The Peoria Javelinas didn’t get the Arizona Fall League title, but they did finish the regular season in the No. 2 spot, and San Diego’s prospects were a big reason why.
Wednesday’s finale set up exactly the kind of last-day showdown schedule-makers hope for: Peoria against Surprise, with the two teams tied atop the AFL standings and the regular-season crown on the line. Eight Padres farmhands were in the mix for Peoria, but Surprise came through with an 8-4 win to close at 18-10, one game ahead of Peoria’s 17-11 mark.
That result still left the Javelinas in strong shape. The second-place finish sends them straight to Friday’s semifinal round, where they’ll play either the Mesa Solar Sox or Salt River Rafters.
Those two meet Thursday in the quarterfinal round. Friday’s game is set for 5:30 p.m.
PT and will be streamed live on MLB.com and MLB.tv.
San Diego’s position player group for Peoria was headlined by outfielder Alex McCoy and infielder Justin DeCriscio, both of whom were selected for the Nov. 8 Fall Stars Game. DeCriscio made his mark there, driving in the winning run in the National League’s 7-4 loss to the American League.
McCoy has been one of the AFL’s most dangerous bats all season. He’s tied for third in the league with five home runs, and he’s also put up some of the loudest contact in the circuit, including a 118.2-mph blast early in the year.
That power earned him a spot in the Nov. 7 Home Run Derby, but his game has gone well beyond raw pop.
In 18 games, he’s hit .250 with a .950 OPS, along with six doubles, 19 RBIs, 10 walks and 12 stolen bases.
DeCriscio has also forced his way onto the radar. The Padres prospect has posted a .288 average in 15 games with a .922 OPS, plus three doubles, three homers, 14 RBIs and six steals.
Catcher Ty Harvey gives San Diego another bat in the lineup, and he’s used the AFL to try to reset after an injury-hit 2026 season. He’s had his ups and downs, but he enters the playoffs hitting .241 in 20 games. He’s also swiped 20 bases, which ties him for the league lead and stands out even more for a catcher.
On the mound, Francis Pena has been the best of the Padres’ pitchers in Peoria. He’s worked 11.1 innings over nine appearances and allowed just two earned runs for a 1.59 ERA. He’s also walked only two hitters, and his 0.88 WHIP reflects how little traffic he’s allowed.
Igor Gil has shown quality stuff as well, turning in a 3.86 ERA across eight outings and 9.1 innings. The walks have been an issue - he’s issued 10 - but he’s also struck out 13, good for a 12.5 strikeouts-per-nine rate.
Kannon Kemp has been one of the AFL’s hardest throwers all season and has punched out 16 batters in 14 innings. The downside has been damage when hitters have made contact, with 12 earned runs leading to a 7.71 ERA.
Winyer Chourio and Jordan Valenzuela round out the San Diego pitching contingent. Chourio is 1-1 with a 4.60 ERA in 15.2 innings, while Valenzuela has a 9.95 ERA in 6.1 innings.
If Peoria gets through Friday’s semifinal, it will advance to Saturday’s AFL championship game and could get another shot at Surprise. That title game is scheduled for 5 p.m. PT on MLB Network, and both remaining games will be played at the Peoria Sports Complex.
In Other News...
Padres Just Sent A Strong Signal In Their Ace Pursuit
The Padres have already moved from internal planning to early-stage recruiting in their pursuit of Tarik Skubal, discussing the free-agent ace with agent Scott Boras at the General Managers Meetings and setting up an in-person meeting with Skubal next week. For a club trying to shore up multiple rotation openings, that kind of direct contact is a clear sign San Diego intends to stay aggressive in the pitching market.
Skubal brings the kind of rsum that can change the tone of an offseason chase, with two American League Cy Young Awards and a 2026 season that ended with a 2.72 ERA and 186 strikeouts. The Padres are among several teams in the mix, but the fact that they are already lining up face-to-face time suggests they are serious about making a run at one of the premier arms available. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Offseason Suddenly Hinges On One Looming Yu Darvish Decision
The Padres are already working through a busy offseason, with the front office casting a wide net for starting pitching and some help on the position-player side. There is plenty of optimism around the rosters core after Mason Miller was named National League Reliever of the Year and landed on the All-MLB First Team, while Fernando Tatis Jr. also earned All-MLB First Team honors, giving San Diego a high-end foundation to build around.
Still, one of the biggest questions hanging over the winter involves Yu Darvish, whose next step could shape how the Padres approach the rest of their pitching plans. Reports have pointed to family as the key factor in whether he returns in 2027 or steps away, and that uncertainty comes as Adrian Morejon is expected to draw plenty of interest in free agency, leaving San Diego with several moving parts to sort out before the market settles. [Read more 🡒]
Padres Risk Wasting Mason Miller If Rotation Questions Go Unanswered
Mason Millers first season in San Diego was everything the Padres could have hoped for at the back end of games, and then some. After arriving as an elite late-inning weapon, he turned in a 1.67 ERA with 38 saves and 129 strikeouts in 70 innings, enough to earn the inaugural BBWAA National League Reliever of the Year award and set a Padres record for a reliever.
The challenge now is making sure that kind of dominance does not get buried behind bigger issues elsewhere on the roster. San Diego is still sorting through its starting rotation after Michael King opted out and Nick Pivettas option was declined, and the front office is already being linked to top free-agent starters as it looks ahead to 2027. If the Padres cannot stabilize the rotation, Millers value in the ninth inning could end up masking a much larger problem. [Read more 🡒]