Fall league showcases the top prospects in Minor League Baseball
Rochester, Minn. – Starting this week, twenty-three former Northwoods League players will be competing over the next two months in Arizona against the top players in Minor League Baseball. Last season thirty-four former NWL players participated and six of those players played in MLB during the 2019 season.
There are six teams in the Arizona Fall League: the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Glendale Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas and Surprise Saguaros. These club names were picked by Major League Baseball as reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state.
The teams are broken into two divisions, East and West. Each Major League Baseball team sends six top prospects to the Arizona Fall League, 180 players in all. The games are played in the Spring Training stadiums used by the Mariners, Padres, Cubs, A’s, D-backs and Rockies.
How good are the players in the Arizona Fall League? The 2019 All-Star Game in Cleveland featured 43 AFL alums. Nearly 60 percent of all AFL players make a Major League roster, with an incredible 321 All-Stars, 19 MVPs, six Cy Young Award Winners, seven World Series MVPs, 99 Silver Sluggers, 88 Gold Gloves, and 30 Rookies of the Year.
The former Northwoods League players and their AFL team are as follows:
Glendale Desert Dogs
Vince Arobio Madison 2015
Marshall Kasowski Lakeshore 2015-2016
Peoria Javelinas
Nick Mears Willmar 2017-2018
Penn Murfee Thunder Bay 2015
C.J. Chatham Wisconsin 2014
Owen Miller Lakeshore 2016-2017
Jared Oliva Wisconsin 2015-2016
Salt River Rafters
Simon Rosenblum-Larson Madison 2016-2017
Alex Vesia Mankato 2016
Luke Raley Lakeshore 2015
Mesa Solar Sox
Jonathan Teaney La Crosse 2016
Erich Uelmen Eau Claire 2015
Ernie Clement Wisconsin Rapids 2015
Greg Deichmann Lakeshore 2015
Scottsdale Scorpions
Mike Ellenbest Green Bay 2014-2016
Graham Spraker La Crosse 2015-2016
Cullen Large La Crosse 2016
Garrison Schwartz Mankato 2017
Surprise Saguaros
Nick Raquet La Crosse 2016
Sterling Sharp Madison 2014-2015
Mason McCoy La Crosse 2015-2016
Nick Banks Wisconsin 2014
Josh Stowers Madison 2016
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. Having completed its’ 26th season, the Northwoods 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, 225 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), World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS) and MLB All-Stars Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (MIA). 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.