It has been a fun first week in the Arizona Fall League, even if it has felt hotter than the surface of the sun. Let's kick off this Pipeline Inbox with a fine AFL question ...

Trying not to let the small sample of size of what I've witnessed firsthand influence my picks too much, here are my picks:

Most Valuable Player: Colt Emerson, SS, Peoria (Mariners)
Offensive Player of the Year: Xavier Isaac, 1B, Mesa (Rays)
Pitcher of the Year: Connor Phillips, RHP, Glendale (Reds)
Defensive Player of the Year: Edwin Arroyo, SS, Glendale (Reds)
Breakout Player of the Year: Zyhir Hope, OF, Glendale (Dodgers)
Reliever of the Year: Skylar Hales, RHP, Surprise (Rangers)

Emerson is the best pure hitter in the Fall League and collected eight hits in his first two games. Isaac has so much raw power that it overshadows his hitting ability and mature approach. Phillips has better stuff and a longer leash than most of the pitchers in Arizona.

Arroyo has the actions and arm strength to make all the plays at shortstop, and he's back after missing the entire season following surgery on his non-throwing shoulder. Hope may have the best all-around package of tools in the AFL and crushed a massive home run over the batter's eye in Goodyear Thursday night. Hales has an unhittable fastball that parks at 94-97 mph and peaks at 100, with his low arm slot and short arm action creating carry and deception.

Baseball's best left-handed pitching prospect, Schultz has dominated to the tune of a 2.03 ERA, .191 opponent average and 153/30 K/BB ratio since the White Sox drafted him 26th overall. But he also has pitched just 115 1/3 innings in two full pro season while being handled with extreme care.

After losing a modern MLB-record 121 games this season, Chicago has no incentive to rush Schultz. It can let him pitch 125 innings or so in the upper Minors and target a big league debut in early 2025.

Schultz owns a wicked low-80s slider that destroys lefties and righties alike, but his mid-90s fastball generated pedestrian swing-and-miss (21 percent) and chase (24 percent) rates in Double-A. Opponents hit .303 against his heater at that level -- yet slugged just .371 without a homer. I've talked to some scouts who worry about how his fastball plays, and I've spoken with others who aren't worried because it doesn't get hit very hard.

Made got strong support for making our Top 100 Prospects list when we recalibrated it last week, so he won't have to wait much longer. Signed for $950,000 out of the Dominican Republic in January, he already looks like a steal after slashing .331/.458/.554 with six homers and 28 steals in 51 games in the Rookie-level Dominican Summer League.

Just 17 years old, Made hits the ball much harder and has a better approach than most players his age. He has solid speed as well, giving him 25-25 upside. He has the arm strength for the left side of the infield, and while he may wind up at third base rather than shortstop, his bat could make him a star at either position.

Made's tools are similar to those of Leodalis De Vries, who signed for $4.2 million with the Padres as part of the same 2024 international crop. De Vries currently ranks No. 28 on the Top 100 after holding his own in Single-A at age 17. Made could start flying up the list once he proves himself in full-season ball.

The 2025 Draft may be nine months away, but it's never completely out of my mind. This question immediately made me think of two college players who currently project to go in the back half of the first round but have the potential to jump into the top five next spring.

Arizona outfielder Brendan Summerhill has one of the prettiest swings and some of the best bat-to-ball skills in the college class. He batted .324/.399/.550 with eight homers as sophomore before having an All-Star summer in the Cape Cod League. If he can add some strength and power while maintaining the quickness to stay in center field, he'll move up draft boards.

After hitting .389/.467/.704 with nine homers and an NCAA Division I-best 13 triples (including a record four in one game) at Marist last spring, Ethan Conrad decided to transfer to Wake Forest and then finished second in the Cape in batting (.385) and OPS (.919). He projects as a right fielder with perhaps solid tools across the board, and if he continues to rake against Atlantic Coast Conference competition, he should surge as well.