Walker the highest-ranked prospect competing in 2022 AFL

ST. LOUIS -- Jordan Walker, Masyn Winn and Tink Hence, the Nos. 1, 2 and 6 prospects in the Cardinals' farm system, per MLB Pipeline, will compete in the Arizona Fall League starting in October, MLB announced on Friday.

Walker, a 6-foot-5 slugger who has bulked up to 250 pounds and was moved to the outfield late in his Double-A season with the Springfield Cardinals, is ranked as the No. 6 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline. He will team with No. 13 overall prospect Jordan Lawlar -- an outfielder in the D-backs' system -- on the Salt River Rafters.

Cardinals pitchers Kyle Leahy, Ryan Loutos and Connor Thomas and catcher Pedro Pages will also compete in the AFL, while outfielder Mike Antico will be on the taxi squad as a possible injury replacement. Springfield Cardinals hitting coach Tyger Pederson will serve as a coach in the AFL.

Lars Nootbaar, Andre Pallante and Juan Yepez played well enough in the 2021 Arizona Fall League to make the All-AFL Team as picked by MLB Pipeline. Current Cardinals Nolan Gorman, Brendan Donovan, Jordan Hicks and Zack Thompson also played in the AFL in 2021.

Walker, 20, has slashed .308/.390/.508 this season in Springfield with 18 home runs, 64 RBIs, 30 doubles and three triples in 116 games. He also has 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts, giving him a shot at becoming the first 20 home run/20 stolen base player in Springfield team history. Springfield closes its season this weekend at Tulsa.

Also 20 years old and a standout at Springfield, Winn will team with Walker in the Arizona Fall League. The No. 54 overall prospect showed off his stellar arm from shortstop by making a throw to first that was clocked at 100.5 mph during the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game in July. This season, the 5-foot-11, 180-pound Winn slashed .285/.364/.473 with 12 home runs. 63 RBIs, 35 doubles and eight triples. Winn has also flashed the kind of dynamic speed that makes him a five-tool prospect by stealing 41 bases in 46 tries.

Hence, ranked as the No. 95 prospect by MLB Pipeline, was impressive in his final outing of the season on Thursday with the Single-A Palm Beach Cardinals. Facing the St. Lucie Mets in a must-win playoff game, the 20-year-old Hence started and threw four scoreless innings – his fourth consecutive shutout performance late in the season. He allowed just two hits while striking out three. Purposefully limited to just 52 1/3 innings this season, Hence -- the 63rd overall pick of the 2020 MLB Draft -- compiled a stellar 1.38 ERA while striking out 81 hitters.