Arizona Fall League recap: Mixed bag for White Sox prospects

The Glendale Desert Dogs were one of three teams to finish behind the Surprise Saguaros with a 16-14 record in the Arizona Fall League, but they ended up on the wrong end of the head-to-head tiebreakers, so their season is over. Salt River routed Scottsdale in the battle of the other 16-14 teams on Friday night, and will face Surprise in the championship game on Saturday.

It's just as well, at least for the White Sox prospects involved. Colson Montgomery called it a season a little before the halfway point, hitting .313/.511/.656 over 11 games before the White Sox allowed him to leave a tumultuous 2024 on a high note. The other eight prospects who played into the second half enjoyed less sensational results, although the pitching lines require some context. The average AFL team scored 6.33 runs a game, with the league posting a line of .270/.373/.434.

Tim Elko

Montgomery wasn't the only one who was able to finish a long 2024 season strong. Elko went 3-for-5 with a homer, a double, and four RBIs in Glendale's 8-7 victory over Surprise on Oct. 30, and that was a wrap. It's not like he needed any extra work, because the 11 games in the AFL brought him to an even 150 on the season with 639 plate appearances, but Elko rolled right into a spot on the USA Premier 12 roster anyway. Some men feel naked without the yoke of labor around their neck.

As always, the strikeout rate leaves a lot to be desired, but making any strides in improving his below-average in-zone contact rates seems like more of an offseason project.

He's still a big deal in Oxford, by the way.

DJ Gladney

Gladney finished the season with the most AFL plate appearances by any White Sox prospect, which makes sense considering he's the guy who actually needed the playing time due to in-season injuries. He didn't do a whole lot with it, which basically only means that he didn't force anybody to reconsider his 40-man roster status before the Rule 5 deadline arrives later this month.

Michael Turner

Given that Turner is 26 and has a strong understanding of the strike zone, he's the type of player who should be successful in the Arizona Fall League. He didn't let the opportunity go to waste, and while it doesn't overwrite his tough season in Birmingham, it's better than another miserable small sample confirming the priors.

Grant Taylor

Game log:

• Oct. 8: 1.1 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
• Oct. 15: 2.2 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 HR
• Oct. 23: 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K
• Oct. 31: 1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
• Nov. 9: 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

While Taylor's line only shows one outing after the midseason update, that's because a second outing came in last Saturday's Fall Stars Game, in which he threw a scoreless inning.

Countering a somewhat pessimistic read on Taylor's arsenal from Keith Law in the midseason AFL update, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs posted a rave:

He looks sensational, flashing four average or better pitches, including a plus-flashing changeup that wasn’t part of Taylor’s college repertoire at all. Last week, Taylor sat 94-98 mph throughout his outing, and was mostly in the 96-98 range early on. His fastball has vertical shape that pairs nicely with his 83-ish mph curveball, which has fair depth but often lacks bite. Taylor’s 84-87 mph slider and 87-89 mph changeup are his two nastier secondary pitches. Breaking ball consistency will be key for Taylor moving forward. His slider’s finish is inconsistent but when it’s right, at that velocity, it’s plus. His changeup is going to give him a weapon to neutralize lefties that’s better than his curveball; the bottom falls out of it just as it reaches the plate.

Peyton Pallette

Game log:

• Oct. 8: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Oct. 12: 2 IP, 4 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
• Oct. 16: 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K
• Oct. 23: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 2 HR

Pallette did not pitch after the midseason update, so his season wrapped up with 88 innings over 36 appearances, or 92 innings over 38 appearances when counting his two games in the Southern League playoffs.

Eric Adler

Game log:

• Oct. 8: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
• Oct. 11: 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
• Oct. 15: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
• Oct. 18: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K
• Oct. 26: 2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 2 HR

Adler also didn't pitch after the midseason update.

Anthony Hoopii-Tuionetoa

Game log:

• Oct. 8: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HR
• Oct. 11: 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 0 K
• Oct. 16: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K
• Oct. 22: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K
• Oct. 25: 1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
• Oct. 30: 1 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
• Nov. 4: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K
• Nov. 11: 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

The six runs Hoopii-Tuionetoa allowed over his eight AFL games came in two appearances, and five of those six runs came on two swings. He allowed a two-run shot in his debut, and then a three-run homer on Oct. 30. Considering the league ERA was 5.92, this feels like a very league-average outcome, but given the disastrous results he suffered in Triple-A at the end of the year, it might not be enough to warrant a 40-man roster spot.

He's still a big deal in Maui, by the way. The latest on the local boy making good:

He is enjoying his time in the White Sox organization.

“I think that’s a big thing, they want me around and they want me to get better, so they’re doing their absolute best to give me all those little things, giving me all the help that they can, helping me progress as a pitcher,” Ho’opi’i-Tuionetoa said.

“It’s a good spot to be in and I enjoy it here and I hope to be part of the future here.”

Andrew Dalquist

Game log:

• Oct. 8: 1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
• Oct. 12: 1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 1 HR
• Oct. 17: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Oct. 23: 1 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 1 HR
• Oct. 26: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K
• Oct. 31: 2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
• Nov. 5: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 0 K
• Nov. 7: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

A 7.36 ERA isn't a bad result for Dalquist considering he was running a 20.25 ERA over the first four appearances. He managed to thread together six innings of scoreless ball over his last four games, so he was able to crawl out of the desert alive.