Tuesday, November 10

Fifteen Top 100 Prospects have played in the Arizona Fall League this season and several of them have thrived. White Sox outfielder Caleb Bonemer, Phillies third baseman Aidan Miller and Angels shortstop Arjun Nimmala rank among the top hitters in the developmental circuit. Nationals right-hander Jarlin Susana has stood out as unquestionably the best pitching prospect.

There also are a number of prospects making names for themselves who not only aren't on the Top 100, but they didn't even make our organization Top 30 lists. Here are seven who have significantly raised their profiles and played in Sunday's Fall Stars Game.

Kevin Bazzell, C, Salt River (Nationals)

A 2024 third-round pick from Texas Tech, Bazzell is one of the better all-around catchers in the AFL. He has a good approach and average power, which have translated into a .349/.500/.605 line and league-best 7 percent strikeout rate. He also gets the job done behind the plate and has a strong arm.

Yerlin Confidan, OF, Peoria (Reds)

The Fall Stars Game MVP, Confidan has displayed well-above-average power while posting the best exit velocities in the league. Signed for $200,000 out of the Dominican Republic in 2019, he's batting .323/.380/.585 and having more success against non-fastballs than he has in the Minors. His arm strength enhances his right-field profile.

Kyle DeBarge, INF/OF, Salt River (Twins)

After struggling in Double-A this season, DeBarge has rebounded to hit .347/.473/.625 with four homers and eight steals in 20 games while showing the versatility to play all over the infield and outfield. A 2024 supplemental first-rounder from Louisiana-Lafayette, he possesses plus speed and has a steep right-handed stroke that enables him to get the most out of his fringy raw power.

Vance Honeycutt, OF, Peoria (Orioles)

Honeycutt may have the best all-around tools in the Fall League and he has continued a late-season surge that began in Double-A. The 2024 first-rounder from North Carolina is hitting .256/.500/.535 with three homers and eight steals in 14 games and posting a manageable 24 percent strikeout rate -- down from 42 percent during two years in Single-A and High-A. He has well-above-average raw power and speed, and some scouts believe he's the best defensive outfielder in the Minors.

Jack O'Dowd, C, Salt River (Rockies)
After going undrafted as a college second baseman at Texas, O'Dowd remade himself as a catcher and hit 22 homers in 84 games in the independent Pioneer League last year to earn a contract from the Rockies. He slashed .307/.383/.564 and reached Double-A in his Minor League debut, and he leads the AFL with six homers in 20 contests while posting a .995 OPS. The son of former Colorado general manager and current MLB Network analyst Dan O'Dowd, he has legitimate power and surprisingly advanced framing skills given his inexperience.

Aaron Parker, OF/C, Mesa (Blue Jays)
Parker's 90th-percentile exit velocities (107.9 mph) ranked in the top 1 percent during the Minor League season and he has pounded balls in Arizona. The 2024 sixth-rounder from UC Santa Barbara is batting .356/.483/.511, won the Fall League home run derby, has carried his aggressive nature at the plate to the bases (eight steals in 12 games) and has begun learning to play left field.

Patrick Reilly, RHP, Peoria (Orioles)
One of the best starting pitchers in a league short on them, Reilly has returned from 2025 Tommy John surgery to miss bats with a mid-90s fastball with impressive carry and a mid-80s slider. Acquired from the Pirates in a 2024 trade for Billy Cook, he sports a 2.87 ERA with 25 strikeouts in 15 2/3 innings.

Who drove in the winning run in the first Fall Stars Game -- then known as the Rising Stars Game -- played in 2006?

A. Jamie D'Antona

B. Michael Garciaparra

C. Fernando Martinez

D. Hunter Pence

• The MLB Pipeline crew already is looking ahead to 2027 by nominating a Rookie of the Year candidate for each team, including 23 Top 100 Prospects and the first five players on that list.
• The Brewers' contingent in the Fall League -- which included seven former Minor League teammates of rookie sensation Cooper Pratt -- celebrated their organization's World Series title. Jesse Borek has all the details.
• Ben Hill detailed 10 of the strangest Minor League jerseys of all time, including uniform tops from Zombie Apocalypse Night (Inland Empire 66ers in 2024) and David Bowie Tribute Night (Bowie Baysox, of course, in 2017).

On Nov. 10, 1978, the Yankees traded Sparky Lyle, who won the American League Cy Young Award the year before, to the Rangers in a 10-player deal that yielded the best left-handed pitching prospect in baseball. That southpaw, Dave Righetti, would go on to become the 1981 AL Rookie of the Year, make two All-Star teams and save 252 games during a 16-year big league career. 

A. Jamie D'Antona

Diamondbacks first baseman D'Antona snapped a 1-1 tie in the seventh inning of the 2006 Rising Stars Game with an RBI double off Nationals right-hander David Perrin. D'Antona had a brief big league career, going 3-for-17 (.176) in 18 games with Arizona in 2008. Mariners second baseman Michael Garciaparra and Mets outfielder Fernando Martinez also drove in runs during the West's 3-1 victory, while Astros outfielder Hunter Pence went 2-for-3 with a double and stolen base.

To subscribe to MLB Pipeline, visit your MLB Account page, check the "MLB Editorial" list under All League Newsletters and make sure you're following the Pipeline news section. 

Contact Jim.Callis@mlb.com

View Online

© 2026 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. MLB trademarks and copyrights are used with permission of Major League Baseball. Visit MLB.com. Any other marks used herein are trademarks of their respective owners.

Please review our Privacy Policy.

You (jcallis3@aol.com) received this message because you registered to receive commercial email messages or purchased a ticket from MLB. 

Please add info@marketing.mlbemail.com to your address book to ensure our messages reach your inbox. If you no longer wish to receive commercial email messages from MLB.com, please unsubscribe or log in and manage your email subscriptions.

Postal Address: MLB.com, c/o MLB Advanced Media, L.P., 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.