This article is part of our Bernie on the Scene series.
Another Arizona Fall League season is now in the books.
Today, I offer my All-Arizona Fall League 2021 team.
I am confident that unless a serious injury hampers their progress, each of the players noted below will have Major League Baseball career.
I am also confident we can look to add these players to our fantasy rosters at some point in the near future.
Catcher
STARTING CATCHER
Gabriel Moreno: Toronto Blue Jays, 5-11, 160 pounds, bats right
Line-drive bat. Quick hands and very good plate discipline. Improving defensive catcher
BACKUP CATCHER
Logan O'Hoppe: Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2, 185 pounds, bats right
Solid hitting catcher. Big and strong. Plays good defense with a strong, accurate arm.
ONE TO WATCH
Austin Wells: New York Yankees. 6-2, 220 pounds, bats left
Sweet left-handed swing that will play well in Yankee Stadium. Improving as a defensive catcher.
First Base
STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
Juan Yepez, St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, 200 pounds, bats right
Lots of home run power potential in a strong, compact frame. A real sleeper with impactful bat.
BACKUP FIRST BASEMAN
Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox, 6-4, 252 pounds, bats left
Big and strong, I think we'll see him in the big leagues this coming season. Power still to come.
ONE TO WATCH
Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies, 6-5, 226 pounds, Bats both
Could be a force in Coors Field. Not as polished as one might like but has promise.
Note: Detroit Tigers' Spencer Torkelson injured his ankle early on. He left the league, but
Another Arizona Fall League season is now in the books.
Today, I offer my All-Arizona Fall League 2021 team.
I am confident that unless a serious injury hampers their progress, each of the players noted below will have Major League Baseball career.
I am also confident we can look to add these players to our fantasy rosters at some point in the near future.
Catcher
STARTING CATCHER
Gabriel Moreno: Toronto Blue Jays, 5-11, 160 pounds, bats right
Line-drive bat. Quick hands and very good plate discipline. Improving defensive catcher
BACKUP CATCHER
Logan O'Hoppe: Philadelphia Phillies, 6-2, 185 pounds, bats right
Solid hitting catcher. Big and strong. Plays good defense with a strong, accurate arm.
ONE TO WATCH
Austin Wells: New York Yankees. 6-2, 220 pounds, bats left
Sweet left-handed swing that will play well in Yankee Stadium. Improving as a defensive catcher.
First Base
STARTING FIRST BASEMAN
Juan Yepez, St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, 200 pounds, bats right
Lots of home run power potential in a strong, compact frame. A real sleeper with impactful bat.
BACKUP FIRST BASEMAN
Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox, 6-4, 252 pounds, bats left
Big and strong, I think we'll see him in the big leagues this coming season. Power still to come.
ONE TO WATCH
Michael Toglia, Colorado Rockies, 6-5, 226 pounds, Bats both
Could be a force in Coors Field. Not as polished as one might like but has promise.
Note: Detroit Tigers' Spencer Torkelson injured his ankle early on. He left the league, but he was having a tremendous fall. He would likely have been my top first baseman.
Second Base
STARTING SECOND BASEMAN
Nick Gonzales, Pittsburgh Pirates, 5-10, 195 pounds, bats right
Scrappy player with a solid bat and surprising pop. Decent enough defender. Has some speed.
BACKUP SECOND BASEMAN
Jose Tena, Cleveland Guardians, 5-10, 160 pounds, bats left
Surprising pop from slight frame. Good speed and solid defense. Likely adds strength to frame.
ONE TO WATCH
Yolbert Sanchez, Chicago White Sox, 5-11, 276 pounds, bats right
Good contact hitter with some pop in his bat. Promising upside with very good plate discipline.
Shortstop
STARTING SHORTSTOP
Bryson Stott, Philadelphia Phillies, 6-3, 200 pounds, bats left
Very solid contact hitter with both power and speed. Not great defensive range, but enough.
BACKUP SHORTSTOP
Brendan Donovan, St. Louis Cardinals, 6-1, 195 pounds, bats left
Very impressive play on both sides of the ball. Plays more at 2B, but we saw him at SS in AFL.
ONE TO WATCH
Jacob Amaya, Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-0, 180 pounds, bats right
Nice combination of power and solid hit tool. Not a finished product, but intriguing upside.
Third Base
STARTING THIRD BASEMAN
Brett Baty, New York Mets, 6-3, 210 pounds, bats left
Good athlete with a very sweet swinging left-handed bat. Capable hitter.
BACKUP THIRD BASEMAN
Nathan Eaton, Kansas City Royals, 5-11, 185 pounds, bats right
Sleeper. Hit very well, and with power. Also plays the outfield. Came on strong.
ONE TO WATCH
Ezequiel Duran, Texas Rangers, 5-11, 185 pounds, bats right
Powerful hitter with more to come. Makes good contact and can hit the gaps.
Outfield
STARTING LEFT FIELDER
JJ Bleday, Miami Marlins, 6-3, 205 pounds, bats, left
Terrific hitter for average and power. Impact player. Sweet swing. All the tools.
BACKUP LEFT FIELDER
Elijah Dunham, New York Yankees, 6-0, 213 pounds, bats left
Excellent hitter for power and average. Very fast and will steal bases. Exciting.
ONE TO WATCH
Ryan Vilade, Colorado Rockies, 5-2, 226 pounds, bats right
Had playing time this past year with Rockies. Has a chance to get 2022 big league playing time.
STARTING CENTER FIELDER
Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3, 210 pounds, bat left
Very polished hitter with great swing. Quick hands and wrists. Terrific upside.
BACKUP CENTER FIELDER
James Outman, Los Angeles Dodgers, 6-3, 215 pounds, bats left
Good power potential from the left side. Can play solid defense and hit for average. Promising.
ONE TO WATCH
Mike Siani, Cincinnati Reds, 6-1, 188 pounds, bats left
Speedy base stealing threat with good instincts. Makes good contact. Projects as leadoff hitter.
STARTING RIGHT FIELDER
Nelson Velazquez, Chicago Cubs-6-0, 190 pounds, bats right
Very powerful. Compact frame, but excellent bat to ball skills. Outstanding hit tool. Dynamic.
BACKUP RIGHT FIELDER
Kameron Misner, Miami Marlins, 6-4, 218 pounds, bats left
Strong and powerful with a solid hit tool. Capable of busting a game wide open.
ONE TO WATCH
Joey Wiemer, Milwaukee Brewers, 6-5, 215 pounds, bats right
Didn't have a great fall campaign, but I've seen enough bat speed and contact to project.
Designated Hitter
STARTING DH
Drew Lugbauer, Atlanta Braves-6-3, 220 pounds, bats left
This guy can really, really rake. He won't stick behind the plate I don't think. Hits too well.
BACKUP DH
Seuly Matias, Kansas City Royals, 6-3, 225 pounds, bats right
Incredible power from a strong, strong frame. Lots of swing and miss, but power is real.
ONE TO WATCH
Matt Wallner, Minnesota Twins, 6-5, 220 pounds, bats left
I see tremendous upside in this guy who sits under the radar at this point.
Most Valuable Player
1st choice: JJ Bleday, Miami Marlins
2nd choice: Lars Nootbaar, St. Louis Cardinals
3rd choice: Nelson Velazquez, Chicago Cubs
Heading Home
I have a hunch that MLB will want to introduce all of the new rules and tweaks to the game that we saw in the Arizona Fall League to the major league level.
It is doubtful the Players Association will approve all of them.
Here are the new rules that I think have added a great deal toward speeding up the game and adding more action:
1. The pitch clock.
At some point, this will happen in the big leagues. It will be a matter of how many seconds are on the clock. Even if it ends up at 30 as opposed to 17, it will help move the game along.
2. Two pitcher disengagements from the rubber.
This works. If a pitcher can only throw over to first base twice, it gives the runner a chance for a bigger lead and results in more stolen bases. It worked in the Fall League. If the pitcher doesn't pick off the runner on the third try, it is a balk.
3. Larger bases
Changing the size of the base from 15 inches to 18 inches gives both the runner and fielder more room to hit the base. I like it.
4. Automated home plate umpire balls and strikes calls
This has mixed reviews. The scouts and club personnel I spoke with don't like it. They don't think it is a true representation of the strike zone. It may get lots of push back from team personnel.
5. Changes in infield shifts
In the AFL, there were no shifts. It is possible a compromise could be implemented where the players' feet must be on the infield dirt could. Another possibility includes limiting two players on both sides of second base and all feet on the infield dirt.
Thanks for following me on Twitter under @BerniePleskoff.
And thanks for reading my work at Forbes.
I will return to doing player profiles next week. If there is a player you wish me to profile, please let me know in the comment section below.
We have much for which to be thankful. I personally have so much to be thankful for. So much. But among that list, I am thankful and grateful for the support of my readers like you. Thank you.
I wish each of you a very healthy, happy, peaceful, restful and thankful Thanksgiving.
Have a great week.