As hopes of having a 2020 Minor League Baseball season begin to fade away, there is a chance that minor league prospects will still get to play baseball this summer, and for the Mets’ prospects, that could mean returning to sunny Port Saint Lucie, FL to do so.
According to Baseball America, MLB is considering expanding this summer’s Arizona Fall League into an expanded Arizona, Florida Fall (and potentially summer) League and has been in constant contact with potential host stadiums to inquire about how quickly they can be available.
The AFL, which typically runs from mid-September through late October, features six teams comprised of prospects from five organizations. Included in the plan that MLB is considering, however, each of the 30 teams would send an expanded roster of prospects to their Spring Training sites in Arizona or Florida for the summer and fall. If this happens, the Mets’ prospects would play at Clover Park in Port Saint Lucie, FL. While nothing is fully finalized, under this prospective plan, there have also been discussions of having a second lower-level team for each club.
With the 2020 minor league season looking less likely to happen, there are prospects who have been told to “stay ready” throughout the COVID-19 shutdown, who need to see playing time this summer. An expanded Arizona, Florida Fall league would allow MLB organizations to get as many of their top prospects on the rosters to see playing time this summer.
It is also possible that in order to get these players as many games under their belts as possible, if host stadiums can be available quickly, we could see the AFL starting earlier, possibly even within weeks of MLB opening day, and extending past its typical end-date of October. This would help approximate something close to what these minor leaguers would have experienced during a normal MiLB season.
Photo by Ed Delany, MMN
In 2019, the New York Mets sent eight players to the AFL, including pitchers Ryley Gilliam, Jordan Humphreys, David Peterson and Blake Taylor, catchers Patrick Mazeika and Ali Sanchez, and infielders Luis Carpio and Andres Gimenez.
An expanded roster with the potential of lower level teams as well would allow for many of the Mets’ other top prospects to showcase their talent and have a season this summer in Port Saint Lucie as well. Top prospects we could see included on this roster are Ronny Mauricio (SS), Francisco Alvarez (C), Brett Baty (3B), Matthew Allan (RHP), Mark Vientos (3B), Thomas Szapucki (LHP), Josh Wolf (RHP) and Kevin Smith (LHP), with others slated to join them as well if the current plans hold up.
Not only would an expanded and extended Arizona, Florida Fall League be important for players needing to see playing time this summer, but MLB and MiLB fans around the country are itching for baseball. With players fresh and “staying ready” and most not dealing with injuries or ailments, the rosters would be loaded with hitting and pitching talent across the board, which would spark an increased interest in the AFL this summer, which would be slated to see pitching duals and rivalries that all baseball fans love to see.
While social-distancing protocols are likely to still be in place this summer, limiting the amount of fans allowed in a stadium during games, the scenario of games being streamed and some potentially televised, would likely rise in comparison to the normal AFL season.
A bigger league, however will also mean bigger costs for teams, which have seen a decrease in their normal revenue streams due to COVID-19. A typical AFL season costs leagues about $6,000 per player (Which includes the players’ pay of approximately $2,250 per month, plus a $750 stipend for housing). Should the plan to play at Spring Training sites stand, we could also see a slight decrease in this cost with many players already having housing in their Spring Training cities.
While nothing is yet finalized, one thing that is for certain is that the one big hurdle that needs to be cleared before the potentially expanded AFL season can begin, is the agreement between MLB and the MLBPA (The AFL can happen without an MLB season, however no MLB season would likely to limit the AFL rosters to players not on the 40-man rosters). Once an agreement has been reached, a decision about the MiLB regular season must be made as well. There could potentially also be a professional baseball agreement issue with playing games in Arizona or Florida during the time when the regular MiLB games would normally be played.
Should the agreement come to pass and an extended AFL be put into action, here are the cities in Florida that could once again potentially see baseball this year: Sarasota (Baltimore Orioles), Lee County (Minnesota Twins and Boston Red Sox), Port Saint Lucie (New York Mets), Tampa (New York Yankees), Port Charlotte (Tampa Bay Rays), Dunedin (Toronto Blue Jays), West Palm Beach (Washington Nationals and Houston Astros), Lakeland (Detroit Tigers), Jupiter (Miami Marlins and St. Louis Cardinals), Clearwater (Philadelphia Phillies) and Bradenton (Pittsburgh Pirates).
Once all the hurdles have been cleared, we could quickly see a Fall (or summer) league like we have never seen before.
