Tuesday's top prospect Fall League performers
Here's a look at Tuesday's top performers from the Arizona Fall League, including a pair of Top 100 prospects.
Brewers: Eric Brown Jr., SS (No. 10), Surprise Saguaros
Brown filled up the box score for the Saguaros, collecting three hits and a team-high four RBIs. The 22-year-old stroked a two-run single in the opening frame and plated another run in the sixth. He capped his evening with an RBI double in the seventh, increasing his Fall League average to .308 and his OPS to .841.
Guardians: Kyle Manzardo, DH (MLB No. 58), Peoria Javelinas
Manzardo entered Tuesday's game with four RBIs in his first five Fall League contests. He doubled that total over the first six innings for the Javelinas, highlighted by a three-run jack that capped an 11-run frame. The 23-year-old tallied his first RBI of the night on a bases-loaded walk and scored three runs.
Mariners: Harry Ford, C (MLB No. 39), Peoria Javelinas
The Mariners' No. 2 prospect had a night to remember, registering the first multihomer performance of his professional career. A 417-foot solo shot in the second broke in the scoring, while a three-run homer put the game on ice for the Javelinas in the fifth. A bases-loaded walk rounded out Ford's five RBIs on the night, tying a career high from his days with Single-A Modesto in 2022. More »
Marlins: Nasim Nuñez, 2B (No. 17), Peoria Javelinas
Nuñez picked up his third multihit game of the Fall League with a pair of knocks from the No. 2 hole. The 23-year-old socked the first pitch he saw down the right-field line, which would have driven a run in had it not been a ground-rule double. However, he did add two RBIs in the sixth on a single to center. With two runs scored Tuesday, Nuñez has scored seven times in six AFL games.
Padres: Graham Pauley, 3B (No. 11), Peoria Javelinas
Jakob Marsee, OF (No. 12), Peoria Javelinas
Pauley was a big producer for Peoria, hitting a two-run home run in the fourth inning. With three dingers in seven games, the infielder settled into the top of the Fall League home run rankings alongside teammate Harry Ford. The 23-year-old racked up 16 home runs in just 45 games with High-A Fort Wayne this year.
Marsee continued his momentous run in Fall League, registering three hits and two RBIs against Glendale. The outfielder has 15 hits on the season, a league high. As part of the Javelinas' 11-run sixth inning, Marsee plated a pair on a double to right field. The 22-year-old is the only player in the AFL slugging over one (1.095) and leads the league in extra-base hits (seven) and OBP (1.725).
Pirates: Carter Bins, DH (Unranked), Salt River Rafters
Jase Bowen, 1B (No. 27): Salt River Rafters
In a lineup that features several players who swatted 20 homers in the Minor League season and even one who clubbed 30 big flies, Carter Bins might have been the least likely candidate to deliver the Rafters' first roundtripper this fall. But that is exactly what happened. In Salt River's eighth contest of the AFL, Bins -- who swatted just three homers this season -- clubbed a two-run jack, giving the Rafters a 4-2 lead and tallying the elusive first home run of their young season. In addition to the long ball, Bins also ripped a 110.3 mph single, the hardest-hit ball to be officially tracked so far in the Fall League.
Almost as if he needed Bins to break the home run silence, Bowen drilled a three-run jack an inning later -- the second of the season for Salt River. The opposite-field laser traveled 404 feet onto the berm in right-center and made the score 8-2. The Ohio native also tallied two singles in the game, finishing 3-for-4 with three RBIs and bringing his season total to nine, which ranks fourth in the AFL and first for the Rafters. Bowen raised his slash line to .394/.429/.636.
Rangers: Liam Hicks, C (Unranked), Surprise Saguaros
Zak Kent, RHP (Unranked), Surprise Saguaros
Hicks delivered the AFL's first six-hit night since longtime Pirate José Tábata in 2009. The 24-year-old proved to be an unstoppable force at the dish for Surprise. The Toronto native set a career high by going a perfect 6-for-6 at the dish in Tuesday night's 17-5 victory. Hicks also plated two and crossed home himself five times. All five of his hits were base knocks. The 2021 ninth-round pick leads Surprise with a .500 average with 11 hits in just five games. Hicks is coming off a season in which he slashed .275/.414/.372 across High-A and Double-A.
The bats weren't the only thing that showed up for Surprise. Kent commanded the mound with confidence for the Saguaros. After giving up two runs in three innings in his Fall League debut, the 2019 ninth-rounder fanned six over five one-run frames to pick up the win in his second start. The righty hurler is up to 10 strikeouts through two games, behind only Ricky Tiedemann (MLB No. 31). More »