Pebble Weekly Report: 2025 Arizona Fall League Wrap Up: Pitchers

The 2025 edition of the Arizona Fall League has officially come to an end, which brings the “real” end of minor league baseball until April of next year. The Surprise Saguaros – featuring prospects from the Cleveland Guardians, Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Philadelphia Phillies and Texas Rangers – defeated the Peoria Javelinas – featuring prospects from the Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners – in a 9-4 win to take home the Fall League title.

The short fall season has been tough for the Salt River Rafters, who the Rockies are sending their prospects to. They left Arizona with a league winning percentage of .393 and a run differential of -34, to go with their 11-17 record. As the sixth seed, they were promptly eliminated from the playoffs after being shut out by the Mesa Solar Sox.

While a repeat as Arizona Fall League champions would have been nice, the league is ultimately more focused on the results of individual prospects. The Rockies sent five pitchers to the Fall League, so let’s end the year by seeing how they did!

LHP Ben Shields, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats (No. 55 PuRP)

Left-handed starting pitcher Ben Shields made a strong first impression when he arrived via trade from the New York Yankees. In five starts with the Double-A Hartford Yard Goats, he posted a 2.33 ERA through 19 1/3 innings and struck out 24 batters to six walks.

Unfortunately, his time in the Arizona Fall League was short and difficult. Shields made just one start, lasting just 1/3 of an inning and allowing five earned runs on four hits and a walk. He recorded no strikeouts.

Shields was shut down after his lone appearance due to left shoulder soreness. Although there was no structural damage, Shields did not return to action and instead focused on rest and a rehabilitation plan.

“I haven’t touched a ball in two weeks and I already feel like I’m making good strides. And I just have to keep doing that. And I think that’s probably the only way it’s going to get better, is just to shut it down and do it the right way,” Shields said. “This offseason I’ll be doing a lot of (physical therapy), lifting a lot and getting stronger. I’m feeling better now, so I just have to keep making progress. And I have some time here to get back on track and get back to my normal self.”

RHP Austin Smith, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats

Another newcomer, this time from the Atlanta Braves, right-handed reliever Austin Smith performed well after being assigned to Double-A Hartford. He struck out 12 batters and recorded four saves in 15 appearances, posting a 1.69 ERA over 16 total innings.

Unfortunately, Smith struggled in Arizona. He made eight appearances out of the bullpen and posted a 10.80 ERA, giving up eight earned runs on 11 hits in 6 2/3 innings of work. Smith struggled with his command, walking 10 of the 39 batters he faced in Arizona while striking out just five.

RHP Jack Mahoney, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats (No. 34 PuRP)

After a tough season in Double-A, in which he posted a 5.93 ERA with 81 strikeouts in 104.2 innings and walked 46 batters, right-handed starter Jack Mahoney headed to the Fall League to continue his development and prepare for next year.

“This year has been the biggest progress I have made in terms of development,” Mahoney said by the end of the 2025 regular season. “I think the first half of this season was kind of an eye-opening experience of the level of baseball and the speed of the game and kind of exposed what I needed to work on.”

Mahoney has made five appearances with three starts for the Rafters this season, posting a 5.74 ERA over 15 2/3 innings. He gave up a lot of contact with a team-high 20 hits and an 11.9 H/9 during the Fall League, but allowed no home runs. Mahoney also struck out ten batters, allowing seven walks.

However, Mahoney shined in the Rafters’ only playoff game as a starter. He pitched four shutout innings, while giving up only two hits and one walk. He also struckout one batter.

LHP Welinton Herrera, Double-A Hartford Yard Goats (No. 21 PuRP)

21-year-old right-handed reliever Welinton Herrera was a curious delegate for the Arizona Fall League. He had already pitched with a significant workload in 2025, working 64 2/3 innings across 52 appearances and having a spectacular season. With the High-A Spokane Indians and Double-A Hartford Yard Goats, he had a combined ERA of 2.64 with 99 strikeouts and 25 walks. He appeared in the All-Stars Futures Game and was named to Baseball America’s All-Star team.

The reason Herrera had to throw in Arizona quickly became clear: he focused on his slider. The pitch was being worked on, but the Rockies wanted it sharper to compliment his excellent fastball and transition.

“It’s a new pitch. I tried a grip and it feels better,” Herrera said. “I’m trying to control the strike zone with the slider, and I’m trying to make it better here in the Fall League.”

Herrera was impressive in the Fall League. In nine appearances and nine innings, he posted an ERA of just 2.00 with 14 strikeouts and eight walks. Herrera will most likely be added to the Rockies’ 40-man roster at the Rule 5 protection deadline.

RHP Cade Denton, High-A Spokane Indians (No. 60 PuRP)

After a solid season with the High-A Spokane Indians, where he made 42 appearances and posted a 3.73 ERA with 63 strikeouts over 50 2/3 innings, right-handed reliever Cade Denton became one of Arizona’s standouts this year.

Denton was sent to the Fall League to continue development by expanding and modifying his arsenal.

“I’ve just been working on stuff from the field arsenal,” Denton told Purple Row, “stuff that you don’t necessarily get to work on during the season because it’s a little more experimental. But I’ve been working on a little bit of a tool and adding a few different quirks and things to my arsenal. So so far, so good, and hopefully I’ll keep working on it.”

Denton stood out for his sharp command. He struckout 18 batters while walking only four and held opponents to a .152 batting average. He posted a 3.46 ERA over seven appearances and 13 innings out of the Rafters’ bullpen and his 0.846 WHIP was a team-best.

For his efforts, Denton was a Fall League All-Star and named the Arizona Fall League Reliever of the Year.

“I’ve been getting the fastball to the top rail a lot better than I did during the season, and I’ve been getting strikeouts with the fastball instead of just all the off-speed stuff,” Denton said of his success. “So being able to do that now with all my pitches has definitely opened up a lot of the zone and a lot of different ways to pitch guys.”

With the end of the Arizona Fall League, we have two candidates taking home post-season honors!

Charlie Condon (No. 2 PuRP) earned the Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award, demonstrating strong work ethic and leadership.

Congratulations also to right-handed pitcher Cade Denton on being named the Arizona Fall League’s Reliever of the Year!

Winterball Report: 11/18/2025

All major winter baseball leagues in Central and South America are now underway. The Rockies currently have twelve players (five pitchers and seven position players) on winter ball rosters.

⬆️ Stock on: Herrera-raising good!

Upon his return from Tommy John surgery last year, right-handed pitcher Yujanyer Herrera (No. 36 PuRP) appears to be returning to the top player the Rockies acquired him as. Herrera has played eight games for los Cardenales de Lara in Venezuela with a 1.80 ERA and six strikeouts. While he has issued five walks, he has also held opposing hitters to a .143 average.

⬇️ Stock down: Not the Victor

Right-handed reliever Victor Juarez is playing winter ball in his native Mexico with the Aguilas de Mexicali and is struggling to find his feet. In five appearances (four of which were starts), he gave up twelve earned runs on fourteen hits and ten walks in 14 2/3 innings.

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