The 20th annual Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game is tonight. The American League lineup includes a Home Run Derby champion who wasn’t supposed to be in the Derby, and one of the game’s top prospects playing out of position.
Sebastian Walcott, the Texas Rangers’ No. 1 prospect, is starting at third base and batting ninth. It’s his first start at third in 15 months. With the Surprise Saguaros this fall, he has split shortstop with Guardians prospect Welbyn Francisca. Both are in the AL lineup tonight, so Walcott slides over.
How to Watch
First pitch: 8 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. local
Where: Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, Scottsdale, Arizona
TV: MLB Network
Stream: MLB.com
Call: Paul Severino and Dan O’Dowd
Last Night’s Derby: The Replacement Won It
Aaron Parker got the call to join Saturday’s Home Run Derby the night before, as the replacement for Dodgers prospect Chase Harlan. “Got the call at 10:30 last night,” Parker said on the broadcast.
https://twitter.com/BlueJays/status/2119289205176008811
Parker, who is 5-foot-7, entered as the No. 7 seed and won the whole thing. He beat No. 2 seed Alex McCoy, the 6-foot-5, 260-pound Padres slugger, 12-7. In the semifinals against Royals prospect Brooks Bryan, he was down to his last out and hit three straight homers to advance. In the final, he needed just three swings to hit the two homers he needed against Cardinals prospect Tai Peete, and the last one went 477 feet. His teammates doused him with water to celebrate.
Peachtree City, Ga.’s Will Clem (3) pours water onto Tai Peete as they celebrate the team’s 7-3 win over Staten Island (N.Y.) at the Little League World Series baseball tournament in South Williamsport, Pa., Thursday, Aug. 23, 2018. — (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar)
Peete got his own water celebration at the 2018 Little League World Series with Peachtree City, Georgia. On Saturday he hit 15 homers and won two rounds before Parker beat him. Peete, who does magic as a hobby, leads off for the National League tonight.
https://www.instagram.com/p/De2f5uvSgAO/
Parker, a sixth-round pick out of UC Santa Barbara in 2024, hit 19 homers in 87 games at Double-A New Hampshire this season. He was drafted as a catcher but has played mostly left field this fall for the Mesa Solar Sox, where he has a .994 OPS and eight steals. He’s the AL’s designated hitter tonight, alongside Blue Jays teammates Jake Bloss and Jake Cook on the roster.
https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/2119573610323198165Lineups
American League
Zion Rose, LF
Welbyn Francisca, SS
Kyle DeBarge, 2B
Antonio Anderson, 1B
Vance Honeycutt, CF
Aaron Parker, DH
Ike Irish, RF
Nathan Flewelling, C
Sebastian Walcott, 3B
SP: Patrick Reilly, RHP
National League
Tai Peete, CF
Tate Southisene, SS
Demetrio Crisantes, 2B
Aidan Miller, DH
Jack O’Dowd, C
Eric Bitonti, 1B
Carlos Sanchez, 3B
Jared Thomas, LF
Teo Banks, RF
SP: Jarlin Susana, RHP
Players to Watch
Sebastian Walcott (Rangers). He’s 20, from Nassau, Bahamas, and MLB Pipeline ranks him No. 8 overall. He played most of 2026 at Double-A Frisco before a late promotion to Triple-A Round Rock.
Texas Rangers infielder Sebastian Walcott throws while running fielding drills during spring training baseball practice at the team’s training facility Monday, Feb. 17, 2025, in Surprise, Ariz. — (AP Photo/Lindsey Wasson)
Welbyn Francisca (Guardians). He’s hitting .409, which leads the AFL, and he was named Hitter of the Week after a five-hit game with his newborn in the stands.
https://www.instagram.com/p/DfS1jLKSlw3/
Aidan Miller (Phillies). MLB Pipeline ranks him No. 59 overall. He normally plays third base next to Walcott in Surprise, and he’s the National League’s designated hitter tonight.
Jarlin Susana (Nationals). MLB Pipeline ranks him No. 66 overall, and he starts for the National League.
Ten of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects are in the game. For the full rosters, see our weekend preview.
Also Tonight
Walcott’s Double-A ballpark in Frisco is a short walk from the home of the Texas Legends, who open their G League season in Mexico City at 7:30 p.m. ET. Spanish twins Jorge and Guillermo Díaz Graham make their pro debuts. How to watch.
What’s Next
The AFL Championship Game is Saturday, Nov. 14. That’s the same night Magallanes and La Guaira open Choque de Gigantes at loanDepot Park.
Sources: Arizona Fall League, MLB Pipeline, NBC Sports, Roundtable Sports, Zach Worden, Luis Sanchez, World Baseball Network.