There are just two weeks left before the 2025 Arizona Fall League baseball season concludes. This past one was a big one for several recently-traded prospects. Meanwhile, Astros pitching prospects Anderson Brito & James Hicks — along with others — continue to rack up strikeouts.
Big weeks from Caba & Harber
Last week was a nice one for Marlins infield prospect Starlyn Caba. Caba, the 19-year-old acquired as the headliner last winter in the Jesus Luzardo trade, picked up an AFL-high nine hits. The middle infielder batted .500/.571/.722 (1.293 OPS) with a home run, three walks, and five RBI.
Parks Harber, meanwhile, continues to produce in Arizona. Harber notched eight hits, tied with Nationals outfield prospect Sam Petersen and Braves infielder Nacho Alvarez Jr. for the second-most in the circuit this past week. The 24-year-old had four extra-base hits, all of which were doubles.
Harber is a fascinating case. The Giants prospect was signed as an undrafted free agent last summer by the Yankees. He blasted 20 home runs for the North Carolina Tar Heels as a 22-year-old after transferring from Georgia to Chapel Hill, back in the spring of 2024. Harber, acquired in the Camilo Doval trade last July, had 28 extra-base hits in 59 games between Low-A and High-A this year.
The Giants prospect is hitting .409 with 10 extra-base hits with Scottsdale this season. Harber also has four of the top ten hardest-hit balls this fall, most in the AFL (Cam Collier is second with three). However, three of the four were grounders.
Strikeouts, strikeouts, strikeouts
This year has been very kind to the pitchers (and not so much for the hitters). Last year, 20 qualified pitchers had a K/9 of 10.0 or more in the Arizona Fall League. This year? That number has risen to 23.
There are two sides to this coin, and we’ll start with the hitters. Five hitters (Juan Flores, Jack Hurley, Dylan O’Rae, Walker Martin, Carson Roccaforte) all had K% north of 40% this past week.
Now, strikeouts are not created equal. O’Rae, for example, is well-known for his ability to generate walks. He hasn’t whiffed as much, juxtaposed to his contemporaries, as O’Rae’s overall Whiff% is 27% — below the median. However, taking a lot of pitches can result in walks and strikeouts.
Martin and Roccaforte, meanwhile, have been two of the most egregious swing-and-miss hitters in the AFL this year.
| Player | MLB Team | Whiff% |
|---|---|---|
| Walker Martin | Giants | 46.9% |
| Brandon Winokur | Twins | 45.9% |
| Billy Amick | Twins | 44.3% |
| Maui Ahuna | Giants | 43.8% |
| Carson Roccaforte | Royals | 43.8% |
| Nelly Taylor | Red Sox | 43.7% |
As noted last week, Roccaforte has struggled to square up fastballs. Still, the former second-rounder has seven extra-base hits on the year. Martin, meanwhile, is batting only .200 on the year.
Strong week for pitchers
Moving to the reciprocal end, it was a fantastic week for the likes of Anthony Flores, L.P. Langevin, and Ryan Murphy.
The 21-year-old Flores, a Brewers pitching prospect, doesn’t throw hard, sitting primarily in the high-80s. However, the lefty, who has a four-seamer, sinker, slider, and curveball, has shown effectiveness. Flores struck out six but walked five over 5.1 IP this past week.
Langevin, the former fourth-round pick by the Royals, struck out six and gave up only one hit across two innings. However, the 22-year-old walked five.
Lastly, Murphy, drafted back in 2020 by the Giants, struck out six over 7.2 scoreless innings.
Statistical standouts
Here are other statistical standouts from this past week:
- OF Sam Petersen (SCO/WSH): two home runs, eight hits over five games
- INF Tommy White (MSS/ATH): seven hits, one home run over five games
- C Will Bush (SCO/HOU): six hits, one home run over four games
- P Brett Banks (SCO/NYM): five strikeouts, no runs over two innings pitched
- P Anderson Brito (SCO/HOU): five strikeouts, no hits allowed over three innings pitched
- P James Hicks (SCO/HOU): five strikeouts, no runs allowed over three innings pitched
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