Andrew Painter is looking the part of one of baseball’s finest pitching prospects so far in Arizona. Baseball America’s Josh Norris has video from Painter’s second outing, plus several other prospects who impressed from over the weekend.

Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies: Despite not having thrown a competitive pitch for two seasons, Painter has held serve as the Phillies’ top prospect. In his second outing in the Arizona Fall League, he reinforced that status. The Florida prep prospect effortlessly pumped in a combination of mid-90s heaters (his fastball peaked at 98) at the front of a mix which also included a curveball, slider, changeup and cutter. Painter looked a little rusty in the first inning—and gave up a run as a result—but an inning later looked more like the version who dominated the minor leagues in his first full season as a pro and earned Baseball America’s inaugural Pitcher of the Year award in the process. He racked up strikeouts on his final two hitters of the outing before handing the ball off to fellow Phillies prospect Griff McGarry. He got six swings and misses over the course of 33 pitches.

Griff McGarry, RHP, Phillies: McGarry has always had intriguing stuff. Problem is, he’s struggled enough with both command and control to render his repertoire mostly irrelevant. On Friday in the AFL, he looked rejuvenated. Pitching in relief of system-mate Andrew Painter, McGarry spun two shutout innings while allowing one hit and one walk and striking out five. Utilizing a mix of mostly 93-95 mph four-seamers and 84-87 mph cutters, McGarry got nine swings and misses over the course of 42 pitches. Most important, he looked smooth and in control for most of the outing, rarely falling into the trap of overthrowing and missing the zone. If he can continue to do that in 2025—he needs to be added to the 40-man roster this winter to avoid Rule 5 Draft eligibility—he could find himself in red pinstripes at some point.

Robert Hassell III, OF, Nationals: For the third straight season, Hassel is in the Arizona Fall League. In 2022, he played just two games with Peoria before injuring his wrist and having to exit the league. A year later, after he was part of the package the Padres sent the Nationals to acquire Juan Soto, he spent the fall with Scottsdale. This year, he’s moved a few minutes down the road on the east side of the valley and is part of the Salt River Rafters’ roster. The eighth overall pick from the 2020 draft has started on a strong note, hitting in all but one of his eight games and collecting six two-hit games. The most recent of those games came on Sunday, when Hassell pulled his second home run of the fall out to right field at Scottsdale Stadium. Hassell is eligible for this winter’s Rule 5 Draft, and his early exploits in the AFL might help him land a spot on Washington’s 40-man roster.

Tommy Troy, SS, D-backs: In the first week of the Arizona Fall League, Troy was in a funk. The Diamondbacks’ 2023 first-rounder was 1-for-25 after six games. After nine games, he’s 10-for-39, meaning he’s racked up nine hits in his last 14 at-bats. On Oct. 17, he collected three hits and was a single shy of the cycle. The next day, he was 4-for-5 with a double. After two days off, Troy was back in the Salt River lineup on Sunday and collected a pair of doubles in four plate appearances. The offensive outburst has jolted him into a four-way tie for second place among the AFL’s doubles leaders, three behind Mariners shortstop Colt Emerson for the top spot.

T.J. Brock, RHP, Blue Jays: On Thursday, Toronto’s No. 30 prospect made his second Fall League outing. He cruised. Facing Peoria, the Ohio State alum struck out all three hitters he faced and got six swings and misses in 14 pitches. He mixed two pitches—a mid-90s fastball and a high-80s slider—to excellent results. His first strikeout victim, Padres prospect Romeo Sanabria, went down on three straight swings on three straight sliders. The next two hitters, Atlanta’s David McCabe and Miami’s Kemp Alderman, were also set down swinging, McCabe on a slider and Alderman on a 96 mph fastball.

10 Changeups That Missed The Most Bats In 2024

With the rise and subsequent fanfare of Yankees closer Luke Weaver, the changeup has been front and center.

Often synonymous with a deep arsenal and the final puzzle piece of traditional starter development, the changeup differs from breaking balls greatly. For that reason, they tend to be poorly rated by stuff-based pitch models.

There’s more to the changeup than just how it moves. There’s arm speed, release and how the pitch plays off of the pitcher’s primary offering, which is most often a fastball. The separation of both velocity and vertical movement are important traits for the majority of good changeups.

With that in mind, today we’ll take a look at the 10 prospects with the highest swinging-strike rates on their changeups this season.

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