Under the desert sun, the future of baseball is taking shape. The Arizona Fall League is again full of top prospects, all of whom are looking to make an impact in the big leagues.
The AFL, which opened its 33rd season this week with six teams competing in ballparks spread across the Valley, features 11 Top 100 prospects according to MLB Pipeline, including two of the top six in shortstops Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers and the Texas Rangers’ Sebastian Walcott.
The AFL is meant to serve as a developmental league for some of the premier prospects in baseball.
It gives the young guns the ability to showcase their skills, make up for time lost due to injury and play in a more relaxed, but still competitive environment as they battle for MLB roster spots.
For most prospects, the AFL is a way to get on scouts’ radars. For top prospects, it becomes a little more than that.
There is an expectation for higher performance for these highly rated players as they make their leap to the majors.
Three top prospects who are expected to make their MLB debut sooner rather than later are McGonigle, Walcott and Braden Montgomery.
Walcott, the sixth-rated prospect in baseball who is suiting up for the Surprise Saguaros in the AFL, knows with great talent comes great responsibility.
“I’m just trying to have fun, compete,” Walcott said. “That’s the main goal right now. But obviously trying to come here and dominate and have success.”
These prospects recognize that just because they have the talent, it doesn’t mean they don’t have to work hard to achieve their dreams.
McGonigle, the second-rated prospect in baseball, can attest to that.
The talented shortstop who is playing for the Scottsdale Scorpions is coming off a big season in the minor leagues. In 88 games between Low-A, High-A and Double-A, McGonigle hit .305, with 19 home runs and a .991 OPS, vaulting up the prospect rankings.
But he still believes he has aspects of his game that need work.
“The defensive side of baseball,” McGonigle said. “I’ve got a lot of work to do over there. I know I have a lot of work to do in all parts of my game, but I think my main focus out here is definitely going to be defense. Working at third base, shortstop, second base, being ready to play all the different positions just in case the Tigers need me one day at a position.”
Walcott is coming off a strong season as well where he stole 32 bases in 124 games in Double-A, but he plans to use his time in the Valley to focus on other skills.
“Mainly bat path,” Walcott said. “Working with the Rangers, trying to get the ball in the air a little bit more. Just trying to increase my power and my power numbers and trying to overall increase my slugging.”
With a shot at the big leagues on the horizon for many of these top prospects, the AFL offers ample opportunities to face new challenges. With rosters stacked with athletes assigned by their parent clubs, the AFL opened the season last Monday and will run through Nov. 15, including games in Tucson for the first time since 2002 when Kino Sports Complex hosts a tripleheader Saturday.
Montgomery, an outfielder in the Chicago White Sox system and the No. 35 prospect in baseball, plans to make the most of his time with the AFL’s Glendale Desert Dogs.
“I just want to fit my game, personality and character wherever it can,” Montgomery said. “Obviously, all guys have different approaches to it and how they get things done. So I just want to add what I can to what we hope to be a winning culture and win as many games as possible.”
Montgomery is hoping to gain as much insight and knowledge into the sport as possible during the 2025 AFL campaign in order to become the player he knows he can be.
“I think just the more I can be around baseball, the more I’m around good players, the more I want to move the needle in my own game,” Montgomery said. “Because obviously the goal is to be a big leader, an All-Star, and eventually everyone wants to be in the Hall of Fame.
“So as many good days as I can stack up on top of each other. I think at the end of it, I’ll be happy with what I’ve done.”
Be the first to comment