The ninth inning of Sunday’s Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game delivered a lifetime memory for one St. Louis Cardinals prospect – and a moment to forget for another.
Miguel Ugueto provided the Cardinals’ highlight, delivering a two-run single for the National League squad that tied the game 4-4 at Sloan Park in Mesa. For a player who climbed three levels this year, it was another possible sign of confidence taking hold.
But pitcher Darlin Saladin’s outing in the bottom half of the inning underscored the thin line between progress and frustration. The right-hander, nearly untouchable all fall, couldn’t escape the ninth, allowing a hit, two walks and one run to take the loss.
It was a reminder that the AFL can be both a launching pad and a lesson, sometimes in the same breath. But one setback should do little to dull what was a breakthrough month in the desert for Saladin.
Darlin Saladin, Miguel Ugueto Open Eyes With Arizona Fall League Performances
An international free agent signed in July 2019, Saladin had a promising season in 2024, posting a 2.71 ERA in 123 innings split evenly between stints at Single-A Palm Beach and High-A Peoria. The shine came off a bit last summer with the Chiefs, as Saladin gave up 87 hits and 47 walks in 94.2 innings, finishing with a 4.85 ERA. But in five starts for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the AFL, Saladin struck out 17 batters in 11 innings and posted a 0.82 ERA, earning a spot on the NL squad for the Fall Stars Game.
For Ugueto, a 23-year-old outfielder from Venezuela, he entered the AFL looking to build upon his first season in the Cardinals organization that saw him climb from Single-A Palm Beach to Double-A Springfield. A Minor League Rule 5 draft pick from the Red Sox, Ugueto batted .254 across three levels in 2025, including 50 games for Springfield. In 64 plate appearances for Glendale, Ugueto posted a slash line of .328/.375/.414, with 14 RBIs in 16 games.
Joining the duo on the NL roster for the Fall Stars Game was Taiwanese right-hander Chen-Wei Lin, who has emerged as one of the more intriguing pitchers in the lower levels of the Cardinals’ system. The No. 16 prospect in the Cardinals system, the 6-foot-7 Lin spent most of the 2025 season in Peoria’s rotation, before a late callup to Springfield. With the Chiefs, Lin posted a 4.89 ERA, with 46 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.
In Arizona, Lin started off strong, pitching 5.2 innings of shutout ball over two starts while striking out nine of the 21 batters he faced. A few bumpy outings shot his ERA up to 6.57 overall, although he was able to bounce back and recently earned AFL Pitcher of the Week honors, opening eyes with a changeup and slurve that he was able to use to balance his fastball.
Other Cardinals Prospects Struggle During Time in Arizona Fall League
Among the other Cardinals prospects who saw time in Arizona, outfielder Travis Honeyman – who was ranked as high as No. 11 in the Cardinals system but has since been dropped from the top 30 – struggled for the Desert Dogs. After batting .287 in 82 games split between Palm Beach and Peoria, the 23-year-old slashed just .182/.288/.341 in Glendale.
Right-hander Randel Clemente, who climbed three levels during a promising regular season, ran into turbulence in the desert, allowing 10 hits and five earned runs across just over 6.1 innings. His 7.11 ERA underscored the growing pains of a young arm still learning to command his stuff against advanced hitters. Fellow righty Tyler Bradt, a 2023 16th-round pick from East Carolina, also endured a rough patch after a strong stint at Springfield, where he’d posted a 2.50 ERA. In Arizona, his 5.68 mark in seven appearances reflected the inconsistency that often comes with a heavier workload and tougher competition.
Another comeback story, 6-foot-8 reliever D.J. Carpenter, reached the AFL after a full season of redemption with High-A Peoria, his first real action since 2022. The towering right-hander showed flashes of promise during the regular season but struggled to find his footing in Arizona, surrendering six earned runs in as many innings. Behind the plate, catcher Graysen Tarlow continued to display his defensive reliability and patient eye, even as the hits were hard to come by. The Cal State Northridge product collected five hits and five walks in limited action while gaining valuable experience against top-tier pitching.