Opening Day of the 2025 Arizona Fall League season has arrived. The month-long schedule will allow several high-end prospects to get in extra work or make up for lost time. And, there’s plenty of big names headed to Arizona. So, here’s a look at 20 players — 10 hitters and 10 pitchers — you should keep an eye on.

Pitchers

• Anderson Brito (Astros) – Scottsdale
• Jose Corniell (Rangers) – Surprise
• Bryce Cunningham (Yankees) – Mesa
• Daniel Espino (Guardians) – Surprise
• Rhett Lowder (Reds) – Peoria
• Chen-Wei Lin (Cardinals) – Glendale
• Aiden May (Marlins) – Mesa
• Karson Milbrandt (Marlins) – Mesa
• Luis Perales (Red Sox) – Salt River
• Hagen Smith (White Sox) – Glendale

The most notable name in this section is Rhett Lowder, who missed all of the 2025 Major League season recovering from separate forearm and oblique injuries. However, Lowder is far from the only player who needs to make up for lost time due to injury.

Lowder is one of several Major Leaguers scheduled to play in the AFL this year. Jose Corniell, who made his MLB debut with the Rangers on the final day of the year, will also be in Arizona as he looks to make his case for an MLB roster spot next year.

Yankees prospect Bryce Cunningham, Daniel Espino, and Red Sox hurler Luis Perales are among notable prospects who missed significant time but all of whom have high ceilings.

Cunningham, as documented in our Mesa Solar Sox preview, pitched very well in the Minors this season and has the velocity, pitch mix, and arsenal to be a Major League starter. The fastball plays, and Cunningham possesses a very good sweeping slider.

Espino, on September 20, made his first appearance in a game since 2022 with Triple-A Columbus. The numbers weren’t great, as he conceded three hits over 0.1 IP. However, the fact that Espino, who had multiple shoulder surgeries over the years, hit 98-99 MPH in his first outing back is a very good sign for a pitcher known for his booming fastball.

Perales put up gaudy strikeout numbers down in the Minors between 2023 and 2024. However, he missed all of 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. The Red Sox right-hander tossed 2.1 IP this season but hit 100 MPH down in Triple-A Worcester.

As for some other notes on the pitchers listed above, 2024 first-rounder Hagen Smith has top-tier starter potential with a powerful fastball/slider combo. Karson Milbrandt, one of many interesting Marlins pitching prospects in the system, struck out 113 over 90 innings and owns a booming fastball in the mid-90s that plays up.

The Astros are sending Anderson Brito, one of their top pitching prospects, who has thrown just 103 pro innings. However, opposing batters have hit just .177 of Brito, who had 147 strikeouts during his short pro career.

Hitters

• Starlyn Caba (Marlins) – Mesa
• Charlie Condon (Rockies) – Salt River
• Josue De Paula (Dodgers) – Glendale
• Alfredo Duno (Reds) – Peoria
• Kevin McGonigle (Tigers) – Scottsdale
• Blake Mitchell (Royals) – Surprise
• Braden Montgomery (White Sox) – Glendale
• Axiel Plaz (Pirates) – Scottsdale
• Sebastian Walcott (Rangers) – Surprise
• Esmerlyn Valdez (Pirates) – Salt River

Alfredo Duno led the Florida State League in home runs (18) and slugging percentage (.518) as a 19-year-old. Now, he’ll get a chance to impress against advanced pitching in the Arizona Fall League.

Duno is one of several high-profile hitters headed to the AFL. Also going to Arizona are Sebastian Walcott, Kevin McGonigle, and Josue De Paula. De Paula and Walcott are arguably the best prospects in the Dodgers’ and Rangers’ systems, respectively.

The former has a very good strike-zone approach, which helped him net nearly 100 walks this season. He’ll play for Glendale this year.

Walcott, meanwhile, slashed .255/.355/.386 (.741 OPS) as a 19-year-old in Double-A. He picked up 34 extra-base hits, continuing a trend of hitting for power.

Speaking of power, Charlie Condon will head to the AFL after playing 99 combined games between High-A and Low-A. Condon, the Rockies’ 2024 first-rounder, missed the first month of the 2025 season.

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