These postseason stars are Arizona Fall League alumni

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- We all know that players come up from the Minor Leagues as prospects to fill big league rosters. But sometimes it’s good to connect the dots from development to the Majors.

More specifically, I’m talking about the direct line from the Arizona Fall League to the highest level, mostly because I’m out here covering the first couple of weeks of the league. A majority of players who participate in the AFL make it to the big leagues, and 35 percent of all players named to the 2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia were AFL alums (27 of 77). Ten out of 20 players in the starting lineups for that game (starting pitchers and DH included) once played in the Fall League.

The AFL’s fingerprints are all over postseason rosters. According to the league, there are 86 alumni on the rosters of the eight remaining teams. That equates to 41.3 percent of all playoff participants. There’s so much AFL-related talent that you could put together a few lineups of really good players. I’m going to provide one, but feel free to email me with your own choices.

One note on a specific team, the White Sox, before I dive in. They don’t have the biggest AFL contingent with 10, but the recency really stands out. Three players -- Sam Antonacci, Braden Montgomery and Hagen Smith -- were here playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs just one year ago, while Carson Montgomery and Grant Taylor were here in 2024.

OK, now on to my all-AFL postseason squad:

C Drake Baldwin (Peoria, 2024): He already has an NL Rookie of the Year Award and an All-Star appearance on his resume over his first two years. This is a deep group with veterans like Austin Wells and Will Smith and newbies like Ethan Salas to choose from.

1B Freddie Freeman (Peoria, 2009; Phoenix, 2010): The 10-time All-Star, now 37, is still productive, and the Hall(s) of Fame (AFL and Cooperstown, of course) should reserve spots for him. Matt Olson makes for a very good backup option.

2B Jazz Chisholm Jr. (Salt River 2018): He’s not coming off the best year of his career, but he’s just one season removed from an All-Star campaign that saw him go 30-30. Not as deep of a group, but Tommy Edman played in the AFL the same year Jazz did.

3B Austin Riley (Peoria 2017): He really struggled with the K’s this year, though he hit a huge home run earlier in the postseason and has two All-Star nods and two Silver Slugger awards. Max Muncy might be the backup here, unless you want to move a shortstop over.

SS Mookie Betts (Surprise 2013): Another AFL alum headed to Cooperstown, his career speaks for itself. The aforementioned Colson Montgomery could be the heir apparent on this list.

OF Ronald Acuña Jr. (Peoria 2017); Cody Bellinger (Glendale 2016); Andy Pages (Glendale 2022)

Acuña is the clear leader of this group, but there are a ton of really good options to choose from, including the two White Sox (Antonacci and Braden Montgomery), Guardians rookie Chase DeLauter and the Padres’ Jackson Merrill.

RHP Mason Miller (Mesa 2022)
LHP Robbie Ray (Glendale 2014)

Pitching is harder to come by, with most of the talent coming out of the bullpen, so kudos to Ray for being an exception to that rule. David Bednar, Cade Smith and Raisel Iglesias join Miller as closers who cut their teeth in Arizona.