Fourth annual SABR Arizona Fall League Conference opens
The Hot Stove League kicked off in fine fashion on Thursday, November 1 with the start of the fourth annual SABR Arizona Fall League Conference.
About 30 conference guests attended an AFL game between the Peoria Javelinas and Mesa Solar Sox on Thursday afternoon at Hohokam Park in Mesa, then had dinner at the legendary baseball hangout Don and Charlie’s in Scottsdale with special guest and longtime SABR member Roland Hemond — founder of the Arizona Fall League.
The conference will feature four AFL games, each at a different ballpark. Attendees will see all six AFL teams, showcasing every major league team’s top prospects.
The AFL Conference continues on Friday with two AFL games, first at Phoenix Municipal Stadium in the afternoon and then a pregame ballpark dinner at Scottsdale Stadium with former All-Star third baseman Matt Williams as the featured speaker.
On Saturday, the Flame Delhi Chapter will host guest speaker Bernie Pleskoff of MLB.com, at 10 a.m. at the Holiday Inn Express on Scottsdale Road. All baseball fans are welcome to attend the SABR chapter meeting at no cost.
For more details and a complete schedule, visit SABR.org/AFL.
The Arizona Fall League (mlbfallball.com) is baseball’s premier player development league. In the first three years of the conference, attendees were treated to sneak peeks at Mike Trout, Bryce Harper, Buster Posey, Starlin Castro and Stephen Strasburg before they hit the big leagues.
Below, check out some early photos from the SABR AFL Conference. Hope to see you here next year!
Originally published: November 1, 2012. Last Updated: November 1, 2012.