Wikipedia - Arizona Fall League

The Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an off-season sports league owned and operated by Major League Baseball (MLB) which operates during the autumn in Arizona, United States, at six different baseball complexes. Arizona Fall League rosters are filled by many of the top prospects in Minor League Baseball (MiLB) who are assigned by their parent clubs.

History

The league's inaugural season was 1992, during which each team played a 54-game schedule that ended in early December. The divisions and teams that season were:

  • Northern division: Grand Canyon Rafters, Scottsdale Scorpions, Sun Cities Solar Sox
  • Southern division: Chandler Diamondbacks, Phoenix Saguaros, Tucson Javelinas

The league's first game was played on October 6, 1992, with the Grand Canyon Rafters defeating the Scottsdale Scorpions, 6–4.

Before the 1994 season, the Javelinas relocated from Tucson to Peoria, to limit travel distances to the Phoenix metropolitan area. All teams have been located in greater Phoenix since then.

Since 1995, when the Diamondbacks became the Desert Dogs, no team has changed its nickname. However, each team has changed its location at least once during its history. The most recent change was by the Desert Dogs, who moved from Phoenix to Glendale in 2013.

Michael Jordan during his time with the Scottsdale Scorpions

For the 1998 season, organizers rostered players onto each Arizona Fall League team from a single division in MLB:

In 2007, the United States national baseball team and China national baseball team played several games against AFL teams; both teams were later competitors in baseball at the 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2019, the Mesa Solar Sox participated in the Vamos a Tucson Mexican Baseball Fiesta in early October, facing teams of the Mexican Pacific League.

In 2019, the league adopted a new logo. In 2020, the season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

A number of future MLB All-Stars have had stints in the Arizona Fall League; over 300, per the league's website. These include David Wright (2003), Dustin Pedroia (2004), Andre Ethier (2005), Bryce Harper (2010–2011), Nolan Arenado (2011), Mike Trout (2011), Mookie Betts (2013), Aaron Judge (2014), Gleyber Torres (2016), and Ronald Acuña Jr. (2017). In 1994, Michael Jordan played for Scottsdale during his time away from the NBA. Similarly, former NFL quarterback Tim Tebow played for Scottsdale in 2016 during his foray into professional baseball.

A "Liga Arizona Fall" é um torneio de beisebol dos Estados Unidos que acontece no estado do Arizona. É uma competição emocionante que reúne equipes de todo o país para disputar partidas intensas e cheias de adrenalina.

Neste torneio, os melhores jogadores de beisebol dos Estados Unidos se enfrentam em busca do título de campeão. As equipes são compostas por atletas talentosos e habilidosos, que demonstram toda a sua destreza e técnica em cada jogada.

A "Liga Arizona Fall" é conhecida por sua atmosfera vibrante e apaixonada, com torcedores animados e engajados que apoiam suas equipes com entusiasmo. Os jogos são disputados em estádios modernos e bem equipados, proporcionando uma experiência única para os espectadores.

Além disso, o torneio também é uma oportunidade para os jogadores mostrarem seu potencial e serem observados por olheiros e recrutadores de equipes profissionais. Muitos atletas que participaram da "Liga Arizona Fall" conseguiram alcançar o sonho de jogar no beisebol profissional.

A "Liga Arizona Fall" é um evento imperdível para os amantes do beisebol, oferecendo partidas emocionantes, talento de alto nível e uma atmosfera contagiante. É uma celebração do esporte e uma oportunidade de ver de perto o futuro do beisebol nos Estados Unidos.