The Arizona Fall League will bring a crowded group of high-end young talent to the desert for its six-week run, with 12 members of the Top 100 prospects list set to take part. Dodgers outfielder Eduardo Quintero, ranked No. 19 overall, leads the field, while several recently injured players and newly drafted prospects will use the extra games to make up ground before next season.
The result
The Fall League roster includes Quintero, Zyhir Hope, Caleb Bonemer, Arjun Nimmala, Bryce Rainer, Tate Southisene, Nathan Flewelling, Jarlin Susana, Demetrio Crisantes, Dax Kilby, Charles Davalan and Ike Irish from the Top 100.
Quintero enters as the circuit’s highest-ranked prospect and one of the more complete players in the group. The Dodgers made him a regular center fielder, and he has the tools to stay there while offering impact at the plate. He won California League MVP and Prospect of the Year honors at 19 last season, followed that with another strong Midwest League campaign, then moved to Double-A Tulsa for the postseason.
Yankees shortstop Dax Kilby will be one of the youngest hitters to watch. He appeared in only 36 games this year, but owns a .281 career Minor League average and has drawn more walks than strikeouts. Kilby was regarded as one of the better high school bats in the 2025 Draft, even if he received less attention than fellow prep shortstops Eli Willits and Billy Carlson. He has been compared stylistically to a less polished, lower-ceiling version of Kevin McGonigle and could make an immediate impression in Arizona.
Arjun Nimmala arrives after a powerful late-season surge following his move to the Angels in the José Soriano trade. He lost some time during the year, but finished with seven home runs across his final 11 games and 12 over his last 30. The Fall League gives him additional work at shortstop, with his raw power showing up more consistently down the stretch.
Behind the plate, Rays catcher Nathan Flewelling is still only 19 despite completing his second full professional season. He will not turn 20 until near the end of the Fall League schedule. Flewelling hit 21 homers at High-A Bowling Green and has shown a mature offensive approach, including a willingness to take walks. The additional chance to handle advanced pitching staffs should help prepare him for Double-A.
Braves left-hander Briggs McKenzie is another arm with plenty to gain from a healthy autumn. Atlanta paid him well above slot value as a 2025 fourth-round selection to keep him from LSU. He moved quickly to High-A after a slow opening, only to be shut down by nerve irritation in his left forearm. His early work was encouraging, and the Fall League assignment signals that the Braves expect him back on the mound.
Glendale has the deepest bench
Glendale may have the most imposing collection of position-player talent in the league. The Dodgers and White Sox each placed five Top 30 prospects on that club, giving the roster a chance to send ranked talent onto the field at nearly every position.
Quintero headlines the group, with White Sox infielder Bonemer ranked third among Fall League participants and fellow Chicago prospect Southisene sixth. Davalan also brings Top 100 standing, while McKenzie and hard-throwing Pierce George deepen the pitching side. Hope, formerly in the Dodgers system, adds another familiar name to the Glendale picture.
Players getting back on the field
Orioles prospect Ike Irish was putting together a strong first full season before a torn meniscus interrupted it shortly after the Futures Game. In 76 games with High-A Frederick, the catcher and first baseman carried a .916 OPS and a 135 wRC+. A promotion to Double-A appeared possible before the injury. His return in Arizona comes earlier than expected and offers him a chance to resume the quick climb expected from his college bat.
Southisene also lost time after a strong first full professional campaign. The Braves’ 2025 first-round pick reached Double-A Columbus, then suffered a broken wrist after being hit by a pitch in his first game there. He had already exceeded some expectations with the impact in his bat. A productive Fall League could put him in position to open next year back at Double-A.
Sam Horn’s appearance will be one of the more unusual stories of the season. The Missouri two-sport athlete threw only 15 innings in three college seasons. After an impressive freshman mound debut, he injured his elbow in his second outing and underwent Tommy John surgery in the fall of 2023. He missed all of 2024, then returned for 10 2/3 innings in the spring of 2025, reaching 98 mph while working an 82-86 mph slider and using his changeup sparingly.
Horn fell to the Dodgers in the 17th round amid uncertainty over whether he would stay at Missouri to continue playing football. He did return to share quarterback duties, but broke his tibia on a designed run during the first play of the fall. He has not pitched since. Arizona will mark his first game action in a scored setting since the Dodgers drafted him, and the club will be watching to see whether a late-round gamble can become a real pitching prospect.
New gloves, same bats
Bonemer rose through the White Sox system as a shortstop and won Carolina League MVP honors in Single-A last year. He has spent more time at third base this season while advancing to Double-A, but Chicago began trying him in center field late in the year. The White Sox have a crowded infield group, and more outfield work could provide a quicker route for Bonemer’s bat to reach the Major League lineup.
Davalan’s listing also invites some positional curiosity. The Dodgers initially had him on the Fall League roster as an infielder before shifting him back to the outfield. He was one of college baseball’s more polished pure hitters last year and had a solid High-A season alongside Quintero. Before transferring from Florida Gulf Coast to Arkansas, Davalan split his time between second base and the outfield, so the versatility remains part of his profile even as Los Angeles continues to stockpile outfielders.
Power arms looking for innings
Nationals right-hander Jarlin Susana is the most electric pitcher in the field when healthy. His fastball can reach triple digits, and his slider has developed into a standout weapon. Lat surgery delayed his return last year, and he logged only 17 2/3 innings this season, but struck out 34 hitters in that limited workload. Arizona should give him a needed stretch of regular innings.
Cardinals left-hander Brandon Clarke is in a similar position. He returned in July after offseason shoulder surgery and can also reach triple digits with his fastball. His slider gives him another major weapon, and a strong Fall League showing could help set up a bigger push toward 2027.
Horn joins Susana and Clarke as a pitcher whose fall workload matters as much as the radar-gun reading. Each has the stuff to draw attention, but each needs innings after injury interruptions.
Fresh draft class arrives early
Three members of the 2026 Draft class will extend their first professional seasons into Arizona. Royals prospect Zion Rose, the No. 6 overall selection out of Louisville, has been moved aggressively since signing. Kansas City sent him to High-A, where he held his own before joining the Midwest League playoffs. Rose offers athleticism, contact ability, power and speed, making him a candidate to be among the league’s better all-around players.
Cubs first baseman Myles Bailey will make his unofficial professional debut after an ankle injury ended his college season. Bailey fractured the ankle on a slide after hitting 13 home runs in 26 games. Chicago selected him in the second round, drawn in part by raw power that ranked with the best in the 2026 class and some of its highest exit velocities.
Giants switch-hitter Dalton Wentz, a 16th-round pick, will also continue his development after a promising High-A introduction. Wentz had been viewed as one of the stronger sophomore-eligible talents in the Draft, with power from both sides, though concerns about chase decisions and trouble against non-fastballs hurt his stock at Wake Forest. San Francisco signed him for an above-slot bonus and sent him to High-A for the final weeks of the season, where he performed well enough to earn the Arizona assignment.
Hardware picks
| Award | Pick | Organization ranking |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player | Caleb Bonemer | White Sox No. 2 |
| Most Valuable Player | Ike Irish | Orioles No. 5 |
| Pitcher of the Year | Justin Lamkin | Royals No. 8 |
| Pitcher of the Year | Patrick Forbes | Diamondbacks No. 11 |
| Breakout Player of the Year | Braylon Payne | Brewers No. 6 |
| Breakout Player of the Year | Bruin Agbayani | Mets No. 29 |
For the clubs involved, Arizona is less about a final line in the standings than it is about clearing the next developmental hurdle. Quintero and the Glendale group will arrive with the largest spotlight, but players such as Irish, Southisene, Susana, Clarke and Horn have a different task: get back on the field, stay there, and leave the desert ready for a full season ahead.
