Arizona Fall League Daily: October 6 — Mota's 455-Foot Blast, Bonemer's Extra-Inning Single
By Riley Thompson ·
Nationals center fielder Jorgelys Mota crushed a three-run home run 455 feet to left field in the bottom of the first inning Tuesday, launching it at 114.2 mph off a 36-degree angle, per Statcast. It was the clearest display yet of the raw power that grades at 55 on his scouting profile, even as his contact rates in 2026 remain a genuine concern for his future.
Salt River Rafters 7, Surprise Saguaros 2
Mota's blast came off Royals left-hander Justin Lamkin after a Kyle DeBarge triple and a hit-by-pitch on Jared Thomas, and it put Salt River ahead to stay. Later in the inning, a fielding error by first baseman Brooks Bryan let Andy Perez score, giving the Rafters a 4-0 cushion. Lamkin was charged with five runs (four earned) on four hits over three innings, including a runner he left on in the fourth who scored after he exited. His fastball averaged 92.4 mph, short of the velocity his 50-grade fastball projection assumes at its ceiling.
Nationals right-hander R.J. Sales earned the win with 5.1 innings of one-run ball, working primarily off a four-seam fastball that averaged 94.7 mph and touched 96.8. He generated only two whiffs, but navigating 20 batters with two walks and three strikeouts made the outing functional against a lineup carrying some prospect weight.
Salt River added two runs in the fourth on RBI singles by Kyle West and Jack O'Dowd, then got a sixth-inning insurance run on a West groundout. Perez went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Kansas City's Brooks Bryan provided Surprise's best swing with a solo home run to center in the top of the ninth, 442 feet at 108.1 mph, a reminder that the raw power in his profile grades at 55 despite a below-average hit tool.
Glendale Desert Dogs 4, Mesa Solar Sox 3
This one required 10 innings. Glendale built a 3-0 lead through the top of the seventh on a wild pitch, a Colby Shelton sacrifice fly, and a Grant Magill run that scored on a Wyatt Sanford double-play grounder, then let it slip. Brandon Barriera pitched two innings for Mesa and allowed only the unearned Magill run, his fastball averaging 93.1 mph and his slider sitting around 86, in line with his 2026 track of working in the low-to-mid 90s after multiple injury interruptions.
Mesa answered with two in the bottom of the seventh, the second on a run-scoring single by Toronto's Jake Cook, who went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases. His contact-first, 55-grade hit tool showed up all night. Mesa then tied it in the ninth on a Davis Diaz sacrifice fly off Logan Samuels, who was charged with the blown save but picked up the win when Glendale went back ahead.
White Sox prospect Caleb Bonemer, playing center field, ended it: his single in the top of the 10th off Athletics right-hander Kenya Huggins plated the go-ahead run. Bonemer, rated No. 21 on 80Grade, had gone 4-for-9 in his first two AFL games. Huggins, who split time between the rotation and the bullpen at Double-A Midland this season, left a cutter in the zone and paid for it. Samuels generated 10 whiffs in 1.2 innings of relief.
Scouting Notes
Jorgelys Mota, CF (Washington Nationals): Mota's 114.2-mph exit velocity confirms the elite raw power scouts have tracked, but his 2026 season shows a 31.5 percent strikeout rate across 124 plate appearances. The AFL is a chance to show whether his 53-percent contact rate can move in a useful direction, and that will be the central question for a Rule 5-eligible prospect ahead of November's 40-man roster deadline.
R.J. Sales, RHP (Washington Nationals): Sales averaged 94.7 mph on his four-seamer and touched 96.8, consistent with his 2026 regular-season average of 95.5 and 96.7-mph peak. His curveball and slider both appeared, giving him the multi-pitch look that fits his No. 4 starter projection, though he generated only two whiffs in 69 pitches.
Brandon Barriera, LHP (Toronto Blue Jays): Barriera's fastball averaged 93.1 mph and reached 94.5 in his two-inning relief stint, a modest improvement on his 2026 regular-season average of 92.6 but still below the 94-to-98 range on his grade sheet. His 60-grade slider averaged 86.4 mph. Getting healthy innings is the primary objective for a pitcher whose 2026 was interrupted multiple times.
Caleb Bonemer, 3B (Chicago White Sox): Bonemer's go-ahead single was a hit, not a walk, but it fits the patient approach that produced 84 free passes across High-A and Double-A in 2026. His 55-grade power played in the regular season with 37 home runs split across the two levels, and the AFL gives him a chance to show that approach and contact quality against diverse pitching. He also got a look in center field Tuesday.
Kenya Huggins, RHP (Athletics): Huggins ran a 6.63 ERA and a 1.82 WHIP across 91 innings at Double-A Midland this season, and the command issue behind those numbers showed in the 10th, when a cutter left in the zone became Bonemer's go-ahead single. His fastball touched 96.4 mph, confirming the raw velocity, but his 35-grade command is the profile's limiting factor.
Up Next
Wednesday brings one game: the Peoria Javelinas visit the Scottsdale Scorpions at Scottsdale Stadium. San Diego Padres right-hander Winyer Chourio starts for Peoria, while San Francisco Giants right-hander Drake George takes the ball for Scottsdale. Peoria enters 1-2 and Scottsdale 1-1-1, so both clubs have a chance to climb above .500.