Though the quality of pitching in the Arizona Fall League continued to decline, the developmental circuit's best prospect did his work on the mound. Phillies right-hander Andrew Painter returned to competition after missing the entire 2023 and 2024 seasons and quickly re-established himself as the most promising young arm in the game.

Painter was one of 15 Top 100 prospects to crack our AFL Top 30 prospects rankings below -- though just one of two pitchers. The Fall League featured a bumper crop of first basemen that included baseball's four best prospects at the position (Jac Caglianone, Bryce Eldridge, Nick Kurtz, Xavier Isaac) and its first Triple Crown winner ever (Josue Briceño).

As usual, our evaluations are based more on long-term potential than AFL performance, though both are considered. We also solicited opinions from scouts who monitor the league.

1. Andrew Painter, RHP, Glendale (Phillies No. 2/MLB No. 32)
Bouncing back from Tommy John surgery in July 2023, Painter won AFL Pitcher of the Year honors after working 15 2/3 innings and placing second in the league in WHIP (0.89) and third in ERA (2.30). He battled his fastball command at times but showed the ability to miss bats and get chases with all four of his pitches: a heater that averaged 97 mph and touched 100, an upper-80s slider/cutter, a low-80s curveball and a low-90s changeup.

2. Chase DeLauter, OF, Surprise (Guardians No. 2/MLB No. 41)
DeLauter also ranked second on this list a year ago and continued to show an uncommon combination of size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), athleticism, performance and plate discipline. After missing much of the Minor League season with foot and hamstring injuries, he slashed .340/.475/.511 while playing twice a week and spending the rest of his time working with the training staff at the Guardians' base in Goodyear.

3. Leodalis De Vries, SS, Peoria (Padres No. 2/MLB No. 28)
The youngest player in the league, De Vries turned 18 after the season started and became the youngest Fall Leaguer to homer since Bryce Harper in 2010. His .179/.269/.313 line belies his possibility to develop at least solid tools across the board and his 30/30 upside, though he's not a slam-dunk shortstop.

4. Ethan Salas, C, Peoria (Padres No. 1/MLB No. 19)
The circuit's only other 18-year-old, Salas is unusually athletic for a catcher and looks like a future Gold Glover with advanced receiving skills and plus arm strength. He batted .228/.327/.424 with four homers in 23 games and should develop into a solid hitter with average power once he gains more strength and experience

5. Jac Caglianone, 1B, Surprise (Royals No. 1/MLB No. 17)
The No. 6 overall pick in the 2024 Draft, Caglianone looked tired after playing from February through November but still homered five times in 21 games. He might have more usable power than anyone in the Minors and moves very well for a 6-foot-5, 250-pounder, but his chase rate (37 percent in the Fall League continues to bear watching).

6. Colt Emerson, SS, Peoria (Mariners No. 1/MLB No. 27)
The best pure hitter and the third-youngest player in the Fall League, Emerson slashed .370/.435/.537 with a league-best nine doubles in just 13 games. He has a classic left-handed stroke, makes advanced swing decisions and should grow into 20-homer power, though he'll probably move off shortstop.

7. Bryce Eldridge, 1B, Scottsdale (Giants No. 1/MLB No. 35)
After rocketing from Single-A to Triple-A in his first full professional season, Eldridge batted .293/.348/.512 with two homers in 10 games before departing shortly after his 20th birthday. Few players can match his massive raw power, and his mature approach enables him to get to most of it. His first-base defense is quite rough but he has the athleticism to improve.

8. Colson Montgomery, 3B, Glendale (White Sox No. 3/MLB No. 37)
No. 1 on this list a year ago, Montgomery performed better in his second Fall League stint, hitting .313/.511/.656 with three homers in 11 games. The Corey Seager comparisons persist, and while his power is real, his hitting ability isn't in the same class and he's less likely to stick at shortstop for a decade.

9. Nick Kurtz, 1B, Mesa (Athletics No. 2/MLB No. 45)
Kurtz might have had the best combination of swing decisions, contact and exit velocities in the 2024 Draft, where he went No. 4 overall. He slashed .353/.450/.608 after joining Mesa for the second half and was the league's best defensive first baseman.

10. Zyhir Hope, OF, Glendale (Dodgers No. 11)
As one scout put it, "How many high school guys have hit in the middle of an AFL lineup 18 months after being drafted?" Hope hit just .228/.301/.446 but he was the Fall League's most dynamic player, with some evaluators giving him well-above-average grades for raw power, speed and arm strength.

11. Moises Ballesteros, C, Mesa (Cubs No. 4/MLB No. 44)
Ballesteros' sweet left-handed swing and advanced approach have enabled him to succeed against older competition throughout his career, including batting .316/.376/.557 with five homers in 19 Fall League games. His defensive and conditioning have improved in the past two years, but scouts still wonder whether he'll be able to catch regularly in the big leagues.

12. Josue Briceño, 1B, Scottsdale (Tigers No. 9)
Briceño won the Joe Black MVP award after leading the AFL in batting (.433), slugging (.867), OPS (1.376), hits (39), homers (10), RBIs (27), extra-base hits (17) and total bases (78). That might be the most impressive offensive performance in league history adding in the fact that he turned 20 just before the season started. Featuring a simple left-handed swing and gameplan, he makes repeated hard contact and doesn't try to do too much at the plate. Though he has caught in the past, the Tigers should give that up and look to maximize his bat.

13. Xavier Isaac, 1B, Mesa (Rays No. 2/MLB No. 36)
That's five first basemen in the top 13 if you're counting, and Isaac smoked balls harder than most Fall Leaguers despite being just 20 years old. He did post the highest strikeout rate (40 percent) in the league and will need to do a better job of catching up to high fastballs to tap into his power potential.

14. Jett Williams, SS/OF, Scottsdale (Mets No. 2/MLB No. 52)
Williams could be a top-of-the-lineup catalyst with his patient approach, sneaky pop and plus speed, which translated into 17 walks, seven extra-base hits and seven steals in 22 games. He could stand to be more aggressive within the strike zone and may fit better at second base or center field than shortstop.

15. Drake Baldwin, C, Peoria (Braves No. 5)
Baldwin raked at a .377/.452/.491 clip before leaving to play for Team USA at the Premier12 tournament. He's a steady hitter with average power and continues to improve defensively, erasing any doubts that he can remain at catcher.

16. Thayron Liranzo, C, Scottsdale (Tigers No. 6)
Evaluators ranked the catchers behind Salas in a variety of different orders. Liranzo slashed .375/.492/.667 and comes with more power but fewer bat-to-ball skills than Ballesteros and Baldwin. He has more arm strength than either, but his catching needs a lot of polish.

17. Termarr Johnson, 2B, Scottsdale (Pirates No. 3/MLB No. 75)
Another Premier12 participant, Johnson remains a conundrum who hasn't approached the 70 hit grades scouts gave him in high school. His on-base ability remains a strength as he batted .250/.444/.475 with 14 walks in 11 games, but he's now more of a power-over-hit guy who's an average-at-best runner and defender.

18. Tre' Morgan, OF, Mesa (Rays No. 10)
While Morgan is the top defensive first baseman in the Minors, the Rays wanted him to expand his defensive horizons with Mesa, where he looked potentially adequate in left field. He hit .338/.391/.500 and finished third with an 8 percent strikeout rate -- some scouts thought he had the best approach in the AFL -- but he'll need to prove he can get to average power.

19. Edwin Arroyo, SS, Glendale (Reds No. 3/MLB No. 65)
After losing all of the 2024 season to surgery on his non-throwing shoulder, Arroyo proved he hadn't lost anything defensively while playing the best shortstop in the Fall League. His bat is more ordinary and he slashed just .253/.309/.333, but he should provide enough offense to be a big league regular.

20. Thomas Saggese, 2B, Surprise (Cardinals No. 4)
While Saggese lacks a plus tool, he's a solid hitter without a glaring weakness. He finished second in the batting race at .391/.524/.594, provides gap power and his instincts enable him to play quicker than his fringy speed on the bases and in the field.

21. Kemp Alderman, OF, Peoria (Marlins No. 12)
Alderman played just nine games before leaving to get married, but that was long enough to tie for second with six homers and record the highest exit velocity (119.5 mph) of the season. He earns some top-of-the-scale grades for his raw power, also offers plus arm strength and draws some Hunter Renfroe comps.

22. Alejandro Osuna, OF, Surprise (Rangers No. 16)
Osuna is a polished lefty hitter with 20-homer potential and good defensive instincts, though he fits best in left field. The younger brother of former All-Star closer Roberto Osuna and the nephew of ex-big leaguer Antonio Osuna, he topped the Fall League with 22 walks in 25 games, batted .306/.438/.449 and won the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award.

23. Drew Gilbert, OF, Scottsdale (Mets No. 3/MLB No. 74)
Few Fall Leaguers could match the energy Gilbert brings to the park every day, though he hit just .208/.380/.403 with four homers and 17 walks in 21 games. He offers the possibility of four solid tools, though questions about whether he can get to average power limit his ceiling.

24. Denzel Clarke, OF, Mesa (Athletics No. 10)
Though Clarke repeated Double-A at age 24, it's easy to dream on a 6-foot-4, 220-pound center fielder with difference-making speed and at least plus raw power. His approach has been an issue in the Minors but not in the AFL, where he slashed .382/.495/.566 with a league-best three triples.

25. Tommy Troy, 2B, Salt River (D-backs No. 5)
Troy recovered from a 1-for-25 start to bat .382 the rest of the way, recapturing the line-drive hitting ability that made him the 12th overall pick in the 2023 Draft. He's definitely a second baseman and not a shortstop, with his 20/20 upside helping him to clear the offensive bar at the less challenging position.

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26. Carter Jensen, C, Surprise (Royals No. 5)
One of the more underrated catching prospects in the game, Jensen combines average pop with on-base ability. He led the league in on-base percentage while hitting .425/.582/.800 with four homers in 12 games and providing sound defense.

27. Creed Willems, C, Surprise (Orioles No. 22)
Signed for a well-over-slot $1 million as a 2001 eighth-rounder out of a Texas high school, Willems showed some of the best raw power and arm strength in the Fall League. He slashed .338/.391/.500 with two homers in 19 games and caught better than scouts expected.

28. Robert Hassell, OF, Salt River (Nationals No. 13)
The eighth overall choice in the 2020 Draft and part of the blockbuster Juan Soto trade in August 2022, Hassell stands out more for his floor than his ceiling. A line-drive hitter who provides solid speed, arm strength and defense, he slashed .281/.360/.517 with four homers and five steals in 19 games.

29. Caleb Durbin, INF/OF, Salt River (not ranked on Yankees Top 30)
The best basestealer in AFL history, Durbin set league records for swipes in a game (four), season (29 in 24 games) and career (50 in 47 contests the last two years). He also batted .313/.427/.548 with five homers this fall, playing his way onto the Yankees' 40-man roster with his contact hitting ability, solid speed and defensive versatility. He fits best at second base.

30. Luis Mey, RHP, Glendale (not ranked on Reds Top 30)
Another unranked prospect who earned a 40-man spot, Mey garnered Reliever of the Year accolades with a spotless 0.00 ERA, .037 average-against and a league-high six saves in as many opportunities. He threw the 34 hardest pitches recorded in the Fall League, parking at 99.5 mph with his fastball and peaking at 101.8. His seldom-used mid-80s cutter tops out at 90 mph and also misses bats.