Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/30/2026

Salt River Rafters (Chris)

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

Another day, more Dax Kilby love. I am getting a bit tired of featuring him, and at this point I think Kilby might be our most featured player. He smoked two triples on the day, including one that left the bat at 109.3 mph and traveled 409 feet. Kilby could not have picked a deeper part of Salt River Fields to put the ball at. The third-inning triple had a 95 mph exit velocity and traveled 366 feet.

What's been more impressive is that Kilby is showing elite sprint speed. It’s more impressive that he is clocking near 30 ft/second speeds coming off a major hamstring injury.

In 164 regular-season plate appearances, Kilby post a strong .427 OBP, but he had just a .403 slugging percentage with four home runs, four doubles, and two triples.

Jack O’Dowd, C, Colorado Rockies (2/3 2 2B)

O’Dowd’s story is well documented at this point, and it is an incredible story. Growing up around the highest levels of the game as the son of former Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd. He played indy ball and wound up in the Rockies org.

O’Dowd spent time in college with Vanderbilt and Texas and played indy ball before being signed by the Rockies. He worked his way from Single-A to Double-A by season's end and hit 23 home runs with 30 doubles while slashing .307/.383/.564.

Smoking two doubles yesterday, and nearly collecting a third on a hard line-out, O’Dowd had three batted balls hit 100 mph or harder. There is plenty of power in the profile, but contact is a major issue and got more exposed as he moved up levels. O’Dowd will turn 26 toward the beginning of next season and will need to show a bit more to be considered a late-career breakout.

Peoria Javelinas (Chris)

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

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 Thursday, Hernandez smacked a 98 mph home run and wound up reaching base four times via single, walk, and fielding error. The strong performance raised Hernandez average to .300 on the AFL circuit and his OPS to .804. He is raising his stock so far and looks the part of someone who is a top 300-400 prospect.

Alex McCoy, OF, San Diego Padres (1/4 HR)

McCoy has showcased what 80-grade power in the AFL is, and he is no doubt the most powerful hitter there. Hitting 19 home runs across 541 plate appearances during the regular season, McCoy added 31 doubles and slashed .278/.355/.467. The biggest problem in the profile is contact and ground balls.

The home run on Thursday came with an insane 116.3 mph exit velocity. It was his fifth of the AFL in but it is also worth noting that McCoy has a 35 percent strikeout rate. It is also worth noting that during the regular season, McCoy had a chase rate north of 35 percent.

There is no denying the power. McCoy is going to be shoved up lists this offseason based on what we have seen. But know the risks in the profile. It is a fun profile for sure, but there are risks.

Mesa Solar Sox (Beck)

Arjun Nimmala, SS, Los Angeles Angels (5-7, HR, 2B, SB, 2 RBI, 3 R)

Nimmala led the way in perhaps the biggest offensive onslaught of the circuit as Mesa poured in 21 runs on 18 hits and nine walks. Nimmala had five hits, two for extra bases, and two of the five hardest batted balls in the contest (109.7 MPH, 104.1 MPH).

Moved to Anaheim at the deadline alongside Eddie Micheletti and Angel Rivero in exchange for Jose Soriano. He blossomed in the Angels’ system, putting up a .260/.389/.577 slash with eight home runs over 27 games. He’s always had above-average power resulting from whippy bat speed, but it hasn’t always manifested in over-the-fence results in the way it has since his arrival in Rocket City. He’s clearly the top prospect in the system and should debut to share the left side of the infield with Zach Neto at some point in 2027.

Miguel Useche, C/1B, Chicago Cubs (3-5, 3 2B, 2 BB, 5 RBI, SB)

Useche was on the rundown two days ago. In his blurb, I said he’d have to continue to produce in the fall league to stave off the dreaded “organizational depth” tag. Heard loud and clear, evidently.

From earlier this week:

Surprise Saguaros (Rhys)

Welbyn Francisca, 2B, Cleveland Guardians (4/6 HR, 2B, SB)

Welbyn Francisca with a good old-fashioned combo meal: a homer and a steal in the same game. Welbyn posted 5 hard-hit batted ball events on the day, and overall has looked like one of the better hitters during his time in Arizona; he must really like prickly pear flavored things.

Welbyn has had his fair share of ebbs and flows in his prospect value, and after a 19-homer season, we seem to be at a point where his value is at its highest, which makes me think now is a perfect time to sell high. There are some underlying contact concerns here, as he posted below-average contact rates en route to the power. He is also an aggressive swinger, and that itself casts some doubts on the overall hit tool, so I would just be looking to cash out where I can.

I also don’t fully buy the power breakout, but that could be said about a lot of prospects because of the propensity for the ball to fly out this past year in the minor leagues. But all that said, it is nice to see him perform well, especially if you are like me and want to sell high.

Sebastian Walcott, SS, Texas Rangers (3/6 2B, SB)

Sebastian Walcott is showing off the tools that make him a top prospect for people like Chris and me. In this one, we both saw him play shortstop, and he posted a 113 MPH exit velocity and stole a base for good measure. His package of tools is the most enticing in the minors if you ask me.

Walcott honestly doesn’t need much more seasoning in the minors. I think his bat is relatively ready for the major leagues, and with the rumors that he will be playing some outfield, that makes me think the Rangers also agree. Who knows what the next CBA will entail, but if they carry over the PPI incentives, there is a lot to be excited about here, and with a strong spring, we could see the demand for Walcott jump that much higher. If any prospect in the minors has a chance to go 30/30, it’s this one. The Arizona Fall League might be the last time he sees minor league competition as the Rangers prepare for a world where they have an outfield of Langford, Nimmo, and Walcott, with the occasional Evan Carter sprinkled in when healthy.

Glendale Desert Dogs (Rhys)

Eduardo Quintero, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers (1/3 2 BB, SB)

Eduardo Quintero showed off his power and speed in this one with a 101 mph EV lineout and a stolen base. Quintero’s power and speed are what make him an interesting fantasy prospect, and depending on how things go for the Dodgers in 2027, it would not at all be surprising to see him get a cup of coffee, or more like a shot of espresso, in 2027.

Quintero had a hot finish to the season after starting off slowly, ending the year with a .308/.443/.499 slash line, 13 homers, and a 44-for-51 mark on the base paths. This is what a top 25 prospect in the sport looks like. There are few true five-tool prospects, and Quintero is one of them.

I would love to see Quintero follow Josue De Paula's lead from this past year and start swinging more, because a 34% swing rate on the season is alarmingly low. But we did see the Dodgers get JDP to bump up his swing rate in the minors in 2026 by 8%, so maybe Quintero follows that same path and great things happen.

Scottsdale Scorpions (Beck)

Jett Williams, IF/OF, Milwaukee Brewers (1-4, 3B, BB, 2 K)

No Scorpion collected more than one hit as they fell to the Saguaros by a final score of 17-5. Williams, once considered a top-100 prospect and enough to constitute half of a package to acquire a cheap Freddy Peralta rental, had the only extra-base hit in the lineup. His sixth-inning triple left the bat at 102 MPH and scored Waner Luciano, but it was ultimately futile and merely cut the deficit to five runs.

Despite having over 500 plate appearances at Triple-A under his belt, it’s not yet clear he need to depart Nashville for Milwaukee. He makes plenty of contact and his batted ball spray looks perfectly fine, he just doesn’t impact the ball with regularity. That was the concern when he was drafted, borne largely from the simple visual scouting of his diminutive frame. He should one day be a fantastic utility defender with the ability to play both in the outfield grass and on the infield dirt.