Arizona Fall League Daily: October 7
By Riley Thompson ·
Cardinals outfielder Tai Peete finished 3-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI on day five of the Arizona Fall League season, giving him a .429 average through three games, but it was not enough as the Scottsdale Scorpions held on for a 4-3 win over the Peoria Javelinas. The game turned in the bottom of the fourth, when Giants infielder Dalton Wentz lofted a two-run double to center that erased a 2-1 Peoria lead and put Scottsdale ahead for good.
Scottsdale Scorpions 4, Peoria Javelinas 3
Peoria grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third inning behind Peete, who singled home a run on a ground ball to right and then scored himself when Win Scott threw a wild pitch. The Scorpions answered in the fourth against Mariners left-hander Calvin Schapira, who could not hold the advantage after taking over from starter Winyer Chourio. Giants shortstop Kaeden Kent singled home Zyhir Hope to cut the deficit to one, and Wentz followed with a two-run double off Schapira that scored Eric Bitonti and Kent to put Scottsdale up 3-2. Tigers shortstop Bryce Rainer then doubled to center off Cardinals reliever Joseph King to push it to 4-2. Peoria crept within a run in the eighth when Cardinals first baseman Sammy Hernandez singled home Peete off Preston Howey, but Astros right-hander Railin Perez worked around two walks in the ninth for the save.
Chourio's outing was the most noteworthy pitching line of the night. The Padres right-hander worked three scoreless innings, allowing two hits with no walks and getting 3 whiffs on 41 pitches, touching 96.9 mph with his four-seamer and 95.6 on his sinker per Statcast. His season-long numbers were uneven, including a 6.15 ERA over 41 innings after his June promotion to High-A Fort Wayne, so keeping Scottsdale off the board for three full innings against a lineup loaded with ranked prospects showed something. The velocity band is firmly above where it needs to be for a power reliever profile.
Hope was Scottsdale's most productive offensive presence, going 2-for-3 with a walk and a run; both singles were struck hard, with exit velocities of 108.7 and 105.9 mph per Statcast. The 80Grade No. 22 prospect is in the AFL working on translating his power-contact combination after a regular season at Double-A split between the Dodgers and Tigers organizations.
Scouting Notes
Tai Peete, OF (St. Louis Cardinals): Peete's 3-for-5 game lifted his AFL average to .429 across three games, with three stolen bases in that stretch. His power showed up during the regular season, and his speed makes him a genuine threat at the top of a lineup when he can put the ball in play.
Jank Pichardo, P (Houston Astros): Pichardo worked 2.1 scoreless innings with 2 strikeouts and 1 walk, touching 95.6 mph on his sinker. His regular-season work at Single-A was limited to 13 innings at Fayetteville, so his 17-of-25 strike rate on Wednesday was an encouraging sign for an arm still building a track record.
Kailen Hamson, P (Baltimore Orioles): The left-hander posted a clean inning, getting 2 strikeouts in 3 batters faced with 4 whiffs on 13 pitches and touching 95.6 mph on his four-seamer. His 2026 regular-season assignment was at Single-A, and the velocity sat above where his profile suggests, which makes this a data point worth revisiting.
Nathan Flewelling, C (Tampa Bay Rays): Flewelling went 2-for-4 and is hitting .462 across three AFL games. The 80Grade No. 78 prospect, whose last 2026 assignment was Bowling Green, has a compact left-handed swing that gives him a reasonable floor as a bat-first catcher heading toward 2027.
Up Next
Thursday brings three games across the valley. In Glendale, the Javelinas send Orioles right-hander Patrick Reilly, ranked No. 726 by 80Grade, against Marlins left-hander Emmett Olson for the Desert Dogs. Mesa visits Salt River, where Yankees right-hander J.T. Etheridge starts for the Rafters against Angels right-hander Kyle Robinson. At Scottsdale Stadium, the Scorpions host Surprise, with Astros right-hander Joey Dixon taking the ball for Scottsdale.