Philadelphia Phillies Arizona Fall League Preview

It’s that time of year again. Labor Day means the Arizona Fall League is almost upon us. Before we jump into a review of the prospects that have been selected to play there for the Phillies, let’s go over a primer about the league itself. Just like it’s name, the league is played in the fall in Arizona. There are six teams that comprise the league – Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Scottsdale Scorpions, Glendale Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas, Surprise Saguaros. Most of the top minor league players are selected to play in the league and it gives those players exposure to many scouts and general managers of MLB organizations. To give you an idea about the seriousness of the league, Ronald Acuna and Gleyber Torres were the last two MVPs. Some teams also send players who may have missed time during the year to get more at-bats or innings pitched or to see how those players fare against better competition. The Phillies are sending eight players to the league this year. Of those eight, Sixto Sanchez is the one player that most of us are most curious about BUT the other ones do provide some potential for anyone looking to gain an edge on their competition in dynasty leagues.

Sixto Sanchez
Ranked #1 on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
Sanchez only started 8 games this year before being shut down with an elbow injury. He struck out almost a batter per inning with a 1.07 WHIP, continuing the success he had in 2017. He does have ace potential so we will all have our eyes on him to see how he looks after the injury.

Arquimedes Gamboa
Ranked #11 on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
Gamboa struggled somewhat this year, as shown by his .219/.309/.285 slash line in advance Single-A league. He still flashed some potential with his glove and with his raw tools over the year. There is still a starting-shortstop in the making here.

Darick Hall
Ranked #18 on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
Hall smacked 25 home runs over two levels this year, which showed his power potential that started last year. His batting-average took a dip once he was promoted to Double-A and he does have strikeout issues but it will be interesting to see if his power plays at Triple-A next year.

Austin Listi
Ranked #27 on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
The 24-year old outfielder finished up 2018 by hitting 18 home runs in only 414 at-bats. He had a solid slash line of .319/.415/.514. He could be a regular outfielder in the majors if he continues the developmental path.

Luke Leftwich
Unranked on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
Leftwich is a solid right-handed reliever for the organization, average over a strikeout an inning for 2018 and for the 4 years he’s been active. He tends to walk a few too many batters but if he can harness that control a little more, he could have a future in the the big-league bullpen.

Seth McGarry
Unranked on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
McGarry was obtained in the 2017 trade that sent Joaquin Benoit to the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was an 8th round pick in the 2015 draft. His profile is similar to Leftwich’s above, in that he’s a right-handed pitcher who can strike out batters but also has control concerns.

Tyler Viza
Unranked on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
The right-hander had a solid season for the organization, with 77 strikeouts in 79.1 innings. Over his minor league career, he has started 113 games with a 4.12 ERA.

Luke Williams
Unranked on my Midseason Phillies Top 50 List.
Third-baseman for the Single-A Clearwater team hit 9 home runs in 379 at-bats. Projects to be a utility player if he makes The Show. In 4 minor league seasons, he has a slash line of .236/.308/.311.

 

Featured image of Darick Hall – via Tom Hagerty on Flickr

Tony Bps Spina is a lifelong baseball fan hailing from the City of Brotherly Love - Philadelphia! Tony has loved baseball since 1980 and has followed the Phillies through good and bad times. Tony is married with 3 kids and works for a financial institution but has enough free time to play in 20 fantasy baseball leagues with 75% of them being Dynasty Leagues. He lives a few blocks away from Citizens Bank Park and attends many Phillies games per year in addition to their minor league teams in Lehigh Valley and Reading. He can be reached on Twitter at @TonyBps1.




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