Although the minor leagues generally end in early September, many of the top prospects around the game are playing in leagues all year long, or at least something close to it. There are a lot of different fall and winter leagues around the globe, but the most prestigious of them is the Arizona Fall League. Some of the top prospects in all of baseball head to the desert to continue their year in October and November. They do so for a variety of reasons, between simply getting some work in after a season marred by injuries or just facing some strong competition as a reward for a breakout year.
The Braves showed off their farm system in the Arizona Fall League
In Sunday’s Say Hey, Baseball, Atlanta’s prospects showed off in Arizona, the trade market could heat up this winter, and Corey Kluber could go to Cooperstown.
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
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The 2017 AFL season just ended on Saturday, with Peoria defeating Mesa 8-2 in the championship game. Peoria has a number of different MLB teams contributing to its roster, but this year things were highlighted by the Braves’ prospects. Ronald Acuna, perhaps the No. 1 prospect in the game, led the team this fall and ended up taking home the MVP trophy for the entire fall after posting a 1.053 OPS. He wasn’t the only Atlanta prospect to shine in the desert, though. Also helping lead Peoria to a championship was infield prospect Austin Riley, catcher Alex Jackson and pitcher Max Fried.
Atlanta, of course, has been undergoing an aggressive rebuild over the last few years, and is right on the cusp of turning that rebuild into a contending team. With this performance of high-minors players in Arizona, it’s clear the Braves have made some smart decisions in the prospect market. Of course, there is some controversy over how legal some of these acquisitions have been, a controversy that has left them with a new front office and could leave them without some of their top prospects in the low minors. When this is all said and done, though, they’ll still have Acuna as well as the other prospects who helped lead Peoria to an AFL championship.
- Most of the focus this winter has been on free agency, but don’t forget about the trade market.
- Josh Reddick is having productive weekend, building a field with acess for kids with special needs.
- Getting back to that Braves controversy, John Hart has stepped away from the organization amid everything and will look for opportunities elsewhere.
- The Marlins are obviously dominating the headlines with the Giancarlo Stanton trade rumors, but he’s not the only Marlins candidate to be part of a deal this winter.
- The Rangers are also in a position to make an interesting trade this winter, as they can’t go into next year with both Elvis Andrus and Jurickson Profar.
- After taking home another Cy Young, is Corey Kluber on a Hall of Fame track?
- The Yankees are continuing to interview managerial candidates, and their latest was Dodgers coach Chris Woodward.
- Nobody is expecting much from Oakland this year, but they could play a hand in revolutionizing bullpen management.
- Mike Moustakas figures to be among the most popular free agent bats this year. How much will he make?
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