After a great year covering the draft, Cape Cod League, and MILB, I was lucky enough to spend a full month out in Arizona covering the Arizona Fall League for Prospects Live. The Fall League is one of my favorite experiences I’ve had scouting baseball so far. It’s an incredibly relaxed environment, and there are only six teams, so you are able to watch just about every player in the league.

The AFL is notoriously a weak league when it comes to pitching. That, paired with the naturally positive run environment of the Arizona air, makes for some skewed results when it comes to stats/data. You don’t want to let the AFL be the end-all-be-all when it comes to prospect evaluation. Whatever these guys did over the course of a six-month regular season should absolutely weigh higher in their reports than a month in Arizona. That being said, there are certainly valuable takeaways you can take from each prospect. Little nuggets here and there that give you a glimpse into what type of major leaguer these guys can potentially be.

I wrote scouting reports on the best 25 players I saw. I do try to consider both AFL performance and MLB projection into my rankings. So a guy who had a better statistical AFL season might be ranked slightly lower than a guy who still had a strong season in the AFL, but I think will be a more valuable major leaguer.

I mention some data points such as zone contact or whiff rate with nearly every player on this list. A huge shoutout goes to guys like @ProspectSavant and @TJStats on X, as well as websites such as Baseball Savant for helping provide that data.

1. Kevin McGonigle, 3B (DET)

Despite missing some time this year due to injury, it was still a bit surprising to see the Tigers send their top prospect Kevin McGonigle to the AFL. Even less surprising is how McGonigle performed out in Arizona. It was a dominant season from start to finish where McGonigle looked the part of an everyday big leaguer. He has a smaller frame at a listed height of 5-10 and 187 pounds, but there is plenty of present strength to work with. The raw power is not anything jaw-dropping, but the EVs are good enough and the barrel accuracy is so elite I expect this to be a 20 HR bat in the big leagues. McGonigle is one of the best I have seen at turning on velocity. He has elite hip rotation and explosive hands that can get to the ball anywhere it’s pitched. McGonigle got work at both 3B and SS this fall. While I still project him as a second baseman for the bulk of his career, he may be forced to the left side of the infield in 2026 to get his bat in the Detroit lineup. The defense on the left side is absolutely passable. I prefer him at 3B to SS, but he won’t kill you at either spot. McGonigle is able to make the routine plays with relative ease and has a strong enough arm to make it work. He’s a plus runner who displays strong effort and hustle on the basepaths. It’s clear McGonigle is a competitor willing to do any little thing to help his team get a win. If I could start a franchise with any player from the AFL, it would be McGonigle. I view him as an everyday second baseman in the big leagues who can hit for both average and power.

2. Braden Montgomery, OF (CWS)

Braden Montgomery was right up there with Kevin McGonigle and Tommy White for the most famous name in the AFL this year. He was a highly touted prospect as an amateur and was drafted 12th overall by the Red Sox in 2024. He was then traded to the White Sox as the headliner in the Garrett Crochet deal. Montgomery is as tooled up as they come. His carrying trait in my opinion is the power potential he brings in a corner outfield spot. It’s 70 raw juice and plays plus in-game. Montgomery is a switch hitter and has the ability to hit for power to all fields. I witnessed him flick a ball halfway up the outfield stands for an opposite-field home run with ease. It’s obvious bat speed that generates truly effortless power. He posted a max exit velo of 111.7 MPH this fall and is no stranger to 110+ EV’s. Montgomery has a chance to be a 25–30 home run bat in his prime. The question has long been the hit tool for Montgomery. His AFL performance is cause for great excitement in that area. Montgomery showed improved plate discipline and contact skills in his desert stint. He ran an 83.6% zone-contact rate and just a 13% chase rate this fall. If he can maintain those rates, Montgomery is unquestionably one of the best prospects in all of baseball. Defensively, it’s an easy right-field projection. Montgomery has a 70 arm and is an above-average runner out there. It was a very successful fall for Montgomery, and he has all the makings of an everyday right fielder in the big leagues who can hit for serious power.

3. Max Anderson, 1B (DET)