2022 Arizona Fall League: Surprise Saguaros

The Arizona Fall League will begin its 2022 campaign on Oct. 3, the first day of six weeks of games in Phoenix. Preliminary rosters were announced today. While there are likely to be changes between now and Opening Day, this is the first version of the Surprise club, with prospects from the Rangers, Royals, Pirates, Astros and Phillies.

Top 100 Prospects: Quinn Priester, RHP, Pirates (64); Henry Davis, C, Pirates (80); Luisangel Acuña, SS/2B, Rangers (84)

Intriguing Prospects: Phillies prospect Carlos De La Cruz has always had plentiful raw power. Now, it’s turning into plentiful game power. The hulking 22-year-old has swatted 17 home runs through his first 98 games—split between High-A Jersey Shore and Double-A Reading—to go along with 20 doubles and two triples. De La Cruz still has a ways to go in terms of plate discipline, but his juice makes him a player to watch … Pirates outfielder Matt Gorski was in the midst of a breakout before an injury led to an elongated stint on the injured list. He’s got excellent power and a very strong throwing arm and the chance to play center field but the ability to profile in a corner if he has to move … Phillies outfielder Johan Rojas should be one of the league’s most exciting defenders given his potential shutdown glove in center … Royals outfielder Tyler Gentry has been one of the system’s biggest breakouts in 2022. His .327 average and .974 OPS both lead Kansas City’s system. ... Rangers righthander Kumar Rocker will be one of the most closely followed arms in the AFL. Texas shocked the industry by taking Rocker No. 3 overall with only a handful of starts in the Frontier League since he and the Mets failed to come to an agreement with Rocker after taking him with their first-round pick in 2021.

*indicates a player on a team's 40-man roster
#indicates a player on an AFL team's taxi squad

Pirates' Henry Davis Learns How Pitchers Think

An important part of Davis' development behind the plate in 2022 was learning how to quickly get on the same page as his pitchers, including in a second language.