EASTLAKE, OH: Los Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect Eduardo Quintero connects for the Great Lakes Loons against the Lake County Captains in a High-A Midwest League game at Classic Auto Group Park on May 6, 2026. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
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The Los Angeles Dodgers and Detroit Tigers each have two of Major League Baseball’s top prospects going to the 2026 Arizona Fall League.
Dodgers outfield prospects Eduardo Quintero and Charles Davalan along with Tigers outfield prospect Zyhir Hope and shortstop Bryce Rainer are among 12 of the top 100 prospects in the game as ranked by MLB Pipeline will be participating.
All 30 MLB organizations are sending players to the AFL’s six teams, with each team representing five affiliations. At least seven prospects from each MLB organization will compile the rosters. Here are the 2026 AFL team assignments:
- Glendale Desert Dogs: Braves, Dodgers, Marlins, Pirates, White Sox
- Mesa Solar Sox: Angels, Athletics, Blue Jays, Cubs, Red Sox
- Peoria Javelinas: Cardinals, Mariners, Orioles, Padres, Reds
- Salt River Rafters: D-backs, Nationals, Rockies, Twins, Yankees
- Scottsdale Scorpions: Astros, Brewers, Giants, Rays, Tigers
- Surprise Saguaros: Guardians, Mets, Phillies, Rangers, Royals
SCOTTSDALE, AZ: Kevin McGonigle of the Scottsdale Scorpions hits a two-run home run during an Arizona Fall League game against the Salt River Rafters at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick on Oct. 24, 2025. (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Getty Images)
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Kevin McGonigle was named MVP of the 2025 AFL season after hitting .362 with 5 homers, 5 doubles, 22 runs and 19 RBI in 19 games. Now, he is a leading candidate to become the 2026 American League Rookie of the Year. The infielder has played the entire season for Detroit, hitting .273 with 17 homers, 26 doubles, 93 runs, 65 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
Esmerlyn Valdez won the 2025 AFL Offensive Player Award. He hit .368 with 8 homers and 27 RBI in 19 games. He started the 2026 season at Triple-A Indianapolis, hitting 13 homers in 56 games. He’s been even better since being called up by the Pittsburgh Pirates, belting 17 homers with 47 RBI in 72 games.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ: Kevin McGonigle of the Detroit Tigers tags out Esmerlyn Valdez of the Pittsburgh Pirates in a rundown between third base and home during the 2025 Arizona Fall League Fall Stars game at Sloan Park on Nov. 9, 2025. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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The 2026 AFL season runs from Oct. 3 until the championship game on Nov. 14. Games are played Monday thru Saturday. Here are the Opening Day matchups with all times local:
- Salt River Rafters at Glendale Desert Dogs at 12:30 p.m.
- Surprise Saguaros at Scottsdale Scorpions, 3:30
- Mesa Solar Sox at Peoria Javelinas, 6:30
AFL games will be held primarily at six ballparks used for spring training Cactus League games:
- Camelback Ranch, Glendale (spring home of Dodgers and Chicago White Sox)
- Peoria Sports Complex (San Diego Padres, Seattle Mariners)
- Salt River Fields at Talking Stick (Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies)
- Scottsdale Stadium (San Francisco Giants)
- Sloan Park: (Chicago Cubs)
- Surprise Stadium (Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers)
Special Dates, All-Stars And Playoffs
Two weekend series will be held at other ballparks. The AFL will head 115 miles south to Tucson for the first time since 2002 for The Tucson Doubleheader on Saturday, Oct. 10 at the Kino Sports Complex. The fourth-annual Goodyear Ballpark Tripleheader is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 17 at the spring home of the Cincinnati Reds and Cleveland Guardians.
SURPRISE, AZ: AFL West All-Star Vladimir Guerrero Jr. of the Toronto Blue Jays at age 19 signals a teammate to stop at third base during the Arizona Fall League All Star Game at Surprise Stadium on Nov. 3, 2018. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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The 20th annual AFL Fall Stars Game will be played on Sunday, Nov. 8, preceded by the AFL Home Run Derby on Saturday, Nov. 7. Both events will take place at Salt River Fields. The game will be shown live on the MLB Network, MLB.com, and the MLB App.
AFL All-Star game graduates that played in the 2025 MLB postseason included Vladimir Guerrero, Jr., Aaron Judge, Julio Rodriguez, Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, Bryce Harper, Jazz Chisholm, Max Fried, Andres Munoz, Parker Meadows, Kyle Tucker and Christian Yelich.
The AFL Postseason will once again include all six teams with a quarterfinal round featuring the No. 3 vs No. 6 and No. 4 vs. No. 5 seeds at Sloan Park on Nov. 12. The semifinals (No. 2 seed vs. No. 3/6 winner and No. 1 vs. No. 4/5 winner) will be played Nov. 13 at the Peoria Sports Complex.
The 24th AFL Championship Game also is set in Peoria Sports Complex, on Saturday, Nov. 14. It will be shown live on MLB Network, MLB.com, and the MLB App. The 2025 game featured an exciting comeback victory.
The Top Prospects
The Glendale Desert Dogs have four of the top 100 MLB Pipeline prospects. The Scottsdale Scorpions and Salt River Rafters each have three top 100 prospects.
GLENDALE, AZ: Zyhir Hope of the Glendale Desert Dogs is tagged out by Drew Cavanaugh of the Scottsdale Scorpions in an Arizona Fall League game at Camelback Ranch on Nov. 5, 2024. Cavanaugh is now with the San Francisco Giants and Hope has been dealt to the Detroit Tigers and will be back in the AFL next month. (Photo by Norm Hall/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
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2026 Arizona Fall League Top 100 MLB Pipeline Prospects:
| No. 19 – Eduardo Quintero – OF, Glendale (LAD) | No. 64 – Nathan Flewelling – C, Scottsdale (TB) |
| No. 27 – Zyhir Hope – OF, Scottsdale (DET) | No. 67 – Jarlin Susana – RHP, Salt River (WSH) |
| No. 29 – Caleb Bonemer – OF, Glendale (CWS) | No. 74 – Demetrio Crisantes – IF, Salt River (ARI) |
| No. 37 – Arjun Nimmala – SS, Mesa (LAA) | No. 85 – Dax Kilby – SS, Salt River (NYY) |
| No. 37 – Bryce Rainer – SS, Scottsdale (DET) | No. 86 – Charles Davalan – OF, Glendale (LAD) |
| No. 59 – Tate Southisene – SS, Glendale (ATL) | No. 99 – Ike Irish – UTL, Peoria (BAL) |
Quintero, the AFL’s top prospect, batted .309 with 12 homers, 68 RBI and 44 RBI in 111 games for the Great Lakes Loons this summer. The 20-year-old ranked in the top 10 in the Midwest League in 12 categories before being promoted to Double-A Tulsa. He was signed at age 17 from Venezuela for $297,500 in January 2023.
Hope went to Detroit at the trade deadline as part of the package of prospects that sent two-time Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal to the Dodgers. In 124 Double-A games in 2026, the 21-year-old has 29 homers, 111 RBI, 26 steals and a .287 average. He’s back in the AFL, where he had 5 homers in 23 games in 2024.
Bonemer, 20, has belted 37 homers (19 at Double-A Birmingham) across two levels this season. The White Sox gave him a $2,997, 500 signing bonus as a second-round p[ick out of high school in 2024.
PHILADELPHIA: Caleb Bonemer of the Chicago White Sox and American League Team warms up before the 2026 All-Star Futures Game at Citizens Bank Park on July 12, 2026. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
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Also on AFL rosters are five players who went to the 2026 MLB All-Star Futures Game: Quintero (Dodgers), Bonemer (White Sox), Flewelling (Rays), Irish (Orioles), and Dakota Jordan (Giants).
Three AFL players are listed as No. 1 prospects for their respective franchises: Hope (Togers), Nimmala (Angels), and Crisantes (Diamondbacks).
There are 12 alumni of Major League Baseball’s youth development programs, including the Nike RBI program and MLB Develops events such as the DREAM Series, Hank Aaron Invitational, and Breakthrough Series: Jay Allen II (Peoria/Reds), Antonio Anderson (Mesa/Red Sox), Myles Bailey (Mesa/Cubs), Isaiah Drake (Glendale/Braves), Kenya Huggins (Mesa/Athletics), Dante Nori (Surprise/Phillies), Zion Rose (Surprise/Royals), Tate Southisene (Glendale/White Sox), Tyresse Turner (Surprise/Guardians), Dalton Wentz (Scottsdale/Giants), Hiro Wyatt (Surprise/Royals), and Nazzan Zanetello (Mesa/Red Sox).
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