What is Arizona Fall League? It is a 40-day Phoenix area homestand featuring many of baseball's elite prospects. It is a showcase league because its players have the opportunity to display their skills for baseball scouts, general managers, and farm directors. Each Major League teams sends seven players to the post season training. The seven players from five different major league teams make a 35 player team. There are six teams that play against each other. The six Fall League teams have different contributing major league teams each year. The six teams play out of the spring training facilities at Peoria-2 teams, Surprise, Mesa, Scottsdale, and Phoenix Municipal. The teams play two day games and one night game except there are no night games on World Series game days. So you can see two games a day-one day and one evening. The players who are sent to Fall Ball are mainly the top Double AA players from each Major League team. There can be one Single A player. There are a few AAA players. Any Major League players must have less than two years of Major League service. Over 50 percent of Fall League players--over 1,600-- have become major leaguers since the league started in 1992.

We heard about Fall Ball several years ago, but haven't been able to fit it into our travels until this year. What a blast! We were there for 4 days and saw 6 games. Four of the games were at Peoria, one at Scottsdale, and one at Phoenix Muni. We made connection with John Mc who we had met on our travels at the Field of Dreams in Iowa. John is a baseball fanatic. He is a scorekeeper for Fall League and Arizona Rookie League. When he isn't keeping score he is attending Spring Training, Arizona Diamondback, Rookie League, and Fall League games. Last year he attended 247 games and this year hopes to get to 232. This is a great place to get autographs mainly before the start of games. John is shown in the Peoria pressbox getting ready before the game. The young players will sign for adults, which doesn't happen much at Spring Training. There is a large group of adult autograph seekers who bring their older baseball cards in hopes of getting autographs from many of the scouts who were previous players. The weather was really hot for us, coming from 50 degrees in the Northwest. It was in the mid- to upper 90s for the whole time. Tickets are cheap-$6 for adults and $5 for Seniors and children. No assigned seating, so we were able to sit in the shade for all the day games. Attendance is between 200 and 400 maximum. Lots of chances for adults to get foul balls because there aren't many children in attendance. Food choice is limited, but you can bring in your own food, which doesn't happen at Spring Training. Below is the food costs for each field we went to.
Peoria Food Costs
Scottsdale Food Costs
Phoenix Muni Food Costs
Tickets
Fall League Teams and this year's associated Major League Teams.
October 15, Peoria--Phoenix Desert Dogs lose to Peoria Saguaros 3-2. Box Score Dogs R-2, H-7, E-1 and Saguaros R-3, H-7, E-3. John Mc doing his scorekeeping job, views of pressbox, statue outside.
Braves, Cubs, Marlins, Phillies, Tigers
October 15, Scottsdale--Surprise Rafters lose to Scottsdale Scorpions 6-2. Box Score Rafters R-2, H-11, E-1 and Scorpions R-6, H-9, E-0. Attendance 392. RF-340', CF-430', LF-360'.
Brewers Mariners, Rays, Reds, Yankees
October 16, Peoria--Mesa Solar Sox lose to Peoria Javelinas 9-8, Box Score Solar Sox R-8, H-18, E-1 and Javelinas R-9, H-13, E-0. Attendance 295. RF-340', RC-385', CF-410', LC-385', LF-340'. We got to see 4 Mariners playing, Row 2-#2-4 Rob Johnson-catcher, #5-Greg Halman-rightfield, #6 & 7-Doug Fister-pitcher. Row 3-#1 & 2-Joe Woerman-pitcher. Last pictures getting the field ready as seen from our seats in the shade.
Cardinals, Mets, Nationals, Padres, White Sox
Athletics, Blue Jays, Diamondbacks, Rockies, Twins
Angels, Astros, Giants, Pirates, Red Sox
October 16, Phoenix Municipal--Peoria Saguaros beat Phoenix Desert Dogs 8-2, Box Score Saguaros R-8, H-17, E-0 and Desert Dogs R-2, H-6, E-5. RF-345', CF-410', LF-345'. The couple shown gave me two game used foul balls that they had gotten. I'll be passing one along to a youth. They live in Nevada and come over for games two different weeks attending two games a day.
Dodgers, Indians, Orioles, Rangers, Royals
October 17, Peoria--Mesa Solar Sox beat Peoria Saguaros 18-10, Box Score Solar Sox R-18, H-21, E-2 and Saguaros R-10, H-12 , E-6. In the top of the 9th the score was tied 10-10.
October 18, Peoria--Scottsdale Scorpions lose to Peoria Saguaros 11-14, Box Score Scorpions R-11, H-13, E-2 and Saguaros R-14, H-20, E-3. Attendance 363. We got to see Mariner Carlos Triunfel play second base. The bat young man in picture #1 worked both teams. I don't know how he did it in the heat. The last picture is the flag lady who is usually found at Arizona Diamondbacks games in a top row of the third level.