Preliminary rosters for the Arizona Fall League were announced today. The rosters are loaded with talent. In the past, however, for one reason or another some preliminary names were removed when the games actually began. So this list is subject to alteration.
The AFL begins Tuesday, October 13th and concludes with the Championship game Saturday, November 21st.
The Division and team alignments are as follows:
East Division
Mesa Solar Sox: Angels, Cubs, Marlins, Red Sox, Twins
Phoenix Desert Dogs: Athletics, Blue Jays, Nationals, Orioles, Rays
Scottsdale Scorpions: Diamondbacks, Giants, Phillies, Pirates, Rockies
West Division
Peoria Javelinas: Brewers, Dodgers, Mariners, Tigers, White Sox
Peoria Saguaros: Astros, Braves, Indians, Padres, Reds
Surprise Rafters: Cardinals, Mets, Rangers, Royals, Yankees
This is just a partial list of players scheduled to participate in the Six Week season. There are many, many more top notch prospects listed to play in the league that is billed as the "Finishing School " for baseball players. For many, it's the last stop before they are added to the Major League club in spring.
Stephen Strasburg-P Nationals
Drew Storen-P Nationals
Dustin Ackley- OF Mariners
Mike Minor- P Braves
J P Arencibia- C Toronto
Josh Bell- 3B Orioles
Jemile Weeks- 2B A's
Josh Vitters-3B Cubs
Peter Bourjos-CF Angels
Mike Stanton- OF Marlins
Phillippe Aumont- P Mariners
Cale Iorg- INF Tigers
Carlos Triunfel- INF Mariners
Dayan Viciedo- 3B White Sox
Lorenzo Cain- OF Brewers
Jordan Danks- White Sox
Andrew Lambo- Dodgers
Nick Weglarz- OF Indians
Bryan Augenstein- P Diamondbacks
Joe Martinez- P Giants
Daniel Moskos- P Pirates
Donnie Veal- P Cubs
Buster Posey- C Giants
Brandon Allen- 1B Diamondbacks
Domonic Brown- OF Phillies
Jose Tabata- OF Pirates
Ian Kennedy- P Yankees
Ike Davis- INF Mets
Mike Moustakas- INF Royals
Ruben Tejada-INF Mets
Generally, pitching is weaker than hitting in the AFL. Pitchers are worn out from a long season of throwing and many just make a couple of appearances and shut it down. Some pitchers will be there strictly to add innings to their rehab. Hitters usually shine in the Arizona Fall League. This season, more than in recent memory, the rosters are stocked with recognizable prospects.
Fall is a wonderful time to visit Arizona. Games are played both during the day and most evenings. There are no games on Sunday.
If you love baseball and want to watch the game from a vantage point very close to the action, Arizona is the place for you in the fall. If you can't be here, I'll provide constant updates and reviews of what I see in this space on these pages. It's one of the best times of the year for me and for true baseball fans.