FALL BALL '23

 

October and November are my favorite months in Arizona. One reason is that by this time the temperatures have abated somewhat from their sizzling summer highs. Another is the Arizona Fall League, the annual gathering of selected young baseball prospects seeking Major League futures. The young men play a six-week, 36-game schedule at six of the Phoenix area’s fine spring-training ball parks. It’s baseball at its purist and most accessible.

For reasons best known to itself, Major League Baseball moved the league’s start up by a week this time, incurring a Big Heat overlap. It also moved from a mostly day games to a mostly nights schedule, and changed the day-game starting times to 2:30 p.m. from 12:30. Neither of those changes were popular with the old timers who make up most of the league’s public, and attendance has fallen. Us codgers are used to being dissed, though.

MLB uses the Fall League to try out possible rule changes. There were a bunch of those last year, in the name of faster play, but few this time around. One changed the permitted time between pitches with runners on base to 18 seconds from 20, and it went off without much notice. The other was more interesting, permitting ball-strike challenges to pitchers, catchers and batters provided they be done immediately, without bench input.

 Each teams gets three per game, with successful appeals not counting. This took place only at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale, the only park wired for it.  When a challenge was called the strike-zone rectangle was shown on the park’s TV screen and the ball zoomed in, for good or ill. I generally oppose electronic interference in our games, but this one was handled with dispatch and was kind of fun. Look for it at your local big-league park.

 Putting on my scout’s hat (actually, the one I usually wear), I attended a goodly number of AFL games during the season’s first five weeks. I judged the general level of play to be a tad below that of some past years, with no flaming talents like those of Vlad Guerrero Jr., Nolan Arenado or Kris Bryant revealing themselves. Some of the kids could play, though, and will be appearing in the triple-decked stadia in due time. About 60% of all fall leaguers make it to the Bigs, and this crew should be no exception.

The best pitcher I saw was Ricky Tiedemann, 21, a left hander owned by the Toronto Blue Jays. Standing 6-foot-4, he has a mid-90s fastball and a nice array of breaking pitches, which he isn’t afraid to use late in counts. A third-round draft choice in 2021, he’s already made it to AA, and should be ready for serious promotion in a year.

The best hitter I saw was Dominic Keegan, of the Tampa Bay Rays. He’s a solidly built customer who has hit well at the college (Vanderbilt U.) and minor-league levels, and continued that pattern here with numerous multi-hit games. In one game I saw he got the only two hits the above-named Tiedemann allowed in a five-inning stint, and a double and home run at that.  He’s listed as a catcher, but his bio also mentions other posts, meaning it isn’t written in stone. But wherever he plays his bat should make him welcome.

My team, the Chicago Cubs, has two prime prospects here, Kevin Alcantara and James Triantos. The 21-year-old Alcantara is the better-known of the two, having come to the Cubs in the traumatic 2021 trade that sent All-Star first baseman Anthony Rizzo to the New York Yankees.  Alcantara is tough to miss in the field, standing a very skinny 6-foot-6. His height makes for a long swing and he can look bad whiffing, as he often does, but when he connects he shows real power, and he’s graceful afield. Also, he has a lot of shtick, including the nickname “The Jaguar” and a well-rehearsed home-run bat flip, so he’ll be fun when (if) he makes it to Wrigley Field.

               Triantos isn’t impressive physically but plays with intent and has been among the AFL batting leaders all season with plus-400 marks. In one game I saw he had four solid hits, including a single that sent the contest into extra innings. He’s a second baseman, which could be a problem because the Cubs have a long-term incumbent there in Nico Hoerner.  Any hitter like Triantos should find a place somewhere, though.

               The Chicago White Sox’s top AFL prospect is shortstop Colson Montgomery, their top draft choice in 2022. At a filled-out 6-foot-3, and left-handed batting stance, he’s a Corey Seager look alike, but he hasn’t been Seager-like here. Still, Montgomery showed  some moxie in a game Monday in which he came up in a tied ninth inning with the bases loaded and one out. With a 3-2 count against a lefty reliefer he fouled off four pitches, then drove a deep fly ball past a drawn-in outfield to drive in the winning run. The Sox need a shortstop, and his draft status alone ensures him a look.

               I like short players with pop, and Corey Rosier meets that description. He’s with the Boston Red Sox chain. He’s fast afoot and makes good contact with his short swing. Another good little guy is shortstop Nasim Nunez, a 23-year-old Miami Marlins prospect. He’s sharp in the field and his 52 stolen bases in 125 minor-league games last season adds to his attraction.

                At 6-3 and 230 pounds ,Aaron Sabato looks like the home-run hitter he is, currently leading the league with seven. One on Monday cleared the 410-foot mark in Glendale Stadium with room to spare. He’s with the Minnesota Twins.

               An interesting experiment here involves Reggie Crawford, a San Francisco Giants prospect. Drafted in round one as a pitcher, his 6-4, 235 frame also looks hitterish, and he was sent here to get some swings. Alas, a new Ohtani doesn’t seem likely, because Crawford has been sub-.200 at the plate all season, and never showed much in the games I watched.

               There’s still a week and a half to go in the season, so come on out if you can. A game is well worth the price of admission, which is 10 bucks. It’s a rare bargain these days.