AFL Player Reports: Jonny Farmelo, Esmerlyn Valdez, Enrique Bradfield, More

Valdez did not necessarily make a massive leap in one department of his game, but it’s hard to find an area where he did not get at least a little better and the culmination of some gains in contact rate, swing decisions and exit velocities thrusted him into a career year.

Limited defensively with a hit tool that will likely always be shy of average, Valdez is an archetype of player that will always breed some hesitation. That said, he is a big riser in this Pirates system, capping off a superb 2025 campaign to all-but guarantee himself a spot on the 40-man roster this winter.

It’s probably not earth-shattering news that Valdez has plus power, exemplified by his EV90 of 108 MPH and home run output this year. If you combine the AFL and his regular season numbers, he has an OPS north of 1.100 against LHP, giving him a short-platoon fall back if the hit tool stalls. His improved swing decisions–particularly against spin–has me more bullish that his skill set will translate to the big leagues in some fashion.

Jonny Farmelo – OF – Mariners

If you talk to anyone with the Mariners, they’ll gush about Farmelo and his potential. After getting a live look at him and speaking with him, it’s easy to understand why. The newly-turned 21-year-old is a physical 6-foot-2, 205 pounds and can really motor. His swing is naturally geared for lift, flashing above average pop to the pull side and a great feel for the strike zone.

Injuries have really limited Farmelo since the Mariners took him in the first round of the 2023 draft, tearing his ACL in June of 2024, then dealing with a rib issue shortly after his return to action in May of 2025.

“I feel like I don’t know how good I am at this game yet because I haven’t had 400 at bats,” Farmelo told me. “I think the more at bats I get the better I am going to get as long as I keep my head down and keep learning.”

We’ve seen spurts of what can be a really dynamic player, though. His approach and ability to hammer fastballs has helped him produce strong numbers against Low and High-A pitching when he has been on the field with a natural ability to pull the ball in the air that has allowed him to slug as he grows into stronger exit velocities.

During his rehab, Farmelo played with his setup to get his hands a little bit higher with the bat slotting into a better angle as he loads. The key for him will be continuing to improve his ability to hit secondaries and just improving the overall adjustability in his swing, as the gap between his zone-contact and out-of-zone contact has been pretty wide as a pro.

Previously tending to tip the barrel into a position that would be difficult to get on plane from, these adjustments could help him stay in the zone longer, but as Farmelo said himself, nothing will help more than additional reps.

The same can be said with defense and base running, two things Farmelo is very excited to hone in on in the desert and through the offseason. He cited his speed and twitch and how he is eager for those components to plug into what he hopes is eventually elite defense in centerfield as well as making more of an impact on the base paths.

If Farmelo can progress into even above average defense in center field, it goes without being said the pressure that it would take off of his intriguing bat, and if there is one thing above all that I took away from our conversation, it’s that he is going to do everything in his power to get there.

“I just need to play more and I need to work harder, really,” Farmelo said.

Enrique Bradfield Jr. – OF – Orioles

We know all about the wheels of Bradfield ever since his days at Vanderbilt, where he set the table for one of the best teams in the country before the Orioles snagged him in the first round of the 2023 draft. Of course, it’s hit-over-power and defense above all for the speedy centerfielder, but hamstring issues have limited him to around 180 games over the last two years combined.

He has tinkered with different setups and pre-swing moves throughout his pro career, looking for the best way to stay back as a hitter who has naturally skewed towards the slash and dash swing from the left side. His latest setup and load might have him most setup for success, with some similarity to the adjustment that Michael Busch made, but more exaggerated.

He starts upright with the knob of his bat pointing towards shortstop, before pulling his hands back in tandem with a leg kick. The starting position gives him a strong cue to coil over his back side, getting into a more powerful position with a counter move that helps him stay back.

I saw more impactful swings from Bradfield as a result, hitting balls with more authority to his pull side, including a 107 MPH double down the line in the game I attended. The leg kick may need to be toned down some as he can get the foot down a bit tardy at times, but all in all, I thought Bradfield’s swing is looking as good as it has in his pro career and the early results reinforce that.

The glove and speed is game-changing so even a league-average bat would mean he’s an asset in centerfield. He’ll likely start 2026 with his second taste of Triple-A, but a strong AFL and spring training showing could shorten how much time he spends in Norfolk, especially with tangible swing adjustments to point towards.

Karson Milbrandt – RHP – Marlins

I’ll be honest, I knew Milbrandt had a good year and that the stuff was improved in 2025, but I was not expecting the caliber of stuff I saw from the 21-year-old right-hander in the lone outing I saw. Command is still a hurdle for him, as he walked 12% of batters in 2025, though that came with a 30% strikeout rate.

The outing I saw was somewhat a microcosm of his season, tossing three innings of one run ball, striking out seven, while working around three free passes. The fastball topped out at 97.6 MPH, sitting 95-96 MPH, though it was the breaking balls that really stood out.

Milbrandt’s gyro slider in the upper 80s is a new pitch that played a big part in his 2025 breakout, especially with his lack of a reliable changeup. The sharp downward action allows it to play effectively to both lefties and righties. Mostly fastball and curveball reliant in 2024, the cutter is an excellent bridge for Milbrandt, but his trusted curveball has also looked improved this year, as he is throwing it a tick harder with more depth. He also mixed in a sweeper during the regular season that we haven’t seen at all in the Fall League.

It’s hard to argue against a fastball sitting in the mid 90s with signs of more and a pair of above average breaking balls, making command the key for the former third round pick. Ironically, his new slider is the pitch he has landed the most consistently in 2025, so improved fastball command could really thrust Milbrandt to new heights. Regardless, he’s poised to climb big time in our updated Marlins top prospect list.

Anderson Brito – RHP – Astros

Brito was in the midst of a breakout before going down with a shoulder issue at High-A Asheville in late June. Even with the injury and lack of track record, Brito cracked the top five in our Astros top prospect list due to his high-octane stuff, headlined by an upper 90s fastball.

He averaged 98 MPH on his heater in his two AFL outings while I was out there, and while he walked five in 5 2/3 innings, he also struck out 13. His curveball has been his best pitch, but Brito has appeared keen on developing his cutter, sweeper and splitter, throwing each more frequently through his first roughly 100 pitches in the desert.

What was abundantly clear to me in my look at Brito is his relief floor. Already touching triple digits, he could be sitting very close to there in single inning spurts with a banger curveball to complement and a cutter that would probably sit closer to the mid 90s.

That said, the upside as a starter is also tantalizing for a 21-year-old who has thrown very little professionally. Signed for just $10K in 2023, the Astros delayed his pro debut in favor of a strength program that proved beneficial when Brito emerged sitting in the mid 90s in 2024.

Including his two AFL starts, Brito has tossed just 108 2/3 innings since signing and just 82 1/3 above the complex. Brito will need to slash his 14% walk rate to stick as a starter, but I saw flashes of a pitcher who is capable of doing so.

Like many inexperienced pitchers, the shape of his breaking balls can be inconsistent at times, likely affecting his command and overall results, though hitters have still struggled to do much of anything against him with a .173 opponent batting average dating back to 2024. Brito has the highest upside of any Astros pitching prospect, but even if things do not completely come together, he has a path as an impactful reliever as well.