The Arizona Fall League's 17th season will kick off on Tuesday and, as expected, there will be plenty of young stars playing out in the desert. Some are well known, some not so much.

However, they all possess some special qualities that have resulted in their placement in the league. It's been that way for years as the AFL continues to present itself, and rightfully so, as the premier developmental program in all of baseball. Over 1,600 former AFL players reach the Major Leagues, including 112 who were on Major League postseason rosters this year.

The AFL has produced five MVPs and three Cy Young Award winners. Those numbers are likely to swell someday after looking at the players that will dot AFL rosters this year. Here's a closer look at some of the big names and big stories surrounding each of the six clubs on the circuit.

Mesa Solar Sox

It isn't often that the coaches on the bench will trump the talent on the field but it will be kind of difficult to ignore the Hall-of-Fame hitting instructor in the Mesa dugout. Ryne Sandberg will serve as the hitting coach for the Solar Sox this fall and generally when a Hall-of-Famer speaks, people listen. At least they should.

Sandberg is coming off his second season as manager of the Peoria Chiefs in the Class A Midwest League. Chicago second base prospect Nate Spears likely has spent time with Sandberg in Spring Training each of the last two seasons, but has been in the upper reaches of the Minor Leagues and never benefited from his experience and knowledge on a daily basis. Now he'll have the chance.

Also benefiting from Sandberg's presence is Detroit second-base prospect William Rhymes, who combined to hit .307 in the Eastern and International Leagues. What better way to cap off a career season with a Hall-of-Fame tutor?

While Rhymes and Spears will probably get the most out of Sandberg, there are a bevy of top-hitting prospects that will be able to pick his brain. Atlanta outfielder Brandon Jones, Detroit first baseman Jeff Larish and Philadelphia outfielder Jeremy Slayden all had productive seasons with their respective teams. Now they'll get just a bit more than they were expecting to close out the year.

Peoria Javelinas

The list of pitchers that are expected to suit up for Peoria this fall is certainly impressive, but one name quickly jumps out above the rest -- Phil Hughes. The young Yankee, upon whom so many expectations were placed this season, will head to Arizona looking to finish off the repair job on his reputation, which took a hit back in April.

Hughes spent much of the summer on the disabled list, so in all fairness, the hits he took weren't totally warranted. But upon his return to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in August, Hughes began to show why the Bombers thought so highly of him in the first place. He pitched brilliantly over his final two regular-season games for the Baby Bombers and then starred in the International League playoffs as the Yankees won their first Governors' Cup.

He was 1-0 in two playoff starts, that one win coming in the Cup-clinching game. He also started the clinching game in the opening round against Pawtucket, dueling Bartolo Colon in what was one of the season's most memorable games. Overall, he had a 0.69 ERA with 23 strikeouts and four walks in 13 playoff innings.

Hughes closed out the year with New York, pitching well in a pair of starts against Toronto and the White Sox. He allowed three runs in 12 innings, a pair of efforts that helped salve some of the season's ills. Now he'll have a chance to get in some extra work and put the finishing touches on his reputation restoration before shutting it down for the winter.

Peoria Saguaros

Gordon Beckham, as was his right, waited until late in the process to sign with the White Sox after they selected him with the eighth overall selection in the First-Year Player Draft. While he negotiated, he lost precious playing time and notched just 58 at-bats with Kannapolis of the Class A South Atlantic League.

Granted, the University of Georgia product did well with the Intimidators, hitting .310 over that stretch and closing out the season on a 7-for-17 run. He also had three homers and eight RBIs. But he only played six home games for Kannapolis, so White Sox fans didn't get much of an opportunity to see him in action. Here's a chance for fans in Chicago and the snowbirds in Phoenix to see what the club's shortstop of the future can do.

Beckham, who had three errors in 72 total chances with Kannapolis, will be sharing time at shortstop with Washington's Ian Desmond and St. Louis' Tyler Greene. But Beckham will be the main attraction on the left side of the infield when the Saguaros are in town.

That doesn't mean there won't be some action over on the right side of the infield to keep fans interested. San Diego's big-bopping first baseman Kyle Blanks will share locker space with Beckham as well as a spot in the middle of Peoria's lineup. The 6-foot-6 Blanks worked over Texas League pitching this season to the tune of a .325 average, 20 homers and 107 RBIs.

Blanks also scored 75 runs, stole a handful of bases and sported a .404 on-base percentage. He's one of the brightest and most talented young power prospects in the game and the chance to see him in such an intimate setting is one that shouldn't be missed.

Defensively, Blanks is no slouch either. He's a big man with some moves as evidenced by the fact that he led all Texas League first baseman this season with a .993 fielding percentage and should provide a nice target for Beckham and the rest of the Peoria infielders.

Phoenix Desert Dogs

J.P. Arencibia is not the most high-profile catcher in Arizona this fall, difficult as that may be to believe (Check out that Wieters fella over on the Surprise roster when you get a minute). The Toronto backstop, however, has credentials that are nearly as impeccable and should be every bit as entertaining and worth watching when play begins.

Arencibia split time between the Florida State and Eastern Leagues this season and hit a combined .298 with 27 homers and 105 RBIs. He earned an All-Star berth in the FSL and was twice named Player of the Week for his efforts before the Blue Jays decided the Eastern League would be of more benefit to him.

While Arencibia wasn't nearly as dominant once he got bumped up, he still wielded an impressive bat, hitting .282 with 14 homers and 43 RBIs in 67 games. The kid is a free swinger, he only walked 18 times in 510 at-bats this season. So, if you want to see someone take his hacks, this is the player to watch.

He may not be on Wieters' level just yet, but the jump up isn't as far as it seems.

Scottsdale Scorpions

There are two interesting story lines surrounding Scottsdale, one about a pitcher and one about a hitter that used to be a pitcher. Let's start with the man who remains on the mound -- San Francisco's Kevin Pucetas, one of the most unsung pitchers in all of Minor League Baseball.

The left-hander recently completed his third professional season, going 10-2 for San Jose of the Class A Advanced California League. His 3.02 ERA was second best in the league while his strikeout-to-walk ratio (102-to-27) was also near the top. What stands out most about Pucetas, however, is his career record in 66 appearances (62 starts) since the Giants made him a 17th-round selection in 2006.

Pucetas is 32-7 with a 2.47 ERA since turning pro. Think about that for a moment. He's 25 games over .500, has won more than half the games he has started and that's after he lost two of his last three starts this season. He wasn't the best pitcher on his team this season, but at the end of the day he always seemed to be on the winning side of the ledger and that's always worth watching.

As for the hitter that used to pitch, Brian Bogusevic returned to his Tulane roots, discarded his rosin bag in favor of some batting gloves and went back to work this season. The Astros had seen enough of Bogie trying to make it on the mound and moved him back into the outfield, one of the positions at which he starred while playing for Tulane.

Life with the lumber in his hand certainly proved agreeable to Bogusevic, who promptly hit .347 with four homers and 26 RBIs in 147 at-bats after making the late-season switch. Bogusevic was a run producer at Tulane, hitting 14 homers and driving in 129 runs over three seasons, during the latter part of which he spent more time on the mound.

Bogusevic can hit and has the potential to be in the Major Leagues at some time next season because of his bat. Who knows? He could be Houston's version of Rick Ankiel.

Surprise Rafters

Circle the date that Surprise is coming to your part of the Phoenix area, because this team is going to be fun to watch. Take one look at who the Rafters have behind the plate and, well, you'll know why. Matt Wieters, probably the best pure hitter in the Minor Leagues, is likely going to be in Baltimore at some point next summer so this may be the last chance to see him before he hits the bigs.

The Orioles selected Wieters with the fifth overall pick last June and they haven't been disappointed. He hit .355 this season while splitting time between the Carolina and Eastern Leagues, actually hitting 20 points higher and driving in 11 more runs after moving up to Double-A. This kid is a rare treat to watch hit, the type of player who someday may have a jersey hanging on a wall during the AFL season alongside Mike Piazza's.

He closed out the regular season on a 12-game hitting streak, during which he went 19-for-42 (.452). Overall, he had 27 homers and 91 RBIs while walking 82 times. That's impressive when you consider he only struck out 76 times. So go buy a ticket and enjoy.

And while you're there, keep an eye out for the crushing Cleveland duo of Beau Mills and Wes Hodges, who accounted for 39 homers and 187 RBIs this season while playing in the Tribe's system. And if that's not enough to whet your appetite, know that Texas slugger Justin Smoak, the club's top pick in this year's Draft, will also play for Surprise after getting 56 at-bats for Clinton of the Midwest League.