ABL to AFL: First look at 2010

A look at the former ABLers on the initial rosters for the Arizona Fall League

Chris Kissock will state his case in the AFL
this off-season.
Photo courtesy of Goldpanners.com

One of the coolest things, if you're a prospect watcher, once the pro season ends is winter baseball. Particularly the Arizona Fall League, which has become the most notable prospect winter league. For those of you unfamiliar, the AFL runs six teams (plus, this year will feature appearances from Team USA and Team China) to which each MLB team can designate a handful of their minor league players.

What makes the AFL interesting is that the players are usually those poised to make some sort of a move. On the one hand, you've got guys who are considered some of the top prospects in a system and are sent to polish up their games before making the final push toward the majors. On the other, you have a lot of guys who might have struggled in their pro careers and are getting some extra work to figure out their issues and hopefully avoid getting the cut. In a nutshell, there are plenty of compelling stories to follow in the fall.

Of course, anywhere you find an assortment of professional baseball players, you're bound to find a few guys who have logged time in Alaska, and the Arizona Fall League is never an exception. The AFL teams have released their initial rosters, and I've caught wind of some ABL alumni who are going to Arizona to represent their organizations. Last year I followed all the former ABLers in the league with a little blurb on each and concluding with a "report card"; I imagine I'll do at least as much this year. But first, let's just have a look at who made the initial rosters (which are, of course, subject to change).

4/24/2010 Odds & Ends

Part of the 10-day forecast for Fairbanks...
That's good enough for baseball in my book!

It's only about a month and a half until we get this shin-dig started. Word has it that local high school teams in Fairbanks have been knocking the dust out of Growden Park, so that means we're getting close. REAL close. I've already got my first five or six games penciled into the calendar, so you know I'm ready to go. But that's enough about the future, let's take a look at this past week...

Transactions:

Three players have been scratched from the Anchorage Bucs' roster: Andrew Benak (Rice Sophomore), Tyler Park (McNeese State Junior) and Travis Smith (Michigan Junior). My inquiries with the Bucs regarding these players has not yielded a response as of today, so I won't speculate as to the cause of their being dropped. However, the team has also added a player to its roster: Freshman Bobby Brosnahan out of Michigan. Brosnahan is a southpaw starting pitcher who redshirted last season. When I can find out more info on these players, I'll be sure to let you know, and don't be shy if you have any.

As you may know, the Glacier Pilots are unveiling their 2010 players one-by-one on their website, and they recently announced that they've signed junior RHP Joe Sawicki out of Northern Colorado. As with the Bucs players mentioned above, I'll see if I can't dig up more info on Sawicki and write a more detailed bio/scouting report in the near future.