What D-backs are looking for from AFL, winter ball participants

The Arizona Fall League has long served as a finishing school for baseball’s rising talent, offering a bridge for players needing extra developmental reps, injury rehab or simply a test against advanced competition. For the Diamondbacks’ player development staff, the focus in the AFL extends beyond where the Salt River Rafters place in the standings -- entering Thursday they sat in fourth place. Instead, it is about laying a structural foundation for 2027.

Diamondbacks farm director Chris Slivka spoke this week regarding the organization's approach to the AFL, noting that the priority for this year's group remains maximizing repetitions and addressing specific mechanical adjustments heading into the winter.

Here is a rundown of how Arizona’s prospects are faring, and what the D-backs are evaluating, in the Arizona Fall League:

INFIELDERS

Demetrio Crisantes, 2B

Crisantes (Arizona’s No. 1 prospect, No. 84 overall) entered the AFL as the Diamondbacks’ highest-profile prospect. After missing significant time due to a left shoulder injury last season, the organization sent him to the AFL this winter to maximize his defensive repetitions at second base while fine-tuning his approach at the plate.

"He's such a high-quality hitter, [but] he does need to continue to fine-tune his approach a little bit," Slivka said. "But really having him focus on that second-base defense, we're seeing him progress pretty well. So we just want to make sure that he continues to get reps at second base and becomes the best defender he can possibly be."

Yassel Soler, 3B

Soler (Arizona’s No. 30 prospect) reached Double-A Amarillo at the end of the regular season, aiding the Sod Poodles during their playoff run. The Diamondbacks want to challenge him with more at-bats and a specific focus on his swing while in the AFL.

"We wanted him to clean some things up with his lower half and his path, and we're seeing him work on that on a daily basis," Slivka said. "He's seeing some growing pains, but we know there's a real focus there on continuing to tighten up the swing mechanics and set him up for 2027."

OUTFIELDERS

Nathan Hall, OF

Injuries -- including hamstring issues and a right arm injury -- have severely limited Hall's professional repetitions since he was taken in the fifth round of the 2025 Draft. The Arizona Fall League offered an extended opportunity for him to compete, showcase his power and prove his defensive range.

"He's done a really good job of improving his contact quality since coming into pro ball, even though he's had limited reps," Slivka said. "I think it's a testament to the work that he did when he was coming back from those injuries, because the swing quality and contact quality are much better than they were in college."

PITCHERS

Patrick Forbes, RHP

Forbes (Arizona’s No. 11 prospect) made strides with his arsenal his first few AFL outings, specifically with the development of a sweeper and an improved changeup that complemented his mid-90s mph fastball.

"I'm really happy with how he's attacked the strike zone and continued to build out the secondary stuff, which is going to be big for his future as a starter," Slivka said.

Connor Foley, RHP

Armed with a mid-to-upper 90s mph fastball, a sharp slider and an above-average changeup, Foley possesses power-arm stuff. After struggling to stay healthy during the regular season, he found early success pitching in shorter relief stints for Salt River, with plans to stretch out his workload.

"He's going to be looking to build up to multiple innings this last month so we can give him a little more flexibility and developmental reps out of the bullpen," Slivka said.

Joe Ariola, LHP

Ariola ended his Double-A Amarillo season on a high note and brought his north-south curveball and explosive high fastball to the AFL. The focus for the left-hander has been refining his command.

"We're just trying to tighten up his strike quality and his execution," Slivka said. "Putting him in the best position to leverage the swing-and-miss stuff by getting ahead in counts."

John West, RHP

Equipped with a quality sweeper and strong changeup, West spent the first month of the fall working on mechanical adjustments aimed at improving his ability to dictate at-bats.

"We really want him to do a better job of controlling the strike zone and attacking hitters," Slivka said. "We really need him to continue to attack hitters and gain count leverage."

Luke Craig, LHP

Following Tommy John surgery, Craig’s AFL assignment was purely to knock off the rust after logging minimal innings during the regular season. Slivka noted that pitchers typically take a year and a half to fully return to form post-surgery.

"We're more worried about just how he's bouncing back and his process versus the actual results here in the Fall League," Slivka said.

WINTER BALL

Justin Martinez, RHP

Outside of the Arizona Fall League, Martinez is slated to pick up innings in the Dominican Winter League. Given his limited workload during the 2026 regular season, the organization wanted to carefully build his volume ahead of next spring.

"Looking at how few innings he threw this season, we just want to make sure that he continues to build up some volume going into next year so he's not taking a pretty big jump year-to-year in those innings," Slivka said.