The rosters for the Arizona Fall League have been determined and the Chicago White Sox will send seven representatives to play for the Glendale Desert Dogs. The Arizona Fall League is an annual prospect showcase that typically ran from mid-September through late-October.
This year however, the event will begin on October 13th and conclude with a championship game to be played on Saturday November 20. There was no AFL in 2020 due to the pandemic that engulfed the planet and coaches, players, scouts, fans and executives are eager to get back to business in the desert.
The fall league is considered to be the finishing school for top prospects and many of the sport’s current stars have played in the league throughout the years. The Fall Stars Game will be played on Saturday November 13 and televised on MLB Network and that’s where the league’s brightest stars will shine. The league is comprised of six clubs and major league organizations will send seven prospects to fill out the rosters of the clubs.
The AFL consists of six clubs: the Glendale Desert Dogs, Mesa Solar Sox, Peoria Javelinas, Salt River Rafters, Scottsdale Scorpions and Surprise Saguaros.
The AFL teams and their MLB affiliates will be as follows for the 2021 season: Glendale (Los Angeles Angels, Houston Astros, St. Louis Cardinals, Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago White Sox), Mesa (Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays, Chicago Cubs, Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles), Peoria (Atlanta Braves, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates), Salt River (Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Mets, Colorado Rockies, Detroit Tigers), Scottsdale (San Francisco Giants, Cleveland Indians, Tampa Rays, Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins) and Surprise (Washington Nationals, Cincinnati Reds, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees).
17 of baseball’s top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline will participate in Arizona. The star attractions will be Spencer Torkelson and Riley Greene of the Detroit Tigers, Marco Luciano of the San Francisco Giants and CJ Abrams of the San Diego Padres. Top prospects from the Red Sox, Mets, Jays, Cardinals, Pirates, Royals, Rangers, Braves and Marlins will also be taking part in the festivities.
Major League Baseball has used the Arizona Fall League to test out new ideas in the past and this will be no different in 2021. There are a multitude of rule changes that will be in play in the desert. There will be a pitch timer, restrictions on defensive positioning, larger bases and an automatic ball-strike system employed by the umpires. A new pitcher-catcher communication device called Pitch-Com will be used as well.
How do teams decide which players to send to the AFL?
Beyond the standard rule of being in Double-A or higher, here are some reasons why clubs typically put players in the fall showcase:
- Key prospects who missed time due to injury
- Minor leaguers with imminent or impending roster deadlines in regards to the 40-man roster or Rule 5 eligibility
- Players who the team wants to expose to better opposing talent
- Showcasing talent to the rest of the league as potential trade bait.
The White Sox didn’t just send their top prospects to the Arizona Fall League. There are methods to the madness and it’ll be expounded on below.
Yoelqui Cespedes, CF, AA Birmingham, 24-years-old
Who He Is: Yoelqui Cespedes is a 24-year-old outfielder and the younger half-brother of former Cuban standout and big league slugger Yoenis Cespedes. He was one of the best players available in the most recent international signing class and the White Sox signed him for just over $2 million.
The outfielder made his stateside debut in 2021 and finished the season at Birmingham as a member of the Barons. The 5-9 205 pounder posted a 127 wRC+ in High-A with Winston-Salem while playing 45 games. Cespedes then hit .298/.340/.404 in 100 plate appearances with the Barons.
Why He’s Here: Cespedes lost time at the start of the season waiting out his Visa situation at the complex in Arizona. He needs at-bats and the White Sox would like to see him against top level competition. He already played in the Futures Game over All Star Weekend and he could report to Triple-A Charlotte after receiving some time in major league spring training next spring.
What to Watch For: Plate discipline will always come up with this player. The power will likely be on display but he needs to get to it more consistently and cut down on the strikeouts. Making enough contact to fully utilize his raw power will enhance his prospect pedigree going forward. He also dealt with a shoulder injury causing him to serve as the designated hitter quite a bit. He has a plus arm that would play in an outfield corner but hopefully some center field time is on the horizon in Arizona.
Jose Rodriguez, SS, AA, 20-years-old
Who He Is: 20-year-old infielder signed out of the Dominican Republic in 2018. He was a low dollar signing by Marco Paddy and he’s done nothing but hit since arriving. Jose Rodriguez hit 14 homers across three levels in 2021 and should start the 2022 season in Double-A with Birmingham. The right-handed hitter batted .291 in the DSL back in 2018 and continued the pace stateside with Arizona in 2019.
In the AZL, the infielder clubbed nine homers and posted a 121 wRC+ as an 18-year-old in 2019. He started the season in Low-A with Kannapolis and he slashed .283/.328/.452 with a 109 wRC+ and nine homers in 2021. After earning a promotion to Winston-Salem, Rodriguez hit .361/.381/.538 with a 141 wRC+ and five more homers playing mostly shortstop while decreasing his strikeout rate. He played four games in Double-A to finish the season. He’s a top ten prospect in the system currently.
Why He’s Here: The White Sox would like to see Jose Rodriguez compete against the very best prospects in the sport. Rodriguez earned a promotion to Double-A to finish the year and playing in the AFL could be a solid tuneup in anticipation for Birmingham. More reps is always positive and the Arizona Fall League is a good place to showcase talent. It’s a much better fit than returning to instructional league.
What to Watch For: Jose Rodriguez has been solid at the dish throughout his young career. He’s employed an ultra-aggressive approach however and some evaluators have been skeptical that the style would work at higher minor league levels. It will be interesting to see the infielder face off against the highest level of pitching he’s ever seen. It’s also worth keeping an eye on him defensively. Some scouts have questioned whether or not he’ll ultimately remain at shortstop but second base is also an option.
Yolbert Sanchez, SS, AA, 24-years-old
Who He Is: Yolbert Sanchez was the franchise’s top signing during the 2019 international signing period. The Cuban infielder received $2.5 million after being billed as an elite up-the-middle defender with questionable bat to ball skills. The 5-11 176 pounder debuted in the Dominican Summer League back in 2019 as a 22-year-old where hit .297/.386/.441 with a 130 wRC+ in 29 games.
Marco Paddy and other internal evaluators disagreed with the outside perception of Yolbert’s offensive profile. In 2021, the shortstop played 60 games in High-A and posted a 99 wRC+ while clubbing five homers with a 7.5% walk rate and 13.8% strikeout rate. After a 39 game sample in Double-A with the Barons, Sanchez hit four more homers and cut his strikeout rate further. He hit .343/.369/.469 with a 132 wRC+.
Why He’s Here: Sanchez was disappointing in fall instructs at this time last year and playing in the Fall League is an accomplishment after seeing some of those public reports. He reported out of shape and showed no semblance of an approach at the plate. Scouts also determined that he’d have a tough time sticking at shortstop long-term.
2021 helped to quell some concerns, however. He should stay in the middle infield after showing adept ability in games and the offensive output was encouraging. He could be on the fast track to a big league utility job due to his age and pedigree and the White Sox likely want to expedite the process.
What to Watch For: It will be interesting to see Yolbert Sanchez continue to hit against advanced pitching after his stellar finish to the year in Birmingham. He hit nine homers so the power potential is something to monitor as well. Defense is the carrying tool and it needs to be at least above average for the infielder to achieve a major league future. The offensive gains have been good to see but scouts and evaluators will be watching him in the field often.
Caleb Freeman, RHP, AA, 23-years-old
Who He Is: A 15th round draft pick from Texas Tech in 2019 who excelled on the Cape Cod League with White Sox scouts present. The organization has compared him to Codi Heuer as a guy with really good stuff that struggled as a college starter but could thrive in relief. The 6-1 195 pounder spent this season sharpening his control and command and he made it to Double-A for the first time.
The 23-year-old righty throws a four-seam fastball that sits in the 94-97 mph range and touches 98 with late ride and vertical break. Caleb Freeman also throws a mid 80’s slider and low 80’s curveball. He throws from a three quarters delivery with downhill plane and he signed for $150K as a draft prospect.
Why He’s Here: The numbers have been solid and his stuff has really translated to the bullpen. Freeman could be a candidate for a big league bullpen role as early as 2022 so testing him in the Arizona Fall League makes quite a bit of sense. Freeman walked six batters per nine innings in college and that total cut back immediately as a professional. In 2021, the right hander posted a 3.62 ERA with 10.87 K/9 in 27.1 innings in Winston-Salem to begin the 2022 season. After a promotion to Double-A, Freeman averaged 11.88 K/9 with 2.70 BB/9 and a 2.70 ERA with a 3.12 FIP in 16.2 innings.
What to Watch For: It will be interesting to see how Freeman’s stuff plays against the best prospects in baseball. He could earn a big league role in short order whether it be in Chicago or elsewhere. He’ll need to command his pitches because the overall stuff should play. Stuff and results will matter in this case but it’s a great opportunity for the young righty.
McKinley Moore, RHP, High-A, 23-years-old
Who He Is: 6-6 225 pound right hander that was selected in the 14th round out of Arkansas Little-Rock in 2019. He struggled with control and command in college but the White Sox liked his arm strength and size ultimately signing him for $100K. Moore struck out 32 batters in 22.1 innings in rookie ball in 2019 but he walked way too many as well.
After sitting out the 2020 season like most prospects, he worked with development staffers to improve his command and control during fall instructs last year. His simplified delivery led to better numbers in Low-A to start the 2021 season. With Kannapolis, the large righty averaged 13.9 K/9 with a 4.37 ERA and 3.70 xFIP in 22.2 innings. He still walked too many prior to a promotion to Winston-Salem. In High-A, Moore lowered his walk rate while still averaging over 12 K/9 in 18 innings.
Why He’s Here: As a reliever slated to pitch in the high minors in 2022, getting valuable experience against the best prospects in baseball is a positive. He’s not Rule 5 eligible until next year but seeing his stuff and performance in this league will offer a unique scouting look for the White Sox and other organizations. Moore’s fastball sits in the 94-96 mph range and touches 99 but it’s pretty straight. He has displays a mid 80’s slider that flashes plus but he needs a third pitch to help against lefties.
What to Watch For: Performance matters for McKinley Moore but missing bats with his fastball and not walking people are the biggest keys to success for him. He has upside as a high leverage relief weapon in the majors but he needs more seasoning and could just as easily never advance past Double-A. Stuff and performance will be key to track.
Johan Dominguez, RHP, 25-years-old
Who He Is: The White Sox acquired Johan Dominguez in a 2018 deadline trade with the Milwaukee Brewers in exchange for southpaw Xavier Cedeno. The 25-year-old Dominican has been a starting pitcher in the system. After joining the organization, the 6-4 190 pound righty threw 90 innings in Low-A with Kannapolis. In 2021, Dominguez started 15 games in High-A with Winston-Salem and posted a 4.80 ERA, 4.01 FIP while averaging 10.14 K/9 and 2.33 BB/9 in 65.2 innings. He also threw 35.1 innings in Double-A with Birmingham and posted a 3.66 FIP with 10.19 K/9 and 2.04 BB/9. He struggled in a six inning sample with Charlotte.
Why He’s Here: Dominguez could be a candidate to convert into a relief role in the near future. He’s also Rule 5 eligible this December so the club likely wants to see him perform against the best this October.
What to Watch For: Will Dominguez participate as a starting pitcher this fall? It seems like a relief role is more likely. His stuff likely improves in a relief role and that’s his eventual path to the big leagues.
J.B. Olson, RHP, 26-years-old
Who He Is: 26-year-old righty that the White Sox selected out of Oklahoma with a 10th round selection in 2017. The 6-2 195 pounder struggled in 2019 with the Kannapolis Intimidators. He missed the 2018 season and was working out on his own during the shutdown in 2020. In 43 innings at Birmingham in 2021, Olson posted a 6.70 ERA but his peripherals were better with a 3.73 xFIP. He doesn’t strike out a ton of guys (33 in 43 innings) but he doesn’t walk anyone either.
Why He’s Here: J.B. Olson is Rule 5 eligible and the White Sox often send pitchers who they feel need some extra work for reasons that are only relevant to the organization.
What to Watch For: Results will be important for Olson. Can he carve out a role as a big league middle reliever or is he minor league depth? While a small sample, pitching against some of the players in the minors offers a glimpse at his potential. He was unlucky this year in a larger sample. Fastball command will be important.
Photo credit: Caleb Probst/FutureSox
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