Arizona Fall League Top MLB Prospects Hot Sheet (10/28/19)

Image credit: Seth Beer (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

Welcome back to the Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet, which ranks the 10 hottest prospects in the AFL each week. This installment of the Prospect Hot Sheet considers what players did during the period covering Oct. 21-27. This week’s list is curated by Ben Badler.

Remember, this simply recognizes what the hottest prospects in the minors did in the past week—it’s not a re-ranking of the Baseball America Top 100 Prospects.

1. Seth Beer, OF/1B, D-backs
Team: Salt River
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .385/.429/.615 (5-for-13), 2 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBIs, 0 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Beer was one of the top performers in the AFL, batting .315/.375/.452 in 19 games. If Beer has a strong first half in 2020, he could be up in the big leagues before the end of the year.

2. Spencer Howard, RHP, Phillies
Team: Scottsdale
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 SO

The Scoop: While a lot of teams shy away from sending their premium pitching prospects to the AFL, the Phillies assigned Howard there after he threw just 71 innings during the regular season. He showed electric stuff, ranking fourth in the league in strikeouts (27) in 21.2 innings with a 2.11 ERA and 10 walks.

3. Reggie Lawson, RHP, Padres
Team: Peoria
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: Lawson made the most of his three appearances in the AFL, posting a 14-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 innings with an ERA of 0.82. It’s not much, but it’s a positive finish to the season for Lawson, who during the regular season didn’t pitch after May 9 due to an elbow injury.

4. Royce Lewis, SS, Twins
Team: Salt River
Age: 20
Why He’s Here: .333/.333/.417 (4-for-12), 2 R, 1 2B, 3 RBIs, 0 BB, 2 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: After his struggles during the regular season, it was promising to see Lewis flourish in the AFL, where he won the league’s MVP award. That doesn’t overwrite what happened in the regular season, but when he’s in sync and on time, he still shows the ability that made him the No. 1 overall draft pick two years ago.

5. Nick Neidert, RHP, Marlins
Team: Salt River
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: 0-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 5 H, 1 HBP, 0 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: Neidert finished sixth in the AFL in ERA (1.25) while posting a sharp 19-to-2 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 21.2 innings. It was a positive finish for Neidert, who had surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his right knee and threw just 54 innings during the regular season.

6. Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox
Team: Peoria
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .385/.529/.462 (5-for-13), 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBIs, 4 BB, 2 SO, 3-for-4 SB

The Scoop: A seventh-round pick a year ago, Duran’s stock grew after a hot start in high Class A Salem, but when he got to Portland, he hit just .250/.309/.325 in 82 games. The speedy center fielder finished his AFL with a .267/.337/.400 slash line in 24 games.

7. Stuart Fairchild, OF, Reds
Team: Glendale
Age: 23
Why He’s Here: .429/.556/.429 (3-for-7), 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Fairchild’s time in the AFL was brief, so there isn’t much to take away from what he did there. He hit .353/.405/.471 in nine games.

8. Andres Gimenez, SS, Mets
Team: Scottsdale
Age: 21
Why He’s Here: .500/.500/.625 (4-for-8), 1 2B, 1 SO

The Scoop: Like Royce Lewis, Gimenez came to the AFL after a disappointing regular season but thrived in Arizona. He won the league’s batting title and his .999 OPS was the best in the AFL, with a .371/.413/.586 overall line in 18 games.

9. Ali Sanchez, C, Mets
Team: Scottsdale
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .455/.500/.545 (5-for-11), 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: Sanchez has good hands both at the plate and behind them. He doesn’t deliver much impact, but he’s adept at putting the ball in play and saves a lot of runs with his receiving ability.

10. Jerar Encarnacion, OF, Marlins
Team: Salt River
Age: 22
Why He’s Here: .429/.429/.429 (3-for-7), 3 SO

The Scoop: Encarnacion swings at too many pitches off the plate, but if he gets ahold of a fastball in his kill zone, he’s a threat to hammer it out of the park. The 6-foot-4 Marlins outfielder finished the AFL batting .269/.315/.433 with three home runs, five walks and 28 strikeouts in 19 games.