Skip to main content

AZL 2018 Preview and Primer

2018 Primer for the Arizona Rookie League


The Lowest Level of baseball with some of the most interesting players you have never heard of...yet.


Carson Fulmer(CWS) 
The 2018 Arizona Rookie League season is still a month away. However, there have been a number of off-season developments that I would like to attempt to cover and discuss.

AZL Primer 

If you are unfamiliar with the Arizona Rookie League AKA the AZL, don't feel bad or get a serious case of FOMO. The Arizona Rookie League is at the lowest rung of minor league baseball. It is a "complex league" that serves as a proving ground for recent draftees to cut their teeth. Many players have already played complete seasons in college or in high school so the AZL is only about 50-60 games. These games are FREE to the public and are usually played at the club's spring training facility. Every team is different however, if you know where to look you can find a #1 draft pick pitching his first professional game. 

Dansby Swanson in 2015(Practice Game)

History & 2018 Update 

In the 2017 AZL season, fourteen MLB teams outfitted fifteen AZL clubs. Every MLB team that has a facility in the Phoenix metro area had a team. In addition, the Padres outfitted 2 teams for the 2017 campaign. This trend will continue into the 2018 season with 3 more teams taking a page from the Padres. According to milb.com and other sources: The Chicago Cubs, The San Francisco Giants, and The Cleveland Indians will all outfit a second AZL club in 2018.  There may be more announced leading up to the season debut, but as confirmed right now the league will feature 18 teams.  As a side note, The Colorado Rockies are the only team to have a complex in Phoenix that does participate in the Arizona League. Lastly, no word on how the divisions will shake out..I'm guessing that they will put 6 teams in each division.

Phil Bickford(SF)

The Discussion Question: Why do you think more teams are outfitting AZL clusb?

My Answer: The VSL is done. The Dominican is becoming more and more dangerous and volatile. These spring training stadiums sit basically vacant in the summer months. In addition, these facilities in most cases are really really nice.





Next post will have links to schedules and how to get out to see some of these guys play, and depending on time a preview for who could potentially come here this year.


About Me:

I am Jake Rashkow, I am a Freelance Writer and Photographer by night and a educator by day. I have lived in Phoenix by whole life.  I love this city.

Find me on Twitter: @Ja_Kow




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

FREE Minor League Baseball Games in Phoenix TODAY

Minor League Games in Phoenix TODAY Updated: 3/29/2018 Hello everyone!  There are a few minor league games you can catch on some of the "back-fields" around Phoenix over the next 2 days.  The teams that play in these games will be divided into full season ball clubs. So you will actually get 2 AAA teams or 2 AA teams playing against each other in their own version of spring training. Included below are screenshots from the various websites so, you can take a peek yourself. I also included some maps of the complexes to help you to get around. I will update this page as I get more information. Enjoy! If you have any questions feel free to reach out to me on the various platforms: Twitter: @Ja_kow FB: @jrashkow jakerashkow@gmail.com Today 3/29/2018 1:10PM @ Goodyear Training Facility - Oakland Teams @ Cincinnati Teams AAA - Nashville @ Louisville AA - Midland @ Pensacola 1:10PM @ Fitch Park - Cincy Teams @ Oakland Teams A+ - Stockton v.  Daytona A -
Post a Comment
Read more

2023 Minor League - ACL(AZ Complex League)

The Only Arizona Complex League Blog First Pitch is Monday June 5th! The 2023 ACL kicks off another season and the 2023 campaign rolls out this evening. I am feverishly trying to get this site/blog updated and have some current articles. The talent that will be playing this year is going to be pretty close to what was seen last year. The rosters are loaded up with young international prosepcts. Most played a few seasons in the Dominican Summer League under the auspices of their major league club. If you follow the mlb draft, it will be held in July, just like last year. There are a number of reasons why it was moved. I could give a long rant about why it made sense to move it but, I digress. In my opinion it should have stayed in June. The most exciting thing about the ACL was, you could see a 1st rd pick hit his first professional HR, or a pitcher throw their first professional strike out. With the draft moving
Post a Comment
Read more

Welcome!

Welcome! My name is Jake Rashkow and I have been blogging and taking photos of baseball for a number of years. I have seen so many major league ball players come to Arizona in  a variety of ways.  The purpose of this blog is to give updates on players who are in under-reported or participatory in leagues that have no formal media coverage. This includes the Arizona Rookie League(AZL), Extended Spring Training(EST), Arizona Instructional League(AZIL), and the Arizona Fall League(AFL).  I will eventually have a system for getting/commissioning photos of particular players, commissioning interviews for certain players, and potentially fulfilling small requests i.e. autographs, etc. You will find a page for each team in Arizona with information on players who are currently in one of these aforementioned leagues.  Each page will have information on how to see some of these games live, and regular updates on players who are considered by prospects by most of the major sour
Post a Comment
Read more