The stars have been out during Week 4 of the Fall League. Pirates No. 30 prospect Tony Blanco Jr. put on a show at the AFL Home Run Derby launching 24 moonshots over four rounds, including one with a 122.9 mph exit velocity. The Fall Stars Game promises to deliver more of the same when the circuit’s top talent took the field Monday night. Not only that, but before the weekend’s festivities even commenced, there was a full week of games that featured plenty of standout performances from the top prospects in baseball.
Here are the top performers from Week 4 of Fall League action:
McGonigle has been a steady source of offense all fall, but this past week he tapped into his power. After starting his campaign with eight contests without a big fly, the floodgates have opened for the 2023 draftee. McGonigle has five homers over his past nine games and is now tied for second place among all Fall League batters in the category. His signature moment from the week came on Tuesday in the form of a four-hit, two-homer performance. Now 17 games into his Fall League stint, McGonigle has the third-best OPS in the AFL and is slashing .385/.494/.754.
Carson Roccaforte, OF, Surprise (KC No. 20)
Stats: .417 AVG (5-for-12), 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, BB, 12 TB
Roccaforte mashed a career-high 18 homers this past season in the Royals’ system, but this week marked his first roundtrippers in the desert. The 23-year-old opened his week with a three-hit performance on Wednesday before leaving the yard in back-to-back contests on Thursday and Friday. This fall, Roccaforte has impacted nearly every facet of the game. In addition to his two homers, the speedster has seven stolen bases and 19 knocks over 17 contests.
Chris Suero, C/OF/1B, Scottsdale (NYM No. 15)
Stats: .500 AVG (6-for-12), 4 R, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, SB, 9 TB
McGonigle wasn’t the only Scottsdale hitter to flex his muscles — and pencil his name onto the home run leaderboard — this past week. Suero, who entered November with four homers in his past eight contests, opened the week with a three-hit, two RBI performance on Tuesday before launching his fifth big fly of the fall on Wednesday. After putting his name on the prospect map this summer, the backstop has continued his breakout in the Fall League. Through 14 games, Suero leads catchers in homers and stolen bases (7) and ranks second among them with a .930 OPS.
Enmanuel Tejeda, SS, Mesa (NYY)
Stats: .667 AVG (8-for-12), 3 R, 2B, 4 RBI, BB, 5 SB
Tejeda’s gaudy stat line from the week centers around one eye-popping performance. On Tuesday, Mesa put up 21 runs in a barnburner vs. Scottsdale that saw 35 runs between the two teams. The top hitter from that game? Tejeda. The Yankees’ infield prospect lifted Mesa to victory with a career-high five knocks and three stolen bases. The performance raised the 20-year-old’s batting average 21 points and gave him 13 stolen bases this fall. He may not be at the same level as Patrick Clohisy and Enrique Bradfield Jr., but Tejeda has impacted the game with his legs this fall.
Patrick Clohisy, OF, Glendale (ATL)
Stats: .429 AVG (6-for-14), 2B, 4 RBI, BB, 4 SB
Fall League stolen-base leader’s biggest hit of the week came in the ninth inning of the Fall Stars Game, when he delivered an opposite-field RBI knock before coming around to score the then-tying run later in the frame. But his biggest game came on Tuesday, when he recorded four hits out of the leadoff spot against Mesa, driving in two runs and scoring another. He also stole four bases this week to increase his total to 21 in 23 attempts this fall.
Trenton Denholm, RHP, Surprise (CLE)
Stats: 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
The 25-year-old righty put together perhaps the best start of the week on Thursday against Salt River, holding the Rafters’ powerful lineup scoreless over four airtight frames. He threw 42 of his 68 pitches for strikes and punched out six, recording half of his outs via the K. It was the latest in a nice string of outings for Denholm, who is working on fine-tuning his knuckleball this fall with the help of former Guardians hurler Tom Candiotti. He lowered his ERA to 2.13 across five appearances, with 16 strikeouts in that span.
Chen-Wei Lin, RHP, Glendale (STL No. 16)
Stats: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K
The 6-foot-7 native of Taiwan leads the AFL with three victories despite a 6.57 ERA in five starts. His latest was his best yet, with Lin punching out five across three innings of one-hit ball for Glendale over Peoria on Thursday. He now has 19 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings this fall and has allowed only one homer, strong peripherals for a pitcher who had a rocky regular season despite pitching at three levels.
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