old until mid-December. He made his pro debut in the Dominican Summer League earlier this year and tore up the circuit, slashing .361/.467/.653 with 23 extra-base hits, 38 RBIs and 15 steals in 47 games.
But the Fall League presents an enormous talent jump. Gomez – in making his stateside debut – is almost five years younger than the average hitter and is just the second 17-year-old to appear in game action since 2015. Yet, none of that has slowed him down. Through his first nine contests, he’s gone 11-for-33 (.333) and posted a .906 OPS. He’s put four balls in play at 100+ mph, including a max exit velocity of 108.5 on a double off 25-year-old Patrick Reilly (Orioles) on Oct. 22.
“I think Gomez is an incredible talent,” said Robertson. “The way that he adjusts to the game is what makes it special in my eyes. I mean, he's overmatched early and then he makes the adjustment. He strings better at-bats together. He's learning how to lay off pitches, lay off sliders in the dirt, which ones I can hit.
“It's gonna be really good.”
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Of course, it currently is really good, too. The reality of signing international prospects – even star-studded ones that rank at the top of their respective classes – is that there is a learning curve of getting more at-bats in a competitive environment that can’t be bypassed.
“He's incredibly talented, but I think what some people haven't been able to see yet is how hard he works and how much he cares,” Daniel Guerrero, the Royals’ director of international scouting, said of Gomez, “and I think that's what has taken him to where he's at.”
Gomez has rocketed up to No. 2 on the Royals’ Top 30 Prospects list less than a year after being signed. He was a superstar teenage talent in his native Venezuela, winning MVP of the Amateur Scouting League in 2024 while showcasing legitimate five-tool potential.
For all of his offensive exploits, Gomez’s best tool is presently his speed (70 grade), which ranks as the top mark among all ranked Royals prospects. He’s already ripped off three Sprint Speeds north of 30 ft/sec during the Fall League, exceeding the “elite” threshold, with his top mark of 30.6 being topped by just two members of the big league club in 2026: Bobby Witt Jr. and Lane Thomas.
“Off the field, we're talking about just an incredible human that is loved by everyone he meets. He's got this quiet confidence about him,” said Guerrero. “Everyone you meet is just in awe – this guy's such a good kid, but also an incredibly good player.”
Turn on the World Series this fall and a pair of former international standouts who blossomed into elite prospects have been front and center in Jackson Chourio and Junior Caminero. Both debuted in The Show at age 20, their talent leapfrogging conventional timelines about their readiness to face the game’s best.
“Most importantly, it's how they carry themselves,” said Robertson, contextualizing Gomez’s skill set relative to his age. “I think the game is still the game. I still think you know who's going to be great.
“This game is no secret – the best players are going to get to where they want to go.”