The Arizona Fall League is over, with tremendous prospects shutting things down for the offseason. All 30 teams have made their 40-man roster decisions, adding big-name prospects and some sleepers to keep an eye on. So what¡¯s a prospect hound to do?

Answer your questions, of course! We answered a good one about Jac Caglianone¡¯s two-way future on this week¡¯s episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, but we received a lot more, so let¡¯s get to it!

Is Thayron Liranzo a legit catching prospect or will he be a 1B before even cracking a MLB roster? ¨C Panicstreak? ?@panicstreak.gobirds.online?

After a rough start defensively post-trade deadline, did Thayron Liranzo do anything in the AFL to make you more confident he can stick behind the plate? ¨C Jonathan Miller? ?@runningjpm.bsky.social?

I thought I¡¯d start out with a pair of questions on a guy I enjoyed watching in the AFL this fall. Liranzo landed at No. 16 on Jim Callis¡¯ Top 30 AFL prospects list after he slashed .375/.492/.667 and won Fall Stars Game MVP honors with his go-ahead homer. There are very few questions about his bat; the Tigers got a guy who looks like he¡¯s going to produce soon in a big league lineup in return for Jack Flaherty at the Trade Deadline. As the questions point out, the concerns come regarding his work behind the plate.

It¡¯s not that he did anything specifically in the AFL I can point to, but here¡¯s what I do know. On my first full day of Fall League coverage, I had scouts absolutely raving, unsolicited, about Liranzo¡¯s arm. We have a 60 grade on it in his report and that might be light, with tons of arm strength, accuracy and elite-level pop times. He does need to work on the rest of his receiving, but I can tell you that one of the Tigers Minor League arms with him in the AFL, Jake Miller, told me when we were chatting that he absolutely loved throwing to Liranzo, both in Arizona and with High-A West Michigan, and that other Tiger farmhands felt the same way. That gives me hope that he¡¯s going to be just fine back there, given that he¡¯s only 21 and yet to play above A ball.

What are the odds Bubba Chandler is in the Pirates 2025 rotation? And do the Pirates have any first base prospects on the horizon? ¨C ?Cryptohat? ?@cryptohat.bsky.social?

Since I call Pittsburgh my home, I do enjoy answering a question about the local ballclub. And I¡¯d say the odds are very good that we¡¯ll see Chandler in Pittsburgh at some point in 2025. The Pirates¡¯ top prospect is No. 15 on the Top 100 and is coming off of a very successful 2024 campaign that saw him reach Triple-A and finish with a 3.08 ERA, .189 BAA and a 10.5 K/9 rate (vs. 2.9 BB/9). Perhaps more importantly, he had plenty left in the tank at the end of the year, pumping upper-90s heat in his last start.

After seven starts with Triple-A Indianapolis, I don¡¯t think Chandler, just 22 years old, has much more to prove in the Minors. So then it becomes a matter of when the Pirates decide to bring him up. Sure, some more time with Indy wouldn¡¯t hurt his development, but what if he¡¯s lights out in Spring Training if/when they give him the chance in big league camp to compete for a job? They waited on Paul Skenes for a host of reasons, then saw him win Rookie of the Year and they lost out on an extra Draft pick they would have received had he been up on Opening Day. And because he won the award, he was given a full year of service time anyway. Would the Pirates consider having Chandler up on Opening Day because of that lesson? That will be a very interesting storyline to watch this offseason and in Bradenton for Spring Training. But even if he¡¯s not part of a rotation (Paul Skenes, Jared Jones, Mitch Keller, Luis Ortiz and Bubba Chandler sure sounds good, doesn¡¯t it?), right out of the gate, look for Chandler to make a big contribution in Pittsburgh.

As for your other question, the answer is no, not really. First base continues to be a bit of a hole in the system. It will be interesting to see if they go and sign someone as a free agent to fill that gap, or use a combination of guys like Endy Rodriguez, Henry Davis (can he play first?) and Gold Glove winner Jared Triolo.

What is the level of concern that Tre' Morgan just isn't going to hit lefties? ¨C ?Sandy Kazmir? ?@sandykazmir.bsky.social?

My colleague Jim Callis ranked Morgan as the No. 18 prospect in this year¡¯s Arizona Fall League after he hit .338/.391/.500 and finished third with an 8 percent strikeout rate. As he stated, some scouts thought he had the best approach in the league this fall. That¡¯s an important point because it¡¯s that approach that allows me to feel he¡¯s going to figure it out against left-handed pitching.

I get where the concern is coming from. Morgan hit just .188/.258/.263 against lefties during the 2024 regular season (.357/.444/.529 vs. RHP). He didn¡¯t face enough southpaws in the AFL, though he did go 3-for-8 (three singles) with two sacrifice flies in 10 plate appearances. At LSU as a junior in 2023, he hit .292/.349/.396 vs. LHP according to Synergy (compared to .317/.440/.557 against righties). That¡¯s a disparity, but it¡¯s not alarming. While there might be questions about how much impact he¡¯ll ultimately have at the plate, leading to concerns about where he profiles, I really am not worried about long-term failure when facing left-handers. He¡¯s had one pro season and he¡¯s shown he¡¯s going to make a lot of contact and consistently good swing decisions. I think he¡¯s going to figure out lefties enough to be an everyday player, even if he isn¡¯t the classic first base/corner outfield run producer.

How real is Justin Crawford¡¯s bat? Could he be a dark horse Rookie of the Year candidate depending on the Phillies¡¯ offseason? ¨C Alec Kostival? ?@baseballalec.bsky.social?

I¡¯m all in on his bat, even though I know what some people are concerned about. Let me explain. On the surface, there should be no cause for worry, right? All the No. 53 overall prospect (No. 3 on the Phillies¡¯ Top 30) did was get to Double-A at age 20 and finish with a .313/.360/.444 line and 42 stolen bases. The big thing evaluators have been worried about is how often Crawford hits the ball on the ground. At the lower levels of the Minors, someone with his speed can get away with it, outrunning infield defenders trying to make plays for infield hits. In 2023, he hit ground balls around 70 percent of the time. That improved to about 61 percent in 2024, which is still high, but a step in the right direction. Crawford is never going to be a power guy, but he does need to show he can drive the ball more and I think he¡¯s heading in that direction. Remember, he¡¯s not close to reaching his physical maturity max and more strength will lead to more line drives and fly balls without ever selling out for power. All that said, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a Rookie of the Year candidate, not for 2025 at least. He needs a year of reps at the upper levels, so let¡¯s revisit this in 2026, shall we?