Changes coming to Fall League
Early start and 4 venues for future MLB players
It’s the same Arizona Fall League (AFL) that Valley residents have come to know, but there will be several key changes to this year’s offseason baseball circuit that brings in many of MLB’s top prospects.
Early start
The first change is the start date, which is about three weeks earlier than usual. A typical AFL opener would be in mid-October; this season, the first games will be played on Sept. 18. The season will now end in late October as opposed to two or so weeks into November.
The thinking behind the change is to remove the substantial gap between the end of most minor-league seasons (around Labor Day) and the start of the AFL season, which prior to this year would come after more than a month of downtime for most players.
The league believes this will be more convenient for eligible players, a group that now includes rehabbing MLB players and minor-leaguers below Double-A level. The 2019 season will see no restriction on affiliated players being eligible for the AFL.
However, with the season change comes a complete removal of day
games for the month of September due to the lingering heat of the Arizona summer. All night games are slated for 6:30 p.m. Day games are scheduled to return sporadically in October.
All about the kids
Not only will children under 15 be granted free admission for all games this season, but there will be a designated area on the field where kids can get autographs prior to games.
This area will operate for 15 minutes after gates open and is open to kids under 12.
“We know it can a little tough to get autographs and interact with the players,” AFL Director Bill Bavasi said. “We want to make sure the kids get some access to these players and have a really good time at the ball game. We’ll put an autograph area together ... and the kids probably will gather at a meeting site outside the gates and we’ll bring them in a little early with their parents, but only kids will be allowed on the field.”
The AFL is also allowing some youth groups to sell tickets to games with 100% of those proceeds going back to the groups. The initiative was started last year and saw positive results, Bavasi said.
“It could be a church group, youth sports group, or it could be the drama club at school,” Bavasi said. “Any group that needs to fundraise ... we will give you any number of tickets you think you can reasonably sell for face value and you can keep all the money.
“For us, that does two things. It goes back to the community, and it gets some people interested that might not otherwise be interested in the ball game.”
Only four venues
Due to construction in Scottsdale and Surprise, there will only be four ballparks housing the six teams this season. Salt River Fields will have both the Salt River Rafters and Scottsdale Scorpions, and Peoria Sports Complex will have both the Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros. As usual, Camelback Ranch will be home to the Glendale Desert Dogs and Sloan Park will host the Mesa Solar Sox. All teams are scheduled to return to their respective parks in 2020.
Season passes are $95 for a single person, $115 for a double pass (two people), $75 for a Senior (55+) single pass and $95 for a senior double pass.
Players to watch
For baseball fans, one of the best aspects of the Fall League is seeing tomorrow’s stars up close. Here are a few top prospects scheduled to play AFL ball this year: Angels outfielder Jo Adell (Mesa): Reached Triple-A at age 20 and is considered one of the most dynamic players in the minors. Former first-round pick out of high school, he has a career .878 OPS as a professional to go along with 180 runs scored and 143 RBIs. Astros right-hander Forrest Whitley (Peoria): Rare sighting of an elite pitching prospect headed to the AFL this season. Also pitched in the Valley last fall; he battled injuries this season. The 21-year-old reached Triple-A for the first time in 2019. Twins infielder Royce Lewis (Salt
River): The No. 1 overall pick in 2017 scored 73 runs and stole 22 bases in 127 games between Single-A and Double-A affiliates this season. Will make an impressive pair with outfielder Alex Kirilloff, another Twins prospect headed to the AFL. Giants catcher Joey Bart (Scottsdale): This 22-year-old reached Double-A in his first full minor-league season after being selected No. 2 overall in 2018. After cruising through Single-A, he hit .316 with a .912 OPS in 22 games with Richmond this season. Diamondbacks infielder Seth Beer
(Salt River): Key acquisition in the Zack Greinke trade is the top Diamondbacks prospect in the fold this fall. Scouts are unsure about his position but the bat has played at every level (38 career home runs in less than two seasons).