3 Takeaways From Arizona Fall League Media Day 2025

Image credit: Alfredo Duno (Photo by Bill Mitchell)

This year’s Arizona Fall League media day carried the same energy as the first day of school. Players streamed into Scottsdale Stadium on Friday for headshots, memorabilia signings and their first real chance to connect with new teammates.

But while the AFL is one of the more enjoyable stops on the baseball calendar, it’s also an important proving ground—especially for players making up for lost time due to injury or looking to leave a strong final impression with their organization.

Here are some takeaways from what players were saying at AFL media day.

Alfredo Duno On A Mission To Finish Strong

Alfredo Duno has consistently delivered with his bat when he’s been on the field—the challenge has been staying there. Over his first two seasons, the 19-year-old catcher battled injuries that limited his time. But in 2025, he turned a corner, appearing in a career-high 113 games at Low-A, where he posted 18 home runs and 81 RBIs.

Duno, who ranks 60th on Baseball America’s Top 100 Prospects list, also logged 81 games behind the plate, showing encouraging durability in his most complete season yet.

“I put in a lot of work,” Duno said in Spanish. “A lot of focus, a lot of discipline. The results were everything I wanted. Now that we’re in the fall league, I want to stay healthy and show that I can compete.”

Rhett Lowder Uses Reds Playoff Run As Motivation

Just two days after the Reds’ season came to an end with a Wild Card loss to the Dodgers, Rhett Lowder arrived in the Arizona Fall League as a late addition to the rookie circuit. The righthander had been projected to play a key role for Cincinnati’s big league club entering the year, but a string of injuries derailed those plans. Limited to just 9.1 innings in 2025, the 23-year-old now sees the AFL as a crucial opportunity to make up for lost time and get ready to compete with a Reds team that made a playoff appearance in 2025.

“I’m super happy for all those guys,” Lowder said. “They’ve been nothing but supportive to me throughout this year, and I do the same for them. I’m definitely excited for the future with that group of guys.”

David Hagaman Finds New Pitch Effective 

Pitching is indeed sparse in the Arizona Fall League, but Diamondbacks righthander David Hagaman is one of the most intriguing arms to watch.

Acquired in the Merrill Kelly deadline trade along with Mitch Bratt and Kohl Drake from the Rangers, many scouts are high on the 22-year-old after he finished the season holding batters to a .174 average with 55 strikeouts and 10 walks across the ACL, Low-A and High-A. Hagaman missed the beginning of the season as he recovered from an internal brace procedure performed on his right elbow before the 2024 draft. While his time with the D-backs has been limited, Hagaman said the organization has helped him develop as a pitcher quickly by adding a curveball to his mix.

“It’s something I’ve been wanting to add for a while,” Hagaman said. “We put it in play, and it’s taken off right away.”