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PEORIA, Ariz. — Carter Graham shouted this over and over to anyone who would listen:
“Best team in the nation, baby!”
The Arizona Fall League may not cover the entire country, but in 2026 it marked the last place in the United States with representatives from major league baseball organizations. And the Peoria Javelinas won the circuit with an 8-3 win over the Surprise on Saturday night.
The prospects of the Padres, Mariners, Orioles, Reds and Cardinals systems were a bandwagon, scoring more runs (219) than any other club during the six-week campaign and then following it up in the finals. The group also racked up 112 steals in 28 games (16 more than the next closest team), obliterating previous seasons’ records. (The Fall League experimented this year with pitching only once, rather than twice, during a plate appearance.)
At the helm was skipper Danny Worth, who spent parts of six seasons in the big leagues and joined the Padres organization as a coach in 2025. He had never been a manager at any level prior to the Fall League, joking that he might make it to the top after getting drenched in the leftovers from the water cooler. .
“It’s very special because of the talent here,” Worth said. “We’re going to be watching all these guys on TV for a long time. … When I’m sitting on the couch with my wife and kids, I can say, ‘Hey, I trained that guy for six weeks, look at him, see what he’s doing now.'”
Incredibly, either Peoria or the Surprises have appeared in the Fall League title game in each of the past 17 seasons — the last time neither club made the finals was in 2008. The title was Peoria’s eighth overall (most in AFL history) and first since 2018.
Here are the team’s in-game prospects:
Cardinals
Tai Peete (STL 17), the circuit Offensive Player of the Year before the game, led off the inning with a double and later added a walk. Sammy Hernandez started behind the plate and reached base three times (two walks, HBP). Cade McGee struck out in a single plate appearance after entering as a pinch-hitter, but the Arizona native struck out the skin at the hot corner. He turned a double play in the eighth and back right-hander Joseph King, who allowed two runs in the inning of work, to seal the Surprise’s last sustained rally.
Sailors
Brandon Eike got the start at third base and ripped an RBI double for a 1-3 night at the dish.
Orioles
Ike Irish (BAL 5/MLB 95), one of 15 top 100 prospects to play in the AFL, went hitless from second in the lineup but managed to score a pair of runs, collect an RBI and steal a bag.
Parents
Alex McCoy (SD 26) finished the year with a ring after being selected to participate in the Home Run Derby and Fall Stars Game last weekend. Starting in left field, he went 0 for 3 but scored a run after being hit by a pitch. Justin DeCriscio joined him in the starting lineup, hitting an RBI double and also adding a walk. Cannon Kemp (SD 13) threw the hardest 13 pitches of the night, hitting his high-octane stuff in a scoreless two-inning relief appearance. He worked three walks and a single to collect a pair of strikeouts — one on a low-90s sinker and another on a high-80s slider. Not to be outdone, Francis Peña cranked his heater up to 97.5 mph in the ninth to seal the victory.
Reds
After a dominant five outings in the regular season (0.69 ERA, .114 BAA), Luke Holman (CIN 23) continued to baffle opposing batters with five scoreless frames and six strikeouts to be named Player of the Game. He collected 16 swings and had at least one K in each of his three offerings — a 92-94 mph fastball, a mid-80s splitter and a low-80s curveball.
Worth said earlier this fall that when Yerlin Confidan is on the field, “He’s a guy you can’t take your eyes off of.” The Fall Stars Game MVP again finished 3-for-4 with an RBI, hitting a 116.7 mph single and a 110.3 mph double in the title game. Graham (CIN 22) added two singles — an RBI knock at 94.5 mph and another at 104.4 — and a walk, while Carlos Sanchez (CIN 14) showed above-average arm strength off shortstop, adding a run on a hitless night.
“You’re just meeting guys, getting to know each other, and it’s just playing together for a month,” Holman told MLB Network after the game. “I love these guys. I’ve only known them for a month, but I love them.”