The AFL starts on October 6th. Get the full breakdown of the Surprise Saguaros roster, focusing on key arms like Jose Corniell and bats like Sebastian Walcott set to rise in the desert.
The 2025 Minor League Baseball season has wrapped up, which means it’s officially time to shift our attention to the Arizona Fall League.
We’re diving into the Surprise Saguaros roster to highlight some hitting and pitching prospects whose stock is poised to climb this fall.
The Surprise Saguaros roster is a collaboration, featuring top prospects from five different Major League organizations: the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies, and, of course, the Texas Rangers.
2025 Surprise Saguaros Roster Breakdown by Affiliate
*DeLauter is being replaced on the Surprise Saguaros roster by OF prospect Joe Lampe.
Since The Prospect Times focuses on the Texas Rangers farm system, we begin with Jose Corniell, the Rangers' No. 3 prospect.
Jose Corniell was originally signed by the Mariners in 2019 for $630k before being traded to the Rangers in 2020 for Rafael Montero.
He has shown showed significant improvement each season, culminating in a big breakout in 2023 when he posted a 2.92 ERA across 101.2 innings pitched, with most of his starts occurring in High-A. During those innings, he totaled 119 strikeouts against just 31 walks and maintained a strike rate north of 67 percent.
Unfortunately, he missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.
Returning in 2025, Corniell pitched only 38 innings but was highly effective, posting a 1.89 ERA while striking out 28 percent of the hitters he faced between Double-A and Triple-A. His fastball is a strong pitch that sits at 95-96 mph with carry and arm-side run, playing particularly well at the top of the strike zone.
His sweeper is a plus pitch, sitting in the low-80s and regularly showing over ten inches of sweeping action. He is comfortable throwing this pitch to both lefties and righties. The high-spinning curveball, sitting around 80 mph, is a significant whiff generator, showing impressive two-plane break. Corniell added a two-seamer (to work down in the zone and induce ground balls) and a cutter (a pitch that was a major part of his 2023 breakout) in 2023, and he also mixes in a changeup against lefties, which features late break.
Considering his strong command and the progress he's shown post-Tommy John, the stuff is certainly there. Given that he is even further away, Corniell should be the best arm on this talented Surprise squad in the AFL.
Kolton Curtis is another Rangers prospect that I'll be keeping my eye on. He pitched 66.0 innings solely with the High-A Hub City Spartanburgers. He walked 44 batters but struckout 75.
Winston Santos showed flashes of his high-end strikeout ability in his brief 17.1 innings at the upper levels (Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Round Rock). Despite his 6.75 ERA, he punched out 26 hitters against only 7 walks, demonstrating his quality stuff. He had been sideline most of the season with a stress reaction in his back.
Daniel Espino is another exciting arm, one whose return to the mound was uncertain. Before a Triple-A appearance in September 2025, Espino's last in-game pitch was in April 2022. His 2022 season ended after just 18 innings due to a knee injury. He then missed all of 2023 due to a shoulder strain that led to a scary anterior capsule repair surgery. He required a second shoulder surgery in Spring Training 2024, this time involving both his capsule and rotator cuff.
When healthy, Espino's high-end fastball is among the best in the minors. It regularly sits north of 97 mph and can touch 100 mph, with high IVB numbers. This pitch pairs well with an slider that sits around 87-88 mph with nice depth and shorter horizontal movement, generating plenty of whiffs. To change eye levels, he quickly mixes in a mid-70s 12-6 curveball.
His changeup, which sits at 89-90 mph, acts almost like a two-seam with high carry and 14 inches of arm-side movement. Seeing Espino pitch in Arizona will be crucial, and if he returns with his electric stuff, his prospect stock will likely rise significantly.
Logan Martin, a 12th-rounder in 2023, is a pitcher who has posted two consecutive strong seasons. In 2024, he posted a 3.62 ERA over 102 innings with a 15.3 percent strikeout-minus-walk rate. This season in High-A, Martin tossed 91.1 innings with a 3.45 ERA.
While his strikeout rate dropped to 20.6 percent, he remained effective.
Martin has repeatable mechanics and shows low effort, even when he touches 96 mph.
With the bats—we’re highlighting Sebastian Walcott, the Rangers’ No. 1 prospect and the No. 4 prospect overall. Yeah — we might be just a tad partial.
Some might view Walcott's 2025 season as a little disappointing, as he slashed .255/.355/.386 with just 13 home runs and 32 stolen bases over 552 plate appearances while spending the entire year in Double-A and turning 19 just before the season started.
However, there are some positives. The main issue for Walcott was a lack of loft, resulting in a 46 percent ground-ball rate. Yet, when he gets the ball in the air, he frequently pulls it—a habit that bodes well for unlocking his potential power.
Walcott also finished the year with a strikeout rate below 20 percent, and from August onward, that number dropped to 15 percent while his walk rate rose to 14.5 percent. Across his final 159 plate appearances, Walcott hit .281 with an OBP just below .400.
His overall contact rate saw a huge jump, finishing the year at 74 percent, with an in-zone contact number north of 80 percent.
Luke Adams is another interesting prospect with an unconventional swing that has been toned down significantly. The results are undeniable: Adams has made major swing progress and performed well for two consecutive years.
He accumulated only 315 plate appearances this season due to injury, but still blasted 11 home runs and stole ten bases, finishing with a .231/.417/.436 slash. Despite consistently low batting averages, he hits the ball hard at respectable angles.
He has one of the lowest swing and chase rates in the minors, swinging at 33 percent of pitches overall and less than 20 percent of pitches out of the zone. In turn, he made contact on 79 percent of pitches overall and nearly 85 percent in-zone. Adams hits the ball hard, with a 90th percentile exit velocity north of 106 mph, and has hit multiple balls north of 110 mph.
Carson Roccaforte quietly put together a strong season and finished the year particularly well in Double-A. Between both levels, Roccaforte hit 18 home runs and stole 43 bases, putting up a .258/.373/.470 slash line. His numbers improved in Double-A, where he showed better launch angles and struck out less frequently. Although his exit velocities are only respectable, he showed a knack for hitting pull-side home runs, resulting in a career-high mark after hitting just ten last season. While the fly ball rate slightly dipped in Double-A, Roccaforte’s launch angles became more consistent, and his Batting Average on Balls In Play (BABIP) increased significantly.
Roccaforte finished the year on a high note: over his final 162 plate appearances, he slashed .296/.383/.493 with five home runs, 17 extra base hits, and seven stolen bases. Expect a solid performance from Roccaforte in the AFL.
