Arizona Fall League Recap: 10/9/2026

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)

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.

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.