Sleeper prospects in the AFL 2024

The Arizona Fall League is often called a showcase circuit or prospect graduating school – a place where the Minors’ top talents gather for six weeks in the Valley of the Sun to compete before putting their stamps on the Majors.

But the six AFL rosters aren’t loaded with Top 100 overall and Top 30 organizational prospects alone. There are under-the-radar names playing in the desert too, hoping to make a name for themselves both within their own systems and across the industry at large. Or at least they’re under the radar for now.

Here is one prospect ranked outside his organization’s Top 30 to keep an eye on during this Arizona Fall League season:

Blue Jays: Adrian Pinto, 2B/OF
Ranked No. 30 on our preseason Blue Jays list, Pinto fell off after opening the season on the IL with a rib issue and playing only 26 games in the regular season, 17 with High-A Vancouver. He was effective in that time, going 21-for-70 (.300) with three homers, 12 total extra-base hits and only 10 strikeouts. That power is especially impressive for a prospect who is thought to be a high-contact, good-speed type and stands only 5-foot-6 in the box. Pinto needs reps to elbow his way back into the Top 30 and will get them with Scottsdale.

Orioles: Jake Cunningham, OF
Ranked No. 147 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 250 Draft prospects list ahead of the 2023 Draft, Cunningham was taken in the fifth round (No. 154 overall) by the Orioles and signed for just under slot ($375K). He entered pro ball with a reputation for having a power-speed combination and with some questions about his hit tool. Those remain, as he has work to do with his approach, and the power didn’t show up in his first full season. The speed did (29 steals) and he did hit better when he moved up to High-A Aberdeen to finish his first full season while showing he can play all three outfield spots well.

Rays: T.J. Fondtain, LHP
Fondtain was the 2023 Mountain West pitcher of the year after posting a 2.82 ERA with 99 strikeouts in 92⅔ innings for San Diego State and was even a John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year finalist as well. He was fastball-heavy as an Aztecs junior (79 percent usage) but only sat in the upper 80s, causing him to fall to the Rays in the 14th round. Tampa Bay used him primarily as a reliever at High-A Bowling Green, where he showed increased velo and finished with a 3.38 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, 67 strikeouts and only 13 walks in 61⅓ frames. A quality fading changeup helped Fondtain post a stellar split against righties (.171 average, .542 OPS in 160 plate appearances), and his control could open up an avenue for the 23-year-old to return to starting.

Red Sox: Tyler Uberstine, RHP
Uberstine maxed out at 75 mph with his fastball in high school and pitched for the club team at Southern California but couldn’t make the Trojans’ varsity. After he improved his delivery and stuff working with former big leaguer Joe Biemel, he cracked Northwestern’s roster and the Red Sox drafted him in the 19th round in 2021. Now he operates in the low 90s with his two- and four-seam fastballs and in the low 80s with his sweeper. He had Tommy John surgery in June 2023 and returned to the mound this August, working 4 2/3 innings at High-A.

Yankees: Jackson Fristoe, RHP
Part of Mississippi State’s 2021 College World Series championship team, Fristoe has stood out more for his stuff than his polish in college and since turning pro as a 12th-rounder in 2022. He has good metrics on his mid-90s fastball and mid-80s sweeper, and he posted a 3.79 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 38 High-A innings this year while dealing with some shoulder issues.

Guardians: Dylan DeLucia, RHP
DeLucia was named Most Outstanding Player at the 2022 College World Series after leading Mississippi to its first national championship and went in the sixth round that July, but his pro debut was delayed for two years because of Tommy John surgery. He logged a 2.55 ERA, .197 average-against and a 52/12 K/BB ratio in 49 1/3 innings, mostly in High-A. He sat at 92-94 mph and reached 97 with his fastball, backing it up with an effective low-80s slider.

Royals: Brett Squires, 1B/OF
Much of the attention on the Kansas City contingent goes to top-five prospects Jac Caglianone and Carter Jensen, and rightfully so. But Squires has an interesting story as a first baseman who signed as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma in 2022 and has been a solid pro performer ever since. He was just named a 2024 Midwest League end-of-season All-Star, despite being limited to 62 games for High-A Quad Cities, after hitting .309/.390/.481 with nine homers and 16 steals. His .481 slugging percentage and .871 OPS each ranked third among 111 Midwest Leaguers with at least 250 plate appearances, while his 149 wRC+ placed 11th across 263 such hitters at all of High-A.

Tigers: Rayner Castillo, RHP
The 20-year-old right-hander began his third straight season in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League but quickly pushed himself to Single-A Lakeland in late May after only three starts. He was effective in the Florida State League with a 2.52 ERA but relied more on ground balls (58.6 percent of contact) than missed bats (just a 17.3 percent K rate) in his 60⅔ innings. Castillo works with both a four-seamer and sinker in the 94-97 mph range and gets most of the whiffs he does generate with a low-80s slider and a 89-91 mph changeup, the former being much better than the latter.

Twins: Ben Ross, UTIL
Ross did nothing but hit over three years at Notre Dame, leaving with a career .405/.471/.758 line that helped him land in the fifth round of the 2022 Draft. A former member of the Twins’ Top 30, he’s shown off some power (19 homers in 2023, 11 in 2024) and speed (20 steals this season), but has struggled making consistent contact to use his tools. The AFL could help him make some adjustments and he’s already shown he’s comfortable moving all over the field, having done everything but pitch and catch since becoming a pro.

White Sox: Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa, RHP
Hoopii-Tuionetoa didn’t allow a run in nine AFL regular-season appearances while helping Surprise win the 2023 championship, then went from the Rangers to the White Sox in a trade for Robbie Grossman this may. Relying mostly on a mid-90s fastball that touches 99 mph and a mid-80s slider with two-plane depth when it’s on, he recorded a 4.30 ERA and a .223 average-against with a 47/17 K/BB ratio in 46 innings.

Angels: David Mershon, INF
As a Draft-eligible sophomore at Mississippi State this past spring, Mershon posted a healthy .347/.454/.500 line with more walks than strikeouts and 27 steals. The Angels nabbed him in the 18th round and went over the Day 3 slot to sign him for $255K. In true Angels fashion, they sent him aggressively to Double-A for his pro debut and he held his own. He’s one of two 2024 draftees currently in the AFL (first-rounder Jac Caglianone is the other).

Astros: Joey Mancini, RHP
A 15th-rounder out of Boston College in 2022, Mancini reached Double-A this season and ranked sixth in ERA (2.12) and 11th in average-against (.191) among Minor Leaguers with 100 or more innings. His best pitch is his low-80s slider, which he sets up with a low-90s fastball.

A’s: Micah Dallas, RHP
After three years at Texas Tech, Dallas moved to Texas A&M for his fourth season of college ball before the A’s took him in the eighth round of the 2022 Draft. His first full season did not put him on the radar (7.59 ERA, .327 BAA) but his 2024 campaign did. Pitching solely in relief, the right-hander finished with a 2.94 ERA, .228 BAA and 1.11 WHIP. He walked just 2.4 per nine and struck out better than a batter per inning, thanks to an often-effective slider.

Mariners: Jason Ruffcorn, RHP
Originally drafted by the Phillies in the eighth round of the 2021 Draft as a fifth-year college player, Ruffcorn couldn’t get much traction in his first two full years of pro ball. The son of former big league hurler Scott Ruffcorn, Jason was acquired by the Mariners in March for cash considerations and finally got out of High-A ball, finishing the year with a combined 3.44 ERA, 10.0 K/9 rate, .225 BAA and five saves, using a four-seamer that can miss some bats, a cutter and a sweeper.

Rangers: Marc Church, RHP
Church’s athleticism and arm speed enable him to generate mid-90s fastballs with tremendous carry and mid-80s sliders with two-plane depth when he’s on. Signed for an over-slot $300,000 as an 18th-rounder from an Atlanta high school in 2019, he was bothered by a strained rotator cuff for much of this year. He compiled a 3.22 ERA with 24 strikeouts in 22 1/3 Triple-A innings before making his big league debut with a scoreless inning on Sept. 28.

Braves: Landon Harper, RHP
After two years at Pearl River Community College, Harper transferred to Southern Miss and was among the Division I leaders with 12 saves in 2022. The Braves took a low-risk flier on him in the 14th round that summer and he’s continued to be an effective reliever as he’s slowly moved up the ladder. He pitched very well once he got to Double-A this year (1.41 ERA, 40/9 K/BB ratio), using a full array of pitches and the ability to throw a ton of strikes rather than having any plus offerings.

Marlins: Jay Beshears, SS/3B
Drafted in the sixth round out of Duke by the Padres in 2023, Beshears went to the Marlins as part of a package for Tanner Scott and Bryan Hoeing during his first full pro season. An offensive-minded utility-type with fringy-to-average tools, he slashed .238/.338/.338 while advancing from Single-A to High-A.

Mets: Jonathan Pintaro, RHP
Pintaro opened the season with the Glacier Range Riders in the independent Pioneer League, struck out 23 in 14⅓ innings and signed with the Mets on June 3. He made 15 starts in the New York system between High-A, Double-A and Triple-A and finished with a 2.68 ERA and 75 strikeouts in 74 innings. The 26-year-old right-hander, who throws exclusively out of the stretch, features a pair of fastballs in the 93-95 mph range, an 89-91 cutter, an 82-85 mph slider with longer break and a mid-80s changeup. A solid Fall League could make him a legit option in the Majors next year, mirroring Zach Penrod’s journey from the Pioneer League to MLB in the Red Sox system.

Nationals: Dustin Saenz, LHP
Saenz was one of the best pitching performers in the Washington system in 2023 (3.43 ERA, 1.18 WHIP in 123⅓ innings at High-A and Double-A) but needs innings after being limited to only 42⅔ this summer. He’s a pitchability lefty with good control of a full arsenal — a 90-92 mph fastball, low-80s slider, low-80s changeup and upper-70s curveball. The Texas A&M product is Rule 5-eligible this offseason but might need to dominate in the desert to assert his place on the 40-man roster.

Phillies: Tristan Garnett, LHP
Six-foot-six left-handers are always worth keeping an eye on, right? Garnett signed as a free agent at age 23 in July 2021 and he spent the bulk of his time on the mound in 2024 with Double-A Reading, missing bats (11.9 K/9) but also struggling with the strike zone for the first time (6.2 BB/9). He also missed nearly two months of the season due to injury, but he does have a fastball that now touches 95-96 mph and a changeup that is an out pitch, along with a slider.

Brewers: Mark Manfredi, LHP
Milwaukee has two quality candidates to be future closers in Jacob Misiorowski and Craig Yoho, but don’t sleep on Manfredi. The 2023 ninth-rounder out of Dayton transitioned to more of a relief role at High-A Wisconsin in his first full season, bumped his velocity up to the point at which he was touching 97-98 mph, upped his fastball usage and struck out 95 over 76 innings. His low three-quarters arm slot helps give him a quality slider as well, though he needs to work on his control to climb the ladder. Manfredi still has enough heat to let it eat and vault him toward the Majors next season.

Cardinals: Ixan Henderson, LHP
An eighth-round pick out of Fresno State last year, Henderson made a solid first impression by leading St. Louis Minor Leaguers (min. 100 IP) with a 2.34 ERA over 104 frames between Single-A and High-A. The 22-year-old left-hander works with a full five-pitch repertoire (four-seam, sinker, changeup, curveball, slider). He can throw to all quadrants of the zone with that mix, helping his effectiveness, though he didn’t quite miss as many bats at the higher level this summer (26.3 percent K rate vs. 19.5).

Cubs: Vince Reilly, RHP
Reilly went undrafted in 2022 after three years of college at Hawaii and Grand Canyon, then signed with the Athletics and pitched just 4 2/3 innings before getting released in June 2023. Picked up by the Cubs this March, he displayed a 93-98 mph fastball and promising slider and splitter while posting a 3.88 ERA, .213 average-against and 52/16 K/BB ratio in 53 1/3 innings.

Pirates: Sammy Siani, OF
The younger brother of Cardinals outfielder Michael Siani, Sammy was the Pirates’ selection at No. 37 overall in the 2019 Draft and he struggled at the plate over his first two full seasons of pro ball due mostly to an extremely steep swing path that left holes he couldn’t cover. He worked to revamp his swing and cut down his in-zone miss rate considerably, enabling him to move from High-A to Double-A this season. He finished off strongly there, leaving the Pirates a little bullish about his offensive upside while feeling very confident about his above-average outfield defense.

Reds: Tyler Callihan, 2B/OF
Once a top 10 prospect in the Reds system, he struggled to make a true offensive impact with a .707 OPS in 2022 and .716 the following year, though there were some small signs of life when he was bumped up to Double-A for the first time that summer. He did hit nine homers and post a .788 OPS in 2024, mostly at Double-A, but he missed two months of the season. He’s always made decent contact, but the power hasn’t come while he’s struggled to find a true defensive home (it’s looking like second base and left field now).

D-backs: Kyle Amendt, RHP
Pitching at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A, the 2023 ninth-rounder out of Dallas Baptist posted a 40.3 percent strikeout rate that ranked fifth among 1,852 Minor Leaguers with at least 40 innings in 2024. Amendt throws with an over-the-top delivery and can get ride on his 89-92 mph fastball, but during his time with Triple-A Reno, he went more to his upper-80s cutter and upper-70s curveball — two pitches worth watching in Statcast games at Salt River.

Dodgers: Eriq Swan, RHP
A high-upside project, Swan is huge (6-foot-6, 240 pounds), can reach 101 mph with his fastball and flashes a tight mid-80s slider. He also had a 6.54 ERA in three seasons at Middle Tennessee State before the Dodgers made him a supplemental fourth-round pick in 2023, and he logged a 5.16 ERA with 29 strikeouts in 22 2/3 innings at Single-A this summer while dealing with minor arm soreness.

Giants: William Kempner, RHP
When Kempner is at his best, he can run his fastball into the upper 90s, back it up with a solid mid-80s slider and flash an effective upper-80s changeup. But the 2022 third-rounder from Gonzaga missed all of this season with foot and shoulder ailments.

Padres: Brendan Durfee, C
Durfee played three seasons at Division III Cal Lutheran before transferring to UC Santa Barbara for 2023-24. He was a First Team All-Big West catcher after hitting .349/.455/.566 with nine homers in 46 games for the Gauchos and went in the 14th round, signing for $150,000. He continued to hit for Single-A Lake Elsinore (.893 OPS in 20 games), but the Fall League, even as hitter-friendly as it is, will provide a bigger test coming out of the gate. Pairing Durfee with Ethan Salas in Peoria gives the Javelinas an intriguing catching group.

Rockies: McCade Brown, RHP
A huge 2021 season at Indiana helped Brown soar into the third round of that summer’s Draft and his premium raw stuff landed him in the Rockies’ Top 30 in 2022 and 2023. The 6-foot-6 right-hander can crank his high-spin fastball into the upper 90s and he can miss bats with sharp breaking stuff. He missed the 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery and returned with considerable rust at the lower levels this year.