The Best Arizona Fall League Hitters, Week 1: Demetrio Crisantes, Dax Kilby, & Ike Irish

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Major League Baseball’s top prospects have descended upon the desert of Arizona for the 2026 Arizona Fall League featuring seven top prospects from each of MLB’s 30 teams.

Over the course of the offseason, we’ll break down the top performers each week and who shined the most.

This week, three players from the Surprise Saguaros, along with players from the Peoria Javelinas and Scottsdale Scorpions, were atop the Fall League’s top hitters based upon OPS with a minimum of 12 plate appearances.

There are no game logs like there are during the minor league and MLB seasons, so each player’s weekly performance will be broken down.

This week’s top hitters included:

•   Welbyn Francisca (SS/2B, Surprise) – Akron Rubber Ducks (AA, Cleveland Guardians)
•   Aidan Miller (Surprise) – Reading Fightin Phils (AA, Philadelphia Phillies)
•   Vance Honeycutt (Peoria) – Chesapeake Baysox (AA, Baltimore Orioles)
•   Brendan Summerhill (Scottsdale) – Bowling Green Hot Rods (High-A, Tampa Bay Rays)
•   Paxton Kling (Surprise) – Hub City Spartanburgers (High-A, Texas Rangers)

Surprise Saguaros: Francisca, Miller, and Kling

The Saguaros this week took on Scottsdale (two games), Salt River (two games), Glendale, and Peoria, with, as mentioned, Francisca, Miller, and Kling shining in those games to position themselves as top hitters in the league.

Francisca, Cleveland’s No. 19 prospect, played in three games this week. The utility shortstop/ second baseman went 7-for-13, hitting .538/.625/.923, with a 1.548 OPS. He hit two doubles and one home run, with three walks. He drove in four RBIs and had six runs scored, along with one stolen base to add to his week.

Miller, the shortstop from the Phillies organization, is their No. 3 prospect and MLB’s No. 59 prospect. The 22-year-old played in four games this week, going 6-for-12, hitting .500/.700/.833, with a 1.533 OPS. He hit two doubles and legged out a triple, driving in two RBIs and scoring two runs. Showing discipline at the plate, he was walked seven times in four games and stole one base.

Rounding out the top hitters for Surprise this week, Paxton Kling from the Rangers organization hit .500/.533/.714, with a 1.248 OPS in three games. He was 7-for-14, hitting one double, a triple, and driving in eight RBIs and one run scored. He walked once and had two stolen bases.

Vance Honeycutt – Peoria

Honeycutt is Baltimore’s No. 5 prospect. The outfielder playing with Peoria played in four games this week. He went 3-for-10, hitting .300/.611/.900, with a 1.511 OPS. The 23-year-old hit two home runs, driving in four RBIs, with six runs scored. He was walked eight times in the four games played this week, and had one stolen base as well.

Brendan Summerhill – Scottsdale

Summerhill was drafted by the Rays in the competitive balance round A of the 2025 MLB draft. He played his first season with Charleston before being promoted to Bowling Green to finish out the 2026 season and then receiving his invite to the Arizona Fall League.

Playing with the Scottsdale Scorpions, the 22-year-old outfielder played in three games in the opening week of the Fall League, going 5-for-9, hitting .556/.692/.667, with a 1.359 OPS. He hit one double, driving in one RBI, and he had five runs scored. He was walked three times and stole three bases, showing off his speed on the basepaths.

MLB Top-100 Prospects

Checking on MLB’s Top-100 prospects, along with Miller, four other Top-100 MLB prospects had strong weeks as well, but were not in the top-five overall.

Demetrio Crisantes (Salt River Rafters) - Triple-A Reno, Arizona Diamondbacks

Crisantes is a second baseman in the Diamondbacks organization, ranked as their No. 1 prospect overall and MLB’s No. 84 prospect. Playing with the Salt River Rafters, he appeared in five games over the course of the first week of the league. He went 8-for-20, hitting .400/.429/.600, with a 1.029 OPS. He hit two doubles, one triple, and drove in five RBIs and six runs scored. He was walked once and stole three bases.

Caleb Bonemer (Glendale Desert Dogs) – AA Birmingham Barons, Chicago White Sox

Bonemer is the Chicago White Sox’s No. 11 prospect and ranked No. 27 among all MLB prospects. The utility infielder has the capability to move around on the left side of the infield, playing third base and shortstop. Playing with Glendale this fall, he played in five games to open the fall league. He went 8-for-22, hitting .364/.417/.591, with a 1.008 OPS. He hit three doubles and one home run, driving in six RBIs in five games, with one run scored. He walked twice.

Dax Kilby (Salt River) – Single-A Tampa Tarpons (New York Yankees)

Kilby is the New York Yankees’ top prospect, ending his 2026 campaign with the Single-A Tampa Tarpons and receiving an invite to join Salt River for the fall. He is ranked as MLB’s No. 78 prospect.

In the opening week of games, Kilby played in four games. He went 5-for-16, hitting .313/.316/.688, with a 1.003 OPS. He hit three doubles and a home run, driving in six RBIs as well, and had three runs scored. He walked once in a strong opening week with Salt River.

Ike Irish (Peoria) – High-A Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles)

Irish rounds on the top-five hitters among MLB Top-100 prospects. He is ranked as Baltimore’s No. 5 prospect and just slides in to MLB’s Top-100 at No. 95.

In his first week with Peoria, he played in five games, going 7-for-21 on the week. He hit .333/.364/.619, with a .983 OPS. He hit two home runs, driving in three RBIs and scoring three runs. He was walked once and stole two bases.

The Arizona Fall League will be underway through mid-November.