Figuring out Minor Leaguers' Offseason Assignments

[CaliforniaRaisin]

Obviously the Cubs AFL rosters are out (Welington Castillo, Starlin Castro, Josh Vitters, Andrew Cashner, John Gaub, Blake Parker, James Russell). Robinson Chirinos will be in the VWL.

 

The Hawaiian Winter Baseball League was cancelled this year and its replacement in Arizona was scrapped for financial reasons.

 

Looks like we can start piecing together the instructs roster:

 

Also heading back to Mesa, Ariz., where the Cubs have their training facilities, are right-handed pitchers Rafael Dolis and Billy Muldowney, as well as outfielder Brandon Guyer. They'll be participating in instructional league. Dolis will be working on throwing strikes, Muldowney will continue to work on his comeback following another elbow surgery he had in the spring and Guyer will continue the weight training that has gotten the pop back in his swing the last few games. Don't be surprised to see Jay Jackson get a winter league assignment, as well as Muldowney if things go well in instructional league.

 

Based on the reports when he signed, Austin Kirk will be headed to Instructs and it's pretty likely guys like Brett Jackson and LeMahieu will be there too.

[Guest]

The Hawaiian Winter Baseball League was cancelled this year and its replacement in Arizona was scrapped for financial reasons.

 

So it looks like the second Arizona league might not have been scrapped completely. It's been made into a second Instructs league, probably to minimize costs:

 

San Diego Union-Tribune[/url]"]The Padres have set their assignments for the Arizona Fall League and a new second league in Arizona that replaces the defunct Hawaii Fall League.

 

The new Arizona league begins play Sept. 24, the same day as the Arizona Instructional League. The true Arizona Fall League begins play Oct. 10.

 

“This year, the second Arizona fall league will include only teams that train on the west side of Phoenix and will be unofficial,” said Grady Fuson, the Padres' vice president of scouting and player development.

 

“It will be a high Single-A to Double-A league.”

 

Looks like the Cubs won't take part in this, though. Mesa is east of Phoenix.

[Guest]

More on what is being dubbed the Arizona Parallel League:

 

Baseball America[/url]"]PHOENIX—Instructional league and the Arizona Fall League already make the Phoenix area a baseball hotbed every fall.

 

There's another league in town this fall as the Advanced Instructional League (alternately referred to as the Parallel League) kicked off its 14-game season on September 24. It's a one-year experiment intended to provide additional work for players who normally might have been slated to participate in the now defunct Hawaiian Winter League.

 

There had been talk by Major League Baseball of launching a "Junior Fall League" to replace the league in Hawaii, using several of the newer stadiums located on the west side of Phoenix. But that league didn't come to fruition this year, leaving organizations with no place to send their prospects more advanced than the normal instructional leaguer but not yet ready for the AFL or one of the Caribbean winter leagues.

 

J.J. Picollo, Kansas City's assistant general manager in charge of Scouting and Player Development, pitched the concept of Advanced Instructional League (AIL) to other farm directors. The eight organizations that share four of the west-side complexes in Arizona—Reds and Indians, White Sox and Dodgers, Royals and Rangers, and Mariners and Padres—all agreed to be part of the first iteration of the league, with four teams being formed in a co-op environment.

 

Hopefully the Cubs can jump in on this next year.