The weather is cooling. Halloween decorations are on display at your local craft store. Pumpkin spice is beginning to re-emerge from its summer hibernation. All of these clues can mean only one thing: The Arizona Fall League is almost here.
The AFL schedule dropped in August. The managers and field staffs were announced on Sept. 9. And now the preliminary rosters are here. These are just the first versions of the groups fans will see once the first pitch is thrown on Oct. 6 at Scottsdale Stadium. They can—and will—change plenty of times over the next few weeks.
There are 10 members of BA’s Top 100 Prospects list included on 2025 rosters. Those players alone make the AFL must-see TV for prospect hounds across the country. But that’s just a small slice of the talent that will be on display for six weeks in the desert.
Beyond the Top 100 participants, we’ve compiled a list of 12 more players you should watch closely as the season unfolds.
Jakob Wright, LHP, Dodgers
In spring training, Wright was identified by scouts as a pitcher to watch in the regular season. Unfortunately, Wright’s regular season was limited to just nine appearances thanks to an injury that kept him on the shelf for most of the year.
At his best, Wright mixes mid-90s four-seam and sinking fastballs with a cutter, changeup and sweeper. The latter pitch is particularly nasty and got empty swings 58% of the time with Low-A Rancho Cucamonga.
Daniel Espino, RHP, Guardians
At long last, Espino—once considered one of the top prospects in the sport—is back. The righthander hasn’t pitched since April 2022 after being sidelined by a series of serious injuries, including shoulder surgery. When he was healthy, he was dominant.
At the time of his first stint on the injured list, Espino had struck out 35 batters through 18.1 innings with Double-A Akron and had racked up 221 punch outs in 133.2 career frames. His first Fall League appearance will be one of the most highly anticipated in years.
Luis Perales, RHP, Red Sox
The Red Sox have already seen the benefits of Payton Tolle and Connelly Early in the big leagues—to say nothing of fellow homegrown starter Brayan Bello—and there’s more on the way.
Perales vaulted into the Top 100 in the middle of 2024 thanks to a dominant arsenal that allowed him to buzzsaw his way to Double-A Portland. Shortly after arriving in the Eastern League, however, Perales’ elbow popped, and he had Tommy John surgery. He…