Keep the Dream Alive: Arizona Winter League Is Waiting for You

With the Independent baseball season winding down, many players will return to post-graduate studies, full-time jobs or continue to play, hoping to catch the eye of just one scout. 

For those that are looking for an additional opportunity, one that has a proven track record, the Arizona Winter League could be the best place for you. For those unfamiliar with the AWL, it has been around for five years now and has produced nearly 250 players who have gone on to sign professional contracts. Most notably; 

2007 - Sergio Romo: MLB - San Francisco Giants 

2007 - Scott Richmond: MLB - Toronto Blue Jays

2010 - Rylan Sandoval: AFF - Brooklyn Cyclones (NY Mets A-), Savannah Sand Gnats (NY Mets A), St. Lucie Mets (NY Mets A+)

2008 - Andrew Romo: AFF - Fresno Giants (SF Giants AAA), San Jose Giants (SF Giants A+), Salem-Keizer Volcanoes (SF Giants A-), Arizona Giants (SF Giants RK), Tucson Toros (GBL)

2007 - Kennard Jones: AFF - Frederick Keys (Baltimore Orioles A+), Bowie Baysox (Baltimore Orioles AA), York Revolution (Atlantic), Newark Bears (Atlantic)

2007/2008 - Mike Thompson: AFF - Burlington Bees (Kansas City Royals A), Wichita Wingnuts (AmAs), Camden Riversharks (Atlantic), Quebec Capitales (CanAm)

Please note that nearly 50 players signed with Independent League teams after the 2011 AWL.

One of the benefits of this league is that the first 160 people, who register, are guaranteed a roster spot. This is an instructional business and is a real opportunity for those players who literally slipped through the cracks and need the chance to play.

Think about a senior in college, a borderline prospect who was injured in his senior year and did not play, or did not play up to his potential. With his collegiate career over in the month of May, eight months of rehab or training and this player can seriously impress coaches with a guaranteed roster spot. Indy baseball is all about giving those left out one more chance to lace up their cleats and and give it their all. Why not? 

Along with the many Independent League managers that instruct and sign players in the AWL, players can benefit from instruction from the Boston Red Sox (Nick Belmote), Phillies (Les Lancaster - GCL Pitching Coach), and the Mariners (Cory Snyder AA hitting coach). In this group you can include instructors from the American Association, Frontier League, and for the first time this year, instructors from the Japanese Independent Leagues that have the ability to sign players. For players who do not immediately receive a pro contract, many can now use the skills that they develop, along with the contacts they make in the AWL, to attempt to land a contract at a later date. And, if nothing else, this is a chance to improve your game and to learn from very accomplished managers.

With five years under their belt, the AWL is really turning into a legitimate resource for reporters looking for their feel good story of the year, coaches looking for a prized prospect in the dead of winter or scouts and teams filling up roster spots for the upcoming season.

Now that the North American League has partnered with Poinstreak, “Game/Player statistics will be reported to the Associated Press and ESPN and displayed on the Pointstreak.com statistics website, and will be emailed weekly to all major league Minor League Operations Directors. All major league scouting Directors have been invited to attend.” (Courtesy AWL site)

If you are looking for more info on the NAL or AWL, click here and here.

And if you are headed to Yuma at the end of January, I wish you all the best. Keep the dream alive!

Devon is the founder of The GM’s Perspective

Devon is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals& Gateway Grizzlies, and is now an independent scout.