A fun prospect item for your near-Thanksgiving wind down (don’t worry, there’s still a Lukewarm Stove coming today): Jim Callis ranked the top 20 prospects in the Arizona Fall League this year, and it serves as something of a wink toward the updated top 100 lists that will start to trickle out early next year.
Two Cubs prospects made the cut, as Willson Contreras showed up at number 5, and Jeimer Candelario is at number 11.
Of note, Contreras comes in behind only big-time (suspended) Cardinals pitching prospect Alex Reyes, outfield prospects Austin Meadows and Lewis Brinson, and perennial top 100 prospect Gary Sanchez. I don’t think anyone was questioning it at this point, but you can be sure Contreras will be a consensus top 100 prospect when we head into 2016, and maybe even top 50. Contreras’s AFL stint ended early with a hamstring injury, but hopefully he’ll be well-rested and good to go for Spring Training.
As for Candelario – who was among the best performers in the AFL – he shows up behind only several other top prospects, and ahead of guys like Sean Manaea and Reese McGuire. That once again underscores that Candelario is firmly on the radar, and may even get some top 100 consideration, himself.