2 Phillies prospects who absolutely raked in AFL action, 1 who struggled mightily

Each fall, some of the best prospects in the game head to the desert to participate in the Arizona Fall League (AFL). While some young players are there to get extra work after injury-plagued seasons, for others it's a testing ground against some of the top minor league talent.

The Philadelphia Phillies sent a small contingent to the AFL this year. There were some familiar names among their participants, as well as some players who made names for themselves that Phillies fans should be taking note of.

Before we head too much further into a long winter without baseball, let's take one more look back at how the Phillies' prospect position players fared at the plate this fall.

2 Phillies prospects who absolutely raked in the AFL this year

Dante Nori, OF

Dante Nori's name being here shouldn't surprise anyone. He missed two weeks after an early injury scare at the beginning of the AFL schedule, but when he returned to game action the Phillies' No. 6 MLB Pipeline prospect got back to doing what he does best. In 39 at-bats for the Surprise Saguaros, Nori slashed .308/.386/.436 with 12 hits, one home run, two doubles and seven RBIs.

After stealing 52 bases in the regular season, the speedy outfielder showed off his wheels with an incredible inside-the-park home run. Nori blazed around the bases in 14.76 seconds. The 2024 first-rounder is still just 21 and is trying to develop some power, but his speed is MLB-ready.

Perhaps even more impressive than his speed is his attitude, which Phillies fans will love. Nori's a gamer.

"I had no interest in going home whatsoever," Nori recently said, per MLB.com's Jesse Borek. "Even the Phillies, they know how I am. There was no chance I was going home out here. I wanted to play ball."

Dylan Campbell, OF

Dylan Campbell won't be as familiar to Phillies fans, even though he pushed his way into MLB Pipeline's Top 30 Phillies prospects this year at No. 28. Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for international bonus pool money that helped them land Roki Sasaki, the 23-year-old put his name on the map with a power breakout in the AFL.

In 56 at-bats, Campbell slashed .304/.419/.625, which is a 1.044 OPS, with four home runs and 16 RBIs. He added two doubles, a triple and four stolen bases, helping the Saguaros on their way to capturing the AFL championship. In fact, in the championship game, Campbell scored the go-ahead run in the eighth inning. He went 1-for-1 with a pair of walks and a sacrifice fly in the Saguaros 9-4 comeback win.

You can expect Campbell to likely start the 2026 season at Double-A Reading, where he slashed just .209/.295/.347 over 64 games this year. If his strong AFL carries over, we may see him promoted to Triple-A during the season, with the Phillies constantly looking for outfield depth.

1 Phillies prospect who struggled with the bat in AFL action

Bryan Rincon, SS

Shortstop Bryan Rincon struggled mightily this season in High-A Jersey Shore. He slashed just .181/.304/.298 with 103 strikeouts in 84 games for the BlueClaws. Unfortunately, he carried those struggles into the AFL.

The 21-year-old 14th-round pick from 2022 got 44 at-bats but failed to do much in the hitter-friendly fall league. He slashed .068/.212/.136, collecting just three hits, one of which was a home run, and six RBIs. The one thing Rincon did well this season was utilize his speed on the bases. After logging 40 steals during the regular season, he added four more in the AFL, getting caught once.

Rincon was ranked as the Phillies' No. 8 prospect in 2024, but a couple of disappointing seasons at the plate have dropped him down to No. 17. Even though his defense is his calling card and is potentially good enough to get him to the big leagues, he'll have to show more ability with the bat going forward.