AFL Prospects to Watch

The Pirates made former UCLA star Gerrit Cole the first overall pick in the
June draft.

In anticipation of the Arizona Fall League beginning play tomorrow, I've put together a list of five of the most intriguing players to watch. The Fall League annually features some of the top prospects in the game, and this year is no different. I'm hoping to catch a few games, seeing as many of the stadiums are within 20 minutes of where I'm living at the moment, and I'll do my best to provide some good analysis from the games that I watch.


Gerrit Cole (Mesa Solar Sox)

As the number one overall selection in the June draft, Pirates righty Gerrit Cole is expected to be one of the main attractions of the Arizona Fall League. He'll be making his professional debut in the Fall League,  as will several of the top 2011 draftees. Cole has electric stuff, featuring a fastball that often touches the triple digits and a good slider and developing change-up. It's unclear when he'll be making his first appearance, but it'll certainly be one worth watching.

Bryce Harper (Scottsdale Scorpions)

Harper will be part of a super outfield for the Scorpions that also features fellow top prospects Mike Trout (Angels) and Gary Brown (Giants). Harper has had the spotlight on him ever since he was 16 and it hasn't changed after entering the Nationals' system. He spent 2011 split between two levels, A Hagerstown and AA Harrisburg, where he hit a combined .297 with 17 HR and 26 stolen bases. Washington shut him down near the end of the season to recover an injured shoulder, so it will be interesting to see what kind of progress he shows throughout the AFL. He struggled at points during his first professional campaign, so expect there to be at least a few adjustments from Harper as he prepares for his debut in the bigs likely sometime during 2013.

Nick Franklin (Peoria Javelinas)

M's shortstop prospect Nick Franklin had an up-and-down 2011 campaign after jumping near the top of many prospect rankings for his stellar 2010. Amid a scary incident after being struck by a bat during BP in June, Franklin posted a .281/.352/.418 line split between three levels this season. His power took a steep decline, as some had anticipated after a surprising 23-homer season for High Desert in 2010. Regardless of the power decline, the switch-hitting Franklin still ranks among the top prospects in the M's system and if he can hold his own in the field, he should continue to progress quickly. The AFL could be a nice stepping stone for his preparation for the start of the 2012 season.

Tim Beckham (Surprise Saguaros)
Many forget that Beckham was the first overall selection of Tampa Bay in the 2008 draft and has since been lost in the bevy of other talented prospects progressing through the Rays' system. In his first four years with the club, he's posted a largely-unimpressive .265/.331/.382 career line. He displayed better power numbers this season, hitting 12 home runs while split between AA Montgomery and AAA Durham, while also improving his stolen base success rate (17 steals, 5 CS). Beckham's supreme athleticism was a big reason why the club selected him with the first overall pick out of Griffin H.S. in Georgia, and at just 21 years of age, there's still plenty of reason to be optimistic about his future.


Honorable mentions: Danny Hultzen (SEA), Wil Myers (KC), Andrew Cashner (CHC), Adeiny Hechevarria (TOR)