AFL Clubs Feature 14 Top 100 Prospects, Including Jac Caglianone (KC),
Ethan Salas (SD), Xavier Isaac (TB) and Bryce Eldridge (SF)
Unprecedented Broadcast Access for Fans Thanks to Live streaming on AFL Website, in addition to MLB Network Airing Fall Stars Game (Nov. 9th) & AFL Championship Game (Nov. 16th)
Tempe, Az. – Major League Baseball has announced the rosters and coaching staffs of the 2024 Arizona Fall League (AFL), which begins with an AFL Opening Night match-up on Monday, October 7th featuring the Surprise Saguaros vs. Mesa Solar Sox at Sloan Park. This season’s rosters feature 14 players on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list, headlined by a top-20 trio of No. 15 prospect 1B/LHP Jac Caglianone (Kansas City Royals), No. 17 C Ethan Salas (San Diego Padres), and No. 18 1B Xavier Isaac (Tampa Bay Rays).
The AFL’s highest-ranked prospect, Caglianone ripped 12 extra-base hits in 29 games for Quad Cities (A+) after he was selected sixth overall in the 2024 MLB Draft. Salas, who turned 18 in June, represented the Padres in the All-Star Futures Game in July and ranked second in the Midwest League with 27 doubles for the Fort Wayne TinCaps (A+). Isaac posted an .850 OPS with 18 home runs in 102 games between Bowling Green (A+) and Montgomery (AA).
The Peoria Javelinas and Scottsdale Scorpions have the most MLB Pipeline Top 100 prospects (four). Along with Salas, Peoria’s roster features his Padres organization teammate, No. 44 SS Leodalis De Vries, and twoSeattle Marinersprospects, No. 27 SS Colt Emerson and No. 34 SS/2B Cole Young. Scottsdale’s roster is led by No. 50 1B Bryce Eldridge of the San Francisco Giants, who started the 2024 season in Low-A and finished at the Triple-A level, and slashed .292/.375/.518 in 115 games at the age of 19. Eldridge is joined in Scottsdale by a pair of New York Mets prospects (No. 53 SS/OF Jett Williams and No. 76 OF Drew Gilbert), along with No. 78 2B/SS Termarr Johnson of the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The AFL rosters include four organizational No. 1 prospects: Caglianone (Royals), Salas (Padres), Emerson (Mariners) and Eldridge (Giants). Additionally, six players on MLB 40-man rosters will play in the AFL this year. Among the players on this year’s Arizona Fall League rosters, 73 of them played in MLB’s inaugural Spring Breakout in March and 10 of them were on All-Star Futures Game rosters in July.
Below is a complete list of AFL Players in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects (listed in order):
| No. 15 – Jac Caglianone – 1B/LHP, Surprise (KC) | No. 41 – Moises Ballesteros – C/1B (CHI) |
| No. 17 – Ethan Salas – C, Peoria (SD) | No. 44 – Leodalis De Vries – SS, Peoria (SD) |
| No. 18 – Xavier Isaac – 1B, Mesa (TB) | No. 50 – Bryce Eldridge – 1B, Scottsdale (SF) |
| No. 25 – Colson Montgomery – SS, Glendale (CHW) | No. 53 – Jett Williams – SS/OF, Scottsdale (NYM) |
| No. 27 – Colt Emerson – SS, Peoria (SEA) | No. 67 – Edwin Arroyo – SS, Glendale (CIN) |
| No. 34 – Cole Young – SS/2B, Peoria (SEA) | No. 76 – Drew Gilbert – OF, Scottsdale (NYM) |
| No. 39 – Chase DeLauter – OF, Surprise (CLE) | No. 78 – Termarr Johnson – 2B/SS, Scottsdale (PIT) |
The AFL is comprised of six teams, with each Major League organization sending at least eight top prospects to fill in the rosters. The AFL teams and their MLB affiliates will be as follows for the 2024 Fall League season.
| AFL CLUB | MLB CLUBS |
| Glendale Desert Dogs | Cardinals, Dodgers, Phillies, Reds, White Sox |
| Mesa Solar Sox | Angels, Athletics, Cubs, Rays, Red Sox |
| Peoria Javelinas | Braves, Brewers, Mariners, Marlins, Padres |
| Salt River Rafters | Diamondbacks, Nationals, Rockies, Twins, Yankees |
| Scottsdale Scorpions | Blue Jays, Giants, Mets, Pirates, Tigers |
| Surprise Saguaros | Astros, Guardians, Orioles, Rangers, Royals |
The AFL’s six coaching staffs are managed by the following individuals: Ben Johnson (Glendale; St. Louis Cardinals), Andy Schatzley (Mesa; Los Angeles Angels), Ryan Scott (Peoria; Seattle Mariners), Tyler Smarslok (Salt River; Minnesota Twins), Dennis Pelfrey (Scottsdale; San Francisco Giants) and Roberto Mercado (Surprise; Baltimore Orioles). Five of the six have professional managerial experience.
Johnson, the longest-tenured of the new AFL managers, finished his fifth season at the helm with the Memphis Redbirds (AAA). Schatzley has managed the Rocket City Trash Pandas (AA) for three seasons and was the 2022 Southern League Manager of the Year. Scott, a Scottsdale native, led the Everett AquaSox (A+) the past two seasons and was the Northwest League Manager of the Year in 2023. Smarslok has spent four years with the St. Paul Saints (AAA) as the bench coach in 2024 and defensive coach from 2021-2023. Pelfrey managed the Richmond Flying Squirrels (AA) the past three seasons and won a championship with the Eugene Emeralds (A+) in 2021. Mercado is fresh off his first season leading the Bowie Baysox (AA) after two seasons at the helm for the Aberdeen IronBirds (A+), where he won the Orioles’ 2022 Cal Ripken Sr. Player Development Award.
The 2024 AFL season is set to open on Monday, October 7, with season highlights including:
- The second-annual Goodyear Ballpark Tripleheader is on Saturday, October 19th at the Spring Training home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.
- The AFL will play a Doubleheader on Saturday, October 26th at American Family Fields in Phoenix, the Spring Training home of the Milwaukee Brewers.
- The annual AFL Fall Stars Game will be played on Saturday, November 9th, preceded by the AFL Home Run Derby on Friday, November 8th. Both events will take place at Sloan Park, the Spring Training home of the Chicago Cubs. The Fall Stars Game will air LIVE on MLB Network, MLB.com and the MLB App.
- The third-annual AFL Play-In Semifinal will be played on Friday, November 15th between the second and third seeds following the conclusion of the AFL regular season. Scottsdale Stadium, the Spring Training home of the San Francisco Giants, will host the game.
- The AFL Championship Game returns to Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the Spring Training home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies, on Saturday, November 16th. The game will be broadcast LIVE on MLB Network, MLB.com and the MLB App.
Thanks to improved technology at all ballparks hosting the Arizona Fall League, most AFL games will stream LIVE on //MLB.com/Arizona-fall-league.
Tickets for the Arizona Fall League can now be purchased online through the AFL website HERE or at the box office on any game-day. Media personnel who wish to be credentialed for the 2024 AFL season can apply through //www.mlb.com/arizona-fall-league under the “About” tab or by clicking the link HERE.
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