The Arizona Fall League rosters and schedules have been set with the Washington Nationals 8-player roster as part of the 2025 Scottsdale Scorpions. With the Tigers, Astros, Mets, Giants and Nats all on the Scorpions, that roster looks to be loaded with talent that will include the №2 prospect in baseball, Kevin McGonigle, from the Tigers farm system.
Here are the players the Nats are sending: Pablo Aldonis LHP, Austin Amaral RHP, Jake Bennett LHP, Sean Paul Liñan RHP, Jared Simpson LHP, Seaver King INF, Sam Petersen OF, and Ethan Petry OF/1B.
The Nats’ player rankings per MLB Pipeline on the Top-30 prospects are:
№7 Seaver King
№8 Ethan Petry
№11 Jake Bennett
№15 Sean Paul Liñan
№25 Sam Petersen
This will be a real opportunity for King, the 10th overall pick from the 2024 draft, to go from the pitcher-friendly Wilmington and Harrisburg home stadiums to the hitter-friendly Arizona desert. This could be exactly what he needs to get some confidence moving forward like his Wake Forest teammate, Nick Kurtz, got last year in the AFL.
For Petry, he was the Nats second round pick from the University of South Carolina in July, and he gets the rare opportunity as a current year draftee to get picked and head right to the Arizona Fall League less than three months after signing his contract. He was the 2023 Cape Cod League MVP. Petry will finish his season at Single-A Fredericksburg as they are currently in the Carolina League postseason.
Also from the Nats prospect list is Bennett who is still building up innings after missing the 2024 season due to his UCL tear in his pitching elbow and subsequently needing Tommy John surgery. Bennett is currently finishing his season at Double-A Harrisburg. On Bennett’s rehab starts, he posted a 1.50 ERA at Fredericksburg, a 1.90 ERA at Wilmington, and currently has a 2.88 ERA at Harrisburg.
As you might recall, Liñan was one of the Nats trade acquisitions at the July 31 deadline. The Nats acquired him in the Alex Call trade along with Eriq Swan coming from the Dodgers. Liñan just finished his season at High-A Wilmington.
The other Top-30 ranked player on the AFL roster from the Nats is Petersen who had been injured to finish his season early. He was having an encouraging year at High-A Wilmington and probably would have been promoted to Double-A if he was not injured. The Nats believe he will be ready to go to start the AFL season. Petersen batted .297 and found his power stroke and hit six homers to lead to an .887 OPS. Petersen has been comped as the next Jacob Young due to his defense, speed, and ability to wreak havoc on the bases. He went 18-for-18 in stolen bases at Wilmington this season.
The AFL season begins on Oct. 6 and lasts until Nov. 15. Play begins with an Opening Day matchup between the Peoria Javelinas and the Scottsdale Scorpions.
Here are the six team configurations:
- Glendale Desert Dogs: Braves, White Sox, Dodgers, Cardinals, Blue Jays
- Mesa Solar Sox: Athletics, Cubs, Marlins, Yankees, Rays
- Peoria Javelinas: Orioles, Reds, Twins, Padres, Mariners
- Salt River Rafters: Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Rockies, Angels, Pirates
- Scottsdale Scorpions: Tigers, Astros, Mets, Giants,Nationals
- Surprise Saguaros: Guardians, Royals, Brewers, Phillies, Rangers
Beyond the traditional six stadiums in Scottsdale, Surprise, Glendale, Salt River, Peoria and Mesa, the AFL this year will travel to Goodyear for a few games and, on Oct. 13, to Kino Sports Complex in Tucson for a triple header.
The MLB Pipeline Top-100 prospects are as follows:
2. Kevin McGonigle, SS, Tigers (Scottsdale)
4. Sebastian Walcott, SS, Rangers (Surprise)
12. Josue De Paula, OF, Dodgers (Glendale)
32. Braden Montgomery, OF, White Sox (Glendale)
47. Aidan Miller, SS, Phillies (Surprise)
48. Blake Mitchell, C, Royals (Surprise)
54. Chase DeLauter, OF, Guardians (Surprise)
58. Charlie Condon, 1B/OF, Rockies (Salt River)
71. Alfredo Duno, C, Reds (Peoria)
79. Jonny Farmelo, OF, Mariners (Peoria)
82. Ethan Salas, C, Padres (Peoria)
88. Hagen Smith, LHP, White Sox (Glendale)
95. Cam Collier, 1B/3B, Reds (Peoria)
The All-Star game is on November 9 this year known as the Fall Stars Game. The AFL playoffs begin on November 13 with a new format this year with the championship on Nov. 15 at Salt River Fields. The Fall Stars Game and championship game will be televised by MLB Network and can be streamed on MLB.com.
This year, all six teams make the playoffs with the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds and the No. 4 and 5 seeds playing that day at Scottsdale Stadium. The winners will then advance to face the top seeds the next day at Salt River Fields. The league will conclude on Saturday Nov. 15 with the AFL Championship game.
