The Arizona Fall League has morphed and changed over the years, but ultimately it is more baseball to be played. It can be a time to catch up on lost time, work with new coaches, or work on something new. Normally the majority of players sent fall into two categories, those that missed time and those that are Rule 5 eligible that need more evaluation time. This year the Phillies are sending 9 players to Arizona and largely they fall into this bucket, but that doesn’t mean the Phillies aren’t sending a very interesting contingent of players.
C Caleb Ricketts (7th Round 2022)
Ricketts came out of the gate on fire, hitting .379/.402/.552 in 20 games for Clearwater before being promoted to Jersey Shore. He struggled with the BlueClaws, but also missed essentially two months with a leg injury. He did hit the big home run in the first game of the postseason to win the game for the BlueClaws. It does look like Ricketts’ bat is not good enough to stick at a position other than catcher and he is not a lock to stick behind the plate. He found his hitting stroke later in the season, and could be a backup catcher who sprays line drives around the field.
2B/IF/OF Oliver Dunn (MilB Rule 5 Draft 2022)
Dunn is a former 11th round pick of the Yankees who played sparingly in 2022 (but hit well when he did). He smashed through the Eastern League, hitting .269/.395/.505 for Reading with 21 home runs, including 10 in August. He particularly crushed RHP. He is nominally a second baseman but has played some third and left field. He just turned 26, so he isn’t young, but a left handed hitting platoon bat is an interesting thing to take a look at.
3B/OF Matt Kroon (18th Round 2018)
Kroon had a breakout year in 2021, but tore his ACL in the second game of the 2022 season. He got off to a slow start, but has smashed since the start of May hitting .344/.418/.556 in 79 games. Since going to AAA he has shown patience while putting up some org leading exit velocity numbers. He is nearly 27, but he is much nearer to Matt Vierling on the Guthrie-Vierling continuum. He missed three weeks due to a leg injury, so he could use the extra work, but he will be a tough Rule 5 decision this offseason because he has positional flexibility and an interesting bat.
OF Gabriel Rincones Jr. (3rd Round 2022)
Rincones has had a fine season. He hit 15 home runs and 51 total extra base hits across two levels. His strikeout and walk rates are fine, but not spectacular. He showed much better defense than expected, and likely can stay in a corner. He missed time after signing last year, so while he played 120 games this year, this good be a push to get him used to a deeper season. He hit the ball as hard as anyone in the system, consistently sitting in the top 3 by 90th percentile exit velocity. He hits the ball on the ground too much, but that is improving. He struggles against offspeed stuff and just does not dominate enough to make you feel especially positive about him being a regular.
RHP Andrew Baker (11th Round 2021)
Baker had a breakout end to the 2022 season, and looked on pace to make the majors in 2023. Instead his delivery lost consistency and control went backwards as he walked 48 batters in 41 innings. Baker still throws 97-99 and touching up to 101 with a good fastball. His breaking ball is a hard vertical pitch that has been called a curveball or a slider. The Phillies have worked on adding a cutter and splitter. Multiple times during the season the Phillies shut him down, including sending him back to Clearwater and the pitching lab. The control issues are a big concern, but he is only 23 and if he can get his delivery back on track he could be a high leverage reliever.
RHP Christian McGowan (7th Round 2021)
McGowan fell in the 2021 draft due to bonus demands, with the Phillies drafting and signing him to an overslot bonus in the 7th round. McGowan had a brief debut in 2021, but then only made two starts in 2022 before requiring Tommy John surgery. McGowan has been working back since the middle of July, building up to about 65 pitches and 4 innings by the end of the season. McGowan is on the shorter side, but is built solidly. His velocity and control has come back from the surgery and he sat 93-96 with a sinking fastball with a slider (in some different forms) and a very low spin changeup. If he builds up his innings with a few starts in the AFL, he should be able to hit the ground running in 2024 as one of the better pitching prospects in the Phillies system.
LHP Jordi Martinez (International Free Agent – Jan 2018)
Martinez has been a starting pitcher in the Phillies system going back to his signing in 2018. This year the Phillies moved him to the bullpen full time. The results have been mixed, but he has flashed some promise. He struggled with his control a bit more, but he did miss more bats. His fastball was up to 98 (up to 97 in the past) and he sits mid 90s. He has a solid slider and good changeup. He will be Rule 5 eligible after the season, and while he shouldn’t be in danger, but he is a lefty reliever with velocity. He ended the year in Reading, and might put himself in a place for a callup if it goes well.
RHP Mitch Neunborn (Free Agent 2023)
Mitch Neunborn as long been a staple of Australian baseball and was a key reliever for Team Australia in the WBC. The Phillies signed him after the tournament, but he didn’t join the org until June. He start the year in the bullpen for Jersey Shore before moving to the rotation in mid-July. Down the stretch he had some dominant starts and some clunkers. He was a 26 year old facing players 4-5 years his junior with Jersey Shore. He is built more like a reliever, but with a fastball that has gotten up to the mid 90s, a slider, and a splitter his arsenal is more shaped like a starter. Presumably he will get some more time in a rotation in the AFL to see if there is more promise there.
RHP Dominic Pipkin (9th Round 2018)
The Phillies signed Pipkin to an overslot bonus in 2018, and they pushed him quickly as a starting pitcher. He has always struggled with control and missing bats despite throwing hard. The Phillies moved him to the bullpen full time in 2023 and his stuff has ticked up. He is now sitting upper 90s, touching up to 100. He still throws a changeup, but now throws a mix of slider, cutter, and curveball. He was dominant over the last month and a half with Reading, allowing just 2 runs his last 12 games (12.2 innings) with 4 walks and 14 strikeouts, while holding opposing batters to a .196 batting average. To fit in a major league bullpen he will need to miss bats at a higher rate, but that might come with refining his arsenal and getting more experience in the role. He is Rule 5 eligible again, and probably won’t be protected or taken, but a good fall could change that, and he might still come into the spring with a chance to but himself on the major league radar (like McKinley Moore this season).