Founded in 1992, the Arizona Fall League brings prospects from all 30 organizations together to compete for six weeks in the only stateside offseason circuit. In the Fall League, top prospects get the opportunity to face upper-level competition for possibly the first time, or a player can make up for development time lost due to a regular season injury. The league also provides the chance for its prospects to get to know those from other organizations -- such as when Derek Jeter and Michael Jordan met during the 1994 campaign.

The league, which begins play in late September or early October, is comprised of six clubs that each feature seven or eight players from five Major League organizations. The teams play at Spring Training ballparks located across the greater Phoenix area, resulting in one of the most intimate footprints in pro sports.

Explore the Valley of the Sun, and get a glimpse of the game’s future stars in what is often referred to as top prospect finishing school.

Camelback Ranch -- Glendale Desert Dogs

Spring Training teams: Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago White Sox
Established: 2009
Capacity: 13,500
League titles: 6 (most recently, 2008)
Dimensions: left field, 315 feet; center field, 410 feet; right field: 315 feet
Notable alumni: Torii Hunter, Ryan Howard, Chris Carpenter, Andrew McCutchen, Max Scherzer

Before there were the Arizona Diamondbacks, there were the Chandler Diamondbacks. After the former was awarded franchisehood in 1995, the AFL club became the Desert Dogs. They went on to play in Phoenix, Mesa and Phoenix (again) before settling in Glendale in 2013. Camelback Ranch features an open concourse and yellow seats reminiscent of Dodger Stadium. The ballpark sits between suburban neighborhoods and undeveloped land along the Agua Fria River, incorporating plants and a natural color palette.

The Desert Dogs, whose name is a reference to the wild coyote and foxes that roam the Arizona deserts, have a logo that features the contentious canine howling at the moon. The orange accents provide pop – much like Glendale batters as Camelback Ranch features the shortest porches in the league. While yearly turnover is a constant, the Desert Dogs were able to hang on to success with a league-record five straight championships from 2004 to 2008.

Peoria Sports Complex -- Peoria Javelinas

Spring Training teams: San Diego Padres and Seattle Mariners
Established: 1994
Capacity: 10,075
League titles: 7 (most recently, 2018)
Dimensions: left field, 340 feet; center field, 410 feet; right field: 340 feet
Notable alumni: Jason Giambi, Todd Helton, Mike Scioscia (manager), Mark Teixeira, Ron Washington (coach), Max Fried, Kenley Jansen, Ronald Acuña Jr.

The Javelinas played at Tucson's Hi Corbett Field for two seasons before moving to the Peoria Sports Complex in 1994. Although the stadium underwent renovations that sent the Javelinas to Surprise for the 2013-14 seasons, the park kept its traditional feel. Upon entering the gates, fans walk through an enclosed corridor featuring concession areas and the team shop before taking tunnels to the seating bowl. In 2022, the Peoria Sports Complex hosted the first play-in semifinal game after the postseason expanded. And now for something completely different: The complex hosted the alt rock festival, Vans Warped Tour for many years.

The Javelinas' moniker is a celebration of the pig-like animal also known as the collared peccary, which can be found in the Arizona desert. When the club updated its logo in 2019, a lime green/yellow color was added to the mascot. Don’t let the bright hue distract you from the Javelina's sharp tusks and fierce stare.

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick -- Salt River Rafters

Spring Training teams: Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks
Established: 2011
Capacity: 11,000
League titles: 5 (most recently, 2019)
Dimensions: left field, 345 feet; center field, 410 feet; right field: 345 feet
Notable alumni: Roy Halladay, Grady Little (manager), Terry Francona (manager), Alfonso Soriano, Chase Utley, Michael Young, Nolan Arenado

Salt River Fields at Talking Stick, the AFL's second-newest stadium, feels grand in many ways. After crossing a stone creek, fans enter an open-air concourse with views of the towering batter’s eye, which features rows of cacti (home run hitters only have to clear the first row). The Rafters have experienced several changes over the years, moving from Grand Canyon to Tempe to Grand Canyon to Surprise before finally settling in Salt River in conjunction with the Rockies and D-backs opening their shared Spring Training facility there. The two big league clubs partnered with the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community to build the stadium. In 2019 and 2021, the ballpark has hosted both the Fall Stars Game and the AFL Championship Game, as well as being award the latter again in 2024.

After utilizing a couple paddles as their primary logo for several years, the Rafters returned to a teal-enhanced version of their original three waves look. The name pays homage to the Salt River rafting that occurs 125 miles outside the city. The trips go from Class II to Class IV-level of experience, similar to the development journeys of the Fall League's prospects.

Scottsdale Stadium -- Scottsdale Scorpions

Spring Training team: San Francisco Giants
Established: 1992
Capacity: 12,000
League titles: 3 (most recently, 2015)
Dimensions: left field, 360 feet; center field, 430 feet; right field: 340 feet
Notable alumni: Derek Jeter, Michael Jordan, Nomar Garciaparra, Dusty Baker (manager), Terry Francona (manager), Albert Pujols, Max Scherzer, Mike Trout, Tim Tebow

The Scottsdale Scorpions are the only team that has not moved or changed its name since the AFL's inaugural 1992 season. Appropriately located near Scottsdale's Old Town neighborhood, the stadium carries a lot of history. Plaques of past players don’t just mean they wore Scorpion red, but that they actually played there. Scottsdale was also the home of the Fall League's most famous moonlighting ballplayers: Michael Jordan (1994) and Tim Tebow (2016).

While a scorpion is the smallest of the Fall League mascots, it's plenty ferocious. The red, six-legged creature sits on the cap at an angle, claws open and stinger raised, ready to attack. Scottsdale Stadium provides its own weapon of defense -- the deepest center field in the league. The park underwent renovations in 2005, including the addition of the right-field Charro Pavilion, but the traditional enclosed corridor before entering the seating bowl remained. From 2006 to 2023, Scottsdale Stadium hosted all but two AFL Championship Games. It was also awarded the 2024 Play-in Semifinal.

Sloan Park -- Mesa Solar Sox

Spring Training team: Chicago Cubs
Established: 2014
Capacity: 15,000
League titles: 6 (most recently, 2021)
Dimensions: left field, 360 feet; center field, 410 feet; right field: 360 feet
Notable alumni: Mike Piazza, Matt Holliday, Kris Bryant, Jermaine Dye, Paul Konerko, Kyle Schwarber, Ron Washington (coach)

Sloan Park is the newest facility on this list, and it feels like it, from the open-air concourse to the Wrigley-esque brick behind home plate. The club has had many homes since the Sun Cities Solar Sox took the field in 1992, including a four-year stint at the Peoria Sports Complex. The team was in Mesa's Hohokam Stadium from 1999-2013 before relocating to its current home. Starting in 2022, Sloan Park hosts the Home Run Derby and the Fall Stars Game.

The Solar Sox logo features a sun with cardinal points, interlaced with the rays and with a baseball at its center. A previous iteration of the logo had the sun toward the bottom of the cap, like it was rising or setting, but an update in 2019 put the star front and center.

Surprise Stadium -- Surprise Saguaros

Spring Training teams: Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers
Established: 2002
Capacity: 10,714
League titles: 3 (most recently, 2023)
Dimensions: left field, 350 feet; center field, 400 feet; right field: 350 feet
Notable alumni: Carl Crawford, Jerry Manuel (manager), Bob Melvin (manager), Adrian Gonzalez, David Wright, Jimmy Rollins, Jason Heyward, Ian Kinsler, Craig Kimbrel, Freddie Freeman, Mookie Betts

The Saguaros have seen many homes over the years, playing in Phoenix, Mesa, Maryvale and Peoria before moving to Surprise in 2011 following the Rafters' departure. The ballpark provides a unique mix of enclosed and open-air environments, with a large concourse in right. Surprise Stadium is a part of the Surprise Recreation Campus and is surrounded by schools, neighborhoods and player housing. The park hosted the first six Rising Stars Games (now known as Fall Stars) in 2006 and has played home to nine in total.

In 2019, Surprise went from a simple, orange cactus to a green, anthropomorphic outlaw that is surely prickly. Thanks to this ubiquitous Arizona element, the Saguaros have an imposing presence no matter the stadium.