Arizona Fall League top performers Week 1 2024

The 32nd season of the Arizona Fall League is a week old, and already, there are top prospects standing out amid the field of, well, top prospects.

Here are the top performers from the first week of AFL action:

Colt Emerson, SS, Peoria (SEA No. 1/MLB No. 27)
Stats: .550 AVG (11-for-20), 6 2B, 6 RBI, 17 TB, SB

Nobody started the AFL off hotter than Emerson, who was going to make this list from the minute he went 5-for-6 with four doubles, five RBIs, two runs and a stolen base in his AFL debut. That made him the only player in AFL history to hit four doubles in a game since at least 2005, and the third player to record a 5-hit, 5-RBI game in that span. Emerson, who is considered one of the best pure hitters in the Minors, then stayed hot, going 6-for-his-next-14. He leads the circuit in hits (11) and ranks second in total bases (17) so far.

“I’m so grateful for the opportunity to do this,” the 19-year-old Emerson said. “Being my age, I didn’t think that being in the AFL was possible, or if I was going to get picked. I’m just so grateful that I get 30 more games to do what I love.”

Kemp Alderman, LF, Peoria (MIA No. 12)
Stats: .412/.474/1.294, 5 HR, 22 TB

“Kemp Alderman may have more raw power and more on his to-do list than anyone in the Arizona Fall League,” MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis wrote this week.

Let’s just say Alderman isn’t wasting any time. He homered in each of his first two games and connected for five long balls over the circuit’s first week, easily the most of any player. His 22 total bases also top the circuit.

Josue Briceño, INF, Scottsdale (DET No. 9)
Stats: .375/.444/.938, 6-for-16 (.375), 3 HR, 6 RBI

Briceño stole the spotlight last weekend from Mets infielder Jeff McNeil and rehabbing Phillies prospect Andrew Painter by homering three times, becoming the first AFL player with a three-homer game since Renato Núñez in 2015. He is the sixth player to hit the home run trifecta in the Fall League.

“I’ve been working on my power in the gym,” Briceño said through translator Analis Castro. “The recovery was hard but I feel good. I want to take what I did today and apply it going forward.”

Robert Hassell III, OF, Salt River (WSH No. 13)
Stats: 7-for-13 (.538), 2 2B, HR, 7 RBI, 12 TB, SB

The speedy outfielder is trying to regain some of his former prospect shine this fall, and he’s off to a good start.

Hassell did a little bit of everything last week: He hit for average, he flashed some power, he stole a base. His seven RBIs ranked second in the first week of the Fall League.

Connor Phillips, RHP, Glendale (CIN No. 15)
Stats: 4 IP, 0 R, 2 H, 7 SO, 0 BB

Nine months after making his big league debut, the Reds sent Phillips back to Rookie ball to get his mechanics back. Now he’s in the Fall League looking to finish his roller-coaster season on a high note, and he’s off to a good start. Phillips dominated in his first outing, fanning seven in four scoreless innings.

Phillips yielded just two hits without a walk while throwing 36 of 58 pitches for strikes. His most dominant offering was his 85-87 mph slider, which finished four of his whiffs, and notched eight swinging strikes and six called strikes in 25 pitches. He sat at 96-99 mph with his fastball and generated 14 strikes on 25 pitches with his slider.

The Phillies’ top-ranked pitching prospect had an uneven return to the mound in his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery, but the Arizona Fall League is about progress, and Painter made enough of that to make his debut a highlight of the AFL’s first week.

The right-hander touched triple digits with his fastball and struck out Giants’ top-ranked prospect Bryce Eldridge on a breaking ball in his first inning, which the Phillies must have loved to see. But what they’ll really love is to see Painter take the mound again soon, building up strength and health with an eye toward making his big league debut next year.