The San Francisco Giants season is, mercifully, almost over. But baseball never sleeps, and for you sickos who will miss this horrific season as soon as it ends, worry not: there’s more baseball on the horizon.
On October 3 — just six days after the MLB regular season ends — the Arizona Fall League will kick off their six-week season. And on Tuesday morning, the Giants announced the players that they will be sending to the desert to play for the Scottsdale Scorpions, a team comprised of players from the Giants, Houston Astros, Detroit Tigers, Milwaukee Brewers, and Tampa Bay Rays.
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As is the norm, the Giants are sending eight players to Arizona for the festivities, and unlike in some years, there are some pretty big names on the list.
Highlighting the octet is right-handed reliever Randy Rodríguez, and my goodness is that nice to see. It’s not often that teams send Major Leaguers to the AFL, but it makes perfect sense for Rodríguez. The flame-thrower, who likely will be San Francisco’s closer in 2027, hasn’t pitched since last August, when he underwent Tommy John surgery. Not only will it be good for Rodríguez to get into some games before next year, but it will be critical time for both the Giants’ coaching and medical staffs, since Rodríguez will not be able to have contact with either once the labor stoppage inevitably begins in early December.
There’s never any telling how a pitcher will recover from Tommy John, and Rodríguez still has a lot of hurdles to clear before he’s staring down batters in the ninth inning of a meaningful game. But the fact that his rehab has progressed well enough for him to head to the AFL is highly encouraging, and should give everyone optimism that he can hit the ground running next season.
The other big name who will don a Scorpions jersey is outfield prospect Dakota Jordan. A 23-year old who was taken overslot in the fourth round of the 2024 draft out of Mississippi State, Jordan has astounding raw physical talents, as he’s one of the fastest players in the system and arguably the most powerful. He spent most of the season with High-A Eugene, where he compiled phenomenal numbers, slashing .290/.346/.533 with 18 home runs in 81 games, good for an .879 OPS and a 125 wRC+.
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He ended the year with a stint in AA Richmond, which was interrupted by an injury, and his numbers there were not so hot: he slashed .253/.330/.367 with one home run in 21 games, for a .697 OPS and an 87 wRC+. Jordan’s AFL assignment is likely about two things: working on contact issues, and making up for lost time. The slugger has had a hole in his swing his entire career (and in college), and struck out in 28% of his plate appearances this season. And injuries have interrupted all three of his years since getting drafted, as he’s played in just 192 career games.
In addition to Rodríguez and Jordan, the Giants are sending a pair of prospects that they acquired at this year’s trade deadline: right-handed pitcher Miguel Mendez, and infielder Kaeden Kent. Mendez, a 24-year old from the Dominican Republic, came over from the San Diego Padres in the Robbie Ray trade. He’s made just four appearances since joining the organization, all for AA Richmond. Across three levels and two organizations this year, Mendez — who is on the 40-man roster but has yet to make his MLB debut — posted a 5.62 ERA and a 3.74 FIP, with 10.2 strikeouts per nine innings. Like so many AFL players, he’s in the desert partially just to get reps that he lost during the season, as injuries limited him to just 49.2 innings this year, despite working as a starter.
As for Kent, he’s a just-turned 23-year old left-handed hitter who was drafted in the third round of the 2025 draft by the New York Yankees, and sent to the Giants in the Heliot Ramos deal. The son of the Giants’ newest Hall of Famer, Jeff, he’s a well-rounded, toolsy infielder who does everything well, but doesn’t particularly have a standout trait. He has also lost time this year due to injury, as he’s only played in 86 games. In those 86, which were all in High-A, the Texas A&M product hit .298/.350/.440 with eight home runs and 24 stolen bases, for a .790 OPS and a 107 wRC+. He plays quality defense at both shortstop and second base, and struck out just 16% of the time this year.
On the topic of recently-drafted infielders, the Giants are doing something that isn’t all that common: sending a player from this year’s draft class. Infielder Dalton Wentz, a switch-hitter who just turned 21, will don a Scorpions jersey after making a brief pro debut. Wentz, who was drafted in the 16th round out of Wake Forest but given a bonus commensurate with a fourth-round pick, got into 13 games with High-A Eugene this year, and hit the ground running, posting a slash line of .265/.368/.429 with one home run and three stolen bases, for a .797 OPS and a 114 wRC+. Wentz was primarily a third baseman in college, and played a few games there for Eugene, but spend most of his time at second base.
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Another intriguing name is right-hander Drake George, who turns 25 at the end of the month. George was a 13th-round pick in 2024 out of a small NAIA school, Lewis-Clark State. He posted very intriguing numbers in his debut season a year ago, with a 3.20 ERA, a 2.88 FIP, and 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 13 games for Low-A San Jose. But, like Rodríguez, George underwent Tommy John surgery, and hasn’t pitched since June 2025. It will be great seeing him work off the rust and prepare for the 2027 season, as he has a ton of potential.
Rounding out the cohort is a pair of right-handed pitchers who lost much of the year to injury: Alexander Fuentes and Darien Smith. Fuentes is a 21-year old from Venezuela who has really jumped onto the national radar, and started to appear on prospect lists (he’s one of four players in this group who made MLB Pipeline’s list of the top 30 prospects in the system: Jordan is No. 7, Mendez is No. 16, Kent is No. 20, and Fuentes is No. 26). Fuentes had a breakout season in the Arizona Complex League last year, when he posted a 2.62 ERA and a 3.97 FIP. He returned to the Complex League this year, but injuries limited him to 18 innings (plus 2.2 more with Low-A San Jose). In those 18 innings, Fuentes had just a 4.00 ERA and a 6.29 FIP, with a ton of walks, but he struck out 31 batters, showing the electrity in his arm.
Smith is a 26-year old who signed as an undrafted free agent in 2024 out of Southeastern. He dominated in his debut season last year, posting a 1.91 ERA and a 3.68 FIP across 20 appearances for Low-A San Jose and High-A Eugene. He began this season with AA Richmond before losing a few months to an injury, and now he’s closing the year with AAA Sacramento. Across 14 games (four with Sacramento, seven with Richmond, and three rehabbing in the Complex League), Smith has a 3.42 ERA and a 4.90 FIP, with 7.2 strikeouts per nine innings.
Notably, after sending Spencer Miles to the AFL last year, where he wowed scouts across the league, the Giants have opted against sending any players who will be eligible for the Rule 5 Draft this year. That might be coincidental, but it might not be.
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For those curious, here’s last year’s contingency: right-handers Miles, Jose T. Perez, and Ryan Murphy; left-handers Juan Sánchez and Ricardo Estrada; and infielders Parks Harber, Maui Ahuna, and Walker Martin.
In addition to the eight players, the Giants are sending High-A Eugene pitching coach Luis Pino to Scottsdale. He will be one of two pitching coaches for the Scorpions.
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