Ben Cowles and Caleb Durbin; scorching the desert
Greg Corcoran
The Yankees sent a relatively unheralded group of prospects to the desert this year for the Arizona Fall League. Somewhat unexpectedly, two of these prospects used this experience to significantly improve their stock.
With all of the talent in the AFL this season, few performed better than Caleb Durbin and Ben Cowles. Both finished in the top 10 in OPS. Each of them made their mark on the league and gave the Yankees’ brass something to think about.
Durbin, an athletic and speedy second baseman, finished the season with a .353/.456/.588/1.045 quad slash. He had three homeruns, nine doubles, a triple, and 21 stolen bases. Durbin is an incredible contact hitter and consistently walks more than he strikes out. This is the type of player the Yankees need now in the MLB. Whether the skills he has shown in the minors translates remains to be seen. He stole 36 bases in just 69 games in the minors this year and continued that aggression in the AFL.
Cowles had a respectable season in the minors this year but has exploded in the AFL. He hit .290/.405/.551/.956 with four homeruns, four doubles, a triple, and three stolen bases in 20 games. It’s a small sample size but projected over a full minor league season that would mean 20 homeruns, 20 doubles, and 20 steals. Cowles made a name for himself in the desert, and it has me excited to see what he can do in Double-A next year. He has a much higher strikeout rate than Durbin, but he is a patient hitter in his own right. He took 12 walks in the AFL and had an OBP of .405.
While it may seem that both of these players came out of nowhere, the reality is that both have always had the tools to put on this type of hitting display. Perhaps just as important, they both can field their positions well. Durbin plays a solid second base and Cowles holds his own at shortstop.
It’s great to see two players with relatively low expectations come out of the Arizona Fall League with higher hopes in the future. With increased confidence, hopefully the two will be a nice boost to the farm next season and make a name for themselves in 2024.