Arizona Fall League

nighthob

Member
SoSH Member
Jul 15, 2005
12,680
The AFL is almost here and Boston has an interesting group headed there. Casas is the headliner, of course. The other position players are Jeter Downs and catchers Connor Wong and Kyle Cottam. On the pitching side Seabold and Winckowski are the headliners. But Winckowski was merely cromulent last year in Portland. The other two are Brendan Cellucci and A.J. Politi, neither of whom had great years.

It will be interesting to see if Downs can get back on track down in Scottsdale. I didn't have many hopes for Cellucci or Politi, but apparently the front office thinks that they have something. Cottam has shown some potential as a hitter, slugging .500 between High A/AA this year. Not a lot of home runs (only 10 in 234 AB), but 30 xbh over all.
 

Fred not Lynn

Dick Button Jr.
SoSH Member
Jul 13, 2005
5,253
Alberta
Arizona Fall League is a way under-rated baseball watching experience. Instead of fighting crowds and high ticket prices for spring training, I am surprised more fans don’t take advantage and plan AZ trips to see these games with maybe 200 fans and $6 tickets (that was a while ago, maybe they’re $8 by now?).

I have fond memories of the Scottsdale Scorpions outfield featuring Bryce Harper and Mike Trout…and they still found a way to come in last place!
 

TheYellowDart5

Hustle and bustle
SoSH Member
Apr 16, 2003
9,276
NYC
For those interested in the other big names there: https://www.mlb.com/news/arizona-fall-league-rosters-2021-prospect-loaded

The most notable ones are Spencer Torkelson (DET), CJ Abrams (SD), Riley Greene (DET), MacKenzie Gore (SD), Marco Luciano (SF), Brett Baty (NYM), Asa Lacy (KC) and Nolan Gorman (STL), but there are a lot of Top 100 guys who'll be playing. (Also, Casas et al will be on the same team as Luciano.)
 

pantsparty

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SoSH Member
May 2, 2011
555
The Sox Prospects guys had been talking on their podcast that players on the 40 man wouldn't be eligible to be sent to the AFL, looks like that changed?
 

nvalvo

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Jul 16, 2005
21,510
Rogers Park
The Sox Prospects guys had been talking on their podcast that players on the 40 man wouldn't be eligible to be sent to the AFL, looks like that changed?
It used to be that no players on the 40-man were allowed, but even then it was possible for individual players, usually young players who had lost time to injury, to get a waiver of that rule. Kyle Schwarber, for example, played in the AFL following the 2016 season, when he was injured in the first season of the series. The minor league seasons were over, so Schwarber played two games for the Solar Sox to get his timing back (going 1/6), and then served as a DH/PH in the World Series, and mashed: 7/17, with three walks.

But these days I think they've just decided that the teams are free to pick whomever they wish. So yeah, Seabold is on the 40-man, and he's headed west. But since many of the players are top prospects and players on the Rule V protection/40-man cusp, in practice it is still basically the same guys.