Pirates Prospect Makes Big Statement to Start Arizona Fall League
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PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Pirates have some of their best talent down in the Arizona Fall League, and one player made sure to start off the best way he could.
Pirates shortstop prospect Wyatt Sanford hit the first home run of the Arizona Fall League for the Glendale Desert Dogs in their season opener vs. the Salt River Rafters on Oct. 4.
Sanford hit an 87.5 mph cutter near the middle of the plate from Salt River right-handed pitcher Mack Estrada and sent it 100 mph off the bat and into the right field seats with a 33 degree launch angle.
The home run didn't change much in the game, as it cut the deficit to 8-1 in the seventh inning in the eventual 9-4 defeat for Glendale, but Sanford showing promise early on in the Arizona Fall League is encouraging.
Pirates No. 5 prospect Wyatt Sanford hits the first homer of the 2026 Arizona Fall League season! pic.twitter.com/i8pdh0OLzJ
— MLB's Arizona Fall League (@MLBazFallLeague) October 3, 2026
Sanford Adding Power to His Game
The Pirates took Sanford out of Independence High School with the 47th overall pick in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft as a contact-first and strong defensive shortstop.
Sanford came to the Pirates with a "40" grade out of 80, which is below-average power, and only hit five home runs in 64 games in 2025.
He improved his power greatly this year, hitting 19 home runs in 77 games and 17 home runs in 72 games with High-A Greensboro, a 12-home run increase.
Sanford made a few adjustments to his swing, keeping his hands lower and lifts his front foot up, shile turning his bat to get better contact/power on balls.
The results have shown, with Baseball America naming Sanford in their article, "25 MLB Prospects Who Boosted Production With Exit Velocity Gains In 2026," as the Pirates prospect had a 90% exit velocity of 108 mph, a gain of 5.3 mph.
Sanford had his best game of the season when he hit three home runs in the 19-13 win over Hub City (Texas Rangers) on May 26: two solo home runs and a two-run home run.
He dealt with an injury that saw him play just five games combined across June and July, but he hit five home runs in April, May and August, plus four home runs in five games in September.
One encouraging sign from Sanford was that he had similar home-road splits, not solely relying on hitter-friendly First National Bank Field.
Sanford slashed .289/.410/.577 for an OPS of .987 with 10 home runs at home and batted .275/.422/.517 for an OPS of .939 with nine home runs on the road.
He should get his start with Double-A Altoona next year, but a strong showing in the AFL will go a long way towards his preparation for 2027.
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Dominic writes for Pittsburgh Pirates On SI, Pittsburgh Panthers Pn SI and also, Pittsburgh Steelers On SI. A Pittsburgh native, Dominic grew up watching Pittsburgh Sports and wrote for The Pitt News as an undergraduate at the University of Pittsburgh, covering Pitt Athletics. He would write for Pittsburgh Sports Now after college and has years of experience covering sports across Pittsburgh.