Willson Contreras proved he's a rare type of player during the regular season, and he's providing further evidence in the Arizona Fall League.

The Cubs' No. 10 prospect hit his third AFL homer Thursday, going 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored to lead Mesa to a 5-3 win over Surprise. The Solar Sox, who started the fall campaign 1-9, have won two straight and three of four.

"I feel really good at the plate right now," Contreras told MLB.com. "I come to the field early and get my work in, and then during games, I focus in and see what the pitcher has and go from there."

It was his fourth multi-hit performance in 10 games in the desert.

"He's getting good pitches to hit. He's not chasing," said Mesa hitting coach Brent Del Chiaro. "He's not getting out of the zone or expanding his zone, and he's staying behind the ball. When he does that, it gives him a chance to drive the ball, and any time you can do that, you're going to be successful."

A third baseman when he signed out of Venezuela in 2009, the 23-year-old moved behind the plate in 2012 and caught 75 games this year while leading the Double-A Southern League with a .333 average over 126 total games. In the AFL, he's slashing .308/.391/.641 with 10 runs scored, seven RBIs, three homers and four doubles.

"This was the first year that I played almost every day, and I think that made a big difference," Contreras told MLB.com. "I was able to get a lot of at-bats and it helped me be consistent at the plate."

Not a lot of strong defensive catchers are capable of staying so consistent at the plate over the course of a long regular season and continuing to produce in the fall, the Solar Sox hitting coach acknowledged.

"Obviously, he's got a high-rated arm. I'd say it's almost an 80 on the [20-80] grading scale," Del Chiaro said. "He's a conversion guy, and he's extremely athletic -- he can play the outfield, he can play second base. So what you're seeing is an athletic player behind the plate, and that carries over to the batter's box. You don't see too many offensive catchers [excel] on both sides of the ball."

His first-inning two-run long ball, which was followed by a homer off the bat of 10th-ranked Rays prospect Casey Gillaspie, staked Mesa to a lead it would never relinquish.

"For us as a group, we're leading the Fall League in home runs hit. But you don't see big swings from Willson," Del Chiaro said. "He stays small and is focused on looking for his pitch. When he gets it, he's ready for it, and he puts a good, compact swing on it."

The Solar Sox put a couple more runs on the board in the sixth, when Contreras opened the frame with a base knock.

"It's good to be here because we face a lot of good pitching and get to play with the best prospects in the game," he told MLB.com.

Gillaspie followed that single with a two-bagger.

The 22-year-old first baseman out of Wichita State, who was limited to 79 games during the regular season, also walked and scored twice. After going 2-for-29 (.069) in his first seven AFL games, Gillaspie is 6-for-15 (.400) with two homers and two doubles in the last four.

"He's getting his feet underneath him. He missed a good portion of the season with a broken hand, and for him, it's about getting into playing shape," Del Chiaro said. "He's not pressing. I think, at first, he was trying to impress his teammates and the scouts and the other teams. He's not pressing now and he's swinging at good pitches. He's not chasing down in the zone, and you're starting to see him drive the ball."

Jose Trevino, the Rangers' No. 26 prospect, was 3-for-4 for the Saguaros, and No. 5 Royals prospect Bubba Starling went deep for the third time this fall.

In other Arizona Fall League action:

Salt River 5, Peoria 2

No. 7 Blue Jays prospect Rowdy Tellez belted a solo homer, his second of the fall, and fellow Toronto farmhand Emilio Guerrero had two hits and an RBI for the Rafters to back up a one-run outing by right-hander John Simms (Nationals). Carlos Estevez (Rockies) pitched a perfect ninth for his third save. Third-ranked Mariners prospect D.J. Peterson doubled in a run for the Javelinas for his team-leading eighth RBI. Gameday box score

Scottsdale 4, Glendale 2

Austin Slater (Giants) went 3-for-4 with an RBI and Dominic Ficociello (Tigers) tripled home a run as the Scorpions pulled out the win at Camelback Ranch to move back over .500 at 7-6. Brandon Dixon (Dodgers) went 3-for-3 and drove in a run for the Desert Dogs -- accounting for all but two of the team's five hits -- to improve his AFL average to .429. The game ended after seven innings due to rain. Gameday box score