Each of the last three players to earn Arizona Fall League Breakout Player of the Year has made his MLB debut the very next season. This year, switch-hitting Chicago Cubs catcher (and sometimes first baseman and outfielder) Owen Ayers took home the honor - erupting onto the national scene in dramatic fashion.
Unlike those prior winners, though, barring a wild ascent through the Cubs' system, don't expect to see Ayers at Wrigley Field in 2026. He's yet to play a single game above A-ball and doesn't even have 100 professional games under his belt yet.
“It's nice to have a lot of success and everything, but at the end of the day, I realized what I do here doesn't matter for next year,” Ayers told MLB.