Three Blue Jays prospects named to AFL Fall Stars Game

Three prospects in the Blue Jays system have been named to the All-Star showcase of baseball's top development league.

Pitcher Lazaro Estrada and infielders Peyton Williams and Adrian Pinto were selected to the 2024 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game in Mesa, Arizona. The game is set for Saturday night and will feature some of the best prospects in baseball, including six of MLB.com Pipeline's Top 100 Prospects. Rosters are chosen by AFL staff, MLB farm directors, and MLB.com writers, with the "Final 2" roster spots chosen by fans. Williams made the American League Fall Stars roster thanks to the fan vote, while San Diego Padres prospect Leodalis De Vries was the fan vote winner for the NL squad.

There are six teams in the AFL, each one affiliated with five MLB teams. The Blue Jays sent eight prospects to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions, which were 12-14 at the All-Star break. The AFL season ends Nov. 14, with the playoffs set for Nov. 15 and 16.

Estrada (the Jays Journal No. 17 ranked prospect) has been drawing attention given his solid performance this season, both in the minors and AFL. Estrada posted a 3.86 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 11.2 innings with Scottsdale, while striking out 19 and walking only four. Pitching at three different levels in 2024, Estrada
had an ERA of 3.29 over 98.1 innings, and struck out 113 and walked 33. He spent most of the season at Double-A New Hampshire.

Pinto hit .286 with an on-base percentage of .407 in 22 games with the Scorpions. He stole five bases and posted a .750 OPS in 86 plate appearances. Like Estrada, Pinto played at
three different levels in 2024, spending most of the time with Single-A Vancouver. Altogether, Pinto hit .330 with a .951 OPS in 112 plate appearances.

In addition to the All-Star nod, Williams was also selected to participate in the annual AFL Home Run Derby. "The Iowa Meat Truck" will be participating a year after Blue Jays prospect Damiano Palmegiani of the Buffalo Bisons, the Blue Jays' Triple-A affiliate, was the derby runner-up to Kala'i Rosario of the Minnesota Twins.

Williams hit .294 and slugged his way to an .866 OPS in 74 plate appearances in the AFL. The first baseman slashed .289/.362/.476 with Single-A Vancouver, hitting 11 home runs and 20 doubles.

The 18th annual Fall Stars Game can be seen at 8 p.m. ET Saturday on MLB Network.