As the Arizona Fall League (AFL) gets underway, here are some news, notes, and how to watch Major League Baseball’s best prospects.
Kemp Alderman Hits 119.5 mph Home Run
Alderman made waves in the AFL this fall by hitting four home runs in his first three games, but his feat this past Friday was even more impressive. The Marlins prospect belted a 443-foot home run that sailed over the batter’s eye at a whopping 119.5 miles per hour. To put that number in context, Oneil Cruz and Giancarlo Stanton were the only MLB players to hit a ball harder during the 2024 season. After homering just eight times across four minor-league levels, Alderman now leads the league with six home runs in just eight games.
Tommy Troy Finds His Swing
Widely considered one of the most advanced hitters in the 2023 MLB draft, the Diamondbacks’ 12th overall pick battled injuries during the 2024 season that culminated in a .234/319/.363 line. It looked like Troy’s struggles would carry on to the AFL, and he began the fall season by going 1-for-25 with 11 strikeouts. He would finally break out of his slump on Thursday by going 3-for-5 with a triple and a home run, and that performance would carry over for the rest of the weekend. Troy collected four hits and a double on Friday before finishing the week with a pair of doubles on Sunday. As difficult as the regular season was, Troy’s weekend barrage proved that the advanced hit tool is still there, and he will be a strong rebound candidate during the 2025 season.
Tommy Troy ties the game with a double down the RF line. 2-2 in Scottsdale.
Second double of the night for the #Dbacks infield prospect. pic.twitter.com/TMO0fZwako
— Michael McDermott (@MichaelMcDMLB) October 21, 2024
Andrew Painter Shows Improvement in Second Fall Start
While Painter posted a mixed stat line during his AFL debut last week, he checked the most important box by touching 100 miles per hour with his fastball. The former top pitching prospect has missed all of the last two regular seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery, so the presence of his old heater was a welcome sight. Taking the ball again last Thursday, Painter took a step forward by tossing two scoreless innings without walking a batter. The Phillies farmhand will likely be on a strict innings limit this fall, but he has already given his team plenty of reasons to be encouraged for 2025.
Andrew Painter's second outing of the AFL is in the books. Here's every pitch (with velo and pitch type) from today's start.
2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 2 K. 33 pitches, 26 strikes. pic.twitter.com/NbeRYZn90P
— Aram Leighton (@AramLeighton8) October 18, 2024
Josue Briceno Continues Home Run Barrage
A week after posting the first three home-run game of the AFL season, Briceno continued to showcase his elite power stroke. The Tigers’ 9th-ranked prospect went 3-for-4 with a home run for the Scottsdale Scorpions on Thursday, his fifth longball in seven games. Briceno now leads the AFL with a 1.514 OPS while ranking second to Alderman in homers, a remarkable achievement for a 20-year-old who has yet to advance past Single-A.
Josue Briceño crushes a 3-run homer to give Scottsdale the lead. It’s his 5th home run in 7 AFL games. pic.twitter.com/clnkEXzVJu
— Tigers ML Report (@tigersMLreport) October 19, 2024
Fans can stream the Arizona Fall League all season on mlb.com.
Photo Credit: Kemp Alderman #23 of the Peoria Javelinas rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the game between the Peoria Javelinas and the Glendale Desert Dogs at Camelback Ranch on Tuesday, October 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
