Nationals Arizona Fall League Primer: Roster, Schedule, TV, Players to Watch
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The Washington Nationals are sending eight prospects to get a head start on development for the 2026 season during the Arizona Fall League, which starts on Sunday.
The top postseason player development league stateside, each Major League team sends several of its prospects to six spring training sites in Arizona for a month of games. Each AFL team is made up of players from five MLB franchises.
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.
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.
Washington Nationals AFL Players, Team, Schedule
Team: The Nationals will play with the Scottsdale Scorpions, alongside players from the San Francisco Giants, the New York Mets, the Houston Astros and the Detroit Tigers.
Players (MLB Pipeline Top 30 ranking in parenthesis): Seaver King, SS (No. 7); Ethan Petry, OF/1B (No. 8); Jake Bennett, LHP (No. 10); Sean Paul Liñan, RHP (No. 14); Sam Petersen, OF (No. 24); Pablo Aldonis, LHP; Austin Amaral, RHP; Jared Simpson, LHP
Top 30 Prospect to Watch: Sean Paul Liñan is earning raves for his stuff, including a change-up that Baseball America declared to be “one of the nastiest” in the minor leagues. He’ll get a chance to mystify top prospects in Arizona. Acquired in the Alex Call trade from the Los Angeles Dodgers, Liñan went 3-4 with a 3.03 ERA in 19 games with 15 starts, his lowest since his first pro season in the Dominican Summer League in 2022. Washington hopes the youngster can pitch at Double-A Harrisburg to start next season.
Under-The-Radar Prospect to Watch: Pablo Aldonis is a 23-year-old left-hander who is growing a closer’s profile. With three different affiliates this season he was 6-1 with a 1.64 ERA in 31 games. He had three holds, three saves in four chances and struck out 64 in 55 innings. He only walked 10 and batters hit .173 against him. He’s a future closer for a franchise that could use one.
2025 Scottsdale Scorpions Schedule
(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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Matthew Postins is an award-winning sports journalist who covers Major League Baseball for OnSI. He also covers the Big 12 Conference for Heartland College Sports.
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