Nelson Velazquez, 2 other Cubs named to Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game

Several Cubs are having good seasons in the Arizona Fall League, and Wednesday three of them got the nod for the annual “Fall Stars Game,” which will be played this Saturday.

Nelson Velazquez, Andy Weber (who was profiled here by Tim Huwe earlier today) and Caleb Kilian will be on the East roster for the game.

Velazquez, who has shown a strong arm in right field as well as a good bat, has a chance to be league MVP. He’s currently hitting .390/.490/.756 (32-for-82) with a league-leading eight home runs. He leads the AFL in all three slash line categories entering Wednesday’s action.

Weber is batting .315/.427/.548 (23-for-73) and playing solid defense at second base.

Kilian threw five shutout innings Monday, striking out five with no walks, and although overall his 5.14 ERA looks ugly, remember that: a) this is a hitter’s league and b) he now has a streak of nine scoreless innings in which he has allowed four hits, no walks and struck out nine, for a total of 18 strikeouts and just five walks in 14 total AFL innings.

There’s a very good chance all three of these players will, at the very least, get invitations to MLB spring training for the Cubs in 2022, with Velazquez likely added to the 40-man roster, as he is Rule 5 eligible and would almost certainly be taken if not protected.

The Fall Stars Game will take place at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale this Saturday, November 13 and you can watch it on MLB Network at 6 p.m. CT.