For Immediate Release Monday, October 12, 2009 Arizona Fall League Opens 18th Season Phoenix, Arizona — The Arizona Fall League, known throughout professional baseball as a finishing school for Major League Baseball’s elite prospects, begins its 18th season on Tuesday, October 13 with three games — Surprise Rafters @ Peoria Javelinas (12:35 p.m.), Mesa Solar Sox @ Phoenix Desert Dogs (12:35 p.m.), and Peoria Saguaros @ Scottsdale Scorpions (6:35 p.m.). The Future Of The six-team league, owned and operated by Major League Baseball, plays six days per week (Monday-Saturday) at five spring-training stadiums (Mesa Hohokam Major League Stadium, Peoria Sports Complex, Phoenix Municipal Stadium, Scottsdale Stadium, and Baseball Now Surprise Stadium) in the Phoenix metropolitan area. This year’s schedule features the fourth annual Rising Stars Games on Saturday, Facts November 7 at Surprise Stadium and the annual championship game on Saturday, • Over 1,700 former Fall November 31 at Scottsdale Stadium. Leaguers have reached the The Phoenix Desert Dogs seek their sixth consecutive championship. major leagues • 141 MLB All-Stars East Division including 38 in 2009 Mesa Solar Sox Phoenix Desert Dogs Scottsdale Scorpions • 6 MLB MVPs (Hohokam Stadium) (Phx. Municipal Stadium) (Scottsdale Stadium) •Jason Giambi •Boston Red Sox •Baltimore Orioles •Arizona Diamondbacks •Ryan Howard •Chicago Cubs •Oakland Athletics •Colorado Rockies •Justin Morneau •Florida Marlins •Tampa Bay Rays •Philadelphia Phillies •Dustin Pedroia •Los Angeles Angels •Toronto Blue Jays •Pittsburgh Pirates •Albert Pujols •Minnesota Twins •Washington Nationals •San Francisco Giants •Jimmy Rollins Manager Manager Manager • 3 Cy Young Award winners Brandon Hyde (Marlins) Gary Cathcart (Blue Jays) Jeff Banister (Pirates) •Chris Carpenter Pitching Coach Pitching Coaches Pitching Coach •Roy Halladay Dennis Lewallyn (Cubs) R.C. Lichtenstein (Rays) Bob Milacki (Phillies) •Brandon Webb Hitting Coach Paul Menhart (Nationals) Hitting Coach • 18 MLB Rookies-of-the-Year Billy McMillon (Red Sox) Hitting Coaches Dave Hajek (Rockies) Trainers Moe Hill (Orioles) Trainers • 3 World Series MVPs Larry Bennese (Twins) Brian McArn (Athletics) Nick Oldroyd (D’backs) • 6 All-Star Game MVPs Brian Reinker (Angels) Trainers Eric Ortega (Giants) • 40 MLB Silver Sluggers Atsushi Toriida (Nationals) Pat Wesley (Orioles) • 33 MLB Gold Glove Awards • 8 MLB batting champions West Division • 12 MLB season hits leaders Peoria Javelinas Peoria Saguaros Surprise Rafters (Peoria Stadium) (Peoria Stadium) (Surprise Stadium) • 5 MLB season RBI leaders •Chicago White Sox •Atlanta Braves •Kansas City Royals • 2 MLB season homer leaders •Detroit Tigers •Cleveland Indians •New York Mets • 9 MLB season stolen-base leaders •Los Angeles Dodgers •Cincinnati Reds •New York Yankees •Milwaukee Brewers •Houston Astros •St. Louis Cardinals • 24 MLB managers •Seattle Mariners •San Diego Padres •Texas Rangers • 31 MLB umpires Manager Manager Manager • 76 administrators serving Kevin Bradshaw (Tigers) David Bell (Reds) Andre David (Royals) the baseball industry Pitching Coach Pitching Coaches Pitching Coach Fred Dabney (Brewers) Don Alexander (Astros) Tom Phelps (Yankees) Phoenix Municipal Hitting Coach Jim Czajkowski (Braves) Hitting Coach Gary Ward (White Sox) Hitting Coaches Brant Brown (Rangers) Stadium Trainers Jim Rickon (Indians) Trainers 5999 E. Van Buren Yosuke Nakajima (Dodgers) Tom Tornincasa (Padres) Joe Golia (Mets) Phoenix, AZ 85008 Matt Toth (Mariners) Trainers Jay Pierson (Cardinals) Office: 602.681.9362 Allan Chase (Braves) FAX: 602.681.9363 Chad Wolfe (Indians) www.mlbfallball.com Media Contacts: Paul Jensen ([email protected], 480.710-8201) Twitter Adam Nichols ([email protected], 843-735-1517 MLBazFallLeague Rob Morse ([email protected], (541) 556-9387) Arizona Fall League Q & A Q: What is the Arizona Fall League (AFL)? A: Major League Baseball created the Arizona Fall League in 1992 to serve as an off-season “graduate school” for top prospects. The AFL often is known as a showcase league because its players have the opportunity to display their skills for baseball scouts, general managers, and farm directors. For baseball fans, it’s a 40-day Valley homestand featuring many of baseball’s elite prospects. Q: How many players have played in the Arizona Fall League? A: The Fall League welcomes its 3000th player in 2009. At the conclusion of Major League Baseball’s regular season, over 1700 former Fall Leaguers have reached the big leagues, meaning nearly 60 percent of players assigned to the Fall League can expect to appear in the major leagues. Q: What is the genesis of the Arizona Fall League? A: Long-time baseball executive, current special assistant to the president of the Arizona Diamondbacks, and Phoenix resident Roland Hemond is considered the “Architect of the Fall League.” His dream to create a six-week off-season league for baseball’s top prospects in Arizona each fall became reality when the Arizona Fall League began play in 1992 after he spent two years selling the concept to baseball’s hierarchy — first general managers, then owners. After veteran baseball front-office executive Mike Port shepherded the Fall League through its maiden voyage in 1992, former Cincinnati Reds traveling secretary and Triple-A Columbus Clippers’ executive Steve Cobb was hired as the Fall League’s executive director. Q: Who oversees the Arizona Fall League? A: Major League Baseball owns and operates the Arizona Fall League. Cobb has been the executive director since 1993. Major League Baseball’s Arizona Fall League oversight committee is comprised of three team general managers — Josh Byrnes (Diamondbacks), Tony Reagins (Angels) , and Mark Shapiro (Indians) — and long-time baseball executive Terry Ryan who currently serves the Twins as special advisor to the general manager. Q: How are the teams assembled? A: Each major league organization sends seven players to the Arizona Fall League. Five-organization groupings comprise the six AFL teams. The 2009 groupings follow. Q: Where is the Arizona Fall League located? A: During its season, the Fall League is housed in the spring-training offices of the Oakland Athletics at Phoenix Municipal Stadium. Phoenix Municipal Stadium, 5999 E. Van Buren, Phoenix, AZ 85008 Office: 602/681-9362, FAX: 602/681-9363 During the rest of the year, Steve Cobb and the Arizona Fall League office is located at Major League Baseball’s Western Operations Office. 2415 E. Camelback Road #850, Phoenix, AZ 85016 Office: (602) 281-7250 Q: Who is eligible to play in the Arizona Fall League? A: Roster size is 35 players per team. Each major-league organization is required to provide seven players subject to the following eligibility requirements. All Triple-A and Double-A players are eligible provided they are on Triple-A and Double-A rosters no later than August 1. Two players below the Double-A level are allowed for 2009. Foreign players are allowed as long as the player is not on his native country’s protected player list. No players with more than two years of credited Major League service as of August 31 (including Major League disabled list time) are eligible except a team may select one player picked in the most recently concluded Major League Rule 5 draft. To be eligible, players on Minor League disabled lists must be activated at least 45 days before the conclusion of their respective seasons. Each team is allotted 20 pitchers, but only 15 are designated “eligible” each game day. No game will exceed 11 innings, the “Robinson Rule.” Games tied after 11 innings will be considered suspended. They will not be made up but statistics will count. Q: What is the league’s schedule? A: The six AFL teams each play a 32-game schedule from October 13-November 21. The fourth “Rising Stars Game” will be played at Surprise Stadium at 6:15 p.m. on Saturday, November 7. The league championship game is scheduled for 12:35 p.m. on Saturday, November 21 at Scottsdale Stadium. Q: What changes have been made for the Fall League in 2009? A: • Divisions names have returned to the traditional East and West after one season as the American and National. • The 6:35 p.m. evening start times are 30 minutes earlier than in the past. • The number of allowable players below the Double-A level has increased from one to two for 2009. • Two November games — Rising Stars Game (7th), championship game (21st) — will be simulcast via the MLB Network and MLB.com for the first time. • Five pitchers from Nippon Professional Baseball in Japan are assigned to the Arizona Fall League for the first time. • The Arizona Fall League welcomes a record number (36) of foreign-born players. They represent nine countries — Canada (9), Cuba (4), Dominican Republic (10), Japan (8), Mexico (1), Nicaragua (1), Panama (1), Taiwan (1), and Venezuela (2). Arizona Fall League Q & A (cont.) Q: Where are the games played? A: The 2009 Fall League will utilize five of the Valley’s spring-training stadiums. • Mesa Hohokam Stadium, spring home of the Cubs (Mesa Solar Sox) • Phoenix Municipal Stadium, spring home of the Athletics (Phoenix Desert Dogs) • Peoria Sports Complex, spring home of the Mariners/Padres (Peoria Javelinas & Saguaros) • Scottsdale Stadium, spring home of the Giants (Scottsdale Scorpions) • Surprise Stadium, spring home of the Rangers/Royals (Surprise Rafters) Also, the Fall League will utilize the two newest spring-training venues for two games this season. • Camelback Ranch-Glandale, spring home of the Dodgers/White Sox (one Peoria Saguaros home game), Nov. 14 • Goodyear Stadium, spring home of the Indians/Reds (one Peoria Javelinas home game), Oct. 31 Q: Why are daily start times? A: First pitch for day games is 12:35 p.m. and 6:35 for night contests: Q: Is the designated hitter rule employed in the Arizona Fall League? A: Yes, the designated hitter is utilized in all Fall League games. Q: What contributions has the Fall League made to baseball off the field? A: Twenty-four former AFL managers and players have become major-league managers, including 13 in 2009 — Dusty Baker (Reds), Dave Clark (Astros), Cecil Cooper (Astros), Terry Francona (Red Sox), Fredi Gonzalez (Marlins), Trey Hillman (Royals), A.J.