PEORIA, Ariz. — Clear skies and 82-degree weather. The sound of an organ rising from the ballpark. This is Fall baseball in Arizona.
These players may not be ready for the World Series just yet, more than half of those who have played in the Arizona Fall League have gone on to play in the Fall Classic.
“I started playing baseball when I was four or five years old,” said Arizona Diamondbacks prospect Caleb Roberts. “My dad and grandfather took me to the field and we started swinging the bat.”
Roberts is a catcher with the Salt River Rafters, the Arizona Diamondbacks Fall League affiliate. Seven prospects from each of the 30 Major League Baseball teams fill the rosters of the six Fall League teams. Five MLB teams feed into each of the Fall League teams.
They call it “finishing school” for minor league players, coaches, umpires and staff members.
Watching the D-backs play in the World Series hit a little different for Roberts, and his fellow D-back and Rafters teammate, Austin Pope.
“It’s awesome,” Pope said, beaming. “I played with a lot of those guys. Some of those guys were my teammates and I’ve lived with some of them. So, going to the games and watching them in the World Series is really special.”
As two of the D-backs top prospects, Roberts and Pope see this season’s World Series run as added motivation.
“I think it just gives you an extra hunger to get there and contribute to what they are doing,” Roberts said. “The D-backs haven’t been in this position in quite a long time, so to see that success, you just want to help as much as you can.”
“I mean, going to the games and seeing 53,000 fans in the stands, you can’t really get better than that,” said Pope.
Players like Roberts and Pope continue to refine their skills in the Fall League, hoping to help the D-backs keep their vision for a championship dynasty on the near horizon.
“It’s really cool to see the whole city of Phoenix come out and support us and I think that’s just going to help us even more in the future, to get back to that position.” Roberts said.
Pope and Roberts’ team, the Rafters, are in the mix for the Fall League playoffs, just 2.5 games out of first place, with the season concluding on Thursday, Nov. 9.
More from the World Series
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.
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