Here’s a look at Monday’s top performers from the Arizona Fall League, including a pair of Top 100 prospects.
A’s: Royber Salinas, RHP (No. 24), Mesa Solar Sox
The 22-year-old righty proved difficult to hit in his best start yet in Arizona. He struck out six across three strong innings, with his lone run allowed being unearned. All three hits he gave up were singles, and he didn’t walk a single batter. In 18 regular season starts, mostly with Double-A Midland, Salinas only had two starts with an 18 K/9 or higher.
Blue Jays: Ricky Tiedemann, LHP (MLB No. 31), Surprise Saguaros
The top-ranked hurler in attendance during the premier fall circuit was even more overpowering in his second start for Surprise. Ramping his fastball up to 96 mph on multiple occasions (while averaging 94.1 on the 31 times he threw the pitch), Tiedemann consistently had a loaded Peoria lineup late on his heater and early on his offspeed stuff. He threw 44 of his 69 pitches for strikes and leaned heavily on his changeup/sweeper combo during the middle innings. He allowed only two hits over five frames — both to the Rays’ Dominic Keegan — and compiled six strikeouts to just one walk as he takes the early lead in punchouts (13) among all hurlers in Arizona.
Cardinals: Jeremy Rivas, SS (Unranked), Scottsdale Scorpions
Rivas tallied just two three-hit performances during the regular season, but he has already notched his first in the Fall League. The Cardinals prospect sprayed the ball to all fields, collecting an RBI single to left in the second inning, followed by a single to shortstop in the fifth and a line-drive knock to right in the seventh. With the performance, Rivas has recorded a hit in every game he has played in so far in the Fall League, giving him a five-game hitting streak. The night was also his third multhit effort and brought his slash line to .474/.500/.526. More »
Guardians: Kyle Manzardo, 1B (MLB No. 58), Peoria Javelinas; Chase DeLauter, OF (MLB No. 85), Peoria Javelinas
Manzardo’s gap-to-gap approach at the dish yielded a resounding result in his second game played at Camelback Ranch. The ballpark features a huge batter’s eye in center field, and the lefty-swinging first baseman nearly cleared it with his first homer of the fall circuit, which was reported to have traveled 446 feet.
After tearing up High-A and Double-A for 48 games during the regular season, DeLauter is continuing to mash as Fall League action gets underway. His second homer of the circuit was a no-doubt solo shot out to right that came off the bat at 108 mph and landed a projected 440 feet away from home. In addition to raising his Peoria OPS to .955 with the wallop, he also furthered his AFL RBI (12) lead. Ahead in the count 3-0, DeLauter said postgame that he got the green light to hunt a heater; he didn’t miss. More »
Rays: Dominic Keegan, C (No. 9), Peoria Javelinas
The Javelinas lineup had a tough test heading into Monday’s contest. They were facing off against Ricky Tiedemann, the No. 2 LHP prospect in baseball, who looked dominant his last time out. That matchup didn’t faze Keegan in the slightest. The Rays catcher notched the only two hits off of Tiedemann, and they both went a long way. In the third inning, Keegan got the party started with a solo homer. He then plated another run in the fifth with a ground-rule double. The 23-year-old has recorded two hits and two RBIs in each of the three games he has played in so far.
Red Sox: Zach Penrod, LHP (Unranked), Glendale Desert Dogs
Less than two months after joining the Red Sox organization from the independent Pioneer League, Penrod continues to add to his fairytale story. The left-hander struck out five and scattered one hit and two walks over four scoreless innings in Glendale’s 2-0 win over Mesa at Sloan Park. The gem lowered Penrod’s AFL ERA to 1.13 through his first two outings for the Desert Dogs. From a stuff perspective on Monday, Penrod was sitting around 92-94 mph with his fastball, touching 96, and was around the upper-80s with his slider and the mid-80s with his changeup. He finished with 66 pitches, 39 for strikes including nine for whiffs. More »
Tigers: Jackson Jobe, RHP (MLB No. 54), Salt River Rafters
Jobe got the nod on AFL Opening Day a week ago and delivered, fanning four in four scoreless innings for Salt River. His encore came exactly one week later, and he once again put his talent on display. The 2021 third overall pick was dominant out of the gate, striking out two of the first three batters he faced. In the second inning, Jobe faced some adversity, allowing two runs, but he bounced back in the third and fourth, retiring the next six batters in order and tallying another two punch outs. Jobe has a 2.25 ERA and 0.88 WHIP through two starts.