MLB: Despite no Arizona Fall League, minor leaguers to get opportunities

MLB may have canceled the 2020 Arizona Fall League, but minor leaguers will still get an opportunity to play.

Despite recent talks of potentially expanding MLB’s annual Arizona Fall League in response to the cancellation of the 2020 minor league baseball season, MLB’s “finishing school” for top prospects around the game has been officially canceled this year.

Josh Norris of Baseball America was the first to report the news, later confirmed by MLB.

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With the COVID-19 pandemic continuing to wreak havoc across the country, MLB has decided to scrap this year’s Arizona Fall League competition, but top prospects and minor leaguers will still get an opportunity to hone their craft over the next two months in revamped instructional leagues.

Also first reported by Baseball America, each of the 15 MLB teams with spring training sites in Arizona will field instructional league teams, with play running from October 5th/6th to mid-November.

Teams are scheduled to play an uneven number of games and finish on different dates. For example, the Chicago Cubs will play just 17 games, while the San Diego Padres will play 40 (leave it to AJ Preller to get his deep farm system as much work as possible).

To limit travel and potential exposure, the 15 teams are being divided into two different “leagues” with the San Francisco Giants fielding two teams to equal things out.

Best of all, minor leaguers assigned to these instructional league teams will be paid based on the minor league level they would have played at in 2020.

Previously, fall instructional leagues were more like camps, without games against other teams and without pay. Minor leaguers are normally only paid during the minor league season.

While most of the top prospects around the league have been working out as part of their team’s 60-man player pool, a vast majority of minor leaguers have been forced to work out on their own or find a scarce independent league option to get their work in this year.

These instructional leagues could be especially important for recent 2020 draft picks who weren’t invited to their team’s player pool and Rule 5 eligible minor leaguers who want an opportunity to show they deserve to be protected. Regardless of current minor league status, it means additional pay and an opportunity to play competitive baseball in 2020.

For those MLB teams with spring training sites in Florida, more information is expected to be released in the coming days. It’s unknown whether or not scouts or fans will be allowed at these games.

Assuming 2021 isn’t the nightmare that 2020 has been, MLB does plan on resuming the Arizona Fall League next year. For now, rejoice fellow prospect-obsessed baseball fans. All is not lost this fall.