The Dynasty Dugout

Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/10/2026

Zac Beck — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 16:47:59 +0000

The Arizona Fall League is back! My favorite time and trip of the year is here and this year we will be bringing you early live coverage of the AFL. But as the AFL has kicked off, Beck and I will be breaking down the best performances each day.

Let’s dive right in! The top performances from Friday, October 9th.

Statcast Links:

Glendale vs. Salt River

Peoria vs. Surprise

Mesa vs. Scottsdale

Exit Velocity Leaders

Player	Exit Velocity
Antonio Anderson (BOS)	115.2
Dillon Lewis (MIA)	113.8
Alex McCoy (SD)	112.2
Harrison Feinberg (CHC)	109.2
John Peck (DET)	109

Whiff Leaders

Player	Whiffs
Tekoah Roby (STL)	10
Briggs McKenzie (ATL)	7
Ty Cummings (SEA)	7
Miqueas Mercedes (MIL)	6
Alexander Fuentes (SF)	5

Mesa Solar Sox (Beck)

Ryland Zaborowski, 1B, Los Angeles Angels (2-4, HR, BB)

Zaborowski was an undrafted free agent in 2025 after a strong senior season with Georgia, where his raw power went basically unmatched but his contact ability was seriously challenged. He climbed from the Complex to High-A over 66 games, finishing with a 121 wRC+ and 16 home runs, but his strikeout rate jumped about 10 percentage points at each level. He could challenge for the home run title this fall, and notched his first AFL home run with a 106 MPH blast in fifth inning of last night’s contest.

Antonio Anderson, 1B/3B, Boston Red Sox (1-4, HR, 4 RBI)

Anderson, a third-rounder in 2023, spent the entirety of his 2026 season with Greenville (High-A) and posted a .273/.373/.453 slash over 85 games. He cut his strikeout rate significantly year-over-year by both swinging less and missing less, and his wRC+ jumped nearly 50 points as a result. His home run output also more than doubled from four in 2025 to nine in 2026 despite accruing 20 fewer plate appearances.

It’s hard set expectations for Anderson this fall. A strong campaign would be encouraging, no doubt, but to this point he hasn’t demonstrated outstanding tools or on-the-field performance. That may have changed on Friday — his ninth inning grand slam left the bat at 115.2 MPH.

Nazzan Zanetello, 2B, Boston Red Sox (1-4, 3B, BB)

The Red Sox sent just two hitters (five pitchers) to the Fall League this year, both of whom made the rundown today. Zanetello is the more famous of the two, though he took some time to acclimate to pro ball before turning in the best stints of his career between the FCL (five games) and Greenville (High-A, 31 games). Unfortunately it was a small sample, at a level he was repeating, and the swing-and-miss that had marked his first two years in Boston’s system remained.

Zanetello has no clear fantasy viability at present. The Arizona Fall League is not a circuit to acquit yourself offensively — the pitching is unremarkable and the run environment makes evaluating skill development very challenging — and, through no fault of his own, there is almost no level of performance that would significantly change his long-term projection. He has an .822 OPS through five games after going 1-4 with a triple, a walk, and two strikeouts on Friday.

Surprise Saguaros (Chris)

Aidan Miller, DH, Philadelphia Phillies

Miller missed nearly all of the 2026 season due to a concerning back injury that lingered. He returned for just a couple of games to end the season but has looked good so far in the AFL.

Nearly leaving the yard to the opposite field, Miller smoked a triple 100 mph off the bat and also had a double that he pulled right down the line. While it is a small sample, Miller is batting .500 in the AFL with a 1.533 OPS in the early going. We know Miller has all the talent in the world; it's just about health at this point. A full, healthy season in the AFL will go a long way for Miller’s value heading into 2027.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers

Walcott became my number one prospect for fantasy purposes to end the 2026 season due to how he returned to action from having elbow surgery. The power was elite and came back better than ever, and he also showed improved contact skills.

So far in the AFL, the success has continued. Facing some legit Cardinals arms, Walcott smoked a 101 mph groundout on a 97.5 mph Tekoah Roby fastball in the first, then he had a couple and a single off Frank Elissalt later in the game. Walcott is hitting .364 early in the AFL with some big EVs.

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

Demetrio Crisantes, DH, Arizona Diamondbacks

Crisantes faced lefty Briggs McKenzie three times and won every battle, with two singles and a double. He later added a single and finished with four batted balls north of 98 mph. He showed strong contact skills and had a great eye for the strike zone. Crisantes is hitting an impressive .471 in the early going of the AFL and has consistently hit the ball hard.

Getting a late start to the regular season, Crisantes wound up spending most of the season in Triple-A, and between all levels he slashed .292/.377/.477 with ten home runs and 25 doubles.

Crisantes has shown impressive contact skills and a good feel to hit. He did not hit the ball overly hard this year, but did create ideal launch angles. Seeing a strong performance here could be finishing school and lead to an early 2027 debut for Crisantes.

Kyle DeBarge, 2B, Minnesota Twins

DeBarge put together a strong performance, with three hard-hit balls and a fourth being a double at 91 mph. DeBarge took a bit of a step back in 2026 in Double-A, striking out at a 26 percent clip and hitting just .221. DeBarge did have 12 home runs and stole 41 bases.

Leading off for the Rafters, DeBarge is swinging it well to this point in the first week of the AFL. The whiffs continue to show themselves, and that will be what I am watching from DeBarge this fall.

Glendale Desert Dogs (Chris)

Dillon Lewis, OF, Miami Marlins

Lewis blasted 22 home runs with the Yankees in 2025 before being traded to the Marlins. In 368 Double-A plate appearances, he hit 18 home runs and stole 20 bases while slashing .242/.302/.460. The power is big time, but Lewis struck out in 30 percent of his plate appearances.

Collecting two doubles last night, Lewis had three hard-hit balls, including a 113.8 mph smoked ball on an 83 mph swing speed. The power is undeniable here, but it will all come down to how much contact he makes. A good sign last night as he did not whiff on any of his swings and chased at just a ten percent clip.

Owen Carey, OF, Atlanta Braves

Carey has been a player I have loved since I first saw him play in 2025. The former 15th-rounder took a huge leap forward in 2026, blasting 10 home runs and stealing seven bases. While the slash line was pretty modest, Carey put up impressive numbers at his age-appropriate level, High-A.

Collecting two singles, Carey posted a 99 mph exit velocity on one of the hits and blooped in another single. One of the batted balls had an impressive 79 mph bat speed. Carey just turned 20 years old and has a frame that could lead to a power outbreak in 2027.

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

Alex McCoy, OF San Diego Padres

Rhys wrote this before the AFL “Alex McCoy is built like an NFL tight end, and he has some tremendous raw power. This sort of profile has a chance to really explode in the Arizona Fall League, especially if he is able to make some sort of swing-tendency adjustments.

Alex McCoy is a free-swinger; he looks to go up to the plate and swing and not see a ton of pitches, which does lower the floor on him, and this is mostly a ceiling play. It’s not quite a 30-hitter on the 20-80 scale, but the upside isn’t much higher than that. What makes him a sleeper here is the power. It is easy power. You can watch him in the box and just see him unleash on a batted ball. He posts serious power and can make any ballpark look small. ”

While he did not leave the yard on Friday, McCoy smoked a 112.2 mph single and added a double. He nearly left the yard on a sac fly which traveled 338 feet.

Tekoah Roby, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals

Roby was nearly perfect on Friday, striking out six across three innings and allowing just one walk. Injuries have been the story of Roby’s career to this point, but he pitched his highest innings total this year (78.1) since 2022, the only time he eclipsed 100 innings. Roby posted a 3.10 ERA and struck out 27.5 percent of batters. The arm talent is there, and it was on display on Friday.

Generating ten whiffs on the start, Roby had a strong 45 percent CSW. He worked the fastball at 97 mph with 16 inches of IVB and high spin rates. The majority of his whiffs came on his breaking balls, with three coming on the 82-83 mph curveball and two on the 87-88 mph slider. The slider spins like a deathball, and the curveball showed legit depth.

Roby also showed a mid-80s changeup with heavy depth and ten inches of arm-side movement. Roby also mixed in a sinker at 95 mph. The arm talent is still there if he can just stay healthy. Expect him to pitch in the Cardinals rotation in 2027.

Scottsdale Scorpions (Beck)

Dakota Jordan, OF, San Francisco Giants (2-5, HR)

Jordan, a fourth-rounder in 2025 out of Mississippi State, had an encouraging stint in Eugene (High-A) before struggling over roughly three weeks with Richmond (Double-A). His strong performance with the former came in spite of some glaring swing-and-miss issues, but he’s powerful enough to overcome bat-to-ball deficiencies against that caliber of competition. He clubbed 18 home runs and 41 total extra-base hits in 81 games, ultimately slugging over .500 for that span. Beyond housing better talent, the Eastern League is a tougher environment to do damage in, and whether his go-big-or-go-home approach (sometimes it’s a go-big-and-go-home approach, if you know what I mean) will play remains an open question.

He’d had a slow start in the desert, entering play with one hit over his first four games, but got his first home run out of the way with an eighth-inning line-drive blast that left the bat at 104.4 MPH.

Nehomar Ochoa Jr., 1B/OF, Houston Astros (2-5, SB)

Not much has changed since Ochoa landed on the rundown yesterday, though he raised his batting average to .316 and swiped his fourth base, which is something to monitor. Here’s yesterday’s blurb:

Ochoa is one of the players I’m most interested to see in person when I visit in late October. He’s a physical specimen listed at 6-foot-4, 230 lbs, packs the punch expected from his frame, and moves better than expected. If you set aside that he played in some hitter friendly environments, his 2026 was very encouraging; he finished with a .287/.349/.500 slash between Fayetteville and Asheville to pair with 11 home runs and 29 stolen bases across 272 plate appearances.

He finished last nights contest with two hits, a double and a triple, that left the bat at 80.0 MPH and 98.4 MPH, respectively, and powered the Scorpions to a 4-1 victory over the Saguaros. At present, he doesn’t make enough contact nor is there a long enough track record of the slugging performance we saw in 2026 to justify rostering him in most leagues.

Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/9/2026

Rhys White — Fri, 09 Oct 2026 16:45:08 +0000

The Arizona Fall League is back! My favorite time and trip of the year is here and this year we will be bringing you early live coverage of the AFL. But as the AFL has kicked off, Beck, Rhys, and I will be breaking down the best performances each day.

Let’s dive right in! The top performances from Thursday, October 8th.

Statcast Links:

Mesa vs. SR: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?gamePk=867720

Peoria vs. Glendale: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?gamePk=867721

Surprise vs. Scottsdale: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?gamePk=867719

Exit Velocity Leaders

Player	Exit Velocity
Kyle West (NYY)	110.9
Kyle West (NYY)	110.1
Braylon Payne (MIL)	107.9
Brandon Eike (SEA)	107.3
Chase Harlan (LAD)	106

Whiff Leaders

Player	Whiffs
Patrick Reilly (BAL)	11
Emmett Olson (MIA)	10
JT Etheridge (NYY)	9
Mason McConnaughey (TEX)	8
Juan Bello (HOU)	8

Mesa Solar Sox (Beck)

Jake Munroe, 3B, Los Angeles Angels (1-3, HR, BB)

Munroe went in the fourth round of last summer’s draft after transferring to Louisville from a Division III school and posting a four-digit OPS. His momentum in the ACC carried through to pro ball, and he finished the 2026 campaign having played the majority of his season in Rocket City (Double-A) with a .900 OPS. Some mechanical changes unlocked raw pop; he clubbed 19 home runs over 516 plate appearances after the transition to wood after managing 13 over 299 plate appearance with aluminum.

The Solar Sox were stymied for most of the evening — they managed just four hits as a unit — but Munroe got Mesa on the board with a fourth-inning home run that left the bat a 96.6 MPH. He’s not yet fantasy relevant as a bat-first corner infielder without an offensive carrying tool, but he’s worth keeping an eye on as a sleeper name who could perform well in an environment that allows for 96.6 MPH home runs.

Jake Casey, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (1-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB)

There were three Jakes in this lineup: Munroe, the previous entry, Cook, Mesa’s center fielder, and Casey, who flanked him on his right. Two of the three left their mark on this game (Cook was 0-2 with a walk and a stolen base). Casey finished the contest with a double, two walks and two stolen bases, which isn’t much of a departure from his regular season campaign. He finished with a .244/.373/.502 line with 10 stolen bases in 57 High-A games.

He profiles as a fourth outfielder with some speed long-term, which may not be attractive in most situations but may be interesting in deep OBP leagues. It would be unsurprising if he finds more opportunity later in his career with a different club.

Surprise Saguaros (Rhys)

Aidan Miller, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies (1/2, 2B, 2 BB, SB)

Honestly, if Aidan Miller just stays healthy, that is a massive win for his value because his value is tied to his back being okay. I am ever so slightly concerned about someone who had to get surgery to more or less fry the nerves in his back.

It is nice to see him back after what was a lost developmental year for Miller, as he has only played in 4 games in 2026. In this one, he played third base the entire game, hit a double, and stole a base, so his back must be feeling relatively fine. Miller posted a 103 MPH EV on his double; however, he hit it with a negative launch angle, with the ball traveling only 35 feet. So there was obviously some running involved yesterday, which is good to see as he shows confidence in his back and gets out running.

Miller playing third base is mildly interesting because I think at some point the Phillies have to have the discussion to move Turner off shortstop, and Miller seems like a prime candidate to do just that. Even so, I am just happy to see Miller back out there. I like the profile a lot, and the Phillies could do a lot worse than rolling him out as their Opening Day 3B in 2027.

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

Yasser Mercedes, OF, Minnesota Twins (2/4 2B, HR)

Mercedes turned in an impressive performance on Thursday as he blasted a home run that somehow left the yard despite just a 98 mph exit velocity, but he also added a 101 mph double. He swung and missed just once on the day and showed a good feel for the strike zone.

During the regular season, Mercedes hit 18 home runs and stole 52 bases, but he struck out at a 28 percent clip. The slash was solid at .249/.343/.453, but there was some major decline when he moved to High-A.

Mercedes did post an impressive 114 max exit velocity this year, but the numbers were highly inconsistent throughout the season. The zone contact rate dropped to just 76 percent in High-A, which is something to watch closely.

Dax Kilby, SS, New York Yankees (1/4 HR)

Continuing to swing it quite well in Arizona, Kilby hit a first-inning home run that left the bat with a 94 mph exit velocity, which goes to show you how the ball flies in Arizona. He nearly left the yard a second time, in the fifth inning, blasting an opposite-field shot at 97 mph that ended in a fly out to the warning track.

Kilby missed substantial time this season due to a hamstring injury and was up and down in his 164 plate appearances during the regular season. The .427 OBP was strong, but Kilby had just a .403 slugging percentage with four home runs, four doubles, and two triples.

The AFL is an important time for Kilby to prove he can be a high-end prospect like we saw after he was drafted in 2025.

Kyle West, 1B, New York Yankees (2/4)

West collected two singles during today’s action, but smoked both balls with exit velocities of 110 and 111 mph, respectively. He also had a hard-hit ground out at 96 mph.

After being selected in the 13th round of the 2025 MLB Draft, West mashed 20 home runs in High-A this year, but he also struck out at a 30 percent clip. The power is legit as you saw in the exit velocity data today, but he ran pretty poor contact numbers during the regular season with a chase rate north of 35 percent.

West is likely to hit some big home runs in the Arizona air, but there is a lot to clean up to be a legitimate prospect.

Glendale Desert Dogs (Rhys)

Caleb Bonemer, RF, Chicago White Sox (2/4 2B)

Caleb Bonemer had two hard-hit batted balls in a 100 mph double and his 105 mph lineout to go along with a 63.6 mph batted ball that turned into a single in this game. He played a corner outfield spot for presumably the first time in his life, which isn’t harder than playing center by any means. The Glendale Desert Dogs do have to appease both the White Sox and Dodgers, as the Dodgers want Eduardo Quintero to get his time in center field.

Bonemer’s stock takes the smallest bit of a hit for me because I liked him more as a third-base prospect, given the relative dearth of interesting options at the hot corner in fantasy. However, I totally get not wanting to move Miguel Vargas off of third. The move to the outfield does open up some runway for him to break camp with the team. I like Tristan Peters, but I think he might be better served as a fourth outfielder. Also, the White Sox could really use another right-handed power bat in their lineup, as it’s just Miguel Vargas who fulfills that distinction.

It will be interesting to see what the White Sox do this offseason. They are about to play in Game 5, and the main thing they need is pitching. They have a good farm system to trade away from, and it will be interesting to see what they do on that front. But I think Bonemer has a real chance to compete for a starting outfield job out of camp next year, even if they don’t upgrade the rotation and ship off someone like Tristan Peters.

Chase Harlan, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers (2/4 2B)

Chase Harlan has all the makings of an impactful fantasy first baseman. He hits the ball hard, I was at a game where he posted a 112 mph batted-ball event, and I think the contact portion of his game does get undersold ever so slightly.

He has the chance to put up some big-time offensive numbers in the Fall League. He hits the ball at decent angles, looks to put the ball in the air, and will pull his fair share of batted balls. He did post a higher-than-desired 48% ground-ball rate, but I am not going to knock a 20-year-old who made his way to High-A in a crowded org. It is worth noting in this one he posted two 100+ mph batted-ball events: the 102 mph homer that he hit with a 35-degree launch angle, and the 106 mph groundout.

When I saw Harlan, he was a guy who hits the ball hard and sprays balls to the pull side at the expense of all-fields contact, which left me with some questions about him at third base. It’s not a flat no at third, and he is only 20, so a lot can change in a few years, but he is trending toward being a first baseman. That also gets a bit worrisome because he would be a righty/righty first baseman, but I really think he might be a rare exception to the rule. It’s easy plus power and may ultimately become plus-plus.

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

Ike Irish, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles (3/6 HR)

Irish’s season ended early in 2026, shortly after the All-Star break. He hit 16 home runs and had 20 doubles in 343 plate appearances. Irish even swiped 20 bases but was caught ten times. Before his injury, Irish was showing good power and a solid approach but was really held back by inconsistent launch angles.

Getting six plate appearances yesterday, Irish homered and added two more singles. He had four hard-hit balls on the day, including two at 103 mph or better.

Irish continued to show the inconsistencies in launch as he put four balls on the ground, and his two other batted balls had launch angles of 35 degrees.

Patrick Reilly, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (3 IP/3 H/1 ER/1 BB/6 K)

Reilly turned in one of the best pitching performances we have seen to date in the early going of the AFL. Tossing three innings, Reilly generated 11 whiffs while striking out six batters. He allowed just three hits and walked one, with the only damage coming on a Chase Harlan home run.

Coming off a regular season in which he pitched just 53 innings, Reilly posted a 5.09 ERA, but most of the damage came in two High-A starts. In Double-A, he posted a 3.63 ERA with a 34 percent strikeout rate to a seven percent walk rate. I think I underrated him.

Reilly averaged 96 mph on his fastball last night with 18 inches of IVB and eight inches of arm-side. The majority of his whiff came on the slider, the pitch he led with. It sat 84-85 mph with good depth(negative three IVB) and around seven inches of sweeping action.

While less used, Reilly has an 87 mph cutter, that plays more like a slider, but it is a different variation than the one with more sweep. He also has a carry changeup with 13 inches of arm-side movement that sits 90 mph. This looks like a starter’s profile to me.

Vance Honeycutt, OF, Baltimore Orioles (1/1 HR, 4 BB)

Honeycutt reached base five times on Thursday, with four coming via walk. The fifth was a towering 101 mph home run with a 43-degree launch angle. Honeycutt is having a stellar Fall League to this point and has shown improved contact skills.

He saw 29 pitches on Thursday, chasing at just a six percent clip and swinging and missing just once. Honeycutt struck out at a 38 percent clip, but that number did improve in Double-A. While he got just 84 plate appearances in Double-A, he saw the overall and zone contact rate jump by over ten percentage points.

If the contact rates continue to improve in Arizona, Honeycutt could find himself becoming an interesting prospect.

Scottsdale Scorpions (Beck)

Nehomar Ochoa Jr., OF, Houston Astros (2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI)

Juan Bello, RHP, Houston Astros (3.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 K)

Bello was a five-figure signee by the Cubs in 2022 — and only barely. He netted a $10,000 signing bonus and was later sent to Houston in exchange for Ryan Pressly ahead of the 2025 season. In the intervening years, he managed a 24.1% strikeout rate while walking 7.8% of batters en route to a 3.38 ERA over 155.1 innings. He featured a four-pitch mix, of which the curveball was the most interesting offering, before going down with Tommy John surgery in 2025.

The AFL is the first time we’ve seen Bello since the operation. His first game action went exceedingly well — he struck out four over 3.0 scoreless innings and allowed just two baserunners. It’s awesome just to see him back on a mound, but there’s little likelihood he garners any fantasy attention this fall. His sinker and four-seamer averaged 89 MPH and 91 MPH, respectively, and without MLB-caliber velocity, his prognosis as a long-term starter isn’t rosy.

Rhys's Top 500 OBP Dynasty Prospect Rankings

Rhys White — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 18:52:18 +0000

Rhy has updated his top 500 prospect rankings for OBP-specific dynasty rankings. Follow the link below to find the rankings.

PS.. we have made substantial progress on the new website with everything in one place, including interactive rankings and tools without leaving the site. Be on the lookout for that this offseason!

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Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/8/2026

Chris Clegg — Thu, 08 Oct 2026 16:58:40 +0000

The Arizona Fall League is back! My favorite time and trip of the year is here, and this year we will be bringing you early live coverage of the AFL. Yesterday had just one game, so not as much to write about, but here is everything you need to know that happened.

Let’s dive right in! The top performances from Wednesday, October 7th.

Exit Velocity Leaders

Player	Exit Velocity
Zyhir Hope (DET)	108.7
Yerlin Confidan (CIN)	107.6
Zyhir Hope (DET)	105.9
Nathan Flewelling (TB)	104.7
Dalton Wentz (SF)	103

Whiff Leaders

Player	Whiffs
Railin Perez (TEX)	8
Calvin Schapira (SEA)	7
Kailen Hamson (BAL)	5
Logan Berrier (DET)	5
Preston Howey (DET)	5

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

Tai Peete, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

There was not a lot going for Peoria’s offense as they collected just five hits on the day, but Peete did not conform to the rest of the team. He collected three hits, all singles, but to leadoff the game, he smoked a 96 mph lineout to left field. Peete is off to a strong start to the AFL in what could be a catalyst to his prospect status.

While the surface stats were highly impressive in 2026, Peete struggles in terms of approach and contact. He chased at a rate north of 35 percent and ran a zone contact rate of 77 percent.

On the surface, Peete slashed .296/.359/.549 with 13 home runs, 19 doubles, and seven triples in 312 plate appearances. He stole 16 bases but was caught eight times. Showing an improved approach and zone contact rate in the fall league will be big for him moving forward.

Winyer Chourio, RHP, San Diego Padres

Chourio split time between Single-A and High-A in 2026, pitching 92.2 innings with 122 strikeouts. The stuff is there, but the command was shaky at times as he walked 14 percent of batters. On Wednesday, Chourio tossed three scoreless innings with two hits and one strikeout.

Chourio throws a 95-96 mph fastball with 16 inches of IVB in a near cut-ride shape. He plays off of it with a strong changeup that sits 86-87 mph with good depth and 11 inches of arm-side movement. It plays best with the sinker he throws with 14 inches of arm-side.

He rounds out his arsenal with a curveball with strong two-plane movement. Chourio has the stuff, but he will need to show he can throw strikes and find the zone more. Last night he had just a 44 percent zone rate(31 percent on the fastball) and a strike rate of 54 percent.

Scottsdale Scorpions (Chris)

Zyhir Hope, OF, Detroit Tigers

Hope blasted two singles last night, including one that traveled 321 feet. His two batted balls on the night had exit velocities of 108.7 mph and 105.9 mph. Hope has big-time power, and it always shows when he is out in Arizona and everyone has access to the statcast data.

It was an up-and-down 2026 season for Hope that saw him be traded from the Dodgers to the Tigers as part of the Tarik Skubal trade. While he still managed 29 home runs and stole 26 bases, Hope saw some regression in terms of contact and approach.

Many have dropped him down prospect rankings, but Hope should be in the Majors next year and has potential to be a 25-home-run, 20-stolen-base type hitter.

Nathan Flewelling, C, Tampa Bay Rays

Flewelling has big-time power, blasting 21 home runs with 17 doubles in 2026, while slashing .243/.364/.452. He showed strong exit velocity data, with a strong 112 max exit velocity for his age.

There were inconsistencies in High-A when it came to contact skills, but the approach remained strong. On Wednesday, Flewelling collected two singles, which had exit velocities of 104.7 and 98.2 mph.

I will be watching Flewelling’s contact rates very closely this fall in Arizona.

Bryce Rainer, SS, Detroit Tigers

Swing changes have been the story of Rainer’s career to this point. It has led to inconsistent contact skills and even batted-ball angles, but the power has remained elite. In 478 plate appearances, Rainer had 19 home runs and 24 doubles while slashing .260/.368/.465.

In yesterday’s action, Rainer had a double, but his two hardest-hit balls were groundouts, something we have seen a lot of this year. The power numbers were silly this year as he ran an average exit velocity of 96 mph, but when you put the ball on the ground at a near 60 percent clip, there will be issues.

Rainer also ran a poor 74 percent zone contact rate and struck out in 36 percent of his plate appearances. The good news is Rainer has not struck out yet in 12 trips to the plate. Yes, its a very small sample, but it is something to keep a close eye on.

Mesa Solar Sox (No Game)

Surprise Saguaros (No Game)

Salt River Rafters (No Game)

Glendale Desert Dogs (No Game)

Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/7/2026

Rhys White — Wed, 07 Oct 2026 18:13:42 +0000

Let’s dive right in! The top performances from Tuesday October 6th.

Exit Velocity Leaders

Player	Exit Velocity
Jorgelys Mota (WSH)	114.2
Sebastian Walcott (TEX)	111.3
Brooks Bryan (KC)	110.3
Nathan Hall (ARI)	108.8
Jake Cook (TOR)	108.7

Whiff Leaders

Player	Whiffs
Logan Samuels (ATL)	10
Justin Lamkin (KC)	10
Alex Williams (MIA)	9
RJ Sales (DET)	6
Owen Hackman (ATL)	5

Mesa Solar Sox (Rhys)

Jake Cook, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (3/5, 2 SB)

Jake Cook is an absolute animal out in center field; he is maybe a plus-plus defender at such an important defensive position that he will be given every opportunity to prove he can or can’t hit at the highest level. What we need for him in fantasy is to hit just enough and get on base so his double-plus wheels can come into play, where he could steal 30+ bags a year.

The big problem with Jake Cook is he hits the ball on the ground far too much. That would hurt a lot of other prospects, but given that Cook is a double-plus runner, he can live with hitting the ball on the ground around 40% of the time. He does need to run more when he gets on base for us in fantasy, because he could be someone who wins the stolen-base category for you in any given week in weekly H2H matchups.

Jake Bloss, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (2 IP/0 H/0 ER/0 BB/0 K)

Jake Bloss is someone I have always liked, and I still think there is some SP4 upside here. It is nice to see him back on the mound after his shoulder injury.

2 innings of work is not the biggest sample, but it was two no-hit innings with no walks as well, for good measure. He did get one whiff, and that was off the curveball, which is a touch firmer than it used to be, and there is less drop and horizontal movement, but the added velocity of it is encouraging for him. He pairs that with a mid 90’s fastball that looks to be completely reworked. The four-seamer got 19 inches of IVB and 1 inch of horizontal break and again was thrown a touch firmer on average compared to the last time we saw him.

It was only 24 pitches, but if his stuff has taken a pretty sizable shape jump and he holds these shape changes into next year, everyone is going to have a nice asset on their hands. I would recommend getting in while the getting is good. I am going to be doing some bestball drafts this offseason and I wanna walk away with plenty of Bloss. Even if there are only a handful of innings I think they will be of such a quality that you are gonna want to have him on your roster.

Surprise Saguaros (Rhys)

Sebastian Walcott, DH, Texas Rangers (0/4)

Sebastian Walcott might not have done anything using the back of the baseball card stats, but he did post a 111.3 mph EV, and that itself is notable for who I think is the best prospect in the sport.

Walcott missed most of the year with a shoulder injury, and during that time, either he or the Rangers or both decided now was a great time to rework his swing, which, while aesthetically pleasing, was a touch long and led to a few holes in the swing. Welp, he closed those holes, and all of a sudden the damage on contact went way up.

In just 41 games of action, Walcott was able to smash 10 homers and steal 13 bags while hitting .325/.401/.590 and has cemented himself as the top prospect in the sport for a few of us. He is in the small handful of prospects that I would not be looking to trade, and I think he could be a sneaky break camp with the Rangers in whatever the 2027 season looks like.

Brooks Bryan, 1B, Kansas City Royals (2/4 HR 2B)

The Royals' 8th-round selection out of Troy University in 2025 showed well in limited time at Single-A in 2026, before some ankle and hamstring issues limited him to about 131 plate appearances of work. In this outing, there was a lot to be encouraged about for the Royals fans in our lives: he showed off that plus power with a 110 mph batted ball for a double and a 104 mph batted ball for his homer.

It’s great bat speed to go along with tremendous power; he posted a 78 mph swing on the batted ball that was the double. Bryan is a power-over-hit guy, so it is encouraging to see him showing off that power and also showing that the hamstring and ankle injuries are behind him.

He’s a solid catcher with some pop, which has some appeal in two-catcher formats. There isn’t a ton of upside in this profile, but there is enough pop to be fantasy-relevant; plus, he has shown an ability to get on base at a solid clip. So there is enough here to be deep-league relevant in two-catcher formats.

Justin Lamkin, LHP, Kansas City Royals (3 IP/4 H/4 ER/1 BB/2 K)

Justin Lamkin does slightly go under the radar, as he isn’t gonna light up the radar gun, but he has solid stuff, throws strikes, and does a good job of having deception in his delivery.

He didn’t have the best outing in this one, going 3 innings, giving up four runs, walking 1, and striking out 2 batters. But he was solid, and we got a chance to see some of his pitch shapes. He attacks batters from a six-foot release height; his fastball comes in around 92 mph on average with around 14 inches of induced vertical break and 10 inches of horizontal break. He has a tight gyro slider that gets about 5 inches of IVB and 1 inch of horizontal break. There is a curveball and a changeup here. The big thing for him will be pitch diversification: can he play around with and add a sinker and a cutter to get people off the meh four-seamer?

Lamkin made it all the way to Double-A in his first pro season, so I think barring any sort of injury we should see him in the majors with the Royals at some point in 2027. What will ultimately determine his upside is whether he finds another fastball variant. If he can, the upside is that of a No. 4 starter in real life, which has plenty of value in deeper leagues.

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

Jorgelys Mota, OF, Washington Nationals

Mota is a fun player I honestly knew zero about before seeing him in person with Fredericksburg back in 2023 and 2024. Signing in 2022 for $250k, Mota was part of the class that saw the Nationals hand a near $5 million bonus to Cristhian Vaquero.

Mota is a physically gifted, 6’3” athlete. By looking at him, you may not see a great mover, but after playing third base, he spent the majority of his shortened 2026 season in center field. I have clocked him as a plus runner during in-person looks.

Injuries limited Mota to just 124 plate appearances this year, and he slashed a modest .253/.395/.374. He showed off his power last night those as he smoked a 114.2 mph home run off Justin Lamkin with an 82.6 mph swing speed. He added another batted ball at 106.3 mph with an 81.1 mph swing speed. For reference, Junior Camerino led all hitters with an average bat speed of 79.5 mph.

Mota has some intriguing traits if he can stay healthy and turn more of his hard-hit balls into home runs.

Andy Perez, SS, Colorado Rockies

Perez is a physically gifted, 6’3” shortstop for the Rockies. He spent the season in Double-A, where he had 30 doubles, two triples, and nine home runs. He swiped 27 bases and slashed a respectable .285/.321/.403.

The biggest problem in the profile is his approach as he swings at everything having a 45 percent chase rate and a low 4.5 percent walk rate. He does make a ton of contact and rarely strikes out, but the approach will likely haunt him.

Perez had two hits last night, but he nearly left the yard on his best-batted ball, striking it at 98 mph on a fly out to right. We will need to watch his chase rate as he chased 67 percent of pitches out of the zone last night.

Antonio Gomez, RHP, New York Yankees

Gomez was a former catcher with a big arm that the Yankees transitioned to the mound this year. He threw just 5.2 innings this year, but showed electric stuff, and it showed last night.

Working his fastball at 97 mph, Gomez creates 14 inches of IVB in a cut-ride shape. He also throws a rinker with heavy arm-side run to it. The cutter plays at 91-92 mph with five inches of IVB with a couple of inches of cut.

Gomez is a reliever long-term, but he could be one to keep an eye on.

Glendale Desert Dogs (Rhys)

Caleb Bonemer, OF, Chicago White Sox (1/5 2B)

I haven’t sat down to break down my thoughts on Caleb Bonemer in center field, but he is a good athlete so I think he will figure it out. Plus, he will get an entire offseason to work on things out in center before next season, so why not see if he can play out there for a little bit.

Bonemer with a 104 mph popout in this one, and he softly hit a single, so not the loudest day in the box, but you can’t complain too much. I do think his value takes a slight dip with the move to center field, as I was anticipating him becoming a third baseman, which is shallow. However, I totally get the move from a real-life perspective. Miguel Vargas is an MVP candidate this season at third, so why move him? Roch is a better shortstop, so why block that spot with Bonemer (when they both could be ready at the same time), so off to center it is.

There is good speed here to go along with what might be plus game power at the end of the day. The one thing Bonemer does great is get the ball in the air, and that allows his power to come into play more. There is a chance for a 30-homer, 15–20 stolen-base guy here if it all clicks.

Alex Williams, RHP, Miami Marlins (3 IP/2 H/0 ER/2 BB/4 K)

Sometimes the AFL is about putting yourself in the shop window for your next organization, or as I say if I accidentally leave my fly down on my pants, you can’t sell if you aren’t advertising. That is what Alex Williams is trying to do down in the great land of Arizona.

It’s solid stuff, his fastball in this one topped out at 94 mph and averaged around 91. It’s got on average 5 inches of IVB and 8 inches of horizontal all from a low release height. There is both a slider and a curveball here that are both strong offerings. There is the look of a potential low-leverage reliever/long-man which does have some value. If there is a velo jump at the age of 26 maybe he can be more than that.

Peoria Javelinas (No Game)

Scottsdale Scorpions (No Game)

2026 Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings: October 2026

Chris Clegg — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 18:59:11 +0000

Welcome to our 2026 dynasty fantasy baseball rankings! My Dynasty rankings focus on a three-year window. These rankings are designed to give you a good idea of how to draft a dynasty startup but also provide trade value. It is not perfect when negotiating a trade because every team is built differently, but this gives you a decent idea of where values lie when discussing trades.

A couple of important notes when looking at these rankings:

With many dynasty leagues using saves+holds instead of saves, I value relievers that way for this list. In saves+holds, I would much rather wait on relievers with great ratios that will get holds since they are valued the same as saves. Therefore, you will find fewer relievers on my list than others. I try to tier the relievers based on skill level and the number of Sv/Hld they can provide.
These rankings are designed for a 5x5 league with AVG. The spreadsheet has dynasty rankings for OBP leagues as well.
For league type, I assume a 15-team, one-catcher league. In a shallower format, catchers become less valuable, and high-end players are more valuable because the replacement level is higher.
These rankings factor in weekly lineup leagues.
It is important to think about team build when using a dynasty list. If you are rebuilding or built to win in year 2, push prospects and younger players up.
If you are built to win now, older players have much more value.

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Updated Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings!

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Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/6/2026

Rhys White — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 15:15:36 +0000

Let’s dive right in! The top performances from Monday, October fifth.

Statcast Links:
Peoria vs. Salt River: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?gamePk=867727

Scottsdale vs. Mesa: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?gamePk=867726

Glendale vs. Surprise: https://baseballsavant.mlb.com/gamefeed?gamePk=867725

Exit Velocity Leaders

Player	Exit Velocity
Braylon Payne (MIL)	110.6
Yerlin Confidan (CIN)	109.5
Zion Rose (KC)	109.2
Harrison Feinberg (CHC)	108.7
Eduardo Quintero (LAD)	108.6

Whiff Leaders

Player	Whiffs
Cesar Lares (MIN)	10
Yereny Teus (TB)	8
Ryan Dromboski (PHI)	7
Miguel Mendez (SF)	6
Harry Blum (BOS)	6

Mesa Solar Sox (Beck)

Braylon Payne, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (2-5, 3B, BB)

Payne picked up his first two hits of the fall campaign on Monday evening, including a first inning triple that initially registered as a 110.6 MPH exit velocity but has since vanished from Baseball Savant’s scoreboard. He’s capable of that kind of pop — that was the biggest revelation in the 20-year-old’s breakout campaign — so I’m willing to accept the fleeting Hawkeye read as gospel.

Payne finished his 2026 campaign with 467 plate appearances split between Wisconsin (A+) and Biloxi (AA) and a .277/.358/.552 slash. There’s admittedly little for him to prove in the desert circuit given it’s a hitter’s environment and the pitching is less than stellar, so the focus will likely be on bat-to-ball and potentially preparing him for Nashville in 2027. As such, it’s unlikely a strong performance moves his fantasy value in a meaningful way unless it’s paired with headline-grabbing award nods.

Matt Wood, C, Milwaukee Brewers (2-3, 2 BB)

Wood was a fourth round pick out of known baseball powerhouse Penn State (I’m being facetious, apologies to the Nittany Lion enjoyers), where he slashed .379/.480/.667 with 12 home runs in his platform year. He was lauded as a disciplined hitter with strong barrel control, both of which have materialized in professional ball. He finished with an OBP just south of .400 (.398) and considerably more walks than strikeouts in 386 plate appearances with Biloxi this year. He’s likely a back up catcher at best, especially given Milwaukee’s stable of backstops, but his under-the-hood data is compelling; he finished with a 10% in-zone miss rate, 19% chase rate, and roughly average 90th percentile exit velocity. He’s Rule-5 eligible this winter and may be playing for his last opportunity to make the Brewers 40-man roster.

Monday was his first fall league appearance and he collected two base hits and two walks.

Surprise Saguaros (Rhys)

Zion Rose, OF, Kansas City Royals (1/5 SB)

Normally a one-for-four outing doesn’t get things started here, but Zion Rose is hitting his way up FYPD ranks, and at this point someone is gonna rank him as their top FYPD bat. In this outing alone, despite going one-for-four with a single and a stolen base, he posted 4 hard-hit batted balls, with a 109 mph groundout, a 102 mph lineout, and two 97 mph batted balls, including his single. This is what he did during his time at Louisville, as he posted a 90th percentile EV in the 104 mph range, while pairing that with an 87% zone-contact rate.

Rose has a chance to start creeping up FYPD lists. He already is a top 10 pick, but with a hot AFL he could cement himself within the top 5, and maybe usurp someone like Drew Burress. There is easy plus speed, if not plus-plus, and he should be given the green light when he reaches the majors. The Royals allow their athletes to run on the basepaths, and if Zion Rose can continue to get the ball in the air, there is a chance here for a routine 20-homer type bat with 30+ steals a year, hitting atop the Royals lineup.

Welbyn Francisca, SS, Cleveland Guardians (2/5 2B)

Two games with two doubles for Welbyn Francisca, who still kinda lives in that better-in-real-life bucket of players for me. But if you are looking for a guy who might post solid batting averages and play all the time for the Guardians, this is your guy. They really just might keep making Brayan Rocchio-type clones.

After missing a large portion of the season with a shoulder injury, it was nice to see Francisca show off a little bit of power this past season with 19 long balls split across the complex, High-A, and Double-A. Do I fully buy the power? No, not really. He seems like a prime candidate to benefit from the minor league ball that was flying out like nobody’s business this season. But it was nice to see him rebound from a dreadful 2026 where he only hit 3 homers. That said, it is encouraging to see him pop a 107 like he did yesterday.

Paxton Kling, OF, Texas Rangers (4/5 3B 2B)

I liked Paxton Kling coming into last offseason's FYPDs; he's a good athlete with what might be above-average game power and above-average speed. I love taking chances on these high-upside athletes who might not have been in the best player development setups in college, and Penn State University falls into that bucket. The problem with Kling is he does hit the ball on the ground a decent amount, posting a 42% ground-ball rate this past season.

Kling had a four-for-five day at the office, showing off some speed and legging out a triple. There is still a lot of untapped offensive upside here. He needs to get the ball in the air more to let his power come into play more consistently, as he does post solid EVs here and there, like his 104 mph batted ball on his single.

Kling does a good job of getting on base and allowing his speed to come into play. He stole 40 bases and was caught 11 times. There are enough raw ingredients here that if Kling cuts back on the ground-ball rate, there is a chance for a breakout. While he posted a .383 OBP, posting a .361 slugging percentage is not what you want to see.

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

Dax Kilby, SS, New York Yankees (3/4 2 2B)

After doubling in his first Fall League game on Saturday, he returned to action on Monday and put together an incredible performance. Two doubles and a single as well as a sac fly led all hitters in Salt River’s game. Kilby handled velocity incredibly well with a 105.4 mph double coming off a 98 mph fastball. He also hit a 95 mph fastball for a 105 mph exit velocity. The sac fly produced a bat speed of 79.2 mph, which is elite range.

The AFL is an important time for Kilby to prove he can be a high-end prospect like we saw after he was drafted in 2025.

Demetrio Crisantes, DH, Arizona Diamondbacks (3/5 2B)

Crisantes did not light up the exit velocity leaderboard, not registering a hard-hit ball, but he still had a strong three-hit day. Leading off the game with a ground ball single, Crisantes followed it up with a fourth-inning double in the gap before having another ground ball single in the sixth.

Getting a late start to the regular season, Crisantes wound up spending most of the season in Triple-A, and between all levels he slashed .292/.377/.477 with ten home runs and 25 doubles.

Glendale Desert Dogs (Rhys)

Charles Davalan, 2B, Los Angeles Dodgers (1/5 2B)

Good ol’ Chuck Davalan. He is now playing second base out in Arizona, which does make him that much more appealing of a fantasy prospect, because we all know who we had to start at points at second base this past season shudders.

Plus, for the Chuckie heads out there, this does ever so slightly provide a clearer runway to getting Charles Davalan to the Major Leagues. In the sense that the Dodgers can move him around to a few different spots now, they can have him play either corner-outfield spot and second base if he shows he can handle the position. Which would be great for us in daily moves leagues because the Dodgers are a team that, while they might not give him the quantity of plate appearances we want especially in the early going, if he is good enough, they will shoehorn guys into matchups because they are trying to maximize the quality of plate appearances they can dish out. Or he could just get traded to a spot where playing time is easier to project as the Dodgers go star hunting.

Charles Davalan provides a relatively safe floor for a prospect. There is more than enough hit tool to go along with more than enough power. It’s not quite 60 hit and 60 power, but it is 60 hit and 55 power, which definitely plays in the corner outfield if he doesn’t prove he can be a cromulent second baseman. Please, please, please just be good enough at second base to play there, because that sort of bat would be a top 5 option at that spot.

Jhonny Severino, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates (1/3 HR)

"Here's Jhonny" is what I hope he says after he smashes a batted ball, which he did last night when he hit a ball 106 mph off the bat for a home run. Severino hit plenty of hard-struck balls this past year in Greensboro. He had the quietest 30+ homer season in the minor leagues this year, but keep in mind that Greensboro is a launching pad, and the ball flew out of the park this past season.

None of that is to diminish what Severino did, as he has always had solid power. However, spending an entire season at Greensboro with the current ball is a recipe for success. In 2025 he hit 10 home runs, and in 2024 he hit 16, so 31 home runs is a major jump.

Severino does a good job of pulling the ball and putting it in the air. That combination, mixed with the hitter-friendly environment the AFL usually provides, can lead to quite a few home runs. Someone I know on a team who has seen plenty of Severino told me, "It's never a question of whether Jhonny will damage batted balls; it's how much he will be able to bring that power into games."

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

Vancy Honeycutt, OF, Baltimore Orioles (2/4 HR, BB)

Honeycutt ended the season on a high note, blasting five home runs with five doubles over his final 13 games. While being an incredibly streaky hitter, Honeycutt hit 15 home runs on the season but stole an impressive 38 bases in 341 plate appearances. The issues revolve around strikeouts as Honeycutt ran a 38.4 percent strikeout rate with an uninspiring zone contact rate. While things improved in Double-A, it is hard to know if that was just a small sample size.

On Monday, Honeycutt blasted a 106.6 mph home run and also had a deep flyout that left the bat with a 96 mph exit velocity. He did reach base two other times via a walk and a single. The most important stat of the night is that Honeycutt did not whiff on any of his eight swings.

Sammy Hernandez, C, St. Louis Cardinals (2/5 3B)

Hernandez got just 253 plate appearances this season in High-A, but he made the most of his time, hitting 11 home runs with 18 doubles. Hernandez even added 21 stolen bases while slashing .279/.411/.529. He showed an impressive feel to hit and approach, having a 23 percent chase rate and an 87 percent in-zone contact rate. While the exit velocities were not off the charts, Hernandez does create good launch angles.

On Monday, Hernandez smashed a triple down the left field line at 97.5 mph and also added a single in the first inning. Hernandez also had a long fly out to left-center in the fifth inning.

It would not be surprising to see Hernandez really see his stock rise in the AFL with a solid performance.

Ike Irish, 1B, Baltimore Orioles (2/5)

While Irish had just two singles, we got some elite bat speed numbers from him as Irish registered an 81 and 79 mph bat speed on batted balls. All three of his batted balls were hard-hit, including a 103 mph single.

Scottsdale Scorpions (Beck)

Cole Conn, C, Sacramento Athletics (2-5, 2B, 3B, SB)

Cole Conn did not appear in many pre-AFL players to watch articles. At a cursory glance, his 2026 campaign was solid: he slashed .286/.389/.463, hit 13 home runs, and stole 28 bases in 474 plate appearances between Double- and Triple-A as a switch-hitting catcher, but he played in the Texas League before graduating to the even friendlier Pacific Coast League. In those environments, Conn’s performance graded more good than great. Still, he’s off to a hot start after finishing his first contest of the circuit with two hits, both of which for extra bases, and with his first stolen base. The upside is likely capped as a backup catcher, but that’s pretty good for a 12th-round selection.

Arjun Nimmala, SS, Los Angeles Angels (2-5, HR)

Nimmala, selected in the first round of the 2023 draft and later traded as the headlining return piece for Jose Soriano at the 2026 trade deadline, logged the only home run for either team in Monday’s contest (which ended in a 6-6 tie, by the way). His third-inning blast had no recorded exit velocity or distance data, so the default assumption is “hard” and “far.” Nimmala played in 27 games for Rocket City (Double-A) after the trade and accumulated a .260/.389/.577 slash with 17 extra-base hits (eight home runs and nine doubles). His focus this fall should be on shoring up his bat-to-ball against breaking pitches (38% miss rate against them in the regular season) and putting the ball in the air (18.6% fly ball rate), where his power (107.9 mph EV90) will be maximized.

2026-2027 Top 500 Open World Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings

Rhys White — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000

If you play in an open world format, you know that standard lists frankly don’t cut it. Our Open World Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings are built specifically for long-term league formats where every MLB player and prospect matters. Whether you’re rebuilding or chasing a title, these dynasty fantasy baseball rankings help you understand the future upside of players that have not even debuted in professional baseball yet. From Minor League stars, to the KBO standouts, to college and prep studs, this list is designed to help you make smarter decisions in any dynasty league baseball rankings setup.

When new players are announced to be posted from the NPB/KBO they will be added to this list. The impending lockout does complicate some of the import players, thus they have been bumped down a little bit to account for the uncertain posting window with the lockout.

In today’s game, the gap between MLB contributors and emerging prospects is thinner than ever, making good fantasy baseball prospect rankings essential. That’s why this list blends scouting insight with advanced data to highlight dynasty baseball prospects, sleepers, and long-term assets who can shape your roster for years. Whether you’re searching for the next breakout or evaluating established stars, these long term fantasy baseball rankings will keep you ahead of the competition in your quest to build a dominant dynasty.

These rankings will be expanded over time and regularly updated throughout the season. Follow the link below to check out the current rankings!

Open World Dynasty Rankings

Updated Open World Dynasty Fantasy Baseball Rankings with top prospects, college baseball stars, and more.

The Dynasty Dugout

October 2026 Top 500 Fantasy Baseball Prospect Rankings

Chris Clegg — Wed, 30 Sep 2026 18:28:22 +0000

We made it to the end of the season. It seems like we were just in Spring Training, and in the blink of an eye, we finished the season. It is the time of the month when we publish rankings, and this is just the start of what we will publish, as fresh dynasty, open-world, FYPD, and OBP dynasty rankings will be published.

Upon finishing the overall rankings, it will be AFL time + time to dive into each team-by-team top prospects. We will get in the nitty gritty details of each team with fresh offseason reports and data on each teams top prospects.

Best of all, we will have an all-new website this offseason. Everything in one place. Clean, interactive rankings, player data, prospect cards, and more!

For now, enjoy our updated top 500 Prospect rankings.

Follow the link below to the new rankings!

October Top 500 Prospect Rankings

Discover the latest MLB prospect rankings for 2026! Explore the top prospect rankings with reports on the rising stars, breakouts, and future stars of MLB.

www.thedynastydugout.com/c/mlb-top-prospects-fantasy-baseball

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2026 Arizona Fall League Roster Breakdown: Salt River Rafters

Rhys White — Mon, 28 Sep 2026 14:49:08 +0000

As Minor League Baseball wraps up, it is time to turn our attention to the Arizona Fall League. My mind is already in Arizona as I look forward to seeing more prospects play and get a chance to see quite a few that I have never seen before.

With the AFL just a few weeks away, it is the time to break down each team’s roster and to give thoughts on players who could see their stock increase in the prospect world.

We are working our way through the AFL team previews, with this one being the AFL Preview for the Salt River Rafters. The team is comprised of prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins, New York Yankees, and Washington Nationals.

Salt River Rafters Roster Breakdown

Pitchers

Best Arm

Jarlin Susana comes into the Arizona Fall League as the best pitcher in the league. It’s big-time stuff to go along with some feel for throwing strikes.

Jarlin Susana is able to get his fastball up to 104, and he has been playing around with his fastball shapes. He has a meh four-seamer but he can throw it around 103 so shape is less important. He has played around with a sinker and that itself is a quality pitch. He kills any vertical movement on the pitch and gets a ton of horizontal movement. He gets 5 inches of IVB and 16 inches of horizontal break on the sinker, all from a 6’0” release height. This sinker brings into play his slider, which is solid. There are some questions about a third pitch, but before he got injured last year he ripped off a few good changeups, so there is some feel here. Maybe he adds a splitter, or a bridge cutter, or tinkers with the slider more.

Susana missed most of 2026 recovering from a lat injury. There is some sizable relief risk here, but he has a chance to just be the best reliever in baseball. The comp I have for him is a Baby K-Rod. But there is some feel for throwing strikes here that should allow him to remain a starter when he continues to round out the arsenal a little bit.

Arm Who Could Increase Stock

Fastball up, breaking balls down go brrrr. That is the Patrick Forbes playbook, and when he has pitched it has been effective. The problem this season is e has only amassed 29 innings of work across both the Complex and High-A. But in that time he has punched out 35% of the batters he has faced this year.

Forbes, like I mentioned, is a very extreme north-south pitcher. It’s four-seam up and then he goes curveball/slider down. He gets ample whiffs with this approach at High-A, but he will have to develop some sort of east-west pitch to keep the best hitters in the world honest. This season was not full loss development wise, because he showed his stuff gets whiffs, and he throws an ample amount of strikes.

It would be nice to see Forbes bust out an east-west pitch during the fall league, and if he does that could go a long way. We will get some statcast data on him, which I am very excited to see, as I have always liked Patrick Forbes I think more than consensus.

Sleeper Arm

After what was a vague upper body injury, we have only seen 13.2 innings of R.J. Sales, who was part of the return the Nationals got back at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline for Kyle Finnegan.

Sales comes at hitters with a high three-quarters slot, and he releases the ball from a sub 6'0" release height. His fastball hovers around the mid-90s and gets decent movement. He mixes in a few other pitches that play well with the mid-90s fastball, headlined by a sharp horizontal gyro slider that gets around -8 inches of induced vertical break.

He throws a good amount of strikes and looks like he could profile as a potential back end of the rotation starter. Let’s hope the upper body injury, which wasn't reported as a shoulder or an elbow issue, is behind him, and he can profile as a potential streamer type in fantasy.

Hitters

Best Bat

I remember seeing Demetrio Crisantes for the first time when I made the mistake of going to a camp day game; it was 11 o’clock and I was one of five adults at the ballpark. And to his credit, Crisantes has become one of the better prospects in baseball. Thanks to a blend of contact, damage on contact, and proximity to the majors, Demetrio Crisantes is an appealing prospect.

Crisantes being a second baseman does help boost his fantasy value, because well, look at who you are starting at second base on your dynasty teams. Crisantes in his brief time at Triple-A didn’t light the world on fire, but it was only a 50-game sample. He didn’t hit the ball particularly hard in that sample, posting a 100 mph 90th percentile exit velocity in his 50 games or so. There was a good amount of contact here, posting a 90% zone contact rate.

It’s an all-fields approach here, and maybe the slight bump down in competition will do him well. If he comes out and hits the ball and posts much better EVs, his stock will rise. There is a shout for him to maybe be a top 50 prospect after a great performance in the desert as a homecoming of sorts for the Arizona-born Crisantes.

Bat Who Could Increase Stock

Dax Kilby is alive and well, and he will make his way down to the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time from a hamstring injury. He was only able to appear in 34 games in 2026, but he looked good, striking out 35 times and walking 40 times while hitting 4 homers and stealing 12 bases.

Dax Kilby’s hamstring injury did sap some of his athleticism and wiggle, which is a big part of his appeal as a fantasy piece. The other interesting trend this past season is just how selective (or passive) Kilby was. A 37% overall swing rate is quite passive, especially when paired with a 58.5% zone-swing rate, as both figures are well below average. The Major League average zone-swing rate is around 66%, so in order for Kilby to do more damage, we will have to see him get more aggressive. The encouraging thing, though, is that Kilby rarely swings outside the zone, posting an impressive 18% chase rate. If he can maintain that discipline while bumping up his zone-swing rate, we could see him fly up rankings in 2027.

Kilby has the tools: he is a twitchy athlete and has a good understanding of the strike zone. I will be interested to see how he fares against more advanced pitching. If he holds his own, he could fly up to become a top-50 prospect by the new year.

Sleeper Bat

Yasser Mercedes is one of the more tooled-up prospects in the Arizona Fall League, with what might be plus power and plus speed at the end of the day; the question will be what the hit tool will look like. as Yasser is far too whiff prone, as he swings and misses In the zone far too much.

Yasser Mercedes had some buzz in 2024 and points of 2025, but the lack of a consistent hit tool had him hit a skid at Single-A, up until this season, as the third time at the level was the charm. He did dominate Single-A this year, posting a .321/.439/.642 line in his 98 plate appearances, but then he went back to having contact issues at High-A.

It’s eye-popping tools, but the lack of a hit tool means he will probably not hit the lofty ceiling he once had. But on the off chance he does, it will take a while; he is your classic slow-burn guy who gets slightly hurt by the current rules that pertain to a player’s 40-man timeline. He

If he comes out and destroys some batted balls in this offensive environment, that can go a long way to resuscitating his prospect stock, as it’s at the lowest it’s ever been. It is fun to dream on a guy with plus power and plus speed.

2026 Arizona Fall League Roster Breakdown: Surprise Saguaros

Chris Clegg — Fri, 25 Sep 2026 12:07:38 +0000

With the AFL just a few weeks away, it is the time to break down each team’s roster and to give thoughts on players who could see their stock increase in the prospect world.

We will go team by team, alphabetically. So today, we look at Surprise. The team is comprised of prospects from the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers.

Glendale Desert Dogs Roster Breakdown

Pitchers

Best Arm

Justin Lamkin was selected in the Comp-B round of the 2025 draft; Lamkin received a $1.6 million bonus at pick 71. The Texas A&M lefty took a massive leap in 2025, posting a 3.42 ERA across 84.1 innings with a 28 percent strikeout rate to just a 5.4 percent walk rate. He took an even bigger leap in his first season of pro ball before injury struck.

In 39.2 innings, Lamkin struck out 35 percent of batters while walking just 9.2 percent of hitters. He posted an impressive 2.04 ERA and a 0.93 WHIP, splitting time between A+/AA. Now set to return from a shoulder injury, Lamkin could really see his stock increase in Arizona.

The fastball velocity has jumped from just south of 92 mph in college to now being 92-94 mph. Throwing from a higher 6’5” release height, Lamkin creates below-average IVB, but around 12-14 inches of arm-side movement.

Lamkin’s slider is a dominant swing-and-miss pitch, sitting in the lower-80s. The changeup has 15 inches of fade, having around 10 mph of separation from the fastball. Command is the name of the game here, but the stuff has improved as well, and Lamkin has a strong arsenal.

Arm Who Could Increase Stock

Ryan Lambert certainly looked like he had a terrible year in 2026 on the surface, but the stuff is electric. Battling injuries, Lambert pitched just 29 innings, posting an 8.07 ERA. He struck out 27 percent of batters, but he also walked 23 percent.

Under the hood, you’ll see an electric 96-97 mph fastball that can reach triple digits. He creates an insane amount of ride on the pitch with 19 inches of IVB in a cut-ride shape. The pitch missed bats at a strong clip last year.

The slider sits around 86-87 mph with around five inches of sweep and good depth. It grades out well, and though a small sample, it had a 47 percent whiff rate. Yes, Lambert has two pitches, and he is going to be a reliever, but the stuff is there to be a useful one in the Majors.

If Lambert can harness his control in Arizona, he could become an arm that has some fantasy relevance in 2027.

Sleeper Arm

Calvin Ziegler will likely go down as a major “what if” due to his long injury history. Selected in the second round of the 2021 MLB Draft, Ziegler has pitched just 20 innings since the 2023 season due to a variety of injuries, with an elbow injury bothering him this year.

When healthy, Ziegler has fun stuff and can miss bats. The fastball works 95-96 on average with strong ride plus some good arm-side movement to play off of it. It has the ability to miss bats and grades out exceptionally well.

The slider works in the upper-80s and clips some in the 90s with more of a traditional slider shape. There is a two-plane curveball that gets up to 85 mph as well. It gets heavy depth and gives hitters tough looks.

Ziegler is a major wild card, and who knows if he ever builds up the innings he needs to, but the stuff could be fun to watch in Arizona.

Hitters

Best Bat

Zion Rose will be playing in the Fall League after being selected in the first round of this summer’s draft. After a breakout sophomore campaign at Louisville, Rose missed time in 2026 due to an ankle and hamstring injury. In 173 plate appearances this year, Rose blasted six home runs and stole 24 bases while slashing .417/.491/.646. He walked at an 11 percent clip and struck out just 8.7 percent of the time. He was solid in 90 pro plate appearances in High-A.

Under the hood, Rose ran an 88 percent zone contact rate with an overall mark at 83 percent. He chased at just a 20 percent clip. Rose ran a 105 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and topped out at 111 mph. He will need to pull more balls in the air, but there is solid power in the profile.

Rose is a premium athlete, which led him to move off the catcher position and play in the outfield where he clocks plus run times. The hit tool carries the profile, but Rose is capable of being a 20-home-run hitter who steals plenty of bags.

Bat Who Could Increase Stock

Welbyn Francisca was a favorite of mine since he signed in 2023, but his performance in 2025 left a lot to be desired. After spending a lot of the 2026 season injured, Francisca returned straight to High-A and has been dominant. In 347 plate appearances, Francisca has 19 home runs and 16 stolen bases while slashing .272/.366/.513.

The underlying power metrics have taken a notable leap forward, and the contact rates are respectable. While the contact has trended in the wrong direction compared to previous seasons, the power trade-off has been worth it.

Francisca has done a good job of pulling the ball in the air and has shown good aggression on pitches in the zone and over the heart of the plate. The chase rate is a bit high at 30 percent, but it works with the profile overall. Francisca is moving back up the rankings.

Sleeper Bat

Paxton Kling was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 MLB Draft and immediately hit the ground running with the Rangers. This year he started out strong again, but a wrist injury ended his season shortly after his promotion to Double-A.

Kling has exceptional speed, and it shows on the basepaths and in the field. He stole 40 bases in 401 plate appearances. While the power is not there, he has shown flashes and had seven home runs, a triple, and 15 doubles this year.

The approach is strong, and while Kling has shown some inconsistent contact skills, he still finds ways on base. It would not be surprising to see Kling hit a few home runs in the Arizona air, and he will certainly be a threat on the base paths.

2026 Arizona Fall League Roster Breakdown: Scottsdale Scorpions

Rhys White — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 15:41:33 +0000

With the AFL just a few weeks away, it is the time to break down each team’s roster and to give thoughts on players who could see their stock increase in the prospect world.

We are working our way through the AFL team previews, with this one being the AFL Preview for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The team is comprised of prospects from the Houston Astros, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Rays, and Detroit Tigers.

Scottsdale Scorpions Roster Breakdown

Pitchers

Best Arm

Slim pickings for the best pitcher on this Scottsdale team, but Miguel Mendez is an interesting arm, to say the least. I think he may trend toward being a reliever, but when you can come in with a fastball that has gone over 100 mph and has a really good slider, there is a solid floor as a leverage arm here.

Miguel Mendez was part of the return the Giants received for Robbie Ray, and he spent a large part of the season rehabbing a shoulder injury that limited him to 49 innings across two organizations and four different affiliates.

Mendez’s strong fastball and slider give him a high floor as a leverage reliever, but if the Giants are able to coax a third viable pitch out of him, that would go a long way. He would then need a few other pitches to try and become more platoon neutral. We may very well see Mendez next year with the Giants, as he is on the 40-man roster and the Giants will presumably not want to waste two of his option years.

In the desert, look for him to utilize that plus fastball and plus slider combo to get whiffs. If the changeup shows well or we see a third pitch, like a different fastball or even a cutter, then his stock should take a decent jump. One of the nice things is that we will be able to see some data because these ballparks are in locations with publicly available Statcast data.

Arm Who Could Increase Stock

Randy Rodriguez could see his fantasy stock go up the most, because he himself is in an interesting spot. He is an established reliever who needs to show that his stuff is back following Tommy John surgery in August of 2025.

Randy Rodriguez might get some redraft people’s eyes on the AFL because this might be a slight buying opportunity for what could be a nasty back-end of the bullpen guy who might walk into being the Giants' closer next year. If we see the fastball back in the upper 90’s with about 18 inches of IVB and 5 inches of horizontal break, all from a 5’6” release height, he was able to generate a -4 degree vertical attack angle on the fastball when he was healthy. Oh, and he pairs that with a nasty slider that gets about 10 inches of glove-side movement along with 2 inches of induced vertical break.

Rodriguez just needs to come in, blow away some minor league hitters, show the slider is still strong, and his stock will take a jump. He isn’t technically a prospect, but in a cluster of relievers on this squad, sometimes you gotta go with the "reliever in the hand is worth two relievers in the bush", or however that expression goes.

Sleeper Arm

Railin Perez was a minor league Rule V pick that the Astros acquired from the Red Sox, and he may utilize his time in the Arizona Fall League to springboard his way into potentially being added to the 40-man roster for the Astros, or to show that he could be kept as a major league piece if selected in the Rule V draft.

Railin Perez presents an uncomfortable look for hitters: he’s a sidearm righty who almost slingshots the ball in there. He features a sinker and a slider, showing a genuine feel for spin. However, he has little idea where the ball is going, which holds him back from being viewed as a leverage reliever. The command does leave a lot to be desired, however, and that has been what’s held him back.

This sort of reliever has value in the deepest of deep leagues, as he presents an uncomfortable matchup against both right-handed and left-handed hitters. He induces a solid amount of ground balls, so in deep save/hold leagues, there is some upside here.

Hitters

Best Bat

Zyhir Hope is one of the better prospects in baseball. He is now in his third organization after being traded to the Detroit Tigers as part of the return for Tarik Skubal.

Hope is an elite power hitter who taps into his sizable game power, routinely posting max EVs north of 113. He consistently squares up batted balls, projects to have more than enough hit tool to tap into his power, and could also be a solid stolen-base option given his speed. There is some swing-and-miss and chase in his game, but fantasy managers can stomach that if he continues to provide high-quality contact.

I would not be shocked to see Hope perform exceptionally well in the AFL, which could serve as a springboard to a call-up with the Tigers in 2027. The one thing working against him is that he won’t face his own team's pitchers in games. Look for Hope to post loud EVs and hit the ball far, as the ball tends to fly in Arizona.

Bat Who Could Increase Stock

This was really a toss-up between Nathan Flewelling and Bryce Rainer, and I am going to go with Nathan Flewelling. Twenty-one homers from a catching prospect, even with the state of the minor league run environment, is rather impressive.

Flewelling will be coming down to the desert and presumably be the primary catcher for the Scottsdale squad. Getting a chance to see him behind the dish will be good, especially because he will be catching what is a new crop of pitchers for him. If he handles the staff well, that is a positive.

At the plate, Flewelling is someone with an all-fields approach who shows a good feel for putting the ball in the air. There is no speed in the profile, but you don’t really ever expect much speed from your catcher. There is some swing-and-miss here, and he is a better prospect in OBP formats because he does have a good approach. The big thing for him this past season was that he bumped up his swing rate. He posted a 37.2% swing rate last year, and this year he bumped that up to 45.5%; the encouraging thing with that is we didn’t see the strikeout rate jump up with the swing tendency jump.

Given that he is probably projecting out as a league-average defensive catcher (which carries an immense amount of real-life value) and might be an above-average offensive performer, we could be talking about a potential riser if he comes out, shows off his all-fields approach, and hits a few homers.

Sleeper Bat

It is easy to write off Nehomar Ochoa Jr. after his 2025 season; he had just over 100 plate appearances, hit one homer, and struck out just shy of a third of the time. But before the season, he was involved in a freak accident that could have killed him, as a hook from a truck struck him in the face. He had lingering side effects, which explains why his 2025 season was so poor.

Ochoa Jr. bounced back in a big way in 2026 and looks like one of the rare bright spots in the Astros' minor league system. He hit 11 homers, stole 29 bags, and hit .287/.349/.500 across both Single-A and High-A. He did strike out just south of 30% of the time this past year, which brings up some hit-tool concerns. However, one thing he does well is pull-batted balls, with a 46% pull rate.

The encouraging thing is that he gets the ball in the air a good bit, but there is a higher ground-ball rate than you would want, which can happen with pull-heavy hitters. Usually, with this sort of profile, you want about 33–35% ground balls, so a 39% rate is a bit worrisome. However, that is a swing-plane issue more than anything, which presumably the Astros can fix.

He can get a touch aggressive in the box, but he is a good athlete who looks the part of a future corner outfielder. It is good to see Ochoa Jr. back, because I remember when he was drafted; my buddy with the Astros at the time said he was a good one to keep an eye on.

2026 Arizona Fall League Roster Breakdown: Mesa Solar Sox

Chris Clegg — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 18:12:29 +0000

With the AFL just a few weeks away, it is the time to break down each team’s roster and to give thoughts on players who could see their stock increase in the prospect world.

We will go team by team, alphabetically. So today, we look at Mesa. The team is comprised of prospects from the Athletics, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, and Toronto Blue Jays

Glendale Desert Dogs Roster Breakdown

Pitchers

Best Arm

Jake Bloss missed much of 2026 due to a right teres major strain, which can be a serious injury for pitchers. After debuting in the Majors back in 2024, Bloss has pitched just 63 total innings the last two seasons and has not pitched in a big league game since. Across his 39.1 innings this year, Bloss posted a bad 6.18 ERA, but that number was largely driven by an 11-earned-run outing where his manager left him out to dry.

The fastball velo took a huge leap this year and after sitting 93-94 mph, Bloss sat near 96 this year mph with 17 inches of IVB from his 5’8” release and a rather flat VAA. The slider sits 87-88 mph with seven inches of glove-side movement and close to zero IVB. Those two pitches were his best graded this year and also missed bats at a solid clip.

The low-80s curveball is a two-plane breaking with negative 13 inches of IVB and seven inches of sweep. It surprisingly did not miss many bats, likely due to his low zone and chase rate on the pitch. Bloss will run a 95 mph sinker in on hitters, and it is a distinct fastball from the four-seamer. He rounds out his arsenal with an 88 mph changeup with 13 inches of fade.

If healthy, Bloss has the talent to really take off in the fall league and rebuild his stock.

Arm Who Could Increase Stock

Fernando Perez has been an arm I have liked for a while, since seeing him back on the complex in 2023, and he has continued to pitch well since, at least until this year. Perez missed substantial time this year with injury and pitched just 20 innings, posting a 7.20 ERA. In 2025, Perez pitched 121.1 innings between High-A and Double-A, posting a 3.04 ERA with a 21 percent strikeout rate.

The fastball sits in the 91-93 mph range but can touch 95 on occasion with decent ride and run. Throwing from a 6’3” release height, the 17 inches of IVB is pretty average, but Perez does a good job of keeping it up in the zone. If he can add weight to his frame and see the pitch consistently sit near 95, he becomes even more intriguing.

Perez’s curveball has nice downward movement in the upper 70s but lacks the traits you want to see. It is his second most used pitch, though the slider is the better offering. The gyro-slider sits at 84 mph with high spin and a 36 percent whiff rate. The changeup sits 82-83 mph with 13 inches of fade on average and has good carry. It plays well to left-handed batters. Perez sometimes flashes a cutter, but it is not often used.

It will be interesting to see what kind of shape the arsenal is in during the AFL for Perez. We know he has shown the ability to keep runs off the board in the past, so the AFL should be a fun test for him.

Sleeper Arm

Dominick Reid was set to be promoted to High-A in June before he went down with an injury that kept him out three months. Prior to the 1.1-inning blow-up start when injured, Reid was rocking a 3.35 ERA across 48.1 innings with a 24 percent strikeout rate to a 7.8 percent walk rate. Reid returned for the last week of the High-A season and posted four scoreless innings with four strikeouts.

Working his fastball in the 92-94 mph range, Reid creates 15 inches of IVB from a 5’6” release height. While the traits are fairly generic, the pitch plays up thanks to over seven feet of extension.

Reid uses his changeup heavily, getting great depth and over 15 inches of fade on average while getting 10 mph of separation off the fastball. It is presently his best pitch, but Reid also mixes in a slider in the low-80s and a curveball that sits around 80 mph.

If the velocity jumps, Reid likely moves up rankings. But he will be a fun arm to watch in Arizona.

Hitters

Best Bat

Arjun Nimmala is by far the best bat on this team. While the AFL has become more reps for a lot of players, it could be finishing school for Nimmala, who could find himself in the Angels’ opening day lineup in 2027. Being traded from Toronto to Los Angeles, Nimmala wound up getting 390 plate appearances that year and hit 16 home runs while slashing .263/.372/.492.

He made a major leap in power, posting a 90th percentile exit velocity north of 108 mph. It is a surprise he did not hit more homers given the exit velocity data and the ability to pull the ball in the air. Nimmala improved his launch angles this year as well, so a 25-home-run-type bat would not be shocking.

The chase rate of 19 percent stands out in a big way, and Nimmala posted a 79 percent zone contact rate to pair with it. You would love to see that number improve, but even if it doesn’t, there is still plenty of other things to like in the profile.

Expect some big home runs from Nimmala in the AFL.

Bat Who Could Increase Stock

Breyson Guedez is the second-youngest player in the fall league, and his teammate, who we will discuss in the next section, is the youngest. Guedez had so much pre-season buzz because the Athletics pushed him aggressively, skipping over the complex after a strong DSL season last year. Guedez struggled out of the gate but steadily improved all year and earned a promotion to High-A. He is still 18-years-old, which makes what he is doing even more impressive.

Blasting two High-A homers after his promotion, Guedez upped his total to eight on the year and ended the season with a slash of .299/.342/.431. The contact skills have been inconsistent, but better in High-A, but Guedez swings at everything. His 59 percent swing rate is one of the highest in baseball. It comes with pretty atrocious chase rates, too.

There are some interesting skills here for sure, and given how young he is, Guedez could evolve into a decent prospect, but right now there are still a lot of holes in his game. If you wanna take a risk that the approach and power improve this offseason, I would not fault you. But there is no speed, so the power will need to carry him for fantasy.

Guedez will be a fun watch out in the AFL and could see his stock rise back to preseason levels.

Sleeper Bat

Juan Cabada is the youngest player who will play in the AFL this season at just 18 years and four months old. Of course, Sloan Park in Mesa is the complex and Spring Training home of the Cubs so it makes sense for them to give Cabada a shot in the AFL.

Cabada has been a buzzy prospect throughout his amateur and even pro career. A shorter left-handed hitter, Cabada has a solid swing with good barrel control. He looks relatively maxed out physically, but he could still grow given his age. The Cubs gave him a $1.5 million bonus in January 2025.

Getting just 136 finished the year with a .246/.338/.381 slash with four home runs and three stolen bases between the complex and Single-A. He does hit the ball on the ground too much, but that could be something that is worked on in the fall league. Cabada does do a good job getting to the pull-side, though.

A better-than-league-average performance in the fall league will go a long way for the 18-year-old.

2026 Arizona Fall League Roster Breakdown: Peoria Javelinas

Rhys White — Wed, 23 Sep 2026 13:28:29 +0000

With the AFL just a few weeks away, it is the time to break down each team’s roster and to give thoughts on players who could see their stock increase in the prospect world.

We will go team by team, alphabetically. Chris got us rocking and rolling with the Glendale squad, and now I am handling the Peoria Javelinas (great team name and great hat). The team is comprised of prospects from the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals

Peoria Javelinas Roster Breakdown

Pitchers

Best Arm

Brandon Clarke is all about big-time stuff, and it’s all coming at you from a low three-quarters armslot, and he gets over seven feet of extension down the mound. Which makes everything play up, and it’s loud stuff.

His fastball comes in around 100 mph, and has good movement. He releases the ball from a sub-5’5” release height, and when paired with that extension down the mound, you get an uncomfortable look from the left side. He plays around with both a sinker and a four-seam variant. Then he plays around with a sweeper, a cutter, and a slider. There is technically a changeup here as well.

Brandon Clarke’s stuff has never been an issue; it’s injury-related problems. In 2025, he missed time with a blister injury. Then in 2026, Brandon Clarke missed time recovering from surgery to help with an aneurysm in his left arm. There are also some command issues here; he doesn’t throw enough strikes, and there is a high reliever risk to him because of the injury issues (albeit they aren’t serious injuries like a shoulder, but they do look like they are starting to pile up) and an inability to throw strikes for extended portions of outings.

At the very least, he can be a high-leverage reliever with a sinker that generates 8 inches of IVB and 14 inches of horizontal run, to go along with two-plus breaking balls like the slider and sweeper.

Arm Who Could Increase Stock

Braxton Bragg has missed all of 2026 after undergoing Tommy John surgery around the All-Star break. Seeing him pitch will raise his stock, as he has been out of sight, out of mind for over a year now. He comes in with a strong group of pitchers, and on his team, he probably has the highest likelihood of remaining a starter.

Before the injury last year, Braxton Bragg was awesome. Over 59 innings, he posted a 1.59 ERA with 17 punchouts and 17 walks. Bragg does a few things that make him an interesting fantasy pitcher: he gets whiffs, throws strikes, and induces ground balls. Last year, he posted a 48% ground-ball rate across both High-A and Double-A.

We shall see what he looks like coming back from TJ, but I would expect his command to take a slight dip, which is pretty typical for guys returning, as command is usually the last thing to return. Before he was injured, however, he provided a unique look with a four-seamer whose shape isn’t great but can touch 101 mph, a distinct sinker with good arm-side run, what might be a plus splitter, and a solid-or-better slider and cutter combo. All of this comes at you from a sub-5’5” release height.

If he comes out, holds his velocity in shorter spurts, and makes all of his scheduled appearances, he will fly up the rankings. He will be Rule V eligible this offseason, not that that should really matter for him; he is a slam-dunk add for the Orioles if he isn’t traded to a different team this offseason.

Sleeper Arm

I am not sure how much of a true sleeper Kiefer Lord is, because he has his supporters in the Dynasty Dugout Discord. Kiefer Lord does fall by the wayside because of just how many quality pitching prospects the Orioles have collected over the past two years. But he is a worthwhile sleeper in a deep farm system that doesn’t have the star talent at the top, but has a ton of interesting prospects.

Kiefer Lord will have to be added to the Orioles' 40-man roster this offseason or risk being left exposed to the Rule 5 draft if it happens, so this is an opportunity for him to show what he can do in a big-time offensive environment. The question for him will be what sort of role he will ultimately have, because he has good stuff; the question is just the command, or the lack of command for stretches.

The former Washington Husky comes at you with a mid-90s cut-and-ride fastball that has topped out at 98 mph. He pairs that with a good mid-to-upper-80s slider that he can get whiffs with. Then he has a curveball he can bust out from time to time. There is a changeup here that he can mix in, but he does like to use the fastball and slider as his two primary pitches.

I like him in a less jumbled organization where he has a better chance to remain a starter, because while he has good stuff, it’s not no-doubt closer stuff either, so the fantasy appeal takes a bit of a dip if he is just a reliever.

Hitters

Best Bat

Ike Irish suffered a torn left meniscus on 7/24/2026 and will now be looking to make up for lost time in the Arizona Fall League, where they have him listed as part of their outfield. He is by far the best prospect on the Peoria Javelinas as Chris ranked him as the 67th hand gestures prospect in his most recent prospect list.

Irish has a nice blend of contact and power, nothing crazy, but Ike Irish should clear the threshold needed to be fantasy-relevant in most league formats. He makes a solid amount of contact, has a solid approach, and has good contact quality. Before he tore his meniscus, he hit 16 homers and stole 20 bags (not something I expect to be a big part of his game going forward), while hitting .286/.388/.528 at the High-A level.

Irish should come to the AFL and perform well; a solid AFL showing and proof that he is fully healthy could lead to him rising up rankings. The upside with Irish isn’t very high, but there is a solid floor here. He could easily hit 25 homers and post a good triple slash at the major league level during his peak years.

Bat Who Could Increase Stock

Last season we watched a slightly old-for-the-level Owen Ayers come in and torch the Arizona Fall League. While he carries none of the defensive value that Ayers did, Carter Graham is very similar in profile, albeit a year younger and coming in with a much better season, so not that similar, outside of being "old" for a prospect (not River Ryan old, but I digress).

Carter Graham will end the season looking like one of the better Reds prospects after he hit .300/.421/.565 with 29 homers across both High-A and Double-A. Carter Graham has significantly raised his prospect stock this past season; one thing he did was swing less and swing with more intent. In 2025, Carter Graham swung at 48.8% of pitches, but in 2026 he has pared that down significantly to 40.6%. That has unlocked a lot for him: he has become more selective, and both his walk rate and quality of contact have gone up.

Carter Graham should come into Arizona and smash a few batted balls, and that, along with the improved swing tendencies, can go a long way. I would not be shocked if he were near the top of the exit velo leaderboards during his time in Arizona. Now is a good time to buy in on him, because this profile would do really well in Great American Ball Park in a year.

Sleeper Bat

Alex McCoy is built like an NFL tight end, and he has some tremendous raw power. This sort of profile has a chance to really explode in the Arizona Fall League, especially if he is able to make some sort of swing-tendency adjustments.

Alex McCoy is a free-swinger; he looks to go up to the plate and swing and not see a ton of pitches, which does lower the floor on him, and this is mostly a ceiling play. It’s not quite a 30-hitter on the 20-80 scale, but the upside isn’t much higher than that. What makes him a sleeper here is the power. It is easy power. You can watch him in the box, and just see him unleash on a batted ball. He posts serious power and can make any ballpark look small.

There are some rough parts around the edges with McCoy; he swings a lot, and he doesn’t always make contact. He hasn’t been fully “optimized” either, in the fact that he doesn’t have a lift-and-pull approach. But the former undrafted free agent has only been in pro ball for two years now, and by and large has gotten away with his loud tools. There is a chance the hit tool starts to take a jump, maybe around some other coaches like he will have in the AFL, and we can see him more consistently translate his plus raw power in-game.

2026 Arizona Fall League Roster Breakdown: Glendale Desert Dogs

Chris Clegg — Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:53:11 +0000

With the AFL just a few weeks away, it is the time to break down each team’s roster and to give thoughts on players who could see their stock increase in the prospect world.

We will go team by team, alphabetically. So today, we start with Glendale. The team is comprised of prospects from the Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Miami Marlins, and Pittsburgh Pirates

Glendale Desert Dogs Roster Breakdown

Pitchers

Best Arm

Briggs McKenzie was in the middle of a breakout during the 2026 season ended in the middle of June. He began the year at the complex and looked quite good, dominated in one start in Single-A in Augusta, then worked his way to High-A Rome. For the year, he posted a 2.08 ERA across 26 innings with a 29 percent strikeout rate.

The Braves used savings on day one in the 2025 MLB Draft to grab two prep players in Briggs McKenzie and Connor Essenburg on day two. McKenzie was one of the better left-handed pitching prospects in the prep ranks and has plenty of projection on his 6’2” frame. McKenzie got a bonus just shy of $3 million.

The fastball has ticked up and currently sits around 93 mph, topping at 95 mph. He throws from a tough arm-slot but has average extension, while creating with 11 inches of arm-side run on the sinker. McKenzie runs spin rates near 2600 rpm and gets a good arm-side run.

The sweeper is McKenzie’s best pitch at present, sitting around 80 mph. He spins it up to 2900 rpm, and the pitch has around a negative five-inch IVB with 16 inches of sweeping action. There is also a changeup in the profile as McKenzie gets a heavy fade, of up to 18 inches of fading action, sitting in the mid-to-upper 80s.

Arm Who Could Increase Stock

Mathias LaCombe could find himself in a place where he could contribute to the White Sox bullpen in 2027. A shoulder/lat injury delayed his start to the 2026 season and saw him ultimately move to the bullpen. He moved from High-A to Triple-A by seasons end and wound up posting a 4.20 ERA wth a 31 percent strikeout rate to an 11 percent walk rate.

LaCombe’s fastball sits in the mid-90s and has reached 98, with carry and arm-side run. The low-80s sweeper is his best secondary offering because of its big horizontal action. He also has a mid-80s splitter that can flash as a plus pitch, but he will need to be more consistent with it.

Strike throwing will be a big sticking point in the AFL as LaCombe is further away from his injury. If the fastball command looks the part, and the can miss bats with his sweeper, LaCombe could establish his 2027 outlook at an MLB bullpen piece.

Sleeper Arm

Sam Horn has an interesting story, and the AFL is an opportunity for a fun comeback story. The 23-year-old has yet to make his pro debut despite being selected by the Dodgers in the 17th round of the 2025 MLB draft. Horn was a QB at Missouri as well as a solid pitcher, despite pitching just 10.2 innings in 2025. He had Tommy John during his Freshman season and then fractured his tibia in a football game in 2025.

When on the mound, Horn has seen his fastball reach near triple digits. The sweeper sits in the mid-80s with solid traits as well. The pure stuff is really interesting, and we know the Dodgers are great at developing arms. I just want to see what Horn looks like coming back from injury. I will be watching where the fastball is sitting for Horn and how the sweeper looks. Just make sure you know the name before the season begins.

Hitters

Best Bat

Eduardo Quintero takes the crown for best bat on the team, despite it being loaded with talent. I struggled picking him over likes of Caleb Bonemer, Tate Southisene, and even someone like Charles Davalan.

Quintero got off to a slow start to the 2026 season, but would up slashing .308/.443/.499 with 13 home runs and 44 stolen bases. His first month of the season was not great, but it shows you how strong he was moving forward. From April 25 forward, Quintero slashed .344/.485/.566 with as many walks as strikeouts.

Under the hood, Quintero has a 90th percentile exit velocity north of 106 mph, up a couple mph from last year, and the launch angles are strong, as he has a 63 percent air rate and does a great job creating barrels. The interesting thing is, Quintero has not translated the exit velocity data into home runs, but that could come.

The chase rate stands out as it sits around 17 percent and is paired with a zone contact rate just shy of 90 percent. The biggest flaw in the profile for Quintero is his low zone-swing rate. Tack on plus speed and 44 stolen bases, and this is an impressive prospect.

Bat Who Could Increase Stock

Max Williams was selected in the third round out of Florida State in 2025. He missed most of the 2026 season due to a shoulder injury, but has come back and looked the part. Finishing out the regular season in Double-A, Williams wound up hitting 15 home runs in 213 plate appearances and slashing .326/.399/.620.

Known for big-time power with high strikeout numbers, the concern out of the draft was that Williams would not hit enough. So far, that has not been the case, as Williams has struck out at a 16.5 percent clip and has a respectable 72 percent contact rate. The zone contact rate has hovered around 80 percent so far this year.

Sure, the chase rate is not sustainable, but Williams is smoking baseballs, and if he continues to make decent contact with the huge exit velocities, there might be something here. With how aggressive he is on mistake pitches and having one of the higher zone-swing rates in baseball, Williams can get away with some chase.

The power is going to play in a big way in Arizona and people are already pretty hype on Williams. The stock could boom even further.

Sleeper Bat

Jhonny Severino first caught my eye on the complex back in 2024. The numbers really took a step back in 2025 as Severino spent the entire season in the Florida State League, posting a .637 OPS with 11 home runs in 468 plate appearances. While he was in a super hitter-friendly environment this year in Greensboro, Severino blasted 31 home runs and added 16 stolen bases while slashing .256/.308/.524.

So, is Severino legit? He does hit the ball hard and does an excellent job pulling the ball in the air, but there are questions around his hit tool and approach. Severino does not see a pitch he does not want to swing at. You like to see a high zone swing rate, and Severino blasts mistake pitches. But the 35 percent chase rate is higher than you would like to see.

Severino made contact on just 67 percent of swings in the zone, but the zone contact rate of 79 percent was at least somewhat respectable. I do think Severino could put together a strong AFL performance and really jump on more radars.

5 Pitching Prospects Who Ended the Season Rising Rankings

Chris Clegg — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 18:19:41 +0000

As we reach the final weeks of the MLB season, most Minor League levels have wrapped up. The playoffs are coming to an end, and while many have checked out in favor of football, you can capitalize in your dynasty league.

You can check out six hitters who broke out to end the season here:

6 Hitting Prospects Who Ended the Season Rising Rankings

Chris examines a few younger hitting prospects that are moving up the rankings as the season comes to an end.

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5 Pitching Prospects Rising Rankings

Lan-Hong Su, RHP, San Diego Padres

Su has become a super fascinating prospect to me over the last month or so, and he could be the prospect to grab before the offseason. Su finished out the regular season extremely strong, punching out seven and nine batters in his final two starts. Su followed that up with several strong playoff starts, including his one last night in which he struck out eight batters across three innings of one-run ball.

The 19-year-old sits 94 on his fastball and has reached 98 mph. Throwing from a 5’9” release height, Su gets 6.5 feet of extension and nearly 16 inches of IVB on the pitch. It has been effective and he has missed bats at an effective clip.

Su’s curveball works in the low-80s with depth and ten inches of sweeping action. It surprisingly has not missed bats at the rate you would think, but if it is refined and begins missing bats, watch out.

The splitter is the best pitch in the offering, sitting in the mid-80s with late depth and fade. The low-spinning pitch has a whiff rate north of 40 percent as well as a 41 percent chase rate on pitches outside of the zone.

Considering Su signed back in October of 2025 from Taiwan and it was his first year in the States, Su has a lot of potential. The command is above-average, and the stuff is there. Buy in on Song.

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The Daily Dugout Report - September 18, 2026

Rhys White — Sat, 19 Sep 2026 02:12:52 +0000

We're almost at the finish line. The season has flown by, but we have enjoyed having you with us every step of the way. I’d ask you to consider supporting us all offseason, as we won’t take a break and will bring you more coverage than ever throughout the offseason. We promise to be worth your $8 a month.

With only a handful of games yesterday, let’s take a look at what happened and what is most important.

Exit Velocity Leaders(Prospects Only)

Player	Exit Velocity
Matt Wallner, MIN (AAA)	111.9
Victor Bericota, SF (AAA)	110.8
Eddys Leonard, SF (AAA)	110.0
Blake Burke, MIL (AAA)	109.8
Nick Cimillo, PIT (AAA)	108.8

Whiff Leaders(Prospects Only)

Player	Whiffs
John Holobetz, BOS (AAA)	20
Bryce Mayer, HOU (AAA)	18
Christian Zazueta, LAD (AA)	17
Drue Hackenberg, ATL (AAA)	17
Jacob Bresnahan, SF (AA)	16

The Prospect Report

🚀 Standout of The Day

Jefferson Rojas, SS, New York Mets (AAA)

Line: 3/3 HR

Why The Performance Matters:

No, this is not me copying and pasting what he did yesterday. Three homers in three games is impressive for Jefferson Rojas. He is hitting the ball hard; even his outs right now are loud. It was a 105 mph EV on his lineout and a 96 mph sac fly. Then you get the 102 mph exit velocity on his homer, and 103 mph on his double.

Rojas has settled in nicely for the Mets org. It’s a small sample, and some guys don’t take being traded well, but now Rojas has a clear path toward playing time, and for that, I am excited for him. I didn’t even factor in that if Bo Bichette were to opt out (he won’t; I wouldn’t opt out of that amount of money, especially after having a terrible season, but still, we need to talk about it), that could open up third-base reps. On top of the possibility that the Mets just dump Marcus Semien, there might be a few avenues for him to break camp with the team. Because he will presumably be a top 100 prospect on all the lists where the PPI requirements matter, they could take advantage of that—if that still exists in the next CBA.

I like our former prospect Jefferson, and he has the makings of a solid fantasy option. The best place for him would be 2B, where we don’t have enough good options. But I also don’t mind the idea of him being the multi-position piece for the Mets to move around. As long as he gets everyday playing time, that’s what I want. We could see a 20-homer bat with 10–15 steals, and that has value in almost every league format. He is another target I will have in some best balls, because I think I am going to play around with that format more this offseason. - RW

Christian Zazueta, RHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (AA)

Line: 5 IP/4 H/2 ER/1 BB/7 K

Why The Performance Matters:

A flat fastball and crazy secondaries go brrrr. That is the Christian Zazueta story. He has a fantastic fastball, and all of his secondaries are great. He is a top 5–8 pitching prospect in the minors for me. He might be the rare Dodgers pitching prospect that they don’t play around with.

I fully expect Zazueta to get plenty of time in camp, and we can see how his stuff plays with the major league ball before seeing him in Triple-A. So, we should get plenty of data on Zazueta with the major league ball. His stuff is nasty; it is one of the better arsenals in the minors—a plus fastball, a plus changeup, and a potentially above-average slider with plus command.

Zazueta is awesome, and frankly, given how good he has been, I don't think public sentiment around him is as high as I am on him. After Ryan Sloan, Seth Hernandez, and Jarlin Susana, just off the top of my head, I don’t know how many pitching prospects are definitely better than him. I would be buying everywhere this offseason. I think he comes up in the second half of the season for the Dodgers and could immediately be a plug-and-play starter for them for a long time.- RW

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6 Hitting Prospects Who Ended the Season Rising Rankings

Chris Clegg — Fri, 18 Sep 2026 12:00:00 +0000

Over the next two days, I will deep dive some hitting and pitching prospects who have ended the season on a high note and are moving up rankings due to strong performance and data. Let’s take a look at the hitting prospects today.

6 Hitting Prospects Rising Rankings

Cooper Flemming, SS, Tampa Bay Rays

Flemming and the Rays were a perfect match when the Rays selected him 53rd overall last summer. The 6’3”/190 lb shortstop has a projectable frame and plays solid shortstop defense. He played incredible baseball all season and wound up closing out the regular season with a .298/.379/.450 slash with 11 home runs and 16 stolen bases. If you factor in the playoff games Charleston has played, Flemming has added in two more home runs.

The stellar season saw Flemming improve his exit velocity data all year and finish the year with a 90th percentile exit velocity around 102 mph. While lower than you want to see, Flemming has projection and does a great job of creating barrels.

He pairs that with a strong zone contact rate north of 85 percent with an overall mark near 79 percent. He has a sound approach with an average chase rate, but has done a good job getting on base regularly.

Flemming just turned 20 years old in August. He has a ton of projection on the frame and is already tapping into more power. Don’t be surprised when he has a huge breakout in 2027. He looks like a top 25ish prospect to me right now.

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The Daily Dugout Report - September 17, 2026

Rhys White — Thu, 17 Sep 2026 15:21:43 +0000

With only a handful of games yesterday, let’s take a look at what happened and what is most important.

Exit Velocity Leaders(Prospects Only)

Player	Exit Velocity
Allan Castro, BOS (AAA)	110.4
Orlando Arcia, CIN (AAA)	110.4
Jack Suwinski, TB (AAA)	110.0
Johnathan Rodriguez, ATH (AAA)	109.7
Patrick Wisdom, SEA (AAA)	109.5

Whiff Leaders(Prospects Only)

Player	Whiffs
Jackson Ferris, LAD (AAA)	22
Alan Rangel, PHI (AAA)	17
Jonathan Santucci, NYM (AAA)	16
J.T. Etheridge, NYY (A)	15
Jonathan Cannon, CWS (AAA)	15

The Prospect Report

🚀 Standout of The Day

Jefferson Rojas, SS, New York Mets (AAA)

Line: 3/3 HR

Why The Performance Matters:

Three hard-hit batted balls for Jefferson Rojas in this one. He hit his homer at 102 mph off the bat, and paired that with 102 and 101 mph singles. Rojas looks primed to be a solid fantasy contributor for quite a while, with his jack-of-all-trades, master of none skillset.

I will be looking to pick up Rojas in a few leagues this offseason, because presumably there will be some runway for him to help the big league squad, and he can do it while collecting that sweet, sweet positional eligibility, depending on what moves the Mets make. Could he be their opening day shortstop if they move Lindor…possibly. Could he bounce around a few different positions if they keep Lindor? That is another possibility. Just for full transparency, I am not sure the Mets are going to be able to move that Lindor contract, but I have been wrong before and I will be wrong again. But for fantasy purposes, Rojas has a touch more ceiling fantasy-wise if he does play all over. We could see him get 2B reps, 3B reps, and even shortstop reps next year at the highest level.

That positional eligibility boost could be huge because while I like Rojas, I don’t think he has the highest upside. There’s maybe 20-homer pop here at the end of the day. And there is some speed here, so maybe he could steal 10-15 bags a year. This, paired with solid bat-to-ball skills, is a pathway here to being a good fantasy option. One that is better as your 2B/MIF option as opposed to your out-and-out shortstop. I’ll be trying to see if I can get Rojas because the pathway towards him being a big league contributor early next season is there. If I were a Mets fan, which I am glad I am not, I would wanna see him as the opening day 2B over Semien, who unfortunately looks done as a starting option even on a second-division team. - RW

Jackson Ferris, LHP, Los Angeles Dodgers (AAA)

Line: 7.2 IP/1 H/0 ER/1 BB/13 K

Why The Performance Matters:

Jackson took 13 batters on a ride to the Ferris Wheel, and this will probably be Jackson Ferris’ best start of his season, which has had its ups and its downs. But in this one, you see why he was a highly thought-of pitching prospect at points in his prospect arc.

The fastball was touching the mid-90s, hitting 96 twice in this start, and only dipped to about 93 mph, which is up from his season average of 92 mph. A late-season velocity surge is nice to see. Paired with his slider velocity being up, it’s no wonder we saw a 13-strikeout performance with 22 whiffs. He has a low release height on all of his pitches at 5’3”, to go along with a low three-quarters slot and 6’9” of extension down the mound. This stuff plays better when he touches 96, and the slider gets 3 inches of IVB and 4 inches of vertical bite, giving him a legit weapon against hitters on both sides of the plate. Then he can mix in the upper-70s curveball as a change-of-pace pitch to right-handed batters.

There is some thought to moving Jackson Ferris to the bullpen because, while it’s not egregious, there have been some location issues. That issue would go away in the bullpen, where he could be a leverage option for the Dodgers. The dream here is that Jackson Ferris gets moved to a team where starting is more on the table, because his stuff is good enough to start, especially if he is topping out at 96. - RW

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The Daily Dugout Report - September 16, 2026

Rhys White — Wed, 16 Sep 2026 20:02:01 +0000

It's the final week of Double-A for the regular season, and the lower levels are in the playoffs. There is still plenty happening that is worth knowing, so we will still bring you top-notch coverage.

That does mean we might see some prospects get a bump from High-A to Double-A to get them an extra week of action and the possibility of more players going to Triple-A as they run an extra week beyond Triple-A.

Regardless, there are still things to be taken away from what happens over the final week of the season. Let’s dive in.

Exit Velocity Leaders(Prospects Only)

Player	Exit Velocity
Chris Newell, LAD (AAA)	110.8
Trey Lipscomb, WAS (AAA)	110.7
Eddys Leonard, SF (AAA)	110.4
Santiago Espinal, ARI (AAA)	109.6
Gage Workman, SD (AAA)	109.5

Whiff Leaders(Prospects Only)

Player	Whiffs
David Shields, KC (A+)	20
Grant Umberger, CWS (A+)	20
Carl Edwards Jr., DET (AAA)	18
Carson Spiers, CIN (AAA)	17
Yhoiker Fajardo, STL (AA)	16

The Prospect Report

🚀 Standout of The Day

Jesus Baez, SS, St. Louis Cardinals (AA)

Line: 3/4 HR

Why The Performance Matters:

Jesus Baez is on the heater to end all heaters; it’s 25 homers in 59 Double-A games. And there is a lot to like here, but also some things to be worried about.

Baez’s power is off the charts; he probably hit a few homers while I have been writing this blurb. But it’s easy power that he is getting to on a consistent basis. He is lifting and pulling the ball with the best of them. The problem I have with him is the aggressive swing tendencies that are popping up. It’s a zone-swing rate coming close to 80%. He also doesn’t walk all that much. He is currently walking 5.6% of the time this season. I worry about these swing-happy guys.

I think Baez is one of the bigger sell-high candidates this offseason. I think you will get something much nicer than Baez, or you can package him as the second-best prospect in a bigger move. People will see him end the season with 40 homers on the season, and want a piece. I just don’t buy this level of production. - RW

Yhoiker Fajardo, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals (AA)

Line: 4 IP/5 H/3 ER/2 BB/7 K

Why The Performance Matters:

A double-scoop of Cardinals highlights today’s, or well, yesterday’s, standouts. Yhoiker Fajardo is a Scrabble lover’s dream; a triple-word score with that name would do quite well. Fajardo is ending the season strong and looks to be a potential mid-rotation starter for the Cardinals, who we could see as early as next season. My guess is right after Super 2 if he destroys Triple-A.

The strikeout rate has taken a jump this year, and it’s easy to see why. When your stuff takes a jump and you have the sort of command that Fajardo has, it is everything you want to see. It’s a good four-seamer with a really good slider, and the changeup is also a real weapon for him. I would love to see him add a sinker, a cutter, or honestly both.

When you end the season with a sub-8% walk-rate while striking out nearly 30% of the batters you face, that is an encouraging foundation for him and the Cardinals to build upon. The next step is adding a few different pitches to become more platoon-neutral, which would raise both the floor and the ceiling for Fajardo. - RW

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Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/10/2026

Mesa Solar Sox (Beck)

Ryland Zaborowski, 1B, Los Angeles Angels (2-4, HR, BB)

Antonio Anderson, 1B/3B, Boston Red Sox (1-4, HR, 4 RBI)

Nazzan Zanetello, 2B, Boston Red Sox (1-4, 3B, BB)

Surprise Saguaros (Chris)

Aidan Miller, DH, Philadelphia Phillies

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

Demetrio Crisantes, DH, Arizona Diamondbacks

Kyle DeBarge, 2B, Minnesota Twins

Glendale Desert Dogs (Chris)

Dillon Lewis, OF, Miami Marlins

Owen Carey, OF, Atlanta Braves

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

Alex McCoy, OF San Diego Padres

Tekoah Roby, RHP, St. Louis Cardinals

Scottsdale Scorpions (Beck)

Dakota Jordan, OF, San Francisco Giants (2-5, HR)

Nehomar Ochoa Jr., 1B/OF, Houston Astros (2-5, SB)

Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/9/2026

Mesa Solar Sox (Beck)

Jake Munroe, 3B, Los Angeles Angels (1-3, HR, BB)

Jake Casey, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (1-2, 2B, 2 BB, 2 SB)

Surprise Saguaros (Rhys)

Aidan Miller, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies (1/2, 2B, 2 BB, SB)

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

Yasser Mercedes, OF, Minnesota Twins (2/4 2B, HR)

Dax Kilby, SS, New York Yankees (1/4 HR)

Kyle West, 1B, New York Yankees (2/4)

Glendale Desert Dogs (Rhys)

Caleb Bonemer, RF, Chicago White Sox (2/4 2B)

Chase Harlan, 1B, Los Angeles Dodgers (2/4 2B)

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

Ike Irish, C/1B, Baltimore Orioles (3/6 HR)

Patrick Reilly, RHP, Baltimore Orioles (3 IP/3 H/1 ER/1 BB/6 K)

Vance Honeycutt, OF, Baltimore Orioles (1/1 HR, 4 BB)

Scottsdale Scorpions (Beck)

Nehomar Ochoa Jr., OF, Houston Astros (2-4, 2B, 3B, RBI)

Juan Bello, RHP, Houston Astros (3.0 IP, 0 ER, 4 K)

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Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/8/2026

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

Tai Peete, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Winyer Chourio, RHP, San Diego Padres

Scottsdale Scorpions (Chris)

Zyhir Hope, OF, Detroit Tigers

Nathan Flewelling, C, Tampa Bay Rays

Bryce Rainer, SS, Detroit Tigers

Mesa Solar Sox (No Game)

Surprise Saguaros (No Game)

Salt River Rafters (No Game)

Glendale Desert Dogs (No Game)

Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/7/2026

Mesa Solar Sox (Rhys)

Jake Cook, OF, Toronto Blue Jays (3/5, 2 SB)

Jake Bloss, RHP, Toronto Blue Jays (2 IP/0 H/0 ER/0 BB/0 K)

Surprise Saguaros (Rhys)

Sebastian Walcott, DH, Texas Rangers (0/4)

Brooks Bryan, 1B, Kansas City Royals (2/4 HR 2B)

Justin Lamkin, LHP, Kansas City Royals (3 IP/4 H/4 ER/1 BB/2 K)

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

Jorgelys Mota, OF, Washington Nationals

Andy Perez, SS, Colorado Rockies

Antonio Gomez, RHP, New York Yankees

Glendale Desert Dogs (Rhys)

Caleb Bonemer, OF, Chicago White Sox (1/5 2B)

Alex Williams, RHP, Miami Marlins (3 IP/2 H/0 ER/2 BB/4 K)

Peoria Javelinas (No Game)

Scottsdale Scorpions (No Game)

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Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/6/2026

Mesa Solar Sox (Beck)

Braylon Payne, OF, Milwaukee Brewers (2-5, 3B, BB)