Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet: Tigers’ Josue Briceno Continues Power Surge In Week 2

1. Josue Briceno, 1B, Tigers

• Team: Scottsdale Scorpions
• Age: 20
• Why He’s Here: .563/.588/1.063 (9-for-16) 3 R, 1 3B, 2 HR, 4 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: Briceno is a catcher by trade, but to get at-bats in the AFL with the crowded rosters, he’s occupying a first base slot, as the Tigers have Thayron Liranzo on the same team getting games at behind the plate. Briceno’s bat, meanwhile, has taken on the challenge of being a power-hitting first baseman. Last week, he had a three home run game. This week, he had hits in all four games he played, with at least one extra-base hit in three of the four games. (JC)

2. Tommy Troy, 2B, Diamondbacks

• Team: Salt River Rafters
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: .429/.455/.857 (9-for-21) 5 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 CS

The Scoop: Troy needed a week like this. The D-backs’ 2023 first-round pick struggled at times during the 2024 regular season, and he began his stint in the AFL by going 1-for-25, hitting .040/.138/.080 after last Wednesday’s game with 11 strikeouts. His final three games of the week turned that around. Troy was 9-for-14 in those three games with six extra-base hits and just two strikeouts. Troy has played as much second base as shortstop in the AFL after moving there for the final couple of weeks of the regular season. That may be a better long-term fit for him, and the early returns are positive. (JC)

3. Robert Hassell III, OF, Nationals

• Team: Salt River Rafters
• Age: 23
• Why He’s Here: .368/.400/.789 (7-for-19) 4 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 1 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB

The Scoop: The “third time through” penalty apparently has the opposite effect in the Arizona Fall League. Hassell has been on fire over the first two weeks of the season, as he collected seven more hits this week. Hassell now ranks in the top ten among numerous categories over the first two weeks of the AFL season. (GP)

4. Thomas Saggese, 2B, Cardinals

• Team: Glendale Desert Dogs
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: .467/.600/.733 (7-for-15) 4 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 4 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB

The Scoop: Saggese made his MLB debut this September and could be the future of the second base position for the Cardinals. Saggese continued his hit run over the first two weeks of AFL and is now hitting .400/.545/.720 while showing more patience than he has in the desert over the last two years. Saggese is a bat-first second baseman with the ability to hit for batting average and power. (GP) 

5. Max Acosta, SS, Rangers

• Team: Surprise Saguaros
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: .400/.438/.733 (6-for-15) 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 3 SB

The Scoop: Acosta’s job in the AFL is to make the Rangers have a tough call on whether to add him to the 40-man roster or leave him exposed in the Rule 5 draft. The 21-year-old made very positive strides at Double-A Frisco this season, and after a slow start, he’s showing some of the same up-arrow trends in the AFL. He struck out way too much in his first week in Arizona, but this week saw him putting together better at-bats, much like he showed at Frisco. (JC)

6. Moises Ballesteros, C, Cubs

• Team: Mesa Solar Sox
• Age: 20
• Why He’s Here: .429/.467/.714 (6-for-14) 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: Ballesteros hit at Double-A this season. He hit at Triple-A. Now, he’s hitting in the AFL. The young, lefthanded-hitting catcher has gone deep twice in seven AFL games while going 13-for-31 (.419) with three walks and three strikeouts. (ME)

7. Ethan Salas, C, Padres

• Team: Peoria Javelinas
• Age: 18
• Why He’s Here: .438/.474/.625 (7-for-16) 0 R, 3 2B, 6 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO, 2 SB

The Scoop: Salas’ bat began showing signs of life late in the regular season, when he knocked 14 extra-base hits in his final 30 games for High-A Fort Wayne. He is one of the youngest hitters in the AFL this fall but has found the conditions favorable, with six XBHs through eight games. (ME)

8. Brooks Brannon, C, Red Sox

• Team: Mesa Solar Sox
• Age: 20
• Why He’s Here: .583/.643/.833 (7-for-12) 4 R, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 2 BB, 1 SO

The Scoop: If you wanted to pick out the strongest position group of prospects in the AFL, it’s probably catcher, where there seems to be a surplus of talented hitters, many of whom also project to stay behind the plate. Brannon isn’t as high profile as some of the other catchers on this week’s Hot Sheet, but he’s a name to know. He has struggled with injuries, as a hand injury slowed him in 2023 and a knee injury cost him the start of the 2024 season. The AFL is proving to be a perfect way to catch up for lost time, as he’s been one of the better hitters in the league so far despite being on of the younger players in the league. (JC) 

9. Tim Elko, 1B, White Sox

• Team: Glendale Desert Dogs
• Age: 25
• Why He’s Here: .357/.357/.857 (5-for-14) 4 R, 1 2B, 2 HR, 2 RBIs, 7 SO

The Scoop: The former SEC slugger led Chicago’s system in home runs in 2023 and tied Colson Montgomery for most in 2024. He reached Triple-A in the second half and is gaining more experience for a potential 2025 callup to the rebuilding White Sox. Elko has three home runs through six AFL games, albeit with one walk and 13 strikeouts. (ME)

10. Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox

• Team: Glendale Desert Dogs
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: .417/.611/.750 (5-for-12) 5 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBIs, 6 BB, 1 SB, 2 SB

The Scoop: This was the perfect kind of Montgomery week, as he once again demonstrated that if pitchers are going to beat him, they have to come into the strike zone. Montgomery leads the AFL with a .613 on-base percentage, which, not coincidentally, means he also leads the league with 11 runs scored. Montgomery has always drawn his share of walks, but the most important number in the AFL so far is that he has just one strikeout in 31 plate appearances (3.2%). That’s a massive improvement from his 28.6% strikeout percentage at Triple-A this year. (JC)