How good are the players in the Arizona Fall League? The 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland featured 43 AFL alums. Nearly 60 percent of all AFL players make a Major League roster, with an incredible 321 All-Stars, 19 MVPs, six Cy Young Award Winners, seven World Series MVPs, 99 Silver Sluggers, 88 Gold Gloves, and 30 Rookies of the Year.
There are six teams in the Arizona Fall League: the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Glendale Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros. These club names were picked by Major League Baseball as reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state.
The teams are broken into two divisions, East and West. Each Major League Baseball team sends six top prospects to the Arizona Fall League, 180 players in all. The games are played in the Spring Training stadiums used by the Mariners, Padres, Cubs, Rangers, Royals, White Sox, Dodgers, Giants, Diamondbacks and Rockies.
Each August, Major League clubs hold a position draft to determine the players who will go to Arizona. Most are Double-A and Triple-A minor league players.
There's a two-pronged mission to the AFL. One is for the players to accelerate, and hopefully jump a classification. The other is for the managers and umpires to develop. For those who aspire to be Major League managers, this is a place to gain additional experience. The AFL provides employment opportunity to enhance managers' and coaches' skills.
Given the top prospects who play here, every game in the AFL is like a future All-Star Game. It's a definite destination for baseball fans and families who want to see great action on the diamond. A day or night at a game is affordable: $9 for an adult and $7 for seniors (55+), and you can sit anywhere you want. Kids 12 and under receive free admission (must be accompanied by an adult). The AFL also sells season passes: a Single Pass (admit one) for $100, or $75 for seniors; a Double Pass (admit two) for $125, or $100 for seniors.