2020 Arizona Instructional League Game Schedule Set To Begin Oct. 5

In recent years, the instructional league slowly transformed into a relic of an earlier time. The number of teams that had their minor leaguers play games against other clubs dwindled.

Teams, in some cases, decided to no longer have their players face other teams. In other cases teams had replaced instructional league with more focused mini-camps.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has changed that. In 2020, the closest analogue to a minor league season anyone will have will begin in early October in Arizona.

All 15 MLB teams that have their spring training facilities in Arizona have agreed to play each other during instructional league. The games will begin on Oct. 5.

The teams will be divided into two leagues, with the eight teams located on the West side of the Phoenix area playing each other in a schedule that begins Oct. 5 and ends Nov. 14, while the seven teams on the East side of Phoenix will begin on Oct. 6 and end on Nov. 12. To give the East side an even number of teams, the Giants will field two clubs.

The number of games each team plays will vary—some teams won’t begin playing games until as late as Oct. 14 and the Athletics, White Sox, Reds and Indians will all wrap up on Oct. 31.

But everyone will get between 17 games (the Cubs) and 40 games (the ambitious Padres who doubled up for two games on six different days) against outside competition. The games will provide needed innings and at-bats for minor leaguers, especially for those who did not get invitations to the alternate sites during the MLB season.

The decision will also be significant financially for those minor leaguers. Unlike past years, minor leaguers are being paid for instructional league (the amount of pay will be determined by the level the players would have been assigned to if the year had gone according to plan), so for players participating, it means another month (or more) of paychecks.

Baseball America will continue to add information and details about the Florida-based MLB teams’ instructional league plans as we receive them.

MLB Team	Instructs?	Dates of Games
Arizona	Yes	Oct. 6-Nov. 12
Atlanta
Baltimore
Boston	Yes	Starting in early Oct., running for six weeks.
Chicago (NL)	Yes	Oct. 14-Nov. 7
Chicago (AL)	Yes	Oct. 10-Oct. 31
Cincinnati	Yes	Oct. 12-Oct. 31
Cleveland	Yes	Oct. 8-Oct. 31
Colorado	Yes	Oct. 14-Nov. 7
Detroit	Yes
Houston	Yes
Kansas City	Yes	Oct. 5-Nov. 14
Los Angeles (AL)	Yes	Oct. 14-Nov. 12
Los Angeles (NL)	Yes	Oct. 5-Nov. 6
Miami	Yes	First workout Sept. 26; camp runs through 10/31
Milwaukee	Yes	Oct. 12-Nov. 11
Minnesota	Yes
New York (NL)	Yes
New York (AL)
Oakland	Yes	Oct. 6-Oct. 30
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh	Yes
San Diego	Yes	Oct. 5-Nov. 14
San Francisco	Yes	Oct. 6-Nov. 7
Seattle	Yes	Oct. 5-Nov. 14
St. Louis
Tampa Bay	Yes
Texas	Yes	Oct. 5-Nov. 14
Toronto
Washington	Yes	Sept. 26-Oct. 28