Arizona Fall League: Five Must-Watch Prospects and Cards
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A roughly six-week showcase where clubs send upper-tier prospects for extra reps against some of the game's hottest young talent, the Arizona Fall League can be just as exciting for card collectors as it tends to be for scouts and those fans who call the desert home. The 2025 AFL regular season gets underway on Oct. 6, culminating with the championship at Salt River Fields in Scottsdale in mid-November.
A sampling from the 50 best prospects leaguewide, according to MLB Pipeline, are slated to take the field come next month, featuring two of the top five.
Leading the list is the No. 2 prospect overall, Detroit's Kevin McGonigle. A shortstop that reached Double-A this summer, the lefty hitter's combination of high contact rate and above-average exit velocities makes a tantalizing buy for long-term holders and prospectors looking for a quicker flip.
Card to Watch: 2025 Bowman #CPAKM Chrome Prospect Kevin McGonigle Auto PSA 10
Recent Sales: $570-575
Next up is another shortstop and MLB Pipeline's fourth-best prospect at the time of writing, 19-year-old Sebastian Walcott. A native of the Bahamas, he can cover both positions on the left side of the infield and wields an impressive mix of power and baserunning prowess. If he's able to cut down on strikeouts moving forward, Walcott projects as a key bat in the Rangers lineup as soon as 2026.
Card to Watch: 2024 Bowman #CPASW Chrome Prospect Sebastian Walcott Auto PSA 10
Recent Sales: $199-$215
Our first entry outside of the top ten (No. 12) is Dodgers outfielder Josue De Paula, the second cousin of NBA and New York City royalty Stephon Marbury and Sebastian Telfair. Another left-handed bat headed to the land of the cactus, De Paula has spent time training with Juan Soto and Elly De La Cruz, and his strength at the plate shows it.
Card to Watch: 2023 Bowman #CPAJDE Chrome Prospect Josue De Paula Auto PSA 10
Recent Sales: $220
A minor foot fracture has kept White Sox outfielder Braden Montgomery away from the field of late, but the switch-hitting power threat who can take the ball pole to pole is expected to be full speed ahead come AFL time. No. 32 overall, the former Boston draft pick projects to man a corner position sometime in 2027.
Card to Watch: 2024 Bowman Draft #CPAPM Chrome Prospect Braden Montgomery Auto PSA 10
Recent Sales: $200-$210
Rounding out our quintet is shortstop (sensing a theme here?) Aidan Miller, a prize in the Phillies system who raked in a short late-season stint at Triple-A. Ranked No. 47 overall, the 2023 first-rounder has already shown a penchant for making adjustments on the fly and could see big league action as early as next season.
Card to Watch: 2024 Bowman #CPAAMI Chrome Prospect Aidan Miller Auto PSA 10
Recent Sales: $150
Collectors who like to try their hand at picking winners early on in their development will no doubt have a keen eye on these youngsters and more throughout the league slate, which includes a Home Run Derby on Nov. 8 and the heralded Fall Stars Game the following day. When it comes to minor leaguers aiming to prove their worth, the hobby's pricing shifts can be as fickle as Arizona temperature swings, meaning there could be several in-and-out profit opportunities playing out on those sun-baked fields.
Scott Orgera is a sportswriter and statistician with more than three decades of experience. He has covered thousands of MLB and NFL games, along with most other major sports. A member of the BBWAA, his bylines appear in the Associated Press, Baseball America, Baseball Prospectus, FanGraphs, and Forbes, among others. He also co‑authored 976‑1313: How Sports Phone Launched Careers and Broke New Ground. Having worked card shows with his family in the 1980s, Scott has remained active in the hobby ever since and now owns a card and memorabilia shop just outside New York City.