Among its many functions, the Arizona Fall League serves as a finishing school for some of the game’s finest prospects. Giants first baseman Bryce Eldridge, for example, will add six weeks to his season after rocketing from Low-A to Triple-A in his first full year as a pro.
The league also allows players who missed large chunks of the season to make up for lost time. Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson fits that bill perfectly. The 2023 first-rounder was limited by injuries to just 70 games in 2024. Now, he’ll headline a star-studded Peoria club while getting more at-bats under his belt.
The third, and often less discussed function of the league, is as a final look for front offices at players who will become—or are already—eligible to selected in the winter’s Rule 5 draft. The current iteration of rosters show 72 players whom clubs will need to add to their 40-man roster or risk them being plucked by another team come December.
Colson Montgomery, SS, White Sox
Montgomery is the only Top 100 prospect in the AFL who finds himself eligible for the Rule 5 draft. This is his second straight season in the Fall League, this time coming after an inconsistent season at Triple-A Charlotte. There is no drama here. Montgomery is certain to be added to the roster and protected from the draft.
Benjamin Cowles, SS, Cubs
Cowles moved from the Yankees to the Cubs at the trade deadline—along with reliever Jack Neely—as part of the package used to bring righthander Mark Leiter Jr. to New York. Cowles is spending his second consecutive season in the AFL, this time vying for a shot on the Cubs’ 40-man roster. He showed well at Double-A Somerset before the trade but landed on the injured list after just four games at Double-A Tennessee afterward. He’ll make up those lost reps while also trying to prove himself worthy of protection.
Denzel Clarke, OF, Athletics
The story with Clarke has long been the same: He’s as tooled-up as any player you’ll find in the system, but it still hasn’t come together. If it does, he has tremendous upside. He finished 2024 season with 42 extra-base hits and 36 stolen bases with Double-A Midland, but his strikeout rate was just a hair better than 30%. If he can make more contact, he has the potential to make a big impact.
Caleb Durbin, 2B, Yankees
Durbin posted a 1.054 OPS last year in the AFL, a jump of nearly 200 points from the mark he’d produced during the regular season at High-A Hudson…