Here’s a look at Thursday’s top performers from the Arizona Fall League, including two Top 100 prospects.
Rangers: Liam Hicks, C (Unranked), Surprise Saguaros
Hicks is hot. The 24-year-old followed up his six-hit performance on Tuesday with three more hits — all coming in succession — giving him nine consecutive knocks. Only 13 MLB players since 1961 have managed hits in 10 consecutive at-bats, a mark Hicks fell just short of after drawing a walk in his fourth plate appearance. The Canadian backstop leads the circuit with a .538 average and owns a 1.294 OPS for the Saguaros. More »
White Sox: Colson Montgomery, SS (MLB No. 17), Scottsdale Scorpions
Jacob Burke, OF (No. 20), Scottsdale Scorpions
Montgomery began the Fall League just 4-for-27 but broke out in a big way Thursday with his first extra-base hits. The 21-year-old opened the scoring with his first homer, an opposite-field two-run shot, and added a triple in the fifth. His performance raised his OPS nearly 300 points, .296 to .549.
Burke also came through with his first Fall League homer as a part of a 3-hit game, something he accomplished seven times in 85 regular season contests for Single-A Kannapolis and High-A Winston-Salem. The Scorpions’ leadoff hitter singled in the first inning and scored on Montgomery’s roundtripper before going the other way for a two-run jack to left in the next frame. Burke collected his third hit and second single of the night in the seventh, pushing his OPS to .797 in 31 at-bats.
Tigers: Jace Jung, 3B (MLB No. 67), Salt River Rafters
Detroit’s 2022 first-round Draft pick is known for his above-average hit and power tools, and they showed up in a big way against Surprise. Jung nearly hit a grand slam in the third inning but settled for a bases-clearing double when the ball bounced off the top of the wall in left-center field. According to Statcast, the 22-year-olds hit would have been a home run in 22 of 30 Major League ballparks. The double was Jung’s first extra-base hit for Salt River.
Cardinals: Victor Scott II, OF (No. 4), Scottsdale Scorpions
Scott picked up his fourth multihit game and continued to utilize his 80-grade speed in the process. In a span of three pitches in the fifth inning, the center fielder slapped an RBI double to right field, stole third base and scored on a sacrifice fly. He added a single in his next at-bat in the sixth and swiped his second bag of the night, his AFL-leading eighth in nine attempts.
Cubs: James Triantos, OF (No. 9), Mesa Solar Sox
Triantos continued his strong Fall League campaign with a pair of extra-base hits and two RBIs, including his first homer. The 20-year-old added his AFL-best third triple to his ledger later in the game, accounting for his second RBI of the night. Triantos is batting .417 and leads Mesa with 10 hits and seven RBIs through seven games. Chicago’s second-round pick in the 2021 Draft put together a .287/.364/.391 slash line for High-A Iowa and Double-A Tennessee this season. More »
Braves: Dylan Dodd, LHP (No. 20), Salt River Rafters
Dodd had the strikeout pitch working in his Fall League debut, striking out nine and scattering five hits over five innings, although he did allow three runs. The 22-year-old made his Major League debut and started seven times for Atlanta. Dodd closed the Minor League campaign strong, striking out 12 to go along with a 1.04 ERA in his final two starts for Triple-A Gwinnett in September.
Guardians: Ryan Webb, LHP (Unranked), Peoria Javelinas
After giving up two runs in two frames in his Fall League debut, Webb dazzled for the Javelinas on Thursday night. The Guardians’ southpaw fanned nine and allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings to pick up his second win of the campaign. The 2021 fourth-rounder is coming off a season where he posted a 3.22 ERA across two Minor League levels.