Jim Callis at MLB.com posted the list of the top 20 prospects from this season in the Arizona Fall League on Tuesday morning. Two Pittsburgh Pirates made the list, with Austin Meadows coming in second place, followed by Reese McGuire, who was ranked 13th overall.
As mentioned in our AFL recap, Meadows didn’t have a strong season at the plate in the AFL, but there were numerous scouting reports that called him the best prospect in the league. Callis ranked Cardinals’ pitcher Alex Reyes as his top prospect, but Reyes has also been suspended for the first 50 games of the 2016 season, so that may have hurt his value with others who had Meadows ranked higher. Callis says that Meadows had the best all-around tools in the league, saying that he possesses solid average-to-plus tools in hitting, power, speed and defense in center field.
McGuire ranked 13th overall, and to quote Callis, he was “unquestionably the best defensive catcher in the fall league”. His offense kept him ranked lower, but Callis praised McGuire’s ability to make contact while saying that he needs to add some strength to be able to drive the ball better.
