The minor league baseball season will officially wrap up this weekend with a pair of Arizona Fall League (AFL) playoff games. The action will begin on Friday with a matchup between the Salt River Rafters and the Scottsdale Scorpions, with the winner advancing to take on the Surprise Saguaros in the championship on Saturday.
The Rafters are headlined by Yankees speedster Caleb Durbin, who set a new AFL record with 29 stolen bases in just 30 attempts. Their lineup also consists of Yankees outfielder Garrett Martin, who won the AFL Home Run Derby last week, and 2023 Diamondbacks first-round pick Tommy Troy, who has rebounded from a rough regular season to post a .878 OPS this fall. The Rafters also possess two of the best relievers in the AFL this season in Rockies left-hander Evan Justice (0.00 ERA, 11 K) and Yankees right-hander Luis Pacheco (1.86 ERA, 7 K).
Caleb Durbin gives the American League the lead in the Fall Stars Game!
The @Yankees prospect, who leads the @MLBazFallLeague with 23 steals, drives a two-run double to right-center: pic.twitter.com/fBiEyOEzvK
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 10, 2024
Meanwhile, the story for the Scorpions has undoubtedly been the performance of Josue Briceno. The Tigers prospect became the first player in Arizona Fall League history to win the Triple Crown, leading the league with a .433 batting average, ten home runs, and 27 RBI. Briceno is the only player on the team with over four home runs, though Pirates prospect Sammy Siani has posted a terrific .387 batting average. The pitching staff has been defined by Blue Jay dominance, as T.J Brock (seven scoreless innings, 11 strikeouts), Ryan Jennings (nine scoreless innings, 13 strikeouts) and Lazaro Estrada (11.2 innings, 19 strikeouts) have each impressed this fall.
Josue Briceño finishes the AFL with 10 HR and the first-ever triple-crown winner. You would have to go back to 2011 to find the last double-digit home run performance. Briceño's 1.376 OPS was the league's highest since 2008. pic.twitter.com/36EijVR9fb
— Chris Clegg (@ChrisCleggMiLB) November 15, 2024
_____
Related Articles
MLB Top 100 Prospects AFL Check-In
Yankees Prospect Caleb Durbin Rewrites AFL Record Books with 29 Stolen Bases
