Over 60+ Canadians suited up in the minor leagues last year, ranging from some of the newest drafted players like Émilien Pitre and Connor Caskenette to veteran Joey Votto, who was looking to make it back to the big leagues after 17 years with the Cincinnati Reds.

With the minor leagues starting to wrap up (and for some, they already are in the books), the Arizona Fall League (AFL) is just around the corner. The AFL begins in October and features prospects from across the Major Leagues – many of which rank highly within their respective club prospect lists. Others are down in Arizona to get more work, mostly because injuries or other instances kept them on the sidelines for a portion of the regular season.

For the Blue Jays, eight players will join the Scottsdale Scorpions – five pitchers and three position players – to continue getting reps. Last season, Ricky Tiedemann earned AFL Pitcher of the Year honours for his impressive showcase while infielder Damiano Palmegiani finished runner-up in the AFL Home Run Derby contest – putting on a strong performance.

This year, five Canadians will also be making the trek down to Arizona to play in the AFL – 1B David McCabe (Braves), RHP Adam Maier (Braves), LHP Justin King (Marlins), OF Denzel Clarke (A’s), and LHP Wesley Moore (Phillies). McCabe, Maier, and King will all be teammates on the Peoria Javelins while Clarke and Moore will join the Mesa Solar Sox and the Glendale Desert Dogs respectively.

McCabe spent the majority of the year on the IL after undergoing Tommy John surgery in early February. He joined the club’s double-A affiliate on July 30th and appeared in 35 games, collecting 16 hits and two home runs. His organization partner in Maier has been on the shelf since 2022, his draft year, due to Tommy John surgery and finally got into game action this season. Through 19 starts split between single-A and high-A, the right-hander posted a 4.10 ERA with 78 strikeouts through 83 1/3 innings.

For Justin King, this will be his second time through the AFL – making seven relief appearances for the Surprise Saguaros.

King began the year in the Brewers organization but was released in early July, landing with the Marlins shortly after on a MiLB deal. The left-hander struggled this season in the Brewers double-A affiliate but found a new level in Pensacola, posting a 2.55 ERA through 17 relief appearances to the tune of a 0.91 WHIP.

One of the top-ranking players in the A’s organization, Clarke – who is a cousin of the Naylor brothers – missed a big portion of the 2023 season and bounced back in a big way this year.

While he got off to a slow start, Clarke turned on the jets as the season wore on, finishing with a .269/.339/.445 slash line with a .784 OPS. He collected 21 doubles, eight triples, and 13 home runs in double-A and swiped 36 bases. He will return to the AFL after representing Oakland in 2022.

Last but not least is Wesley Moore, who made 28 appearances out of the bullpen for the Phillies high-A and double-A affiliates. The Vauxhall Jets alum posted a 4.23 ERA and a 1.229 WHIP between both levels and struck out batters at a 10.7 K/9. Moore missed a few weeks with various injuries this year and will get some more reps under his belt this October.