Official Arizona Fall League Press Release

Tuesday, October 16, 2018

Guerrero (Blue Jays), Whitley (Astros) AFL Players of the Week

Scottsdale, Arizona — Two of baseball’s most highest-rated prospects — Montreal-born Surprise Saguaro third baseman Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. (Blue Jays) and Scottsdale Scorpions right-handed pitcher Forrest Whitley (Astros) — are the Arizona Fall League’s first players of the week for 2018.

Guerrero — MLBPipeline.com’s No. 1-rated overall prospect and the son of Hall of Fame outfielder Vladimir Guerrero, the younger Guerrero recorded three hits and at least one RBI in each of his three games during the Fall League’s first week of play.

He led the AFL in batting (.643), doubles (4), total bases (13) and on-base percentage (.667-tie) and ranked second in RBI (6) during the first week of play. The Canadian-born 19-year-old third baseman boasts a .331 career batting average during his three-year professional career that includes 41 homers, 200 RBI, .414 on-base percentage and .943 slugging percentage in 276 games.

He hit a combined .381 across four levels in 2018. At Double-A New Hampshire, Guerrero batted .402 in 61 games. Following his promotion to Triple-A Buffalo, he hit .336 in 30 contests.

Whitley — Pipeline’s top-rated pitcher and No. 7-ranked overall prospect, the 21-year-old struck out the first seven batters he faced and eight overall and allowed only one hit in 3 1/3 innings pitched in his first Fall League start, a no decision.

The Astros’ first-round draft choice (17th overall) in 2016, a San Antonio, TX native, has struck out 203 batters in 137 1/3 minor-league innings (39 games) during his three-year career.

Others — Three other nominees for the first weekly awards were Scottsdale Scorpion first baseman Peter Alonso (Mets), Surprise outfielder Nick Heath (Royals), and Mesa Solar Sox left-handed pitcher Darwinzon Hernandez (Red Sox).

Arizona Fall League — Known throughout professional baseball as a finishing school for Major League Baseball’s elite prospects, the Arizona Fall League, now in its 27th season, is a six-team league owned and operated by MLB. It plays six days per week (Monday-Saturday) at six spring-training stadiums in the Phoenix metropolitan area — Camelback Ranch-Glendale (Glendale Desert Dogs), Peoria Sports Complex (defending champion Peoria Javelians), Sloan Park (Mesa Solar Sox), Salt River Fields (Salt River Rafters), Scottsdale Stadium (Scottsdale Scorpions) and Surprise Stadium (Surprise Rafters).