Minor League Update: Arizona Fall League Games of October 8th, 2014

Jesse Winker, OF, Reds (Surprise Saguaros): 2-3, 2 R, 2B, HR, 2 BB. There are many ways to look at Winker. On the one hand, he’s a left-field-only defensive player whose only value is with his bat. On the other hand, he hit .287/.399/.518 this year and finished the season in Double-A. On the one hand, almost all of that damage came in the hitter-friendly California League. On the other hand, he battled a wrist injury in July that affected his performance after being promoted. Either way, he remains one of the more underrated hitting prospects in the game and should hit enough to handle any defensive assignment.

Raul Mondesi, SS, Royals (Peoria Javelinas): 2-4, R, 2B, 2 K. In our Ten Pack on Monday, I named Mondesi as the prospect I wanted to see most this fall. That’s because he has perhaps the biggest gap between current production and ceiling of any player in the desert. I’ve seen glimpses of the tools at the plate that make for a good hitter, but the approach at the plate still has a long way to go, and facing by far his stiffest competition yet won’t make it any easier.

Rusney Castillo, OF, Red Sox (Surprise Saguaros): 2-4, 2 R, 2B, BB, K. Twenty-seven years old and with a week-and-a-half of major-league success under his belt, Castillo is by far the most experienced player in the AFL. In fact, he’s eight years older than Mondesi. The Red Sox threw Castillo into the major-league fire last month, but he handled it as well as they could’ve hoped. Now, he’s doing nothing more than making up for lost time with additional at-bats to help him get ready for spring training.

Brandon Drury, 3B, Diamondbacks (Salt River Rafters): 1-5, R, HR. There’s still a lot of projection left in Drury’s game, and a number of different directions his career path could take, but the former 13th rounder backed up a solid 2013 campaign with a great performance in the California League then didn’t experience much dropoff after a late-season promotion to Double-A. With the Diamondbacks future at the hot corner very much up in the air, Drury could establish himself firmly in the plans of the Diamondbacks new regime with another strong season in Double-A next season.

Mark Appel, RHP, Astros (Salt River Rafters): 3 IP, H, 0 R, B, 2 K. The horrid start to the season and controversy about throwing a bullpen at Minute Maid Park seem quite far away for Appel, who had a perfectly fine second half and appears prepared to back it up with more success in the Arizona Fall League. He’s still not dominating the way we’d expect from a recent 1:1 pick, but the stuff is still there, and save for his time in Lancaster, he’s pitched quite well. Every decent outing makes that look more and more like an outlier.

Peter O’Brien, 1B, Diamondbacks (Salt River Rafters): 1-2, R, HR, 2 BB. Power is the name of the game for O’Brien, who quietly challenged Joey Gallo and Kris Bryant for the minor league home run lead this season before falling just short. He’s not a prospect anywhere near the caliber of those two players for two reasons—he doesn’t have a real defensive position and his plate discipline is atrocious—but teams find a spot for power. The Yankees took him in the second round in 2012, but the Diamondbacks acquired him this season and haven’t given up on him behind the plate. He’s playing first base this fall and may see some time in the outfield next season as the Diamondbacks try to find a spot for his power.