2024 Arizona Fall League Season Nearing Start

The annual Arizona Fall League is approaching. Here's what to know about the league.

Mar 12, 2024; Salt River Pima-Maricopa, Arizona, USA; General view of the field prior to a spring training game between the Colorado Rockies and the Kansas City Royals at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

October is near, which means so is the MLB postseason. Though the Fall Classic isn't the only baseball on the horizon. The Arizona Fall League kicks off its annual season October 7.

Founded in 1992, the Arizona Fall League is an off-season baseball league operated by Major League Baseball. Generally starting in early October, it runs for six weeks, ending in early November, coinciding with MLB playoffs in recent years.

The league is comprised of six teams - Glendale Desert Dogs, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Surprise Saguaros, Peoria Javelinas and Scottsdale Scorpions. Each team has five MLB affiliates.

Each team rosters 35 players, typically prospects, though a handful of players with MLB experience have played in the league in recent years as roster-construction rules have eased. Players are chosen by officials from their respective MLB organization, with each club sending seven representatives.

Some of baseball's all-time greats have played in the Arizona Fall League, such as Max Scherzer, Mike Trout and Bryce Harper, back in their days as mere minor leaguers to name a few. The league's long-standing track record of rostering up-and-coming stars could bring another in our midst this season.

The league features emerging talent, but also the latest rules, too. In past AFL seasons, MLB has experimented with rules like the pitch clock, larger bases and limiting defensive shifting, all of which have been implemented at the major-league level. The ABS (automated balls and strikes) will be in the spotlight again, as its use hints at a potential future adoption in Major League Baseball.

The games take place at six of the Cactus League venues - Camelback Ranch Glendale, Sloan Park, Peoria Sports Complex, Salt River Fields, Scottsdale Stadium and Surprise Stadium, usually on the same fields as Spring Training.

Tickets for the Arizona Fall League can be purchased on the Arizona Fall League website. Directions and ballpark info can be found there as well.