Fall league showcases the top prospects in Minor League Baseball
Rochester, Minn. – Starting next week, thirty-four former Northwoods League players will be competing over the next two months in Arizona against the top players in Minor League Baseball. Nearly 60 percent of AFL players will at some point make a Major League roster. Last season twenty-eight former NWL players participated and eight of those players played in MLB during the 2018 season.
There are six teams in the Arizona Fall League: Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Glendale Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas and the Surprise Saguaros. The names of the teams were picked by Major League Baseball to reflect the Southwestern desert traditions in the state.
The teams are broken into two divisions, East and West and each Major League Baseball team sends six top prospects to the Arizona Fall League. Most of the players are Double-A and Triple-A Minor League players. Each team can choose to send one player considered a Class A player.
The former Northwoods League players and their AFL team are as follows:
Glendale Desert Dogs
Tanner Banks Willmar ’11-‘12
Jay Flaa St. Cloud ‘13
Joran Foley Waterloo ‘12
Laz Rivera Battle Creek ‘14
Steven Sensley Kenosha ’14-‘15
Steve Wilkerson La Crosse ‘11
Connor Marabell Madison ‘14
Peoria Javelinas
Buddy Reed Kenosha ‘14
Brandon Lawson La Crosse ‘15
Phoenix Sanders Willmar ‘14
Ryan Boldt Rochester ‘14
Joe McCarthy Madison ‘13
Salt River Rafters
Adam Bray Waterloo ‘14
Griffin Jax Eau Claire ‘15
Hector Lujan Wis. Rapids ‘14
Tyler Mark Mankato ‘14
Jordan Mills Madison ‘13
Dom Miroglio Duluth ’14-‘15
Daulton Varsho Eau Claire ’15-‘16
Drew Ellis Rochester ‘16
Jake Noll Lakeshore ‘14
Luke Raley Lakeshore ‘15
Mesa Solar Sox
John Schreiber Kalamazoo ‘14
Josh Taylor St. Cloud ‘14
Nico Hoerner Madison ‘16
Scottsdale Scorpions
Matt Blackham Thunder Bay ‘13
Austin Orewiler Wisconsin ’13-‘14
Mark Kolozsvary Lakeshore ‘15
Peter Alonso Madison ‘14
Austin Listi Alexandria ‘13/Eau Claire ‘15
Surprise Saguaros
Zach Jackson Wis. Rapids ‘14
Evan Kruczynski Lakeshore ‘14
Will Craig St. Cloud ‘14
Charles Leblanc Kalamazoo ‘15
More information on the Arizona Fall League can be found here: Arizona Fall League
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The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 200 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIL). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. For more information, visit www.northwoodsleague.com or download the Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play.
