Go-ahead homer earns Liranzo Fall Stars Game MVP honors
MESA, Ariz. -- Thayron Liranzo only got one at-bat during the 2024 Fall Stars Game, which made him an unlikely MVP candidate. But when you torpedo a go-ahead home run in the top of the ninth 437 feet at 112 mph off the bat, that’s as good a case as
Top performers of 2024 Fall Stars Game
MESA, Ariz. -- Thayron Liranzo wielded one of the Arizona Fall League’s most potent bats in the first four weeks of the season, but he had struggled as of late. Coming into the annual Fall Stars Game, he had gone hitless in his last 10 at-bats. But with the contest
How each player fared in the AFL Fall Stars Game
The best of the Arizona Fall League took the field at Sloan Park on Saturday night for the Fall Stars Game. A plethora of baseball's best prospect got their chance to showcase their skills, including Tigers No. 6 prospect Thayron Lirizano, who was named the game's MVP after delivering a
Everything you need to know about Sasaki's signing process
Roki Sasaki, the ace Japanese right-hander, is poised to join a Major League Baseball organization before the 2025 season. The Chiba Lotte Marines, Sasaki's Nippon Professional Baseball team, announced that they will post the 23-year-old. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, because he's under 25, Sasaki will qualify as an international
Carson Williams and three more Rays prospects lead Team USA
There are plenty of names for prospect hounds to get excited about on USA Baseball's roster for the Premier12, a tournament which pits the top 12 ranked baseball nations against each other. Four top 100 prospects dot the squad, including No. 22 overall prospect Matt Shaw, Phillies outfield prospect Justin
These are the 2024 Fall Stars Game rosters
The All-Star festivities at baseball’s most elite prospect circuit are always a can’t-miss event, and this year’s are no different. The 18th annual Fall Stars Game, set for 8 p.m. ET/ 6 p.m. local on Saturday at Sloan Park in Mesa, will bring the Arizona Fall League’s top performers together
Japanese ace Sasaki coming to MLB next season
Ace Japanese right-hander Roki Sasaki appears headed to the Majors next season. Sasaki, the consensus top young pitcher in Japan, will be posted by the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball, the team announced. "Since I joined [the Marines], I have continued to listen to my future MLB challenges,
Here's a scouting report on every prospect in the 2024 Fall Stars Game
Call it the mid-autumn classic. The Arizona Fall League’s Fall Stars Game arrives Saturday at Mesa’s Sloan Park at 8 p.m. ET/6 p.m. local, placing some of the game’s best prospects and the circuit’s best performers on the same field. The game will be broadcast on MLB Network and streamed
Watch top prospects in Arizona Fall League, winter ball action
Tune into the Arizona Fall League and the Dominican Winter League (LIDOM) to watch some of baseball's brightest young stars. You can see MLB's top prospects in action, with AFL matchups streaming for free on both MLB.com (here and on the AFL site) and MLB.TV. LIDOM games are included as
Pipeline Podcast: Justin Crawford interview, AFL Derby, Fall Stars, Roki Sasaki
With the Arizona Fall League's Home Run Derby and Fall Stars Game on tap for the weekend, Jim Callis, Jonathan Mayo and Jason Ratliff open this week's podcast with a discussion of which top prospects they're most excited to see show out and dive into the choices on Final 2
Yanks prospect Martin wins Fall League Home Run Derby
MESA, Ariz. -- Home run prowess from slugging outfielders has become commonplace for Yankees fans at the big league level over the past few seasons. Prospect Garrett Martin etched out his own homer lore with a scintillating final round that earned him 2024 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby winner
Pipeline Inbox: Where does Durbin fit in Yankees' plans? Where will Roki Sasaki rank?
We’re thisclose to one of the most fun days for prospect fans: The Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game. That comes your way on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET and can be watched live on MLB Network and here on MLB.com. And don’t forget to check out the livestream of
Fall League sluggers light up the night in Home Run Derby
The 2024 Arizona Fall League Home Run Derby lived up to its billing with a last-second long ball to close things out. Yankees prospect Garrett Martin finished with a flourish in the final round, hitting his 10th tater of the session to inch past Brewers No. 8 prospect Brock Wilken
Reds No. 15 prospect spurred on in Fall League by regular-season turnaround
SURPRISE, Ariz. -- A rough second start in the Arizona Fall League on Oct. 16 looked like it might derail the bounceback journey of Connor Phillips, but the Reds’ No. 15 prospect had other ideas. Phillips closed a disastrous regular season at Triple-A Louisville with a strong five-start stretch, and
These rookies could win a Gold Glove in '25
Defense is increasingly becoming a young man’s game. From 1957, the year they were first handed out, to 2012, only nine rookies won Rawlings Gold Glove Awards. The same number have captured the game’s top defensive prize since 2013, including six in the past three seasons alone. Red Sox right
Skenes, Gil pick up Baseball Digest Rookie of the Year awards
Right-handers Paul Skenes of the Pirates and Luis Gil of the Yankees on Thursday were named Baseball Digest’s Rookies of the Year for 2024.
MLB Pipeline Pitching Lab: Eriq Swan
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Eriq Swan is essentially in his pitching infancy, and that could be a scary thought for the rest of the league. The 23-year-old, 6-foot-6 right-hander picked up pitching late at Oakland High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, having primarily been a tall shortstop in his prep years. He
Pirates outfield prospect's late-season tear not letting up in Fall League
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Players can be a stubborn sort, but Sammy Siani knew something had to change. The Pirates outfield prospect was entering his third season with High-A Greensboro and had hit just .217 over 2022 and ‘23 combined with a 33.7 percent strikeout rate. When upward mobility is the
Childhood buddies Ray and Rose battle for bragging rights in the Fall League
MESA, Ariz. -- Put yourself in the shoes of Caden Rose and Dylan Ray. Best friends since childhood growing up in North Alabama, they dreamed of being professional ballplayers. Now they're beginning to see those dreams materialize. Invited to the Arizona Fall League, they've finally gotten to spend time together
Painter, Phillies prospects take center stage in Fall League doubleheader
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Andrew Painter is just 13 innings into his “official” return to the competitive mound, but the Phillies right-hander has set the bar so high that another three no-hit innings don’t jump off the page. And an argument could be made that he didn't have the most impressive
All you need to know about the Premier12 tournament
Thought baseball season was over? Did you watch the Dodgers parade through Los Angeles, champagne bubbling along the way and think you had to get through a baseball-free winter? Then, you’re in luck: There’s no such thing as a baseball offseason. Not when there's winter leagues around the globe: LIDOM
Highly-touted Young likely to begin 2025 season in Triple-A
This story was excerpted from Daniel Kramer’s Mariners Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
Step into the MLB Pipeline Pitching Lab archives
Pitching is both an art and a science. There's the art of pitch selection and location. (We call it painting the corners after all.) There's the science of movement profiles, spin rates and pure velocity. In essence, pitching is one of the most demanding tasks in all of sports, and
Kurtz, Lopez, Stephan earn AFL Week 4 honors
Week 4 in the Arizona Fall League was all about big flies and flirting with history. These players separated themselves during what was another excellent week of AFL action. Mesa first baseman Nick Kurtz (ATH No. 2/MLB No. 45) slugged his way to AFL Hitter of the Week honors and
Crew prospect's Fall League Derby secret weapon? Dad strength
PEORIA, Ariz. -- In his first at-bat since being announced as a participant in the 2024 Fall League Home Run Derby, Brock Wilken emphatically proved himself worthy of his inclusion. But when Peoria’s eventual 3-3 tie with Surprise on Tuesday afternoon at the Peoria Sports Complex first started, Wilken’s name