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Arizona Fall League continues making history 10/09/2006 8:00 AM ETBy Lisa Winston / MLB.com
It's a little slice of baseball nirvana, carved out of the Valley of the Sun in Arizona. The Arizona Fall League, which started up in 1992, enters its 15th season, extending from Oct. 10 through Nov. 16, with a one-game championship on Nov. 18. In its first 14 years of existence, it has given top Minor League prospects an opportunity to play for several weeks against elite competition, in a relaxed atmosphere, at first-class ballparks. It has afforded organizations the chance to send not just their top young players but their up-and-coming coaches and managers, to give them a chance to hone their skills. And, it has given fans a chance to see dozens of future superstars competing in the beautiful fall weather of Arizona, in parks where there is no such thing as a bad seat in the house. So to call it "baseball nirvana" is not an overstatement. The league was the brainchild of longtime baseball executive Roland Hemond, and is a good example of why the man is one of the most respected and beloved baseball minds in the game. It has become a springboard for some of the top players in the Major Leagues. Consider some of the numbers: There was not an Opening Day roster in 2006 that didn't have at least seven AFL alumni, while Milwaukee and San Diego each had 18 AFL grads. More than 60 percent of the U.S.-born players on Opening Day rosters had played in the AFL at some point (there are restrictions on foreign-born players whose home winter leagues have first option on them), and 14 players from the Class of 2005 were on Opening Day rosters in '06. Either the American League or National League Rookie of the Year has been an AFL alumnus in 13 of the past 14 seasons. Sometimes it's been an "exacta," as in 2005 when both N.L. Rookie of the Year Ryan Howard and A.L. Rookie of the Year Huston Street were products of the league. More than 1,200 players have moved on to the Majors at some point after their AFL tenure. Eighty-three (83) of them have been named to the Major League All-Star Game, including 30 who played in the 2006 game. The dynamics are simple. The 30 Major League organizations are divvied into six groups of five and assigned to an AFL team. The only constant is that organizations that have their Spring Training homes at one of the participating stadiums will be assigned to the team that plays there.
Several weeks before the season begins, the organizations assigned to each team hold a conference-call draft of sorts, where they determine which players they will send to their AFL club. The bulk of the players will have spent time at Double-A or Triple-A that season, though each organization is allowed to send one "exempt" player, someone who played below that level during the previous season. Then the rosters are announced and the fun begins. "That single act really gets my blood flowing," said Steve Cobb, who has been running the AFL since 1993. "Every year, it seems like the organizations really step up and send their top prospects. I look forward to it as much as any of the fans." Cobb is well aware of the logistics that go into putting together the teams, but he and his staff try to stay out of that, unless their help is specifically requested. Though the AFL office is responsible for assigning the "clusters" of organizations to each team, it's the parent clubs who then work out the rosters. "We beg, borrow and plead with a farm director on one of those teams to serve as the group leader, who really puts the respective rosters together," Cobb said. "There is a lot of negotiation there. We come in if there is an impasse, but by and large the group leaders are the ones who really make this happen." There are three games scheduled each day (with Sundays off) over the course of nearly six weeks. All teams are within an easy drive of each other. The longest bus trip, between Mesa (Solar Sox) and Surprise (Grand Canyon Rafters), is 46 miles, less than an hour. The AFL is an absolute delight for the fans, ranging from the collectors to the purists. The former can congregate by the dugouts and easily get the autographs of future superstars. The latter can choose their seats and concentrate on well-played games without the distractions of music, on-field promotions or anything but baseball. The six rosters this year may be unprecedented when it comes to high-level talent and upside, including 24 former first-round picks. That "double dozen" includes Kansas City Royals pitcher Luke Hochevar, the top overall pick in the 2006 draft, and the lone first-rounder from this past draft coming to Arizona. "We've been very, very blessed to have such a wonderful bounty of talent," Cobb said. "We want to continue to upgrade and showcase this league in a big way, more than ever before." But while the glut of first-round picks is a good indication of the talent level that will be here this fall, it is not the only one. Every year there are "sleeper" players who break through and attract attention. Perhaps the best recent example of that would be National League Rookie of the Year candidate Dan Uggla of the Florida Marlins. Last year, Uggla was assigned to the Peoria Javelinas, where he had a stellar season. A second baseman trapped in a deep Arizona Diamondbacks organization, he opened a lot of eyes with his hustle and powerful bat. When the Diamondbacks couldn't find a spot for him on their 40-man roster, despite his .297 average, 21 homers and 87 RBIs at Double-A Tennessee, the Marlins did, taking him in the Rule 5 draft. This past season, he became the first-ever Rule 5 draft player to be named to the Major League All-Star Game in his draft year. While the league remains, in and of itself, a showcase for some of the best talent in the Minors, this year the AFL will feature a new event: the Rising Stars Game. On October 27, at Surprise Stadium, a few dozen of the top prospects and performers in the league will face off in an exhibition game. The date was not selected randomly. It is the Friday off-night between World Series Games 5 and 6, so baseball fans will not have the Major League game competing for their attention. The game is not an "All-Star Game" per se, in that the players will not be selected based strictly on their performance to that point. There simply wouldn't be time for that, with the contest scheduled less than two weeks into the game slate. Instead, the rosters will be chosen by scouting directors and field staff based primarily on draft and 2006 All-Star status. Though Cobb added that if a player who wasn't selected is off to a really hot start in AFL action, room will likely be made for him in the game, as well. "The purpose is really to showcase the All-Stars we have in the league, year in and year out," he said. "We think this is a natural opportunity to showcase them, and we hope it becomes an annual event." In the AFL, it's not just the players who are prospects, either. Organizations send their rising managerial and coaching talent, as well. Names previously at AFL helms include seven ML managers in '06 including Terry Francona, Grady Little and Ken Macha. Many more have coached in the Majors. Little, in fact, will be one of three former AFL-ers inducted into the Arizona Fall League Hall of Fame this year, along with Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay and Washington Nationals slugger Alfonso Soriano. The Hall of Fame, formed in 2001, has already inducted the following AFL alumni: players Garret Anderson, Nomar Garciaparra, Jason Giambi, Shawn Green, Todd Helton, Derek Jeter, Troy Percival, Mike Piazza and Albert Pujols, and managers Francona, Dusty Baker, Jerry Manuel, Tony Pena and Mike Scioscia.
This story was not subject to the approval of the National Association of Professional Baseball Leagues or its clubs.
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