Jun 28, 2015; St. Petersburg, FL, USA; Boston Red Sox hat and glove lay in the dugout against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Each year the Red Sox send several of their promising prospects to the Arizona Fall League which began its month-long season this week. The league is something of a showcase for talented players and a way to see where there prospects are in competition against other top talent from around baseball. Players will be sent their also to give them additional playing time if they were injured during the season. An assessment can also be made by the team whether the player should be protected in the Rule 5 draft later in November.
Prospects are split between six teams in the league. For the past three years, the Red Sox players were sent to the Surprise Saguaros. This season, they will play with the Scottsdale Scorpions, for whom Red Sox players last played in 2011. Last year’s AFL MVP was Greg Bird who started at first base down the stretch in the big leagues for the Yankees. The 2013 MVP was Kris Bryant who may be this year’s National League Rookie of the Year for the Cubs. Red Sox pitchers will have a familiar face in the Red Sox A level farm team Salem’s pitching coach Paul Abbott who will be the pitching coach for Scottsdale as well.
This article will take a look at this year’s crop of Red Sox players in the Arizona Fall League.