2026 Arizona Fall League Preview: Mesa Solar Sox

The big name on this list is Jake Bloss, one of several notable Blue Jays pitching prospects. The 25-year-old Bloss made 11 starts in the Minors, two years after his MLB debut with Houston. But thanks to injuries, in part, Bloss’ development and career trajectory plateaued in the interim.

Brandon Barriera is one of several very notable Rule 5-eligible pitchers. He’s a former first-round pick who, as we noted in September, hasn’t made past High-A since he was drafted back in 2022 out of high school. Injuries have slowed him down.

Fernando Perez had a fantastic 2025 campaign in High-A Vancouver, ultimately working his way to New Hampshire by the end of the year. However, he walked 25 over 20 innings this season, one in which Perez spent significant time on the development list.

Najer Victor’s star shone very bright this past March, when the Angels reliever shut down Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. But after an injury-shortened year (sensing a theme here?), Victor is back in the Arizona Fall League. The right-hander struck out 39 over 29 innings this season.

He’ll be joined by pitcher Peyton Olejnik, the 2025 California League strikeout leader. This year, Olejnik consistently put up strong swing-and-miss numbers with High-A Tri-City. He wound up with 111 strikeouts over 106 innings this season. Very intriguing pitcher, especially with his 6’11” frame.

Other notables include Nicholas Judice and Kenya Huggins, both of whom were trade acquisitions from their current teams. Judice was acquired in the Alex Verdugo trade from many moons ago. Huggins, who’s put up good swing-and-miss numbers in his Minor League career, was acquired for Miguel Andujar.

Catchers

Catcher Cole Conn will be one of those players whose Rule 5 status will go down to the wire. Conn had a very good end to 2026, as he slashed .295/.368/.507 with six home runs and 18 extra-base hits over 36 contests with Triple-A Las Vegas.

Didn’t expand a lot down the stretch; his 26.4% Chase% was above the league median from August 15 through the end of the regular season.

Davis Diaz, an eighth-round pick from Vanderbilt, forced his way to Triple-A. He belted 10 home runs and 32 extra-base hits over three levels, starting at High-A and ending with Las Vegas.

Aaron Parker hit 19 home runs for Double-A New Hampshire.

Infielders

Arjun Nimmala heads into the AFL with a lot to prove for his new team.

The 20-year-old hit the ground running in the Angels’ organization. Nimmala blasted eight home runs and 17 extra-base hits over 27 games after Los Angeles acquired him in the Jose Soriano deal. As noted multiple times, he has the tools to be an impact player. In particular, the power.

Nazzan Zanetello was a second-round pick by Boston in 2023. Zanetello never batted above .200 in his professional career in a single season before 2026. And in 2025, he had the 10th-highest Whiff% in the South Atlantic League.

He only played 36 games in 2026. However, the numbers took a significant turn in the right direction. Zanetello slashed .254/.365/.500 with seven home runs and 16 extra-base hits.

Across two levels, former fourth-round pick Mason White had 18 home runs and 40 extra-base hits. As noted here, he loves to take pitchers and work deep into counts.

Outfielders

The Cubs wound up not sending Myles Bailey to the AFL. Bailey was named in the initial Mesa roster. Instead, the club will send 24-year-old outfielder Harrison Feinberg, where he’ll play his first games as a pro.

Feinberg hit 34 home runs and batted over .330 in his final two seasons with Northeastern.

The Blue Jays are sending two intriguing outfielders to the AFL. One is Jake Casey, the son of former Red Sean Casey. Jake Cook was a third-round pick by the Blue Jays in 2025 and a premium runner. However, there was a lot of swing-and-miss in his game down in Dunedin this year.