2025 Arizona Fall League Preview: Mesa Solar Sox

Miami is sending a couple of interesting names, headlined by Karson Milbrandt and Aiden May.

Milbrandt, a third-rounder in 2022 out of high school, missed the first two weeks on the IL and pitched very well overall across 90 innings, with 113 total strikeouts. The 6’2” right-hander can push the fastball to 96-97 and works with a cutter and slider.

As for May, the former Oregon State hurler tossed just 27.1 IP one year after he was a second-round pick in 2024. May’s a heavy ground-ball pitcher with a heavy 93-96 MPH with drop, coupled with a sweeping slider and other offerings. However, he had trouble with walks, as he had 16 free passes.

As for Miami’s AL rival up in Tampa, the Rays are sending some notable names.

Jackson Baumeister only threw 62 innings this season but elicited a ton of strikeouts both with Florida State and in the Minors back in 2024. Baumeister was acquired in the Zach Eflin trade last July. He’ll be joined by Andrew Lindsey, a fifth-rounder drafted by Miami two years ago. Lindsey, who can pump it up to 96 MPH, only threw 23 innings.

Mason Auer, a fifth-round pick back in 2021, didn’t hit well in 2023 or 2024. The Rays converted him to pitch for 2025 and walked 10 over 5.2 IP.

The Yankees, meanwhile, are sending Bryce Cunningham to the AFL after he missed most of 2025 on the IL. When Cunningham was healthy, he pitched well; he struck out 55 over 54 frames and conceded just 42 hits.

Cunningham, a second-rounder in 2024, has a lot of weapons in his arsenal, including two fastballs (four-seam, two-seam) that can run to the mid-90s, plus a very good sweeper. While he may have capped out at High-A this season, his potential is on par with Elmer Rodriguez-Cruz and Ben Hess, two of their premium pitching prospects.

Cade Smith, a sixth-rounder back in 2023, is also another name to watch.

Catchers

It’s a collection of catchers who didn’t play much at all professionally this season. Owen Ayers played just 65 games due to injury this season.

Logan Poteet, also with the Cubs, played 56 total games (five pro games) this season, 51 of which came with Charlotte. Poteet was a 17th-round pick by the Cubs in 2025.

Manuel Palencia jumped around three levels (FCL, A+, AA) this season and worked in 66 games.

Infielders

The Cubs are sending two former top-two round picks to the AFL: Cole Mathis and Ed Howard. Mathis was a 2024 second-rounder of the College of Charleston who can hit for power but went on the IL in mid-May and didn’t return. Howard, meanwhile, was the Cubs’ first-round pick in 2020 and a career .215 hitter.

Howard, who played in just 21 games this season, has a career K% rate of 29.7%.

The Athletics are sending two of their better-hitting infield prospects in Tommy White and Joshua Kuroda-Grauer. White, otherwise known as “Tommy Tanks” in college, was a behemoth of a power hitter with NC State & LSU. He has 12 home runs and 35 extra-base hits in an injury-shortened season.

Kuroda-Grauer, meanwhile, was one of several former Rutgers stars who were drafted by the Athletics in 2023 and 2024 (one of those other players is also on Mesa’s roster). He’s not a power guy by any means but is a terrific contact hitter who doesn’t strike out a lot (8.9% K%). Kuroda-Grauer slashed .296/.359/.372 across two levels.

Brayden Taylor, the Rays’ first-rounder out of TCU two years ago, slashed .173/.289/.286 with just eight home runs after 108 games. In 2024, Taylor hit 20 home runs and 55 extra-base hits across two levels.

However, arguably the most notable name among the infielders is Starlyn Caba, the 19-year-old acquired by Miami in the Jesus Luzardo deal. Caba, a 5’9” shortstop, performed very well in the FCL in 2024. He posted an exceptional .427 OBP as an 18-year-old and stole 37 bases across 52 games.

Caba only played 51 games with Jupiter (A) this season. Not a lot of power, as Caba had just eight extra-base hits. However, Caba has a very good approach at the plate. He chased at pitches 19.7% of the time, and walked (34) as many times as he struck out.

Outfielders

PJ Morlando was the Marlins’ first-rounder in 2024, a move that netted Miami a prospect with a rising stock on a below-slot deal. However, Morlando missed a lot of time this season, thanks to three separate IL stints. He finished with just 259 plate appearances across 58 games.

It wasn’t a complete season by any means. Morlando showed power but not too much, only a 2.3 Barrel/PA down in Low-A. However, Morlando chased at pitches 21.6% of the time and averaged over 4.2 pitches per plate appearances, a sign of what exactly the kind of player he is (and tools that a team like the Marlins would covet).

As for the other outfielders, Ryan Lasko spent 13 games with Triple-A Las Vegas but most of the year in Lansing (A+). Lasko, a 2023 second-rounder out of Rutgers, had 33 extra-base hits in 2024. However, he only played 89 games thanks to injury,

Aidan Smith, acquired in the Randy Arozarena trade last year, had an up-and-down 2025. Smith stole 82 combined stolen bases between 2024 and 25. However, he strikes out (31.2%) a lot.