The AFL’s relaxed atmosphere allows players to refine their skills while forming lasting relationships with teammates and opponents alike. (Photo by Sammy Nute/Cronkite News)
SCOTTSDALE – Entering the 2024 Arizona Fall League championship game, Washington Nationals No. 13 prospect Robert Hassell III felt several emotions.
He was excited for a chance at redemption: He reached the semifinals in the two previous seasons with two separate teams but lost each time. He felt a sense of fulfillment for giving himself an opportunity at a championship. But the one emotion he didn’t feel was surprise.
Despite the AFL season being a sprint that begins in early October and wraps up in mid-November, Hassell’s Salt River Rafters have formed a strong connection over the short time. They bonded over many things, but the biggest was undoubtedly the desire to win a championship.
“That’s why it’s not a shock to me that we’re in the championship,” Hassell said before Saturday’s game. “We’ve got a bunch of winners, a lot of guys that want to leave here with a ring. So that’s just been the mentality, and everybody loves each other. This really does feel like a family.”
The players’ belief in one another materialized on the field.
While they entered the matchup as underdogs to the two-time defending champions and regular season winners, Surprise, which finished with an 18-10 mark, Salt River clearly didn’t care. The Rafters jumped out to a 3-1 lead in the fifth inning and only gave up four hits and a run the rest of the way to seal the 3-2 victory.
For the first time since 2021, there is a new AFL champion.
“I think everyone here is just feeding off each other,” Yankees third baseman prospect Caleb Durbin said. “I think that just makes it a lot easier to finish the year on a strong note when everyone’s still competing and putting in the work, because it’s easy to feed off each other.”
However, the AFL provides young prospects far more than just the chance at end-of-season bragging rights. From day one, players and coaches from different teams are forced to intermingle and collaborate, as each of the six AFL squads is composed of players from six different Major League Baseball teams.
This allows lessons to be exchanged from organization to organization. While they may become rivals on the field in a few years, players are able to not only learn from their teammates but form relationships with opponents that they wouldn’t normally see. It’s something that sticks out to Surprise Saguaro and Cleveland Guardians No. 2 prospect Chase DeLauter, who finished his second season in the AFL.
“It’s cool to see how different organizations work, kind of see the different baseball that’s brought into the clubhouse with five, six different teams,” DeLauter said. “It’s cool to get to meet different guys, meet different guys from different levels, different (organizations).”
Much of the AFL is also oriented towards personal development, too, whether that be physical or mental. The relaxed atmosphere allows players to sharpen their craft in a very low-pressure setting. On many occasions, it pays off.
Durbin, a second-year participant in the league, enjoyed an unforgettable season on the basepaths that saw him smash the all-time stolen bases record with 29, five more than the previous record that had stood since 1994.
Hassell and DeLauter, both returners themselves, used the time in the AFL to gain their confidence.
“I think each year I’ve gotten more confident,” Hassell said. “That’s the main thing for me. I think I’ve proven myself each year that I’m as good as these guys and that I can play on the big-league field. I feel quite confident in that now, and maybe a few years ago, it wasn’t like that. So just growing up in that sense, and seeing all these guys. Eventually, all these guys are going to become big-leaguers, and (I’m) just hoping I’m one of those guys.”
Of course, a perk of the season occurring in Arizona during the fall is the ability to enjoy the climate around the Valley. There isn’t ample time to take everything in as the main priority is baseball, but players often take whatever chance they get to experience Arizona’s many splendors.
An avid hiker, Durbin has used his free time to try out different trails. Hassell, on the other hand, has enjoyed all that a large city such as Phoenix has to offer while also taking day trips to destinations like Sedona. However, there is one thing they can all agree on: playing in sunny and 75-degree weather never gets old.
“That’s it right here, the weather,” DeLauter said. “I’m from an area where it’s cold in the winter time (with) snow, not real outside stuff you can do. So it’s nice to be able to still have great baseball weather and be outside pretty much any day, no rain, nothing like that.”
