If you’re a baseball fan, the protracted conclusion of the minor leagues is one of the sadder signs of fall’s impending commencement. It signals that the regular season of the majors is closing in and a long offseason with absolutely no baseball to watch other than highlights, commentary, and past games. For the D-Backs’ affiliates, the season is already over for both A+ Hillsboro Hops and A Visalia Rawhide, the AA Amarillo Sod Poodles (what a great name) have their final series this weekend, and the Reno
Aces have just one week left in their season. Thankfully, since 1992, baseball fans can stave off that seasonal-depression for a little while longer with the Arizona Fall League – a hybrid product somewhere between extended minor league baseball, a showcase for higher-tier prospects, and an opportunity for injured players to knock off some more rust. And while that protraction of the minor leagues will continue, the rosters for this year’s AFL were released earlier this week. With that in mind, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at which of the D-Backs’ selections are the most intriguing – whether by their impact on the 2026 team, their overall promise, or their personal story.
Jansel Luis
One of three top-30 prospects the D-Backs selected for AFL exposure, Luis undoubtedly is the headliner of this year’s class for Arizona. The number-12 prospect in the team’s system, Luis has quickly made a name for himself after signing for a relatively modest $500,000 out of the Dominican Republic back in 2022 when he was 17 and making it stateside the next year at just 18. He’s an impressive baserunner who can use his natural speed to be a base-stealing threat with 22 thefts this season between Rookie ball and Hillsboro. There are some legitimate questions about his power ability as he’s only managed five homers on the season, but given his age and likelihood for additional bulking, it’s possible he could tap into some power down the line. But even with those questions, he sounds like he’d be a prototypical leadoff hitter that would fit in extremely well in the “chaos ball” that was so successful for the team a few years ago. Unfortunately, because of his age and where he is in the system, it would be pretty surprising if Luis were able to crack the major league roster before 2027, but until then we can enjoy watching him run and further develop.
Kyle Amendt
The only non-top 30 prospect on this short list, Amendt is also the oldest and at the highest affiliate of this trio. That combination also probably means that he’s the most likely of the three to have an impact on the direction of the 2026. A 2023 draftee, Amendt made a name for himself last year when he rocketed up three levels from Hillsboro to Reno on the back of a breakout season that included an impressive 2.86 ERA on the year and an absurdly low 0.68 ERA at High-A. The young Iowa native has solidified himself as a high-end reliever thanks to a plus-fastball that doesn’t overpower with an average of 91 MPH, but still grades out extremely well because of a “deceptive” delivery and a combination vertical break and cut movement. Ironically, this will be his second stint in the AFL and we can only hope it goes better after he posted a 4.76 ERA and 1.41 WHIP in five games with the Rafters. He’s not Rule-5 eligible until next December, which makes it very likely that he will make his debut at some point next season so the team can get a better sense of how he’ll handle that next jump – especially as he’s posted a 3.60 ERA out in Reno despite the elevated offensive environment in the Pacific Coast League.
David Hagaman
While this season at the big league level has obviously been a bitter disappointment, I was genuinely heartened to see the front office emphasize trading veterans away for high-end pitching talent. Hagaman, who came over in the Merrill Kelly trade with the Rangers was one of those pickups. The West Virginia product showcases a three-pitch mix with a changeup that particularly plays up when he’s able to command a fastball that can top out close to triple digits. He also has a plus slider that can sit in the upper 80s to keep batters off balance even more. That kind of profile has evaluators projecting out a starter profile for the New Jersey native and he’s mostly supported that confidence this year by also moving up three levels from rookie ball to High-A between the Texas and Arizona systems. There is some risk involved since Hagaman had to undergo a bracing elbow surgery right before last year’s draft, but that didn’t scare off the Rangers who instead snatched him up in the fourth round. He still has some work to do with his command, but those kinds of issues are dime a dozen with projectable players like Hagaman.
