Friday's top AFL prospect performers

October 30th, 2021

Here's a look at Friday’s top performers in the Arizona Fall League from each team's Top 30 Prospects list.

Rockies: Michael Toglia, 1B (No. 6), Salt River Rafters
It’s a season, from start to finish, that Toglia will be sad to see end. The 23-year-old turned a 2-0 Salt River deficit into a 3-2 lead with a three-homer and singled in his club’s eventual 6-5, extra-inning loss. Toglia tallied his second consecutive multihit game and went deep for the third time this fall. Playing in his own backyard, the Phoenix, Ariz., native is batting .308/.383/.564 with eight RBIs and six walks in 47 plate appearances for the Rafters. More »

Cubs: Nelson Velazquez, OF (No. 29), Mesa Solar Sox
If Velazquez wasn’t on the map as a true up-and-comer in the Cubs’ organization after a solid regular season, he certainly is now. With a homer and a double, the 22-year-old bumped his batting line to .396/.500/.750 in AFL action. Velazquez has gone deep four times among his nine extra-base hits and has driven in 11 runs, tallying at least one RBI in eight of his 12 games. Chicago’s fifth-round pick in 2017 has hit safely in all but three contests this fall.

Yankees: Elijah Dunham, OF (No. 24), Surprise Saguaros
Dunham has done a little bit of everything through his first 10 AFL contests, but one thing has been constant: he gets on base. The 23-year-old has reached safely in all but one game, including a four-walk performance on Oct. 18. On Friday, Dunham’s imprint was all over the Saguaros’ victory after doubling twice during a three-hit performance. The Indiana native drove in two runs, scored twice, walked, was hit by a pitch and stole his seventh base without being caught. More »

Cleveland: Jose Tena, SS (No. 12), Scottsdale Scorpions
Tena ended the regular season with a .299 career average, so it’s unsurprising to see him continue that in the desert. The Dominican Republic native opened the scoring with an RBI double in the first inning and added a pair of singles for his second multihit game. Tena has collected a hit in six of his seven AFL appearances and is batting .346 with a .881 OPS in 31 plate appearances for the Scorpions.

Braves: William Woods, RHP (No. 28), Peoria Javelinas
Luke Waddell, 3B, (No. 29), Peoria Javelinas
After being touched for five runs in his first two Fall League starts, Woods blanked Salt River for four innings on Friday afternoon. The 22-year-old scattered three hits, walked two, struck out a pair and tossed 42 of his 58 pitches for strikes. Through three appearances, Woods has a 3.60 ERA spanning 10 innings.

With Woods doing the job on the mound, Waddell helped supply the offense for the Javelinas. Atlanta’s fifth-round pick earlier this summer stroked a pair of doubles, drove in one and scored another to continue his resurgence after a poor start. Waddell opened his Fall League 1-for-17 but has gone 3-for-7 in his last two games. The 23-year-old batted .260/.324/.450 with six homers in 100 at-bats across two Minor League levels during his professional debut.