Editing Arizona Fall League (section)

==Structure==
[[File:AZFallLeague.SaltRiverRafters.jpg|thumb|right|[[Jayson Aquino]] with the [[Salt River Rafters]] in 2014 while a member of the [[Colorado Rockies]] organization; he made his major league debut with the [[Baltimore Orioles]] in 2016]]
[[File:Brandon Marsh and Victor Victor Mesa.jpg|thumb|right|[[Brandon Marsh (baseball)|Brandon Marsh]] (left) and [[Víctor Víctor Mesa]] prior to the 2019 Fall Stars Game]]

The six teams of the AFL are organized in two three-team divisions. Each AFL team is affiliated with five teams in [[Major League Baseball]] (MLB), and each MLB team provides seven players from their [[Minor League Baseball]] affiliates, yielding 35-man rosters.<ref name=pr2008>{{cite press release |url=http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/2008/08/26/3370621/1/2008_AFL_Rosters.pdf |title=Arizona Fall League Announces 2008 Rosters |publisher=Arizona Fall League |via=MLB.com |date=August 26, 2008 |access-date=November 21, 2021}}</ref><ref name=cubreporter/> Specific players are invited (not assigned) to play in the AFL by their parent club.<ref name=cubreporter>{{cite web |url=https://www.thecubreporter.com/book/export/html/3812 |title=Arizona Fall League & AZ Instructional League |website=thecubreporter.com |date=2021 |access-date=November 21, 2021}}</ref> The league provides an environment for top prospects to advance their development, in a setting that MLB governs and monitors, as opposed to other offseason leagues (such as the [[Puerto Rican Winter League]]) located outside of the [[contiguous United States]].<ref name=about>{{cite web |url=https://www.mlb.com/arizona-fall-league/about/ |title=About the AFL |website=[[MLB.com]] |access-date=April 25, 2021}}</ref>

Player eligibility has changed over time; as of 2008, each MLB organization could only provide one player below the [[Double-A (baseball)|Double-A]] level,<ref name=pr2008/> and before 2019 there were service-time limits for any players on the [[40-man roster]] of an MLB team,<ref name=cubreporter/> but as of 2021 all players within an MLB organization are eligible.<ref name=cubreporter/> [[Free agent]]s are not eligible.<ref name=cubreporter/> The seven players each MLB organization provides consist of four pitchers and three position players.<ref name=cubreporter/> Positional needs for each AFL team (e.g. catchers) are coordinated between player development directors of the affiliated MLB organizations via a "position draft".<ref name=cubreporter/> An MLB organization can assign more than three position players; such players serve as a [[taxi squad]] for the AFL team and are limited to playing two games each week.<ref name=cubreporter/>

Play generally begins in early October (10/7 for 2024) and runs until mid-November, although play continued into early December for the first five seasons that the league operated. Each team plays approximately 30 games; schedule length has varied somewhat during the league's history. Following the end of the league's regular season, the two division winners meet in a championship game.

Players wear uniforms of their respective MLB parent club, along with an AFL team-specific hat. The league had its own team-specific uniforms before 1998 and in 2019.<ref name=walsh1998/> The [[manager (baseball)|manager]], [[pitching coach]], and [[hitting coach]] of each AFL team are provided by MLB organizations on a rotating basis.<ref name=cubreporter/>

Each team plays home games at its own ballpark, each of which currently has a seating capacity in excess of 10,000 spectators. For the 2019 season, only four venues were used due to ballpark renovation work.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/03/20/mlb-moves-up-arizona-fall-league-schedule-for-2019/ |title=MLB Moves Up Arizona Fall League Schedule for 2019 |website=BallparkDigest.com |date=March 20, 2019 |access-date=September 24, 2019}}</ref>

The league has organized an annual [[all-star game]] since 2006.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/76488823/rafters-call-surprise-stadium-home-for-f/ |title=Rafters call Surprise Stadium home for Fall League baseball |newspaper=[[The Arizona Republic]] |location=[[Phoenix, Arizona]] |page=41 |date=October 18, 2006 |access-date=April 25, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Initially known as the "Rising Stars Showcase",<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88903266/a-ball-in-the-fall/ |title=A ball in the fall |first=Joseph A. |last=Reaves |website=[[The Arizona Republic]] |page=C2 |date=October 8, 2006 |access-date=November 14, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> it has been branded as the "Fall Stars Game" since at least 2013. Included in the 2022 season was the Homerun derby.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/88903393/barrett-stites-manage-to-earn-spots-as/ |title=Barrett, Stites manage to earn spots as Stars |first=Zach |last=Buchanan |newspaper=[[The Arizona Republic]] |location=[[Phoenix, Arizona]] |page=C14 |date=November 3, 2013 |access-date=November 14, 2021 |via=newspapers.com}}</ref> Players for the game are selected by league staff, scouting and farm directors, and [[MLB.com]] writers.<ref name=mayo>{{cite news |url=https://www.mlb.com/news/fall-stars-game-arizona-fall-league-rosters |title=Here are Saturday's Fall Stars Game rosters |first=Jonathan |last=Mayo |website=[[MLB.com]] |date=October 10, 2019 |access-date=April 25, 2021}}</ref>