Alex McCoy didn't win the Arizona Fall League's Home Run Derby on Saturday, but he hit the home run that everyone was talking about.

McCoy, who finished the regular season by hitting four home runs in 25 games at Double-A San Antonio, rocketed up the San Diego Padres' system to become a name to watch in 2026. The 24-year-old outfielder was then selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League, and was a logical participant in Saturday's Home Run Derby.

In 17 games for the Peoria Javelinas, McCoy has five home runs. Only two players in the AFL have hit more. Anyone who's been watching McCoy's moonshots clear fences in the desert would not have been shocked to see his fence-clearing, 503-foot blast in the first round Saturday.

It was the longest home run hit by any of the eight Derby participants. It was longer even than the deepest home run hit in this year's MLB Home Run Derby, a 491-foot bomb by the Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero into the left-field bleachers at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia.

McCoy lost in the first round of the Derby to eventual champion Aaron Parker, a Toronto Blue Jays prospect. But his latest AFL exploit is another feather in his cap in what's turning into an eventful offseason for the Padres' No. 26 prospect (according to MLB Pipeline).

McCoy has already been turning heads against actual pitchers in the AFL, which gathers the top minor league prospects from all 30 teams.

McCoy's .977 OPS is 17th among all AFL hitters. His 11 stolen bases (on 13 attempts) are tied for seventh. His .384 on-base percentage is boosted by 10 walks in 73 plate appearances, and reflect his improving patience at the plate.

McCoy was signed as an undrafted free agent out of Hofstra in July 2024. In parts of two minor league seasons, he's slashing .289/.367/.484 across four levels of the Padres' system. A promotion to Triple-A seems possible, if not likely, for McCoy in the next year.

Regardless, the AFL campaign has put his name on the prospect map. The Baltimore native is 6-foot-5 and 260 pounds. It's remarkable that he's been overlooked at all to this point.

McCoy now will be impossible to miss on a baseball field in 2027.

Sign up for our free newsletter and follow us on Facebook and X/Twitter for the latest news.