The Arizona Fall League is widely known as baseball's "finishing school," a place where top prospects go to touch up their game -- and get extra reps -- as they continue their climb to The Show.
In the 2026 All-Star Game, 10 of the 18 hitters in the starting lineups played in the Fall League at some point. Looking at the reserves, another eight MLB stars -- including Bryce Harper and 2026 Home Run Derby champ Jordan Walker -- once battled it out in the desert.
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Four bats who bowed out of the Midsummer Classic -- Byron Buxton, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Aaron Judge and Nick Kurtz -- are alums as well, pushing the number of All-Star selections to 22 hitters.
Simply put, the Arizona Fall League is not only a "finishing school," it's a breeding ground for MLB's future stars.
On the latest MLB Pipeline Podcast -- following the AFL's schedule release -- Jason Ratliff, Jonathan Mayo and Sam Dykstra (subbing in for Jim Callis) dug into which crop of "future stars" we could see compete in the circuit this year.
They analyzed three confirmed names who will be heading out West and devised a wish list of players they'd like to see. Here's the group:
Confirmed participants
Caleb Bonemer, 3B/SS (CWS No. 2/MLB No. 30)
Mayo: "To me, that's a perfect guy to send to the Fall League. So many things have gone well for him this year. He's hit 30 homers, but there have been some swing-and-miss concerns. It's gotten a little better in Double-A, but he can continue to work on that.
“Then add in the wrinkle that he has started to play some outfield. ... Not only will we get to see his power play in person, but we’ll also get to see him roam around in center field and see what he looks like.”
Aiva Arquette, SS (MIA No. 2/MLB No. 63)
Dykstra: "He's somebody who had offseason core muscle surgery. So, he was already starting behind the eight ball and then in the middle of the year, he injured his left thumb ... and was out from June 26 to Aug. 11.
"Just another perfect candidate for somebody who, in this case, really needs the at-bats. ... In his first full season, he is sitting at only 222 plate appearances. He had 310 plate appearances last year at Oregon State and then added 117 more on top of that at High-A Beloit. So, he's absolutely somebody who could use extra time at the plate."
Arjun Nimmala, SS (LAA No. 1/MLB No. 38)
Mayo: "He missed about five weeks with a hamstring strain. He really got his feet back under him at the time of the trade (from the Blue Jays on Aug. 3) and then had to upend everything and now is getting himself settled in with the Angels. So, he'll get a lot more reps playing regularly in the Fall League this year to make up for some of that lost time.
"As young as he is, he'll turn 21 during his time in the Fall League, ... I could see him using this fall as a springboard into a huge 2027 season that eventually lands him in the big leagues. This is an organization that is not afraid to push players."
Wish list
Jarlin Susana, RHP (WSH No. 3/MLB No. 68)
Dykstra: "He returned just a few weeks ago to the High-A level. He's been rehabbing there and not making very deep outings so far as his season high in a single outing is 2 2/3 innings. But this is a guy who is coming off lat surgery. They played it slow with him. They wanted him to regain his strength and make sure he was checking every box.
"He's been, at times, sitting at 103 mph [with his four-seamer]. The velocity has absolutely been back. This is the perfect opportunity to pick up more innings, get it against good competition and maybe it can be a springboard for him for next year."
Seth Hernandez, RHP (PIT No. 1/MLB No. 7)
Mayo: "He has a left oblique strain. I wouldn't fault the Pirates for erring on the side of caution just because there are frequent recurrences of that kind of injury. So, they could decide to shut him down and send him into the offseason with his workout plan and just get ready for next year. But I do think that he was getting very close to getting promoted to Double-A when he suffered the injury.
"We all know the 100 mph fastball, but the full array of stuff [was impressive]. He threw strikes. He had almost 14.5 strikeouts per nine. I think that they were hoping that he would get close to 100 innings or at least in the 90 to 100 range; he's at 74. So, if he is recovering nicely ... they could ramp him up slowly at their complex in Bradenton and then send him out to the Fall League."
Josue Briceño, C/1B (DET No. 5/MLB No. 69)
Dykstra: "He was the Triple Crown winner last time he was in the Fall League, which was 2024. ... He's only played 38 games this year across four levels. His season began on the shelf because of wrist surgery in the spring. I think a lot of people were hopeful that he would maybe emerge on the scene in the way that Max Clark has and would have pushed for a Major League debut by the second half of 2026.
"It hasn't quite worked out that way, but by the time he got back and was playing for Double-A Erie, he hit eight homers in 17 games. So, the power doesn't seem to be affected. ... He's somebody who should be pushing for the Major League roster by the first half of next year if his health holds up and the wrist ends up being okay."
Sebastian Walcott, SS/3B (TEX No. 1/MLB No. 9)
Mayo: "We were supposed to get Walcott last year. He played one game and then that was it. He ended up being diagnosed in February with a torn elbow ligament, had internal brace surgery and missed most of this year.
"He's back now. He's made his way back to Double-A. He's played a total of 22 games. ... If they were to send him to the Fall League, I think it would only be to get at-bats. I can't imagine that they would send him out to play defense. He's been taking ground balls and all of that, so he might be ready, but I don't know if they would want to risk that at this juncture. ... I think [the Fall League] could help close the gap in terms of the development time he would have gotten during the year, and then he could potentially compete for a job in the Rangers' Opening Day lineup next year."
Dykstra: "He is still yet to play 92 games in a full Minor League season. ... He's really impressed with the bat ever since he was drafted in 2022. The D-backs had moved him around a bunch. Now, it seems like they're sticking him at second base as much as they can. When it's working, it's a potential plus bat. He makes a lot of contact. It's good barrel control. He could be somebody who can hit .280, .290 in the Major Leagues.
"He's been at Triple-A for a few weeks now and the exit velocity data has been subpar. ... Giving Crisantes more at-bats in the Fall League could not only end him on a better note than what he's doing right now at Reno but also help the D-backs figure out if they should be planning on him in Spring Training."
Drew Burress, OF (ATH No. 2/MLB No. 41)
Mayo: "The A's love to fast track their Draft guys. He's hit very well in 17 games with Stockton in the California League to the point where I'm like 'Why don't they move him up?' He's got an OPS over 1.000 with six homers in those games.
"I could see him coming out to the Fall League, getting some at-bats and using that to help him leapfrog up to Double-A to start the 2027 season."