Cubs Minor League News: AFL Edition |
While most of the sports world is paying attention to the MLB playoffs and the NFL, some baseball enthusiasts look forward to the beginning of October, as the Arizona Fall League kicked off on Monday. The league is a culmination of some of the best prospects across all 30 MLB organizations, mixed with several other guys they are looking to give more work to.
The Cubs are no stranger to the Arizona fall league, as several players have broken out in the past three seasons. From Caleb Kilian dominating the scene in 2021 and pitching six perfect innings in the Championship game to Nelson Velazquez putting on one of the best power displays the league has ever seen in 2022, the Cubs prospects have had a ton of success, which is what they are hoping for this season. Although the list of Cubs prospects isn't going to excite you as it has in the past, it is worth noting that No. 4 prospect (No.41 overall) Moises Ballesteros will be getting some run in the fall league and could be one of the breakout candidates this season. He will be joined by Ben Cowles, the No. 30 prospect acquired in the Mark Leiter Jr trade, RHP Grant Kipp, 1B Jonathon Long coming off his breakout season, RHP Shane Marshall, RHP Aaron Perry, RHP Vince Reilly, and RHP Luis Rujano. Clearly the Cubs focus was to go pitching heavy with a lot of their Fall League options, but it is nice to see Ballesteros and Long getting some more action coming off the seasons they had while Cowles is getting back in the mix after missing most of the second half with a broken wrist. All the exciting action got underway on Monday night when the Surprise Saguaros faced off against the Mesa Solar Sox for the AFL Opening Night. Expecting there to be plenty of fireworks given the Arizona hitting environment, it was the exact opposite of what anyone expected as the Max Ferguson single in the ninth would be all the Solar Sox would need as they walked off the Saguaros 1-0 to open the 2024 campaign. While most of the Cubs prospects will have to wait until later this season to make their fall debuts, Ballesteros and Cowles did see action as they played all nine innings. Neither player managed to come up with a hit, as Ballesteros went 0-3 with a walk, and Cowles went 0-4 with a punchout. Considering Ballesteros's season, which saw him hit close to .290 with 19 homers and 78 RBIs, there is a ton of hype surrounding him this fall, as a big AFL season could lead to some potential opening-day shuffling in 2025. 2 Cubs prospects were in the starting lineup for the Mesa Solar Sox tonight. Moises Ballesteros and Ben Cowles. Here’s each of them at bat and in the field. #Cubs #YouHaveToSeeIt #AFL24 pic.twitter.com/3cNxshb2A7 Cowles is mainly coming here to get the extra work in, as he only played in 12 games after being acquired at the deadline. This is also a unique experience for him as Mesa will play their home games at Sloan Park, which is the sight for the Cubs Spring Training games. While neither player came away with a hit, you did see the overall potential from Ballesteros in his first at-bat as he lined out sharply to Center Field in the first for one of the better-struck balls of the night. He would then pop out and ground out over his next two plate appearances before working a walk late in the game to reach base. On the other hand, Cowles had a better night, with most of his success coming defensively late in the game as he made two outstanding plays at the shortstop position. Cowles also had what looked to be the game-winning homer at the bottom of the seventh, only to have Alejandro Osuna pull it back to keep things scoreless. Cowles did have a chance to play the hero in the ninth, as he came to bat with two on and no one out, only to fly out for a third consecutive plate appearance to end his night. Mesa will have the day off before taking the field again on Wednesday. Look for Long to see some action in that game, with the possibility of a few Cubs arms.
