Well, another Fall League season has come and gone, so let’s take a look at a few of the things that we have learned from this season.

AFL Updates

Jeimer Candelario is Really, Really Good

Candelario, a third baseman in the Cubs organization, might not have been on the forty-man roster before the Arizona Fall League started, but he is now. That’s thanks to the monster fall season he put together in the desert. Over 21 games, Candelario hit .329 with five home runs, 15 RBI, 10 runs scored, a .371 on-base percentage, and a .610 slugging percentage over 82 at-bats. With just 46 games at Double-A, Candelario is almost certainly returning there to open the year, but he will almost certainly be in the majors at some point in 2016.

James Paxton is Healthy – and Maybe Overrated…

The Mariners sent their oft-injured starting pitcher down to the Arizona Fall League both due to the lack of innings he has had over the last two years and the lack of talent in their system that they actually could send. Paxton did finish second in the league in strikeouts, with 29, in 29 1/3 innings, so that is certainly good, but his overall results were quite mediocre.

Through seven starts, Paxton was 2-4 with a 4.60 ERA, a 1.53 WHIP, and a .308 batting average against. Yes, he was facing some of the best hitting prospects in the minors, but the key word there is minors; Paxton is supposed to be a major league pitcher, so this league should have been easy pickings for him. The fact that it wasn’t even close to that should be troubling, both for the Mariners and for fantasy owners that have held on to Paxton waiting for that magical day when he would be finally healthy. Well, he’s healthy – just not good.

Without Chemical Enhancements, Adalberto Mejia is a Bit of a Mixed Bag

Mejia, a starting pitcher from the Giants’ organization, missed significant time in 2015 thanks to his use of Sibutramine, a medication formerly used for weight loss that has been banned on multiple continents. Arriving in the desert with something to prove, he failed in that regard.

His overall numbers of 2-2 with a 3.48 ERA aren’t horrible by any means, but his 26:14 strikeout-to-walk ratio is extremely mediocre, and far worse than he has done in the regular season. Further, his starts were very erratic, as he alternated between being very hittable and completely untouchable. Mejia will return to Double-A, where hopefully he will be able to pitch a full season, and I really don’t think he did anything positive for his stock in Arizona.

The Pirates Don’t Need to Think About Trading Andrew McCutchen Anytime Soon

Austin Meadows is definitely an exciting prospect. However, he’s not even legal drinking age yet, nor is he even close to major league ready. The Pirates wanted to see what he could do out in the desert, joining some of the elite hitting prospects in feasting on mediocre pitching in a very hitter friendly environment. Except, that’s not how it turned out for Meadows, who put together a simply disastrous performance while in the AFL.

In 16 games, over 65 at-bats, Meadows hit just .169 with one home run, 11 RBI, and seven runs scored. Meadows had shown patience in the Florida State League, but that was nonexistent in the desert, where he had more strikeouts (12) than hits (11). Meadows got a brief look at the Eastern League in 2015, and he will get a much, much longer look there in 2016. There’s no reason to expect him to appear in the majors before 2017.

Gary Sanchez Will Be in the Bronx in 2016 – the Only Question is How Soon

Sanchez has been moving through the ranks of the Yankees’ organization for a while now, since signing with them back in July 2009. Finally, the 22-year-old Sanchez (who turns 23 December 2) appears ready to make his debut. After solid performances at the Eastern League and International League in 2015, Sanchez was a monster in the Fall League, hitting .295 with seven home runs, 21 RBI, and 16 runs scored over 88 at-bats, with a .357 on-base percentage and .625 slugging percentage. Just to show that there are some catchers that actually know how to run, he swiped four bases. Yes, Brian McCann is coming off of an outstanding 2015 of his own, but the Yankees have surprisingly shown that they are willing to commit to youth when ready, and Sanchez is ready.

With the Arizona Fall League over, we’ll be moving on to organizational reports, as we kick off December with the top prospects of the American League East. See you then!

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