Arizona Fall League 2016: Top 25 prospects

While the most talented team doesn’t always win the championship, it did in the Arizona Fall League. The Mesa Solar Sox wrapped up the East Division crown on the final day of the regular season before rolling to an easy victory in the AFL’s one-game playoff for its first title since 2003.

Mesa had the league’s deepest lineup, as evidenced by its seven hitters who rank among the AFL’s 20 best prospects below. The Solar Sox had star power with outfielders Eloy Jimenez (Cubs) and Bradley Zimmer (Indians) and second baseman Ian Happ (Cubs), all of whom sit in the 20s on MLBPipeline.com’s Top 100 Prospects list. They also had emerging talents such as shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang and outfielder Greg Allen, who have been overshadowed in a deep Indians system, and league home run leader Brian Anderson (Marlins No. 4 prospect), who had support for making our list.

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Position prospects usually stand out more than their pitching counterparts in the Fall League because most clubs would rather not load extra innings on their best young arms. This year was no exception, as hitters claimed 20 of the 25 spots on our list. The pitchers who did make it — right-handers Michael Kopech (Red Sox), Brent Honeywell (Rays), Francis Martes (Astros), James Kaprielian (Yankees) and Frankie Montas (Athletics) — all could make their presence felt in the big leagues by the end of next season.

Infielder Yoan Moncada (Red Sox), MLBPipeline’s No. 1 prospect, left with a sprained left thumb after playing just six games in the AFL, which wasn’t long enough to earn consideration for our list. Fellow Top 100 Prospects David Paulino (Astros), Zack Collins (White Sox) and Stephen Gonsalves (Twins) also didn’t play enough to qualify.

Even without them, our Fall League Top 25 doesn’t lack for talent. Multiple scouts contacted while we compiled this list noted that the depth of prospects merited expanding the list from its normal 20.

1. Gleyber Torres, SS/2B, Scottsdale (Yankees No. 2): The Aroldis Chapman trade helped the Cubs win the World Series, but the Yankees likely will come out ahead in the deal thanks to Torres, the youngest batting champion (.403) and MVP in league history at age 19. His quick hands work extremely well at the plate and at shortstop, where he has a better chance to stick than he initially was given credit for when he signed as a 16-year-old. Both his ceiling (a shortstop capable of winning batting titles and hitting 20 homers per year) and his floor (a solid offensive second baseman) are terribly impressive.

2. Cody Bellinger, 1B/OF, Glendale (Dodgers No. 1): Bellinger can hit the moonshots desired from a first baseman, but he’s so much more than that. He shows the ability to make adjustments at the plate, provides Gold Glove-caliber defense at first and can also play both outfield corners and fill in at center (which will come in handy with two years remaining on Adrian Gonzalez’s contract in Los Angeles). You may be surprised to learn that he’s faster and more …

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