2023 Arizona Fall League: Everything You Need To Know
Image credit: MESA, AZ - NOVEMBER 06: Jordan Walker #11 of the National League Fall Stars signs items for fans after defeating the American League Fall Stars at Sloan Park on Sunday, November 6, 2022 in Mesa, Arizona. (Photo by Jill Weisleder/MLB Photos via Getty Images)
October baseball is here. And we don’t just mean the MLB playoffs.
The Arizona Fall League, a developmental league that runs from October through November, begins today. The AFL gives prospects from all 30 MLB organizations an opportunity for more competitive reps against peers of similar talent and development arc.
The league annually features a bevy of the top prospects in the game and serves as an opportunity for unheralded players to make their mark. A successful stint in Arizona can often portend extended success for prospects when they return to action the following spring.
Baseball America will cover the AFL in its entirety and you can subscribe to our newsletter for frequent updates. Here’s everything you need to follow along.
Who Will Be There?
The Arizona Fall League features some of the top prospects in baseball split among six teams – the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Glendale Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros.
Each of these teams will play six days a week across five Cactus League stadiums starting Monday, Oct. 2 through Thursday, Nov. 9. You can find the full schedule here.
Five Major League organizations combine to create one roster. The assignments for those clubs are:
Glendale Desert Dogs: Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, Twins, White Sox
Mesa Solar Sox: Astros, Athletics, Cubs, Orioles, Yankees
Peoria Javelinas: Guardians, Mariners, Marlins, Padres, Rays
Salt River Rafters: Braves, D-backs, Pirates, Rockies, Tigers
Scottsdale Scorpions: Angels, Cardinals, Giants, Phillies, Nationals
Surprise Saguaros: Blue Jays, Brewers, Rangers, Reds, Royals
Baseball America will also be there. You can follow Josh Norris for daily in-person updates and prospect video as the league gets underway.
How To Stream:
While some AFL special events will be broadcasted on MLB Network, you can find live streams of some games on MLB.com. A full schedule has not been released.
The league will highlight some of the breakout stars during a Home Run Derby on Saturday, Nov. 4 and in the Fall Stars Game, the league’s version of an all-star game, on Sunday, November 5 at 6 p.m. MST.
The annual AFL Championship game will be held on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 6 p.m. MST following play-in games the night before on Friday, Nov. 10.
Players To Know:
Baseball America has comprehensively previewed the AFL, outlining names to know, sleepers to watch and more. Here are the highlights.
- Roster analysis for every team
- 10 sleepers to watch
- Pitchers with intriguing outlier traits
- Podcast: Breaking Down The AFL Rosters
- The 10 youngest players in the AFL
Future Projection Podcast Scouts The AFL
Ben and Carlos break down intriguing names to know.
Each MLB team invites seven players from their affiliates to participate. These multi-organization teams can yield very stacked rosters. We identified key players to watch on every roster. You can find our full analysis for each team here.
| Team | Key Player To Watch |
| Glendale Desert Dogs | SS Colson Montgomery (White Sox) |
| Mesa Solar Sox | OF Kevin Alcantara (Cubs) |
| Peoria Javelinas | SS Carson Williams (Rays) |
| Scottsdale Scorpions | 1B Reggie Crawford (Giants) |
| Salt River Rafters | RHP Jackson Jobe (Tigers) |
| Surprise Saguaros | LHP Ricky Tiedemann (Blue Jays) |
