Arizona Fall League Prospect Report: Homers Abound In The Desert
Image credit: Kyle Manzardo (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
Michael Trautwein, C, Reds: Entering the Fall League, Trautwein had hit just eight home runs in 396 professional at-bats, six of which came this past season at Double-A Chattanooga. On Wednesday, he clobbered two more. Cincinnati’s 2021 13th-round pick out of Northwestern hit longballs to both right and left field in Surprise’s rout of Glendale. The outburst brings his AFL total to three home runs and his overall line in the early going to .333/.444/.933.
Peyton Wilson, OF, Royals: Trautwein wasn’t the only Saguaros player with multiple home runs on Wednesday. Wilson, whom the Royals took out of Alabama with their supplemental second-round pick in the 2021 draft, clubbed his first two dingers of the AFL with blasts in the fourth and seventh innings. Wilson’s power this season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas mostly showed up in his doubles total. His 33 two-baggers were the most in the Texas League. He hit six home runs in the regular year.
Damiano Palmegiani, 3B, Blue Jays: The 23-year-old Canadian got his first test at the upper levels this past season and put himself firmly on the map. Between Double-A and Triple-A, Palmegiani hit .255/.364/.478 with 33 doubles and 23 home runs. He showed off that power again on Wednesday with his first AFL home run, a massive blast off in the midst of a 10-run fourth-inning outburst from his Saguaros squad. He reached base three times and now boasts an 1.186 OPS in the early weeks of AFL play.
Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians: On Monday, Manzardo hit a majestic home run an estimated 448 feet to center field at Peoria. On Wednesday, he outdid himself. This time, the Cleveland prospect’s home run went a project 460 feet deep to right at Salt River Fields. The bomb was hit with an exit velocity of 108.3 mph and was part of a three-hit night in Peoria’s loss. He has home runs in each of his last three games.
Ivan Melendez, 1B, D-backs: A few hours before the D-backs clinched a spot in the NLCS, Melendez provided a loud glimpse of the future. Arizona’s second-round pick from the 2022 draft got a hanging breaking ball from Peoria starter Ike Buxton and sent it out to deep left field. The blast was his first of the fall and left the bat with an exit velocity of 109.8 mph. It traveled a projected 420 feet.
THURSDAY PROBABLE ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE STARTERS
RHP Trent Palmer (Blue Jays/Surprise) vs. TBA (Salt River)
RHP Christian McGowan (Phillies/Scottsdale) vs. LHP Jordan Carr (Twins/Glendale)
RHP Tyler Guilfoil (Tigers/Mesa) vs. LHP Ryan Webb (Guardians/Peoria)
Wednesday’s Top Performers
| Player | Team | ORG | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | Notes |
| Melendez, Ivan | SRR | ARI | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .222 | .364 | .407 | HR |
| Vukovich, A.J. | SRR | ARI | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .227 | .346 | .318 | 2B, 3 SB |
| McCabe, David | SRR | ATL | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .211 | .483 | .263 | 2B, SB |
| Alcántara, Kevin | MSS | CHC | 4 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | .185 | .267 | .407 | HR |
| Franklin, Christian | MSS | CHC | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .316 | .350 | .421 | 2B |
| Triantos, James | MSS | CHC | 5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .400 | .571 | .650 | 3B |
| Hurtubise, Jacob | SUR | CIN | 5 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .324 | .452 | .382 | SB |
| Trautwein, Michael | SUR | CIN | 3 | 2 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | .333 | .444 | .933 | 2 HR |
| Cairo, Christian | PEJ | CLE | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .231 | .333 | .231 | |
| Manzardo, Kyle | PEJ | CLE | 5 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .267 | .389 | .633 | 2B, HR |
| Montgomery, Benny | SRR | COL | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .320 | .419 | .320 | |
| Bigbie, Justice | SRR | DET | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | .318 | .483 | .409 | |
| Dezenzo, Zach | MSS | HOU | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .185 | .353 | .407 | 2 2B |
| Wilson, Peyton | SUR | KCR | 5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0 | .417 | .516 | .792 | 2B, 2 HR |
| Berry, Jacob | PEJ | MIA | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .360 | .448 | .480 | |
| Brown Jr., Eric | SUR | MIL | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | .313 | .371 | .469 | 2B |
| Sabato, Aaron | GDD | MIN | 4 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .192 | .300 | .385 | 2B |
| Schwartz, JT | GDD | NYM | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .278 | .350 | .278 | |
| Durbin, Caleb | MSS | NYY | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .316 | .500 | .474 | 2B, 2 SB |
| Dunn, Oliver | SCO | PHI | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | .364 | .462 | .909 | 2B, HR |
| Rincones Jr., Gabriel | SCO | PHI | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | .333 | .455 | .593 | 2B, HR |
| Brannigan, Jack | SRR | PIT | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .200 | .310 | .320 | 2 2B, SB |
| Williams, Carson | PEJ | TBR | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .333 | .486 | .407 | 2B, SB |
| Cauley, Cam | SUR | TEX | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | .080 | .233 | .160 | 3B |
| Palmegiani, Domiano | SUR | TOR | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | .400 | .536 | .650 | HR |
| Robertson, Will | SUR | TOR | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .250 | .478 | .375 | 2B |
| Hassell III, Robert | SCO | WAS | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .292 | .321 | .292 | |
| Pineda, Israel | SCO | WAS | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | .158 | .158 | .316 | HR |
| Player | Team | ORG | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | |
| Baumler, Carter | MSS | BAL | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4.50 | |
| Van Loon, Peter | MSS | BAL | 2 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 22.50 | L |
| Hull, Nick | MSS | CHC | 3.2 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 12.27 | |
| Eder, Jake | GDD | CHWS | 3.1 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5.40 | L |
| Smith, Dylan | SRR | DET | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 2.25 | |
| Cerantola, Eric | SUR | KCR | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.00 | |
| Zerpa, Angel | SUR | KCR | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3.00 | |
| Torres, Eric | SCO | LAA | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0.00 | |
| Williams, Kendall | GDD | LAD | 3.2 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 5 | 9.82 | L |
| Buxton, Ike | PEJ | MIA | 4.2 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3.86 | |
| Thomas, Tyler | GDD | NYM | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 13.50 | |
| Dombkowski, Nick | SRR | PIT | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 0.00 | |
| Flowers, JC | SRR | PIT | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 3.00 | |
| Santana, Tyler | MSS | PIT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 | |
| Pena, Francis | PEJ | SDP | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4.50 | |
| Lonsway, Seth | SCO | SFG | 1.2 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 10.80 | |
| Hjerpe, Cooper | SCO | STL | 1.2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 5.40 | |
| Nunez, Edwin | SCO | STL | 2.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0.00 | |
| Workman, Logan | PEJ | TBR | 4.2 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 3.86 | W |
| Bratt, Mitch | SUR | TEX | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 9.00 | |
| Kent, Zak | SUR | TEX | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1.80 | W |
| Herz, DJ | SCO | WAS | 4 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6.75 |
