Slugging Padres prospect Alex McCoy’s insane AFL exit velocities rival the league’s best ever

The Padres have a 6-foot-5, 260-pound prospect decimating baseballs. We can all make some room for Alex McCoy. San Diego’s No. 26 prospect is giving us a pretty good reason to follow the Arizona Fall League. He’s producing exit velocities that belong near the top of the league’s recorded history.

McCoy’s 118.2 mph, 435-foot homer ranked fourth in AFL Statcast history, which dates to 2015. He followed that with a 110.9 mph double, then for good measure,added a two-homer game for Peoria on October 22.

Alex McCoy gives the Padres a development project worth getting excited about

It’s easy to find appeal in a 6-foot-5 slugger. But the tools go beyond that. McCoy joined the Padres as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra in July 2024. There was no draft-night celebration built around his name. Now he is supplying some of the loudest contact in a league designed to showcase prospects.

Finding that ability outside the draft is an absolute win. He’s not quite a hitter who can help the Padres right now, but they are certainly turning him into one.

That’s where the Padres have earned some credit. Discovering a player like this takes some strong data. But the real payoff comes from helping the hitter against pitchers who know exactly where to attack him.

We can’t have this conversation and leave the strikeouts out of it. McCoy has four home runs and 17 strikeouts in 39 at-bats. The home runs earn the attention. The empty at-bats explain why there is still work ahead of him.

Pitchers at higher levels will probably have the advantage right now. McCoy needs enough command of the strike zone to make them challenge him, then enough contact to make that decision hurt. With this much power, even modest progress could meaningfully change his outlook.

The Padres should also give McCoy a serious look at first base. He’s currently an outfielder, but he played first in college, so there is a foundation to build on. Give him regular work there and see whether he can become a dependable defender while his bat develops. That would give San Diego another way to get his power into a future lineup.

We should want them to follow through on that opportunity. They found an undrafted hitter with exceptional strength. Helping him sharpen his approach and handle first base would give this development story a payoff we could eventually watch at Petco Park.

And hopefully, we get to watch it in a Padres uniform. McCoy has plenty left to prove against better pitching, but we can want more from his emergence than a stronger trade package. As tempting as this would probably be for Preller if his stock continues to rise, they should work on developing more contact, put in the defensive work, and give him a chance to become a player San Diego keeps. 

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