The future of the Majors will be on display this fall in Arizona when MLB kicks off the 2023 Arizona Fall League season. A number of highly-touted prospects will play in the AFL, including a couple with something to prove after less-than-stellar campaigns. Here’s a breakdown of five 2023 Arizona Fall League hitting prospects to watch in October & November.
Related: Five Pitching Prospects to Watch in the 2023 Arizona Fall League
Gavin Cross
Former first-round pick Gavin Cross tore up the ACC with the Hokies and parlayed his success at Virginia Tech into a top-ten selection last July. Cross destroyed Low-A pitching in 2022, but his time with Quad Cities (A) went poorly. Cross hit just 12 home runs over 96 games and batted .203 in the Midwest League. The 22-year-old did showcase his speed with 23 stolen bases, but the low batting average and 113 strikeouts in A ball has Cross trending downward.
Cross will suit up for Surprise this fall, as the former Virginia Tech star will look to end his year on the right note. He’s shown a flair for accruing extra-base hits in the past, so it’ll be interesting if Cross can improve down in the AFL.
Kyle Manzardo
One of the more interesting 2023 Arizona Fall League hitting prospects is Cleveland 1B and Peoria Javelina Kyle Manzardo, who was acquired this past summer in the deal that sent Aaron Civale to the pitching-needy Rays. Manzardo’s been touted as a plus hitter that could be a future .300 hitter in the Majors, but 2023 didn’t go to plan. The 23-year-old missed time on the IL and hit just .236 in 97 games this season, but he still drove the ball with regularity and worked his walks when on the field.
The Guardians dealt Civale in part to hopefully find that guy who can be the regular first baseman in Cleveland. The 23-year-old could be on the Guardians roster come Opening Day, and a strong run in the AFL can help get his push for a roster spot off to a good start.
Ivan Melendez
Diamondbacks corner infield prospect Ivan Melendez put himself on the map in 2022 when the former Texas Longhorn tormented NCAA pitching and ultimately won the 2022 Golden Spikes award. Melendez was a second-round pick by the D-Backs that summer but didn’t hit well in his brief time in the Minors. The 2023 campaign was kinder to him, as Melendez hit 30 home runs and 54 extra-base hits over 96 games.
Melendez did miss a fair amount of time this season on the IL, so the 23-year-old will get a chance to accrue extra playing time with Salt River this fall. There’s a lot of swing-and-miss in Melendez’s game, but he’s also got a ton of raw power.
Colson Montgomery
White Sox infielder Colson Montgomery is the top-ranked prospect by MLB.com — and for good reason. The former first-round pick’s shown power and the ability to get on base in his Minor League career. Montgomery hit .287/.455/.384 with eight home runs and 25 extra-base hits over 51 games. While he hasn’t shown the plus power just yet, Montgomery’s been adept at making good contact, and a great example is this piece of hitting where he inside outs a ball the other way.
Injuries, however, have limited Montgomery’s growth. The 21-year-old suited up in just 64 games this past season, thanks in large part to an IL stint at the beginning of the year that kept Montgomery off the field until June.
Kevin Parada
Mets catching prospect Kevin Parada performed very well with Georgia Tech, a school that’s produced the likes of long-time MLB veterans Jason Varitek and Matt Wieters. Parada was drafted out of the first round in 2022, thanks to the belief that he could turn into an above-average hitter in the Majors. However, Parada’s 2023 season didn’t go great. Parada posted a .752 OPS in a pitcher-friendly environment in Brooklyn this past season and did miss time on the IL.
The Mets have a treasure trove of young players that mark the future of baseball in Queens, from Drew Gilbert, Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty, and Francisco Alvarez. The last name is one of interest to Parada, given that Alvarez cemented himself as the catcher of the future of the Mets for much of 2023. Of course, the Mets could look to move Parada — who grades a slightly below-average runner and has average arm strength per MLB.com — to another position or pawn him in a potential trade.