GEARING UP FOR THE ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE!

(Mike Janes/AP) 

Besides early spring and prepping for the baseball season, my other favorite time of year is early fall when I get to witness the spectacle of the Arizona Fall League. I'm really excited for it, as I just ordered my season pass and the preliminary rosters were announced earlier in the week. As of right now, there are six Yankee prospects that have been assigned to the Scottsdale Scorpions. Of those six kids being sent to Arizona, the most notable are Estevan Florial and Justus Sheffield. How exciting!

Our guy Bryan Hoch writes this of the boys: "Estevan Florial and Justus Sheffield have earned recognition among the best young talent in the game, and the promising duo is among a group that will be rewarded with the opportunity to wear Yankees pinstripes in the upcoming Arizona Fall League.

Florial and Sheffield are among 11 of MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 prospects who will participate in the AFL, suiting up for the Scottsdale Scorpions.

A speedy left-handed-hitting outfielder, the 19-year-old Florial played for the World Team in the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and is currently ranked as the Yanks' No. 4 prospect (87th overall). He has batted .294/.371/.469 with 22 doubles, six triples, 12 homers, 51 RBIs and 22 steals in 105 games between Class A Charleston and Class A Advanced Tampa...

(Mike Janes/AP)

Sheffield, 21, is New York's No. 5 prospect (89th overall). Currently rehabbing from a left oblique strain with the Gulf Coast Yankees, Sheffield is 7-5 with a 3.09 ERA in 16 starts for Double-A Trenton this season, walking 33 and striking out 79 in 90 1/3 innings."

We've all heard plenty about Florial and Sheffield, yet I really haven't had the chance to watch them perform. I really look forward to October. Sometimes what you hear and read and what you see can be totally different things.

(Buck Davidson/MiLB.com)

Along with Sheffield and Florial, Dillon Tate returns to Scottsdale for his 2nd go around in the AFL. He was on the Scorpions roster for a part of last year's season. When he was here, he was named to the Arizona Fall Stars team, yet did not pitch in the game and all of a sudden was gone. Initially, I thought he might have gotten hurt, but it turned out to be nothing more than an innings limit thing.

Photo of: Kyle Holder

The other Yankee prospects being sent are infielders Thairo Estrada, Chris Gittens and Kyle Holder. I imagine they might also add another late add too, as each team is allowed to send 7. They might even add a Taxi Squad player that is only allowed to play on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We will see. 

Photo: Charles Wenzelberg

But to me, this one of the best things about living in Arizona. I really enjoy this time as it is one of the most intimate ways to watch baseball. You get to hear the sounds of the ballpark as there are usually not a lot of people in attendance. Plus, you actually get to meet the players and talk to them, and that adds extra fun of going to a baseball game. I highly suggest that if you happen to be in Arizona between October 10th and November 18th, you catch a game or two.  Heck... I'll sit with ya!

--Michael Carnesi
BYB Writer
Follow me on Twitter: @sevn4evr