The Houston Astros are sending eight players to get a head start on development for the 2026 season during the Arizona Fall League, which starts on Monday.
The premier postseason player development league stateside, each MLB team sends several of its top prospects to six spring training sites in Arizona for a month of games and player development. Each AFL team is made up of players from five MLB franchises.
The AFL will play for a month this year, with tripleheaders set for Tucson on Oct. 11 and for Goodyear on Oct. 18. At the end of the season, the AFL will hold its Fall Stars Game on Nov. 9, a game that will be broadcast live on the MLB Network. That is preceded by the home run derby on Nov. 8.
The AFL expanded its postseason to include all six teams. The top two teams in the league will receive byes into the second round. The championship game will be broadcast on MLB Network, MLB.com and the MLB app. The playoffs will be Nov. 13-15.
Team: The Astros will play with the Scottsdale Scorpions, alongside players from the San Francisco Giants, the New York Mets, the Washington Nationals and the Detroit Tigers.
Players (MLB Pipeline Top 30 ranking in parenthesis): Walker Janek, C (No. 4); Joseph Sullivan, OF (No. 6); Anderson Brito, RHP (No. 7); James Hicks, RHP (No. 26); Hudson Leach, RHP; Derek True, RHP; Jeron Williams, SS/2B; Nate Wohlgemuth, RHP.
Top 30 Prospect to Watch: Anderson Brito is just 21 years old and an ascending star in the organization, even though he has only played as high as High-A Asheville. With the Tourists he went 0-1 with a 3.28 ERA in 12 starts He struck out 65 and walked 28 in 49.1 innings, and he allowed batters to hit .202 against him. He has a future MLB starter profile and, given the injuries at the Major League level, Houston would love to see the Venezuelan turbo-charge his development in Arizona.
Under-The-Radar Prospect to Watch: Nate Wohlgemuth played at Rogers State in Oklahoma and went undrafted this year. The Astros signed him and dropped him into the minors, where he shined as a reliever. He went 2-1 with a 3.13 ERA in 17 games, with two saves in two chances. He struck out 31, walked 12 and he held batters to a .179 batting average. He has a high-leverage profile worth watching.
(Times local to Arizona and subject to change)
Oct. 6: vs. Peoria, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 8: vs. Salt River, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 9: at Glendale, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 10: vs. Mesa, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 11: vs. Glendale (tripleheader at Kino Sports Complex)
Oct. 12: vs. Peoria, 5 p.m.
Oct. 14: at Peoria, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 15: vs. Salt River, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 16: vs. Glendale, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 17: at Mesa, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 18: vs. Surprise, 6:30 p.m. (tripleheader at Goodyear Park)
Oct. 19: vs. Surprise, 5 p.m.
Oct. 21: at Peoria, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 22: at Surprise, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 23: at Peoria, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 24: at Salt River, 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 26: vs. Mesa, 5 p.m.
Oct. 28: vs. Surprise, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 29: at Surprise, 1:30 p.m.
Oct. 30: vs. Glendale, 6:30 p.m.
Oct. 31: at Salt River, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 1: vs. Salt River, 3:30 p.m.
Nov. 2: vs. Peoria, 5 p.m.
Nov. 4: at Mesa, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 5: at Surprise, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 6: at Mesa, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 7: at Glendale, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 8: Home Run Derby, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 9: Fall Stars Game, 6 p.m.
Nov. 10: at Salt River, 6:30 p.m.
Nov. 11: vs. Glendale, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 12: vs. Mesa, 1:30 p.m.
Nov. 13: Quarterfinals (1:30/6:30 p.m.)
Nov. 14: Semifinals (1:30/6:30 p.m.)
Nov. 15: Championship, 6 p.m.
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