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).

ABL in the AFL Final Report Card

As promised, here is the final report card for Alaska League alumni who played in the Arizona Fall League this season. It took me a little bit of time to get it out, but this last week has been crazy (Thanksgiving, etc.) so I hope you'll excuse my tardiness.

Before I go on, I just want to have a little disclaimer here...scouting the AFL has some sticky points for a fan blogger. For one thing, I'm not a professional scout, I don't live in Arizona, and writing this blog obviously does not pay enough to cover the cost of catching the games in person. Second of all, the AFL season is short and the rosters are large, meaning it's probably not wise to read too much into any statistics. Which is unfortunate because stats are largely what I have to go on besides the games I saw on TV, and the opinion of scouts as well as other bloggers.

The silver lining in all this is that what you're getting is more opinion than concrete fact, which leaves room for debate, which means you are more than welcome to head to the comments section after this post and leave me your analysis. I would be glad to hear what you've got to say about any of these players, whether we agree or not. So if you're still with me, read on.