Arizona Fall League Update: Week 1

The prospect-laden Arizona Fall League is in full swing, with the latest season of the league having launched last Monday. The Yankees ' collection of minor leaguers and young names of note have barely played, though most who have are struggling in the early going.

I will be providing weekly updates on Yankees' players partaking in the AFL (you can check out my general preview here ), though I'll also be upfront with the fact that this one figures to be way shorter than most, given how sparse Yankee participation has been so far. With that disclaimer out of the way, let's dig in!

OF Garrett Martin How ironic that the prospect I was least interested in has gotten off to the best start. The 24-year-old has slashed .429/.500/.929 through 19 plate appearances with a home run, five RBI's, and a couple of stolen bases. There's a couple of reasons I'm still skeptical, the first being that the quality of pitching is bad even by typically sub-par AFL standards. Considering the offensive environment in Arizona and the suspect pitching talent, the AFL has always been an offensive haven. Perhaps I should've seen this coming, as Martin lifts the ball with aplomb and is a candidate to greatly benefit from the thin air in Arizona.

Nothing that Martin has done has stood out, but he boasts the best slash line of any player on the Salt Lake Rafters — the team which the Yankees prospects are playing on. Martin figures to accrue regular playing time in a corner outfield spot so long as he remains healthy.

INF Caleb Durbin Durbin's tenure in Arizona has gotten off to an inauspicious start, hitting just .238/.333/.381 through 24 plate appearances. Despite the sluggish AFL debut, Durbin's main objective is to stay healthy and accrue more reps at a variety of positions, as he missed two full months of Triple-A action recovering from a hit-by-pitch. If he shows defensive aptitude in the outfield, it'll make his case a valuable 40-man piece all the more solidified. Just as I warn of a small sample size with Martin, I caution not to panic over Durbin.

RHP Ryan Harvey Harvey's struggles in Tampa have continued in Salt Lake, as the right-hander has allowed three runs over two innings in two games. In that time, he's walked four and punched out just two batters. He's not been good at any point this year, and the stuff doesn't lead me to believe it'll get much better. Granted, I've been wrong about Yankees pitching prospects many times before.

*Note: Rafael Flores, Carlos Lagrange, Jackson Fristoe, Harrison Cohen, and Luis Pacheco have yet to play a game