Arizona Fall League Prospect Report: Eric Brown Jr. Connects For First AFL Home Run

Image credit: (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

Eric Brown Jr., SS, Brewers: Brown’s 2023 season was up and down as he adjusted his setup and swing. The Arizona Fall League has been a strong showing for Brown who’s hitting .304/.409/.430 over 22 games with the Saguaros. Brown hit his first Fall League home run on Wednesday, connecting for a two-run homer to left field off of Kendall Williams. 

Kevin Parada, C, Mets: It hasn’t been the most exciting Fall League for the Mets 2022 first rounder. Parada hasn’t met expectations as a professional, but will show flashes of the impact hitting that made him a star at Georgia Tech. On Wednesday, Parada hit the go-ahead double to put Glendale up 3-2. The Desert Dogs piled on from there to defeat the Saguaros 11-2. 

Damon Keith, OF, Dodgers: We recently featured the Dodgers outfielder as a player who gained exit velocity in 2023. Keith added a good bit of raw power in 2023 but it was at the expense of his bat-to-ball skills. Perhaps the Fall League is a hint that Keith will find a better balance in 2024. He has shown well, hitting .291/.361/.564 over 15 games. On Wednesday, Keith hit his third home run of the Fall League, as he contributed to the Desert Dogs offensive explosion. 

Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Cardinals: The Cardinals 2022 first rounder tossed two scoreless innings in relief on Wednesday. The lefthander is making up for lost innings in 2023 after dealing with an elbow injury. Hjerpe struckout three over two innings landing 17 of his 28 pitches for strikes. Hjerpe has a trio of pitches in his fastball, slider and changeup that can miss bats in-zone at a high rate, despite a lack of average or better power on his pitches. 

Ben Cowles, SS, Yankees: Who is Ben Cowles? The Yankees 10th round pick back in 2021, Cowles is making a name for himself in the AFL. Through 16 games with Mesa, Cowles is hitting .333/.448/.611 with three home runs. Cowles connected for his third home run of the Fall League on Wednesday night, as the Mesa Solar Sox trounced Scottsdale 7-0. 

Wednesday’s Top Performers

Player	Team	Org.	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	AVG	OBP	SLG
McCabe, David	SRR	ATL	3	1	1	0	1	1	.283	.450	.350	2B
Bowens, TT	MSS	BAL	5	1	3	1	0	1	.200	.324	.400	3B
Cook, Billy	MSS	BAL	5	1	2	1	0	2	.196	.352	.464
McDonough, Tyler	GDD	BOS	3	2	1	0	2	1	.297	.386	.459	2B, CS
DeLauter, Chase	PEJ	CLE	4	0	1	0	0	0	.254	.349	.463	2B
Thompson, Sterlin	SRR	COL	4	0	1	2	1	2	.348	.465	.493	2B
Burke, Jacobs	GDD	CWS	5	1	3	2	0	0	.230	.326	.351	2 2B
Ramos, Bryan	GDD	CWS	3	3	2	2	0	1	.266	.338	.391	HR
Corona, Kenedy	MSS	HOU	5	1	3	2	0	1	.154	.214	.154	2B
Keith, Damon	GDD	LAD	5	2	2	1	0	1	.280	.357	.520	HR
Brown Jr., Eric	SUR	MIL	4	1	1	2	0	1	.307	.416	.400	HR
Rosario, Kala’i	GDD	MIN	4	0	2	2	1	1	.176	.282	.456	2B
Parada, Kevin	GDD	NYM	3	2	2	1	1	1	.169	.210	.373	2B
Cowles, Benjamin	MSS	NYY	5	1	1	1	0	2	.347	.468	.592	HR
Durbin, Caleb	MSS	NYY	2	1	1	1	2	0	.339	.468	.565	2B, SB
Dunn, Oliver	SCO	PHI	4	0	2	0	0	1	.350	.473	.667	SB
Pauley, Graham	PEJ	SDP	4	0	1	0	0	1	.254	.288	.478	2B
Hassell III, Robert	SCO	WAS	3	0	2	0	1	0	.273	.338	.345	SB

Player	Team	Org.	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	IBB	SO
Maxwell, Zach	SUR	CIN	1.2	2	1	1	0	1	0	3	2.38
Webb, Ryan	PEJ	CLE	4.1	1	2	2	0	3	0	6	5.30	L
McMahon, Chris	SRR	COL	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	9.39	W
Williams, Case	SRR	COL	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	1	1.88
Blubaugh, A.J.	MSS	HOU	2	2	0	0	0	1	0	2	2.45
Chaney, Chase	SCO	LAA	3	8	5	5	1	2	0	2	13.91	L
Casparius, Ben	GDD	LAD	3	1	0	0	0	1	0	6	7.71
Williams, Kendall	GDD	LAD	2	2	2	2	1	3	0	0	4.86	W
Santana, Tyler	MSS	PIT	4.1	1	0	0	0	1	0	2	2.76	W
Hjerpe, Cooper	SCO	STL	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	4.32
Bratt, Mitch	SUR	TEX	3	5	5	3	2	1	0	4	8.74
Kent, Zak	SUR	TEX	2.1	5	3	3	0	2	0	4	8.10	L
Herz, DJ	SCO	WAS	2	1	0	0	0	1	0	3	3.71