Arizona Fall League Prospect Report: Eric Brown Jr. Connects For First AFL Home Run
Image credit: (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
Eric Brown Jr., SS, Brewers: Brown’s 2023 season was up and down as he adjusted his setup and swing. The Arizona Fall League has been a strong showing for Brown who’s hitting .304/.409/.430 over 22 games with the Saguaros. Brown hit his first Fall League home run on Wednesday, connecting for a two-run homer to left field off of Kendall Williams.
Kevin Parada, C, Mets: It hasn’t been the most exciting Fall League for the Mets 2022 first rounder. Parada hasn’t met expectations as a professional, but will show flashes of the impact hitting that made him a star at Georgia Tech. On Wednesday, Parada hit the go-ahead double to put Glendale up 3-2. The Desert Dogs piled on from there to defeat the Saguaros 11-2.
Damon Keith, OF, Dodgers: We recently featured the Dodgers outfielder as a player who gained exit velocity in 2023. Keith added a good bit of raw power in 2023 but it was at the expense of his bat-to-ball skills. Perhaps the Fall League is a hint that Keith will find a better balance in 2024. He has shown well, hitting .291/.361/.564 over 15 games. On Wednesday, Keith hit his third home run of the Fall League, as he contributed to the Desert Dogs offensive explosion.
Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Cardinals: The Cardinals 2022 first rounder tossed two scoreless innings in relief on Wednesday. The lefthander is making up for lost innings in 2023 after dealing with an elbow injury. Hjerpe struckout three over two innings landing 17 of his 28 pitches for strikes. Hjerpe has a trio of pitches in his fastball, slider and changeup that can miss bats in-zone at a high rate, despite a lack of average or better power on his pitches.
Ben Cowles, SS, Yankees: Who is Ben Cowles? The Yankees 10th round pick back in 2021, Cowles is making a name for himself in the AFL. Through 16 games with Mesa, Cowles is hitting .333/.448/.611 with three home runs. Cowles connected for his third home run of the Fall League on Wednesday night, as the Mesa Solar Sox trounced Scottsdale 7-0.
Wednesday’s Top Performers
| Player | Team | Org. | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | |
| McCabe, David | SRR | ATL | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .283 | .450 | .350 | 2B |
| Bowens, TT | MSS | BAL | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .200 | .324 | .400 | 3B |
| Cook, Billy | MSS | BAL | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .196 | .352 | .464 | |
| McDonough, Tyler | GDD | BOS | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .297 | .386 | .459 | 2B, CS |
| DeLauter, Chase | PEJ | CLE | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .254 | .349 | .463 | 2B |
| Thompson, Sterlin | SRR | COL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 | .348 | .465 | .493 | 2B |
| Burke, Jacobs | GDD | CWS | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .230 | .326 | .351 | 2 2B |
| Ramos, Bryan | GDD | CWS | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .266 | .338 | .391 | HR |
| Corona, Kenedy | MSS | HOU | 5 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .154 | .214 | .154 | 2B |
| Keith, Damon | GDD | LAD | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .280 | .357 | .520 | HR |
| Brown Jr., Eric | SUR | MIL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .307 | .416 | .400 | HR |
| Rosario, Kala’i | GDD | MIN | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .176 | .282 | .456 | 2B |
| Parada, Kevin | GDD | NYM | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .169 | .210 | .373 | 2B |
| Cowles, Benjamin | MSS | NYY | 5 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .347 | .468 | .592 | HR |
| Durbin, Caleb | MSS | NYY | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .339 | .468 | .565 | 2B, SB |
| Dunn, Oliver | SCO | PHI | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .350 | .473 | .667 | SB |
| Pauley, Graham | PEJ | SDP | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .254 | .288 | .478 | 2B |
| Hassell III, Robert | SCO | WAS | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .273 | .338 | .345 | SB |
| Player | Team | Org. | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | IBB | SO | ||
| Maxwell, Zach | SUR | CIN | 1.2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2.38 | |
| Webb, Ryan | PEJ | CLE | 4.1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 5.30 | L |
| McMahon, Chris | SRR | COL | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 9.39 | W |
| Williams, Case | SRR | COL | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1.88 | |
| Blubaugh, A.J. | MSS | HOU | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2.45 | |
| Chaney, Chase | SCO | LAA | 3 | 8 | 5 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 13.91 | L |
| Casparius, Ben | GDD | LAD | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 7.71 | |
| Williams, Kendall | GDD | LAD | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4.86 | W |
| Santana, Tyler | MSS | PIT | 4.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2.76 | W |
| Hjerpe, Cooper | SCO | STL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4.32 | |
| Bratt, Mitch | SUR | TEX | 3 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 8.74 | |
| Kent, Zak | SUR | TEX | 2.1 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 8.10 | L |
| Herz, DJ | SCO | WAS | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3.71 |
