Ranking The 10 Hottest Arizona Fall League Prospects | Hot Sheet (10/20/25)

1. Esmerlyn Valdez, OF, Pirates

• Team: Salt River Rafters
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: .615/.727/1.846 (8-for-13) 9 R, 1 2B, 5 HR, 11 RBI, 7 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: Valdez didn’t just have the best performance in the Arizona Fall League this past week—he may have delivered one of the greatest stretches in recent AFL history. Over just five games, Valdez crushed five home runs, punctuated by a towering two-run shot on Sunday night that solidified his status as one of the league’s premier power threats. His numbers are staggering: a 2.286 OPS and seven total homers so far. For context, Tigers prospect Josue Briceño led the AFL with 10 home runs last year—the first player to reach double digits since 2011—and he didn’t hit his 10th until November 13. Valdez is already at seven, with nearly a month left to play. (JC)

2. Tony Blanco Jr., 1B, Pirates

• Team: Salt River Rafters
• Age: 20
• Why He’s Here: .583/.643/.917 (7-for-12) 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: Two things are known about Blanco: He hits the ball with extreme power, and he struggles to make consistent contact. While his 90th percentile exit velocities top those of MLB sluggers like Oneil Cruz, Jac Caglianone and Ronald Acuña Jr., an in-zone whiff rate north of 30% has long raised questions about whether that raw power could translate. This week, facing more advanced pitching than he’s used to, Blanco showed signs of putting it together. He punished mistakes in the zone, launching a 464-foot three-run homer on Thursday night and following it up with a blistering 120.4 mph double on Friday. If this is a sign of things to come, pitchers might be in serious trouble. (JC)

3. Anderson Brito, RHP, Astros

• Team: Scottsdale Scorpions 
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 8 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Navigating the tricky run environments of the Arizona Fall League is no easy task for a pitcher. That’s what makes Brito’s performance this week all the more notable. He struck out eight over three scoreless innings and retired seven consecutive batters via strikeout at one point. The Astros’ No. 13 prospect mixed four pitches in a mid-to-upper-90s four-seam fastball, a changeup, a mid-80s sweeper and a curveball. Brito is an undersized righthander with good stuff and unique release characteristics. (GP)

4. Max Anderson, 3B, Tigers

• Team: Scottsdale Scorpions
• Age: 23
• Why He’s Here:  .571/.700/1.429 (4-for-7) 4 R,  2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: You don’t want to read too much into where a player plays in the AFL, because there’s a bit of mixing and matching to make sure that players from different teams get enough playing time. But it is notable that Anderson is playing third base exclusively after only starting to add that position to his defensive repertoire in mid July. Anderson’s defense has long been a question, although he has made some strides at second base. To his credit, his 2025 season has actually made his defensive home a much bigger question, as he’s hitting enough to make him an option to get to Detroit at some point in 2026. (JJ)

5. Karson Milbrandt, RHP, Marlins

• Team: Mesa Solar Sox  
• Age: 21
• Why He’s Here: 0-1, 3.00, 3 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 7 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Milbrandt has been a buzzy name in the Marlins system this summer, and he’s now impressing in the AFL. In his start against Peoria on Thursday, he struck out seven over three innings, allowing one run on a hit and three walks. While Milbrandt’s command left something to be desired, there’s no denying his quality stuff. He sat 94-96 mph with his fastball, touching 97 and generating 16-18 inches of ride. He recorded nine of his 15 whiffs against the heater while also mixing a cutter, curveball and changeup. The Marlins righthander is a name to keep an eye on heading into 2026. (GP) 

6. Seaver King, SS, Nationals

• Team: Scottsdale Scorpions
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: .444/.500/.833 (8-for-18) 7 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO

The Scoop: After struggling at the plate for much of the season, King hit .341/.378/.439 in September, and he’s carried that into the AFL season. He has yet to go 0-fer in any of his seven AFL games, and he was at his best this past week. King doesn’t have exceptional power, but he was stinging the ball by his standards this past week, resulting in a 105 mph home run and 104 mph double. (JJ)

7. Cam Collier, 1B, Reds

• Team: Peoria Javelinas
• Age: 20
• Why He’s Here: .357/.526/.643 (5-for-14) 5 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 5 SO, 1 SB, 0 CS

The Scoop: The most important focus for Collier this AFL season is to see if he can regain his power. A torn thumb ligament cost him the first half of the 2025 season, and his power didn’t return when he came off the injured list. After hitting 20 homers in 2024, he hit just four in 95 games this season. So far, we are seeing encouraging signs. Collier’s path to an MLB job likely goes through first base, but that is also likely to be Sal Stewart’s spot, so he’s going to need to mash to carve out playing time. Weeks like this are what he needs to string together regularly. (JJ)

8. Charlie Pagliarini, 2B/OF, Mariners

• Team: Peoria Javelinas
• Age: 24
• Why He’s Here: .667/.692/1.167 (8-for-12) 4 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SO, 2 SB

The Scoop: Pagliarini has struggled to hit for average in his MiLB career, but don’t doubt his power. He hit 21 home runs and had 49 extra-base hits at High-A Everett in 2025, and he’s carrying that power into the AFL season. Pagliarini crushed a 112 mph double this past week that ranks as the sixth-hardest hit ball tracked in the AFL this season (and third-best in the non-Tony Blanco Jr. division). (JJ)

9. Charlie Condon, 1B, Rockies

• Team: Salt River Rafters
• Age: 22
• Why He’s Here: .316/.458/.579 (6-for-19) 8 R, 1 3B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 4 BB, 4 SO

The Scoop: Condon delivered one of the standout performances of the AFL season on Wednesday, falling a double shy of the cycle. He opened the game with a deep drive that could’ve been an inside-the-park homer if he hadn’t been held up at third base, then came through in the ninth with a clutch go-ahead hit that put Salt River on top. It was a strong statement performance and a welcome rebound after a tough opening week to his desert stint. (JC)

10. Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF, Orioles

• Team: Peoria Javelinas
• Age: 23
• Why He’s Here: .389/.389/.556 (7-for-18) 3 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 5 RBI, 4 SO, 7 SB, 0 CS

The Scoop: It’s hard to make a Hot Sheet because of a defensive play, but Bradfield’s week is highlighted first by one of the best catches you’ll see this year. With two outs in the ninth inning, he robbed Fenwick Trimble of a home run, putting an exclamation mark on Peoria’s win. But Bradfield was also excellent at the plate this week. He only scored three runs, but he did everything he could to steal more. Of his seven hits, he got into scoring position on six of them. There’s the double and the triple, but he also stole second on one of his five singles, and he stole second and third on three other singles. (JJ)