The Arizona Fall League gave several pitching prospects a chance to turn heads, and a handful of arms used the desert stage to help their stock. From overpowering velocity to nasty secondaries, these five pitchers stood out before the regular season wrapped up.
Jarlin Susana of the Washington Nationals didn’t need much help in the first place, but he still managed to boost his profile. The right-hander didn’t work deep into outings, yet every time he took the mound he flashed why MLB Pipeline already has him ranked as a top-70 prospect in baseball.
In 21 innings, Susana led all pitchers in the regular season with 26 strikeouts. He also reached the highest velocity in the AFL, with a 103.8 mph fastball.
That heater powered a 34.9% Chase% and a 32.6% Whiff%, and opposing hitters managed only a .149 average against him. His fastball drew the attention, but his slider and sweeper were just as nasty at missing bats.
Peyton Olejnik gave the Angels a strong showing in six outings after arriving in the AFL as a former sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft out of Miami (OH). He had already logged two straight seasons with 20 or more starts, and this fall he showed he could still miss barrels even without piling up huge strikeout totals.
Olejnik posted a 94th percentile 21.1% Hard-Hit% and still generated a 31% Whiff%. His fastball, slider, and changeup all came in above a 30% Whiff%, and the slider is the pitch to keep an eye on in 2027 after he leaned on it nearly 50% of the time in the AFL.
Ryan Dromboski, a former Phillies UDFA, also made the most of his six outings. He has already thrown at least 80 innings in each of his first two professional seasons, and Philadelphia got another look at him in the fall.
Dromboski didn’t post an elite strikeout rate, but he still finished with a Whiff% above 30% while keeping contact quality in check. Hitters produced an 85.3 mph AvgEV against him, and their Hard-Hit% sat at an even 34%.
His slider and changeup were the real separators, with both pitches generating a Whiff% of 34% or higher. Since he doesn’t bring overpowering velocity, those two offerings will matter a lot going forward.
Alejandro Chiquillo, a Venezuelan native in the Rangers system, put together a solid AFL run that should leave Texas encouraged heading into his second season in affiliated ball. He wasn’t a big strikeout arm, but he did a good job creating uncomfortable swings.
Chiquillo’s 31.8% Chase% ranked in the 86th percentile, and he also limited hard-hit exit velocities. His slider was the standout pitch, producing a 38.6% Whiff% on more than 36% usage. He also worked with a sinker and four-seamer that both sat above 94 mph, while his cutter showed up as another useful weapon at 15.5% usage.
Cody Morse of the Dodgers may have been the most eye-catching of the group. A 12th-round pick in the 2024 draft, he spent this season exclusively in the bullpen after injuries disrupted his 2026 campaign, but he looked sharp across nine AFL appearances.
Morse’s -5.5 degree arm angle made him tough to square up, and the results backed that up. He posted a 42.4% K% and a 37.8% Whiff%, both in the 96th percentile or better.
His slider was especially dominant, generating a 63.6% Whiff%. He can lean on that pitch and his four-seamer, though he also mixes in a sinker, changeup, sweeper, and curveball to round out a deep arsenal.
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