Arizona Fall League Preview: Athletics
By Ethan Price ·
The Athletics' Arizona Fall League contingent joins the Mesa Solar Sox with eight players who each have specific developmental needs to address. Two catchers and an outfielder make up the position-player group, and five pitchers round it out, with Breyson Guedez and Kenya Huggins carrying the clearest areas needing attention.
Breyson Guedez's Bat Faces AFL Test
Breyson Guedez, a 19-year-old outfielder and 80Grade's No. 16 Athletics prospect, split his season between Single-A Stockton and High-A Lansing. Across 120 games, he slashed .299/.342/.431 with 8 home runs and 85 RBIs. His aggressive approach shows in a 5.1% walk rate against a 24.1% strikeout rate, and he walked just 3.0% of the time after the move to Lansing. This fall, the focus will be on refining his approach against more advanced pitching, especially tightening his swing decisions to boost his on-base skills.
Kenya Huggins Looks to Rebound on the Mound
Kenya Huggins, a 23-year-old right-hander the A's acquired from the Reds in the July 2025 Miguel Andujar trade, had an inconsistent year at Double-A Midland, posting a 6.63 ERA over 91 innings. His mid-90s fastball is his primary weapon, but command issues led to a 1.82 WHIP and an elevated walk rate (11.7%). He made 11 starts among his 31 appearances, and sharpening his control and secondary pitches in the AFL will go a long way toward deciding whether he stays in a rotation or moves to multi-inning relief.
Davis Diaz Gets More Upper-Level Reps
Catchers Davis Diaz and Cole Conn are both in the AFL. Diaz, 80Grade's No. 38 Athletics prospect, reached three full-season levels in 2026. After a late-season promotion to Triple-A, he slashed .216/.284/.311 in 21 games for Las Vegas, but he hit .292/.392/.411 in 49 games at Double-A Midland. With a solid contact rate and a disciplined approach, his challenge is to show more power and keep developing behind the plate, a position he took up after playing the infield at Vanderbilt.
Cole Conn's Defensive Stand
Cole Conn reached Triple-A in 2026 and posted a .295/.368/.507 line in 36 games there, part of a season in which he hit .286/.389/.463 with 13 home runs and 28 stolen bases across Double-A Midland and Las Vegas. That production came after a 2025 in which he hit .237 between High-A and Double-A, so the AFL is a chance to show the bat has carried forward. His switch-hitting and his ability to manage a pitching staff give him value as a catcher, and his defensive work behind the plate will get plenty of attention this fall.
Grant Richardson's Recovery and Development
For Grant Richardson, a left-hander who made four appearances for Single-A Stockton before going on the injured list on May 1, the AFL is an opportunity to build innings. He posted a 5.79 ERA in 9⅓ innings, and after missing the 2025 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, his focus will be on building his workload and refining his pitch mix as he works toward a role in the rotation or bullpen.
Jared Johnson's Consistency Quest
Jared Johnson, who split time between Double-A and Triple-A, aims to solidify his role as a potential middle reliever. His 5.44 ERA and 1.69 WHIP reflect command issues that the AFL could help address. With a power fastball-slider combination, Johnson's task is to improve his strike-throwing consistency to give himself a path to the majors.
Jay Dill's Rapid Ascent
Jay Dill, an 18th-round pick in 2025, moved from Single-A Stockton through High-A Lansing to Double-A Midland in his first full season, and the AFL serves as a continuation of that climb. His 3.79 combined ERA across the three levels came with a 26.0% strikeout rate and a 13.6% walk rate, so command refinement is the priority, and his ability to miss bats while managing walks will be under the microscope this fall.
Tucker Novotny's Strong Finish
Tucker Novotny's late-season surge, including a 1.87 ERA over his final 33 2/3 innings, earned him an AFL spot. The left-hander moved into Lansing's rotation in late July, and sustaining that form in the fall could shape his path as a starter or multi-inning reliever. His walk rate (13.0% for the season) remains a concern, but his 26.0% strikeout rate offers promise if he can maintain consistency.
The player with the most important fall is Breyson Guedez. He turned 19 on September 28, making him the third-youngest player on a 2026 AFL roster, and Mesa will give him a longer look at advanced pitching than the 29 games he played at High-A Lansing, where he hit .268/.308/.341.