3 Intriguing Arizona Fall League Pitching Prospects Making Up For Lost Time In 2026

Justin Lamkin, LHP, Royals 

Lamkin last pitched during the regular season on May 25 when he injured his shoulder while warming up for a start. At the time he got hurt, he was in the midst of a breakout season. Through his first 39.2 innings, he had a 2.04 ERA with 53 strikeouts and only 14 walks. Ranked in the Royals’ top 10, Lamkin’s fastball velocity was up a tick from Texas A&M in 2025, and he had seamlessly integrated a new curveball learned during the offseason into his arsenal. 

So far in the AFL, Lamkin has made three starts spanning 11.1 innings, allowing five hits and five runs. He’s also walked three and struck out nine. Though his velocity hasn’t returned yet, he was still rather impressive in his most recent start. He threw 4.1 perfect innings against Mesa, striking out four and showcasing his advanced pitchability and entire arsenal.  

Lamkin’s fastball sat 91-93 mph with ride and run in that appearance. He threw it in the zone 86% of the time and used it to consistently get ahead. He started at-bats with the fastball seven times, and it had a 100% first-strike percentage. He also generated three whiffs with it in 12 swings, good for a 25% whiff rate only slightly below his mark from the regular season when he was throwing harder.

Lamkin threw his fastball 40% of the time in this start and held his velocity well for four innings before it dipped for the one batter he faced in the fifth. While it’s unlikely to be a consistent whiff pitch against better competition, he should be able to keep hitters off his fastball with better sequencing, especially if his velocity comes back and he continues to develop his secondaries. 

Lamkin’s fastball command and advanced feel for his secondaries allow his entire arsenal to play up. In this start, he generated whiffs with all three of his secondary pitches, but his curveball was most impressive. Even though the pitch doesn’t have much velocity separation off his slider, coming in at 80-82 mph instead of 83-84 mph, it has a noticeably different shape than his slider. 

Here’s a look at his pitch location chart via Baseball Savant:

While his slider had more tilt, his curveball had more depth, and he used them in different situations. He worked his curveball a similar amount to hitters from both sides of the plate (31% vs. righties and 30% vs. lefties), whereas he used his slider primarily against lefties (9% against righties, 35% against lefties). 

Lamkin’s curveball is more of a chase pitch that he can land for a strike, but he can also start it in the zone and bury it down when looking for a whiff. He was able to do that effectively in this outing, generating three whiffs with it. He threw his slider in the zone more, which allowed him to use it as a bridge pitch to get ahead or to pull it back when level or behind in the count. Because he was able to consistently locate it in the zone, it opened things up for the rest of his arsenal after.

Lamkin used his changeup only five times in the outing, all against righthanded hitters. He had inconsistent feel for it, but at its best, it had deceptive arm speed and late drop. During the regular season, he struggled to locate or miss bats with it, so it remains the weakest part of his arsenal and a work in progress. Continued development of it will be key for Lamkin to reach his potential.

Lamkin is on a starter trajectory, as he has the athleticism and ability to repeat his delivery and give confidence in his strike-throwing long term. His pitchability should allow his stuff to play up, too. If he finishes the AFL season healthy, continues to build up his velocity and refine his secondaries as he moves through the system, he could develop into a No. 4 starter.

Joey Dixon, RHP, Astros

The Astros originally drafted Dixon in the 2023 seventh round out of Stanford. He made one appearance in the Florida Complex League after signing, but then missed all of 2024 and 2025 due to Tommy John surgery. He returned this season for two appearances with Low-A Fayetteville in early May before being shut down again because of a shoulder issue. 

Dixon struck out 14 over 6.1 innings in those two starts and showed off an intriguing arsenal, which he has brought to the Fall League. He has been one of the top performers in the AFL so far and is one of three pitchers to throw more than six innings without allowing a run. He’s made three two-inning appearances overall, allowing only two hits while walking three and striking out eight. 

The 6-foot-2 Dixon has a medium frame with minimal remaining projection. There’s some effort in his delivery, but it also has intriguing traits, including over seven feet of extension. His fastball sat 94-97 mph when I saw him, and it had two shapes: a cut-ride four-seamer and a sinking fastball. Because of those two distinct shapes, he could pitch it up and down. He generated two whiffs with the fastball, including the one seen here:

Even though this fastball was tied for his second-slowest of the outing at 94.9 mph, it got on the hitter quickly, causing him to be late and underneath it. Dixon’s fastball command and control were a little erratic, but he didn’t pay for it because of the quality of the offering.

Looking deeper, Dixon’s secondary offerings are also intriguing, with his cutter serving as a bridge pitch and his changeup and curveball both showing bat-missing potential. He threw his cutter only a handful of times in this short outing, but it had short, hard horizontal break at 90-92 mph. He used it primarily early in counts against righthanded hitters, and it played well off his other pitches, as it operates in a distinct velocity band. 

Dixon’s changeup was a really impressive pitch and his best in this outing. He generated three whiffs with it and showed the feel and confidence to throw it to hitters from both sides of the plate. It came in at 82-85 mph and averaged 83.3, giving it over 12 mph of separation from his fastball. It showed both fade and drop, and though it was rarely in the zone, he started it in competitive locations, which enticed batters to chase it. 

Dixon’s curveball brought another new velocity band hitters had to watch out for, coming in at 78-80 mph. It was an extremely effective pitch for him during his two regular season outings, and it’s easy to see why. He can really spin the ball, and it averaged just under 2,800 rpm in this outing. It showed two-plane break with considerable depth and tilt. 

Because of how few innings Dixon has thrown since he was drafted, it’s hard to project whether he can build up to a starter’s workload. The stuff he showed in this outing, however, would play in a bullpen role, and he could move quickly there if healthy. He’s already 24 years old and will be Rule 5-eligible this offseason, having never pitched above Low-A, so it will be interesting to see if the Astros decide to protect him with the stuff he’s shown. 

The Giants were in the same position with Spencer Miles last offseason when he was also 24, had never pitched above Low-A and had thrown only a handful of innings in his professional career because of injuries. Miles posted a 2.4 bWAR season with the Blue Jays this year after they selected him in the Rule 5 draft. His success could make teams more open to targeting players like Dixon with similar profiles.

Sam Horn, RHP, Dodgers

Coming out of high school in 2022, Horn ranked just outside of the top 100 prospects in BA’s draft rankings, but he wasn’t seen as signable because he was set to play both baseball and football at Missouri. Fast forward to the 2025 draft and the Dodgers selected Horn in the 17th round even though he had thrown just 15 collegiate innings and was penciled in as the Tigers’ starting quarterback that fall.

Unfortunately for Horn, his football season ended on the first snap, as he fractured his right tibia on a six-yard run. Surgery kept him out the remainder of the season, marking the second straight lost football season after missing the 2024 season recovering from Tommy John.

Following the leg injury, Horn decided to give up football and signaled his intent to join the Dodgers. He spent the 2026 season rehabbing and made his professional debut in the AFL. In five innings so far in Arizona, Horn has allowed three hits and one run, walked four and struck out six.

That line, though, doesn’t reflect how intriguing his stuff is.

Listed at 6-foot-4, 217 pounds, Horn has an ideal pitcher’s frame. He throws from a three-quarters arm slot with a low release height. It’s an athletic operation featuring a longer arm action behind before coming forward and finishing across his body. He has a very quick arm and gets almost seven feet of extension in his delivery.

Horn’s fastball sat 94-96 mph in the outing I attended, and even though it doesn’t have standout shape, it plays due to his lower release height and extension. He got one whiff with it on a well-spotted 96.2 mph offering to Angels top prospect Arjun Nimmala for his only strikeout of the game. Here’s a look:

Horn’s secondaries stood out more than his fastball, with both flashing plus potential. He threw seven breaking balls, showing two distinct shapes: a true sweeper with 14-16 inches of horizontal break and a two-plane breaking ball with 10-12 inches of horizontal break and more depth. His sweeper was the better of the two, as he showed the ability to backfoot it to lefties, generating a pair of whiffs. 

Horn also mixed in a pair of kick changeups—one at 87 mph and the other at 89—with spin rates around 1,500 rpm. The 87 mph one was the pick of the two, generating a check-swing whiff from a lefty after starting off the plate at the hitter’s upper thigh and ending up catching the bottom inside corner of the strike zone.

It will be very interesting to see what path the Dodgers choose with Horn’s development in 2027. Given how little he’s thrown since high school, it might be difficult to stretch him out into a starting role, but he has the size, athleticism and pitch mix to play in longer outings. If he continues to work in a pure relief role, like he currently is in the AFL, he could push towards the upper minors in short order.