Thursday's top prospect performers
Here’s a look at Thursday’s top performers from Arizona Fall League and Winter League action.
Astros: Tyler Guilfoil, RHP (Unranked), Mesa Solar Sox
A.J. Blubaugh, RHP (Unranked), Mesa Solar Sox
Guilfoil put together one of his best outings of the fall by striking out six over 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He allowed only one hit and walked two before Mesa’s bullpen made it stand up to earn the 23-year-old righty his second victory.
Five Solar Sox relievers delivered scoreless frames behind Guilfoil to secure Mesa’s win. The best of them was Blubaugh, who fanned two during a 1-2-3 ninth to earn his third save of the Fall League.
Blue Jays: Damiano Palmegiani, LF (No. 18), Surprise Saguaros
The Toronto slugger socked his sixth homer of the fall in Surprise's win, his second in as many days to put a stamp on his strong regular-season performance. Palmegiani, who also played outfield in the game for the first time as a pro and was a participant in the AFL Home Run Derby, heads to the AFL championship sporting a .263/.366/.575 slash line with 12 extra-base hits in 101 plate appearances. More >>
Brewers: Jackson Chourio, CF (No. 1/MLB No. 2), Aguilas del Zulia
The second-ranked prospect in baseball continues to rake in his native Venezuela, posting another two-hit performance with a walk and a run scored for Zulia. Chourio has compiled multihit games in his past four contests and hit safely in each of his last six. He's batting .359 through 10 games.
Cardinals: Inohan Paniagua, RHP (Unranked), Scottsdale Scorpions
The 6-foot-1 right-hander was stellar in three innings of relief, allowing just one baserunner on a walk while punching out four. Paniagua struggled earlier this fall, but after the Cardinals farmhand's second scoreless appearance, he has given up just one run over his last 5 2/3 frames.
Guardians: Kyle Manzardo, 1B (No. 2/MLB No. 58), Peoria Javelinas
Chase DeLauter, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 85), Peoria Javelinas
Manzardo has mashed all fall, but his four-hit performance -- which featured his sixth AFL homer and four RBIs -- was his best showing yet. The 23-year-old slugger sports a sterling .905 OPS with 14 extra-base hits in 22 Fall League contests.
DeLauter also showed out in the regular-season finale, with his second three-hit game of the campaign. He scored twice and added an RBI to his AFL-leading total (27). DeLauter batted .299/.385/.529 in 109 regular-season plate appearances, posting nine hits in his final 20 at-bats. More >>
Rangers: Mitch Bratt, LHP (No. 17), Surprise Saguaros
The Texas lefty turned in his best performance of the Fall League in a four-inning appearance to finish off the regular season, allowing only one hit while walking two and striking out four. It was likely his final appearance of 2023, bookending a strong season spent entirely at High-A Hickory, where he went 2-3 with a 3.54 ERA in 61 innings.
Tigers: Justice Bigbie, OF (No. 21), Salt River Rafters
The Detroit outfield prospect tallied three hits, including a two-run homer, at the bottom of the Rafters order, putting the finishing touches on a solid Fall League season. He compiled a slash line of .292/.373/.375 with as many walks as he had strikeouts (10) across 20 games.
Twins: Andrew Cossetti, C (Unranked), Glendale Desert Dogs
Cossetti only played in nine games for Glendale this fall, racking up just three hits in 36 total trips to the plate. But two of those hits were homers, his biggest being a three-run shot in the regular-season finale that accounted for the bulk of the Desert Dogs' offensive output.