Arizona Fall League Check-In
A break from your regularly scheduled playoff programming
Yes, I understand we are in the midst of the MLB playoffs, and this blog has nothing to do with it. We are blessed to have such a fantastic playoff circuit so far, but what you may not have realized is that the Arizona Fall League kicked up last week. I wish this would start two weeks later because I really don’t focus on it as much as I’d like to with playoffs right against it. For those who are unfamiliar, the Arizona Fall League is where a lot of top prospects are sent when they don’t get enough innings pitched or at-bats in their minor league season. So let’s dive into a few of my favorite guys there, and the success they’re having.
Tre’ Morgan - 1B, Tampa Bay Rays
The LSU product was taken in the first round of the 2023 MLB draft after taking down a National Championship with other top prospects Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews. In Morgan’s first full MiLB season, he jumped from A to AA, and slashed .324/.408/.483 across 100 games tallying 10 HR, 68 RBI, and a 1:1 K:BB ratio with 48 of each (we love this). Morgan is an elite defender at 1B, and holds spectacular bat-to-ball skills, and while there isn’t a ton of power, there’s a lot of upside in his complete game.
Morgan finds himself in the top-10 of OPS in the Arizona Fall League so far with a 1.254, and belted a HR in his first 5 games. He’ll consistently find himself on the leaderboards in the average department as he’s hitting .417 to this point flashing the hit tool.
Zyhir Hope - OF, LA Dodgers
Another 2023 draft pick, slipped to the 11th round as a prep student and came to LA in the Michael Busch trade along with Jackson Ferris. Still just 19 years old, an extremely twitchy athlete with a pretty swing, he’s catapulted up the Dodgers prospects rank and finds himself as the #11 prospect in the system. Slashed .290/.419/.484 in 61 games between ROK and A in 2024. Definitely has some swing and miss issues, but with fantastic speed and lots of upside defensively, Hope could be a sleeper prospect as he develops and ages.
Zyhir Hope currently leads the Arizona Fall League in RBI (11) and finds himself in 3rd in HR (3) in just five games played. A great opportunity for the youngster to get some more ABs, I’ll be very curious to see how he performs against better pitching as he progresses through the minors in 2025 and on.
Drake Baldwin - C, Atlanta Braves
Baldwin finds himself as the #5 prospect for the Braves after winning their MiLB Player of the Year award in 2024 after slashing .276/.370/.423 with 16 HR and 88 RBI between AA and AAA. With a BB% over 14%, Baldwin shows an extremely patient approach and willingness to see pitches until he can get something he can drive in the gaps. with very solid tools behind the dish and at the plate, Baldwin finds himself in the unique position of being one of the better catching prospects in baseball. Will certainly stick behind the plate at the major league level, and continue to grow into his approach in power tallying nearly 80 BBs last year.
Baldwin has been nothing short of Mr Consistent so far in the Arizona Fall League slashing .333/.417/.619 with 1 HR, 3 RBI, and a 1:1 BB:K through his first five games. Could easily see him making the jump in 2025 to the big club.
