The 2025 edition of the Arizona Fall League has officially drawn to a close, bringing with it the “true” end of minor league baseball until next April. The Surprise Saguaros—with prospects from the Cleveland
Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers—defeated the Peoria Javelinas—with prospects from the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners—in a 9-4 victory to take home the Fall League’s title.
The short fall season was a difficult one for the Salt River Rafters—to whom the Rockies send their prospects. They departed Arizona with a league-low .393 winning percentage and a -34 run differential to go along with their 11-17 record. As the sixth seed, they were promptly eliminated from the playoffs after being shut out by the Mesa Solar Sox.
However, while repeating as Arizona Fall League champions would have been fun, the league is ultimately more focused on the results from individual prospects. The Rockies sent five pitchers to the Fall League, so let’s start wrapping up the year by taking a look at how they did!
LHP Ben Shields, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats (no. 55 PuRP)
Left-handed starting pitcher Ben Shields made a strong first impression when he arrived via trade from the New York Yankees. In five starts with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats he posted 2.33 ERA through 19 1/3 innings and striking out 24 batters to six walks.
Unfortunately, his time in the Arizona Fall League was short and difficult. Shields made just one start, lasting just 1/3 of an inning and allowing five earned runs on four hits and a walk. He tallied no strikeouts.
Shields was shut down after his only outing due to left shoulder soreness. While there was no structural damage, Shields would not return to action and instead focused on rest and a rehab plan.
“I haven’t touched a ball in two weeks, and I’m already feeling I’m making some good strides. And I just need to keep continuing it. And I think this is probably the only way it’s going to get better is just shutting it down and doing it the right way,” Shields said. “This offseason, I’ll do a lot of (physical therapy), lift a lot and get stronger. I’m feeling better now, so I just need to keep progressing. And I got some time here to get back on track and get back to my regular self.”
RHP Austin Smith, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats
Another new arrival, this time from the Atlanta Braves, right-handed reliever Austin Smith performed well after being assigned to Double-A Hartford. He struck out 12 and tallied four saves in 15 appearances, posting a 1.69 ERA over 16 total innings.
Unfortunately, Smith struggled in Arizona. He made eight appearances out of the bullpen and posted a 10.80 ERA with eight earned runs given up on 11 hits across 6 2/3 innings of work. Smith struggled with his command, walking 10 of the 39 batters he faced in Arizona while striking out only five.
RHP Jack Mahoney, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats (no. 34 PuRP)
After a tough season in Double-A where he posted a 5.93 ERA with 81 strikeouts over 104.2 innings and walked 46 batters, right-handed starter Jack Mahoney went to the Fall League to continue his development and prepare for next year.
“This year has been the biggest as far as strides I’ve made as far as development,” Mahoney said near the end of the 2025 regular season. “Think the first half of this season was kind of an eye-opening experience of the level of baseball and the speed of the game, and kind of exposed what I needed to work on.”
Mahoney made five appearances with three starts for the Rafters this season and posted a 5.74 ERA over 15 2/3 innings. He gave up a lot of contact with a team high 20 hits and an 11.9 H/9 during the Fall League, but did not allow any home runs. Mahoney also struck out ten batters to seven walks allowed.
However, Mahoney shined in the Rafters’ lone playoff game as the starter. He pitched four shutout innings while giving up just two hits and one walk. He also struck out one batter.
LHP Welinton Herrera, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats (no. 21 PuRP)
21-year-old right-handed reliever Welinton Herrera was a curious delegate for the Arizona Fall League. He had already pitched with a significant workload in 2025, working 64 2/3 innings across 52 total appearances and had a spectacular season. Across the High-A Spokane Indians and Double-A Hartford Yard Goats he held a combined 2.64 ERA with 99 strikeouts to 25 walks. He appeared in the All-Stars Futures Game and was named to Baseball America’s All-Star team.
The reason Herrera was assigned to pitch in Arizona soon became clear: he was focusing on his slider. The pitch had been a work in progress but the Rockies wanted it sharper as a compliment to his excellent fastball and changeup.
“It’s a new pitch – I’ve tried a grip, and it’s feeling better,” Herrera said. “I’m trying to control the strike zone with the slider, and I’m trying to make it better here in the Fall League.”
Herrera was impressive in the Fall League. In nine appearances and nine innings he posted an ERA of just 2.00 with 14 strikeouts to eight walks. Herrera is very likely to be added to the Rockies’ 40-man roster at the Rule 5 protection deadline.
RHP Cade Denton, High-A Spokane Indians (no. 60 PuRP)
After a solid season with the High-A Spokane Indians where he made 42 appearances and posted a 3.73 ERA with 63 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings, right-handed reliever Cade Denton ended up being one of the standout prospects in Arizona this year.
Denton was sent to the Fall League to continue development by adding to and adjusting his arsenal.
“I’ve just been working on pitch arsenal stuff,” Denton told Purple Row, “stuff that you don’t really necessarily get to work on in-season because it’s kind of more experimental. But I’ve been working on a little bit of a cutter and adding a few different quirks and things to my arsenal. So it’s been going good so far, and hopefully I’ll continue to work on it.”
Denton stood out with his sharp command. He struck out 18 batters while walking only four and held opposing hitters to a .152 batting average. He posted a 3.46 ERA over seven appearances and 13 innings out of the Rafters’ bullpen and his 0.846 WHIP was a team-best.
For his effort, Denton was a Fall League All-Star and named the Arizona Fall League Reliever of the Year.
“I’ve been getting the fastball to the top rail a lot better than I was in the season, and getting strikeouts with the fastball as opposed to just all the off-speed stuff,” Denton said of his success. “So being able to do that with all my pitches now has definitely opened up a lot of the zone and a lot of different ways to pitch guys.”
Prospect of the Week!
With the end of the Arizona Fall League, we have two prospects taking home post-season honors!
Charlie Condon (no. 2 PuRP) has earned the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award, demonstrating a strong work ethic and leadership.
We also congratulate right-handed pitcher Cade Denton for being the Arizona Fall League’s Reliever of the Year!
Winter Ball Report: 11/18/2025
All major winter baseball leagues across Central and South America are now underway. The Rockies currently have 12 players—five pitchers and 7 position players—on winter ball rosters.
⬆️ Stock Up: Herrera-raisingly good!
In his return from Tommy John surgery last year, right-handed pitcher Yujanyer Herrera (no. 36 PuRP) appears to be returning to the top prospect form the Rockies acquired him to be. Herrera has made eight appearances for los Cardenales de Lara in Venezuela with a 1.80 ERA and six strikeouts. While he has issued five walks, he has also held opposing batters to a .143 average.
⬇️ Stock Down: Not the Victor
Playing winter ball in his native Mexico with the Aguilas de Mexicali, right-handed reliever Victor Juarez has struggled to find his footing. In five appearances—four of which were starts—he’s given up 12 earned runs on 14 hits and ten walks across 14 2/3 innings.
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