Arizona Fall League announces schedule
Start circling the dates.
The Arizona Fall League released its schedule for the 2015 campaign on Thursday, and six prospect-heavy teams will play games running through mid-October to late November. The league's schedule will begin on October 13th and will conclude with the league championship on November 21.
The games will be played between Monday and Saturday, and Sunday will be a day off all the way through the AFL schedule. The popular Bowman Hitting Challenge will be staged on October 17th at Salt River Fields, and the circuit's Fall Stars Game will be held at Surprise Stadium on November 7.
The Peoria Sports Complex was not in play last year due to ongoing renovations, but it will return to AFL action this year as a home for the Peoria Javelinas. The Mesa Solar Sox will play their games at the Cubs' facility in Mesa again, and the other four existing facilities return with no changes.
The Salt River Rafters will play their home games at Salt River Fields, and the Scottsdale Scorpions will return to their digs at Scottsdale Stadium. The Surprise Saguaros will be the lone team at Surprise Stadium, and the Glendale Desert Dogs will play their games at Camelback Ranch-Glendale.
Last season, the AFL experimented with pitch-clocks and other innovations designed to make the game run quicker, and the Salt River Rafters were crowned league champions. The AFL will stage a Military Appreciation Day again this season, and it will be held on November 14th at Salt River Fields.
The Arizona Fall League has been tremendously successful since its inception in 1992, and nearly 48 percent of its players -- roughly 2,300 out of 3,900 -- have gone on to reach the Major Leagues.
This year, the Mesa Solar Sox will be comprised of prospects from the Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Miami Marlins, Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays. The Salt River Rafters will feature Minor Leaguers from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, New York Mets, Toronto Blue Jays and Washington
Scottsdale will have prospects from the Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins and San Francisco Giants, and the Glendale team will be home to prospects from the Chicago White Sox, Houston Astros, Los Angeles Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Peoria Javelinas, back at home at the Peoria Sports Complex, will be composed of players from the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners.
The Surprise Saguaros, the final team in the AFL circuit, will be made up of players from the Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers.