After two weeks in Arizona, Fall League is definitely still on my mind. We talked about it at length in this week’s MLB Pipeline podcast, including answering a question about top AFL and White Sox prospect Colson Montgomery. So I thought, why not continue as the AFL finishes this week.
Emiliano Teodo and Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa had very strong fall leagues for the Rangers. What are the chances both start next season in Frisco? And do you see them as guys who can go from there to the big leagues quickly? — @TXRangersWTB
I don’t miss an opportunity these days to talk about Teodo, the Rangers player Hope #22. Even though he showed off the part of his game he needs to work on the most, his command, in a shaky appearance at the Fall Stars Game, he was the most electric arm I’ve seen over the course of my two weeks covering the AFL. Teodo is regularly north of 100 mph with his fastball and has an absolutely wicked mid-80s slider that often registers 3,000 RPM or better. I even wrote about him not long ago. Command was not an issue during the AFL regular season, as he went 11 scoreless innings, allowed just three walks and three hits while striking out 19. taken.
Hoopii-Tuionetoa was quite dominant in his own right, allowing no runs over 9 2/3 frames, producing four hits and three walks while striking out 10. He was one of Jim Callis’ players. best Fall Stars Game players after pitching a perfect fourth inning, using his mid-90s fastball to strike out Oliver Dunn and Jakob Marsee. He also has a hard slider.
To answer your question more directly, I think Teodo, who was developed as a starter before this Fall League stint, will definitely start the year with Double-A Frisco. He was with High-A Hickory in 2023 and obviously pitched well enough to advance. If it were me, I would never let Teodo start another match. In the bullpen, his command doesn’t need to be sharp, and I think if he’s in the zone like he was this fall, he’ll be in the big leagues at some point in 2024 .Teodo has every chance to pitch in high leverage situations.
I think Hoopii-Tuionetoa is maybe half a step behind and his stuff isn’t as explosive as Teodo’s. He’s missed time this year with a right elbow issue, but he’s throwing the ball clearly. But Hoopii-Tuionetoa has just 11 2/3 innings above Single-A and now time in the AFL. That might help him speed up a bit, and maybe a good spring could put him in the same pen as Teodo, and who knows when things might click.
The Rangers deserve credit for finding diamonds in the rough here. They signed Teodo for $10,000, and he was almost 19 years old. They took Hoopii-Tuionetoa out of the junior college ranks in the 30th round of the 2019 draft. If either of them makes it to the big leagues, that’s a big win.
The Pirates are loaded with guys like Paul Skenes, Termarr Johnson, Jared Jones, etc. But who is someone in the Pirates system that we talk about enough? — @2000sSports
The Pirates are indeed loaded, starting with the names you have up there. This is why we classified them #2 in our updated ranking of agricultural systems in August. Even with the degrees of guys like Henry Davis and Endy Rodriguez, it’s a very heavy and deep system. But let me consider a hitter and a pitcher, both ranked. Top 30but which might start to receive more love in 2024. Staying true to my AFL theme, I will submit Jase Bowen like the batter. he is No. 27 on the list, but it’s safe to assume he’ll move up on our next list before the start of the 2024 season.
There is still work to be done on Bowen’s overall approach. His strikeout rate isn’t great (24.3% in 2023; 24.5 in the AFL), but he could stand to see a few more pitches and draw even more walks (6.8 % in regular season; 8.5 this fall). But the power-speed combination is real after a 20-20 regular season. His strong AFL should help him reach Double-A Altoona full-time in 2024, where he will play year-round at age 23.
On the pitching side, keep an eye on Hope #9 Barco Hunter. It might seem strange to say that a top 10 player is under the radar, but since he had Tommy John surgery in May of his draft year, he hasn’t been talked about much. But Barco returned to the mound last year, for 18 1/3 innings, and he pitched well. The 2024 season could be the one that sees him truly put the surgery behind him and allow him to move on to the next levels, joining some of the arms that have already made great strides in the system.
Does Kevin Parada stay behind the plate? Is his bat a tool for transportation to another location? — @jimmyzcb1
Even though I got to see Parada, the Mets Hope #5, in the AFL as well, I can’t say I’ve seen him do anything remarkable. It can be hit or miss in terms of this and I largely discard its rough slash line (.186/.240/.371) due to the sample size (75 plate appearances) and the fact that it is came on the heels of his first full season of professional ball, during which he played more than 100 games for the first time. You want to make sure he doesn’t burn out, but considering he just turned 22 last August, he has time to continue working on his strength and conditioning.
Parada’s regular season numbers weren’t eye-popping, but most of them were accumulated with High-A Brooklyn, which is not a big-hitting park. He’s hit 14 homers in 105 games and we hope there will be even more, especially if he can refine his approach a little.
Parada is really focused on his defense and the Mets are happy with the progress he’s made so far, but he’ll be a serviceable catcher at best. If the stick develops like prospects, he still has a good chance of becoming a starting offensive backstop in the big leagues. If the glove isn’t good enough, or if he’s blocked by, say, countryman Francisco Alvarez, the catcher who hits first, he’s athletic enough to handle another spot. But that will put more pressure on Parada’s bat and it’s a little too early to tell if he’ll be powerful enough to easily profile in the corner of the outfield or at first base.
