Arizona Fall League Hot Sheet: Marsee, Triantos Stay Hot

2. CJ Alexander, 3B, Royals
Team: Surprise
Age: 27

Why He’s Here: .368/.435/.947 (7-for-19), 4 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 7 RBIs, 3 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: Alexander didn’t join the AFL until Oct. 19, but he’s wasted no time making his mark with Surprise. The 27-year-old notched multiple hits in three of his first seven games, including two longballs. The former Braves prospect, who was dealt to KC in July 2022, hit 13 homers this past season at Triple-A Omaha. 

3. Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians
Team: Peoria
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .429/.467/.929 (6-for-14), 4 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBIs, 1 BB, 1 SO, 1-for-2 SB

The Scoop: After missing ample time over the last two seasons due to injuries, DeLauter has used his time in the AFL to open plenty of eyes. The sweet-swinging lefty has barreled balls all month long and added two more home runs this past week. His four home runs are tied for third in the league and his 23 RBIs top the leaderboard. 

4. Oliver Dunn, 2B, Phillies
Team: Scottsdale
Age: 26

Why He’s Here: .400/.526/.867 (6-for-15), 5 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 2 RBIs, 4 BB, 7 SO

The Scoop: Dunn came to the Phillies from the Yankees in the most recent Rule 5 draft and has given Scottsdale’s lineup a big-time boost. The Utah alum homered twice in the AFL’s fourth week, his first two blasts of the fall. The strong week pushed his Fall League average to .352 and his slugging percentage to .766, each good enough for fourth in the league. 

5. Dasan Brown, OF, Blue Jays
Team: Surprise
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .364/.391/.545 (8-for-22), 6 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 1 BB, 6 SO, 2-for-2 SB

The Scoop: Brown can make an impact at the plate and on the bases, both of which showed up last week. The Blue Jays prospect hit his first Fall League home run and stole his second and third bases of the season. He’ll need to make more contact to let his best attributes shine more often. 

6. Victor Scott II, OF, Cardinals
Team: Scottsdale
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: .375/.444/.750 (6-for-16), 4 R, 0 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 3 RBIs, 1 BB, 2 SO, 2-for-3 SB

The Scoop: Scott was one of two players in the minors in 2023 with 90 or more stolen bases. He hasn’t slowed down in the AFL, where his two swipes this week gave him an even dozen and put him two behind Jakob Marsee for the league lead. He also swatted his first two homers of the fall. 

7. James Triantos, 2B, Cubs
Team: Mesa
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .438/.474/.750 (7-for-16), 5 R, 0 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 2 RBIs, 2 BB, 0 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Triantos is neck and neck and neck with Jakob Marsee and Liam Hicks for the hottest hitter in the desert. He reached five triples for the season, becoming the first player to reach that plateau in the AFL since Stevie Wilkerson did so in 2017. He’s all over the league’s leaderboards, where he’s second in average (.433), third in OBP (.513) and first in slugging percentage (.761).  

8. Kevin Alcantara, OF, Cubs
Team: Mesa
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .353/.353/.588 (6-for-17), 2 R, 1 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 0 BB, 6 SO, 0-for-1 SB

The Scoop: When Alcantara connects, it’s electric. He collected six more hits this week, including his fourth home run and third double of the season. Seven of his 15 AFL hits have gone for extra bases, but he’s also struck out at a clip of 30.6% (23 Ks in 75 PAs) which has kept him from showing his potential more often. 

9. Damon Keith, OF, Dodgers
Team: Glendale
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .400/.400/.733 (6-for-15), 1 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 1 RBIs, 0 BB, 6 SO

The Scoop: Keith scuffled in the regular season but has shown signs of life in the AFL. He added two doubles and a home run to his line with Glendale, meaning half of his 14 hits have included extra bases. He’s going to have to make much more contact, however, and his AFL strikeout percentage is north of 35%. 

10. Ivan Melendez, 1B, D-backs
Team: Salt River
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .429/.467/.786 (6-for-14), 4 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 1 HR, 4 RBIs, 0 BB, 5 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: While his parent club was continuing its march toward its first World Series win since 2001, Melendez was heating up in the AFL. The hulking first baseman slammed his second dinger of the fall. In his first full season as a pro, Melendez spread 30 home runs across stops at High-A and Double-A. The figure led Arizona’s system and placed him five longballs behind MiLB leader Yunior Severino