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Esmerlyn Valdez, OF, Pirates: For the second time in as many days, Valdez went deep in the Arizona Fall League. The righty slugger got the best of a hanging slider on Tuesday, then repeated the feat on Wednesday against Pablo Aldonis of the Nationals.

Facing Scottsdale, Valdez deposited another slider deep into the night in Phoenix's East Valley. The ball left the bat at 114.4 mph and traveled an estimated 414 feet. Valdez crushed 26 home runs during the regular season between High-A Greensboro and Double-A Altoona , and his 48 longballs over the last two seasons tie him with premium prospects like Bryce Eldridge and Ryan Clifford.

After going deep on back to back nights, he's first player in the 2025 Arizona Fall League with multiple home runs. He also drew three walks. Check out video of his home run from Tuesday:

Seaver King, SS, Nationals: King had a rough 2025 season. The Wingate-turned-Wake Forest product posted an OPS of just .637 between High-A Wilmington and Double-A Harrisburg, including just six home runs in 551 plate appearances.

In the early days of the Arizona Fall League, it seems like the desert air might be just the cure for what's ailed King. The righty swinger went 3-for-4 on Wednesday against Scottsdale, including a double and his first home run of the fall. King got a sinker from Angels righty Najer Victor and punched it 364 feet the opposite way on a line for a three-run blast.

The ball left the bat at 97.3 mph, his best-struck ball of the day. King also walked, scored four times, drove in five runs and struck out once.

Karson Milbrandt, RHP, Marlins: Although his command wasn't the sharpest and he allowed home runs to Orioles prospects Ethan Anderson and Thomas Sosa, Milbrandt used his first turn in the Arizona Fall League to baffle Peoria hitters with a devastating cutter.

Overall, Milbrandt surrendered three runs on four hits and two walks in 3.2 innings and threw 36 of his 58 pitches for strikes. Though uninspiring on its face, the line buried a splendid performance from Milbrandt's cutter. The righthander threw the pitch for a strike in 16 out of 24 attempts, and batters came up empty 9 of the 15 times they swung at it.

The pitch averaged 87 mph and topped out at 89 mph while featuring nasty break down and in at the feet of lefties.

Axiel Plaz, C, Pirates: Esmerlyn Valdez homered on Wednesday night, but he wasn't the only Pirates prospect to take on a starring role in the Arizona Fall League. Catcher Axiel Plaz—who, in an odd roster twist, was playing opposite his regular season system-mate—collected four singles in Scottsdale's win over Salt River.

The 20-year-old missed roughly half the season but still managed to rack up 10 home runs between both Class A levels. On Wednesday, he racked up four base knocks against four different pitchers as part of his team's win over Salt River. Three of Plaz's four hits registered exit velocities of greater than 90 mph, including a 108 mph bolt off of Red Sox prospect Jojo Ingrassia.

The effort was Plaz's first four-hit game since June 22, 2022, when he was playing in the Dominican Summer League. He finished a single shy of the cycle that afternoon.

Editor’s Picks

Schlittler’s Heroic Effort: While the Yankees season ended, Schlittler’s start to his playoff career puts him on a very impressive list. Read more…

40 Standout Hitters: In case you missed it yesterday, Ben Badler identifies 40 international signings from 2025 who impressed at the plate in the Dominican Summer League. Read more…

Quick Hits

Prospect news and notes from around baseball…

• White Sox LHP Hagen Smith threw three scoreless innings in his AFL debut. He also showed us his pitch grips, which you can watch here:

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