Nine Phillies prospects with Clearwater Threshers ties are listed for the 2026 Arizona Fall League, with Dante Nori returning to the defending champion Surprise Saguaros. Eight of the nine prospects are assigned to Surprise, while Luke Davis will play for the Scottsdale Scorpions. The group is scheduled to report to Arizona on Oct. 3, 2026.
Nori, Aroon Escobar, Kehden Hettiger, Keegan Batka, Ryan Dromboski, Estibenzon Jimenez, Jose Pena Jr. and Kevin Warunek are assigned to the Saguaros. Davis is the only Phillies prospect in the group assigned to Scottsdale. Former Clearwater Threshers athletic trainer Marissa Van Hassel also will lead the Surprise medical staff.
Dante Nori returns to Surprise
Nori will return to the Surprise Saguaros after playing 12 games for the club during the 2025 Arizona Fall League season. He recorded a .822 OPS and seven RBIs, with extra-base hits accounting for 25% of his hits during that fall campaign. Surprise won the 2025 Arizona Fall League title.
Nori added international experience during the 2026 season. He made the World Baseball Classic All-Tournament Team and helped Team Italy reach the tournament semifinals for the first time.
Nori played one rehabilitation game for the Clearwater Threshers in August before finishing the season with the Reading Fightin Phils. He scored five runs and drove in one during four playoff games as Reading won the franchise’s first title in 31 years. An injury limited Nori to 67 games in 2026, and he hit three home runs.
Luke Davis receives Scottsdale assignment
Davis is the only Phillies prospect in the group not assigned to the Surprise Saguaros. The catcher and first baseman played one rehabilitation game for the Clearwater Threshers in September and drew a walk. He will join the Scottsdale Scorpions for the 2026 Arizona Fall League.
Davis split the 2026 season between catcher and first base, recording a fielding percentage above .980 at both positions. He also posted a 21% caught-stealing rate in more than 375 innings behind the plate.
Davis hit safely and scored in four of his final seven High-A games before a late-June injury ended his Jersey Shore BlueClaws season. He hit his first career triple on June 13 and homered in consecutive games to begin the second half.
Hettiger and Escobar bring additional position-player experience
Kehden Hettiger is headed to Surprise after playing 61 games for Reading in 2026. He caught 24% of opposing baserunners attempting to steal and hit eight home runs before an injury ended his season in late July. His 2026 home run total was one fewer than his 2025 total.
Aroon Escobar will make his Arizona Fall League debut in the Phillies system. The 2025 Florida State League All-Star ranked second among the Reading Fightin Phils in OPS during their 2026 playoff run. Reading won its first Eastern League title since 1995 during the postseason.
Escobar has hit 27 home runs and stolen 51 bases in 63 attempts across 252 games over the last two seasons. His fall assignment gives him an opportunity to build on that production while making his first Arizona Fall League appearance.
Full Clearwater-linked Phillies group
The nine Phillies prospects listed for the 2026 Arizona Fall League are right-handed pitchers Keegan Batka, Ryan Dromboski, Estibenzon Jimenez and Jose Pena Jr.; left-handed pitcher Kevin Warunek; infielder Aroon Escobar; catchers and first basemen Luke Davis and Kehden Hettiger; and outfielder Dante Nori. Eight are assigned to the Surprise Saguaros, with Davis headed to the Scottsdale Scorpions. All nine have Clearwater Threshers ties, and five played in at least one game for Clearwater during 2026.
Van Hassel adds another Clearwater connection to the Surprise organization. She served as the Clearwater Threshers assistant athletic trainer in 2023 and head trainer in 2025 before becoming the head trainer for the Jersey Shore BlueClaws in 2026. She will lead the Surprise Saguaros medical staff during the fall league season.
FSB Take
The 2026 Arizona Fall League gives Clearwater fans a clear group to follow, led by Nori’s return to the defending champion Surprise Saguaros. Davis provides the lone Scottsdale assignment, while Hettiger and Escobar enter the fall after notable 2026 seasons with Reading. The prospects are scheduled to report on Oct. 3.
Source: Original report