First Pitch Arizona 2026 - Program
Updated: 10/30/26
Program details subject to change.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 5
| 1:30-4:30p | Registration/Check-in | BaseballHQ staff | Conference Lobby |
| 2:00-5:00p | XFL Draft Follow along with your favorite writers at the industry’s first experts keeper league, now in its 25th season | Ron Shander, league founder and auctioneer | Canyon F |
| 2:15-3:15p | Thursday breakouts #1 - CHOOSE ONE | ||
| Rostering Relievers for Holds, Ratios and Ks How to find, who to roster, when to employ | Mike Carter, Rick Graham | Canyon CE | |
| Draft and Hold Primer | James Anderson, Dustin McComas | Arroyo | |
| 3:30-4:15p | Thursday breakouts #2 - CHOOSE ONE | ||
| 2026: Statistical Year in Review | Ray Murphy, Kyle Bland | Canyon CE | |
| First Time at First Pitch? A Weekend Q&A Get your bearings—and your questions answered | BHQ staff | Agua Fria | |
| 5:30-7:30p | Welcome Reception (Peoria Sports Complex) Appetizers and cash bar | Colonnade (3rd base side) | |
| 6:30-9:00 | AFL Game - Salt River at Peoria | Peoria Sports Complex | |
| Thursday Evening Hangouts - CHOOSE FROM: | |||
| 8:45-10:00p | RosterLords Podcast Room 1 - Beat the Shift | Ariel Cohen, Reuven Guy | Canyon CE |
| 9:30-10:30p | Prospect Q&A Hour Bring your prospect questions! | Eric Longenhagen | Canyon G |
| 9:30-10:30p | Only-Leagues Focus: AL Experts leagues (Tout+LABR) recap; plus 2026 deep AL-only-league takeaways | Steve Gardner, Dave Adler, Tristan Cockcroft, James Anderson, Jeff Winnick, Andy Andres | Agua Fria |
| 9:30-10:30p | Why Fantasy Baseball Matters Discuss what keeps fantasy baseball “fun” with all the alternatives and everything else happening around us | Chad Young, Niv Shah, Justin Mason, Eno Sarris, Jeff Erickson | Madera |
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6
| 8:00-8:10a | Welcome and Introductions | Brent Hershey, Ray Murphy | Canyon Ballroom |
| 8:10-9:00a | Opening Address | Ron Shandler | Canyon Ballroom |
| 9:00-10:15a | Arizona Fall League Scouting Report AFL players you need to know this weekend | Eric Longenhagen, TBA | Canyon Ballroom |
| 10:00-11:15p | RosterLords Podcast Room 2 - CBS Fantasy Today | Frank Stampfl, Chris Towers | Canyon CE |
| 10:30-11:30a | Early-Round Rebounds Will 2026's early-round flops rise again? | Derek VanRiper, Brian Entrekin, Tristan Cockcroft, Jason Collette | Canyon Ballroom |
| 11:30-12:45p | RosterLords Podcast Room 3 - Fantasy Pros | Joe Orrico, Chris Welsh | Canyon CE |
| 11:40-12:40p | Friday breakouts #1 - CHOOSE ONE | ||
| AI for Content Creators | Todd Zola, Jason Collette, Justin Mason | Agua Fria | |
| Common Auction Mistakes Two respected auction players show us what to avoid in the bidding | Mike Mager, Ariel Cohen | Canyon G | |
| Scoresheet Meetup/Q&A Bring your Scoresheet questions | John Kracum | Arroyo | |
| Bring-your-own Roster Analysis Get a second opinion on your home league roster - keepers, trade targets, strengths/weaknesses, more | BHQ staff | Madera | |
| Lunch on your own | |||
| 1:30p | AFL Game - Mesa at Peoria | Peoria Sports Complex | |
| 1:30-3:30p | The Arizona Challenge Draft against the clock in this 2026 retro auction, where you must fill at least half your roster but are at the mercy of the Evil Panel, which controls all nominations. It’s invigorating chaos! | Ron Shandler, Todd Zola, Brian Walton | Canyon F |
| 1:45-2:45p | Friday breakouts #2 -CHOOSE 1 | ||
| Lessons from Shortened MLB Seasons | Matt Martingale | Arroyo | |
| Ottoneu Meetup/Q&A | Niv Shah, Chad Young, Andy Andres | Madera | |
| 2:15-3:30p | RosterLords Podcast Room 4 - On the Corner | Nick Pollack, Eric Samulski, Jake Crumpler | Canyon CE |
| 3:00-3:45 | Friday breakouts #3 -CHOOSE 1 | ||
| Bat Speed Gainers, 2026 | Joe Orrico, Erik Halterman, Britton Allan | Arroyo | |
| What We Did Wrong in 2026… And What to Do About It Draft, FAAB, lineups … an interactive group discussion on 2026 shortcomings and 2027 remedies | Michael Govier, Chris Towers, Greg Jewett | Canyon G | |
| 3:45-5:00p | RosterLords Podcast Room 5 - The Approach Angle | Kyle Bland, Nate Schwartz | Canyon CE |
| 4:00-5:00p | Friday breakouts #4 -CHOOSE 1 | ||
| What Actually Wins a Fantasy Baseball Auction? Projection systems, nomination oder, spending patterns and more: Evidence from thousands of simulated drafts | David Nickell | Agua Fria | |
| How I Break Down a Starting PItcher Pitch mix, mechanics, delivery, sequencing—one man's menu of evaluating a starting pitcher | Nick Pollack | Arroyo | |
| 2027 Prospect Breakout Candidates A dynasty-focused discussion on prospects to watch (and pick up!) next year | Taylor Corso, Kyle Sonntag | Canyon G | |
| 5:00-6:00p | Friday breakouts #5 - CHOOSE ONE | ||
| ADP: When to Listen, When to Ignore | Rob Silver | Canyon G | |
| Only-Leagues Focus: NL Experts leagues (Tout+LABR) recap; plus 2026 deep NL-only-league takeaways | Steve Gardner, Brian Walton, Frank Stampfl, Matt Cederholm, Derek Carty | Arroyo | |
| Are We Looking at Pitching Command All Wrong? Re-examining what we thought we knew about command | Eric Samulski | Agua Fria | |
| Strat-O-Matic Meetup/Q&A Bring your Strat questions and chatter! | Dean Peterson | Madera | |
| Dinner on your own | |||
| 6:30-9:00p | AFL Game - Glendale at Scottsdale | Scottsdale Stadium | |
| Friday Evening Post-Game Hangouts - CHOOSE FROM: | |||
| 8:45-10:00p | RosterLords Podcast Room 6 - Bubba & the Bloom | Brian Entrekin, Ryan Bloomfield | Canyon CE |
| 8:30-10:00p | AI Office Hours A drop-in, interactive, how-to workshop on engaging AI for fantasy. Bring your laptop and let's ask some questions | Ray Murphy, Nick Richards, TBD | Canyon Ballroom |
| 9:00-11:00p | Attendee Gladiator Draft NFBC 15-team 2027 draft-and-hold competition. Signup info to come … | Canyon F | |
| 9:30-10:30p | Lessons from the 2026 NFBC | Jeff Zimmerman, Rob Silver, Mike Mager | Canyon G |
| 9:45-10:45p | The Dynasty Blueprint / Q&A How to build your dynasty squad for the long haul | James Anderson, Taylor Corso, Kyle Sonntag | Arroyo |
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 7
| 8:00-8:10a | Saturday intro/Housekeeping | Hershey/Murphy | Canyon Ballroom |
| 8:10-9:10a | Player Spotlights: Hitters | Panelists: Jeff Erickson, Eric Samulski, Eric Karabell, Chris Towers; Moderator: Ryan Bloomfield | Canyon Ballroom |
| 9:20-10:20a | Player Spotlights: Pitchers | Panelists: Paul Sporer, Nick Pollack, Sara Sanchez, Derek Carty; Moderator: Ryan Bloomfield | Canyon Ballroom |
| 10:30-11:30a | Saturday breakout #1 - CHOOSE ONE | ||
| Bullpen Hour The 2027 saves landscape and Q&A session | Doug Dennis, Greg Jewett | Canyon EC | |
| Build Your Own Player Comparison Tool | Jeff Zimmerman | Arroyo | |
| 11:15-12:30p | Live Podcast: Rates & Barrels | Derek VanRiper, Eno Sarris | Canyon Ballroom |
| 12:30-1:30p | Buffet Lunch | Canyon FGH | |
| 1:15-2:00p | Bring-your-own Roster Analysis Get a second opinion on your home league roster - keepers, trade targets, strengths/weaknesses, more | BHQ staff | Madera |
| 2:00p | FIRST PITCH ARIZONA DRAFTERNOON Real 2027 standalone leagues, real prizes, a ton of fun. Signup details to come … | ||
presented by:  | NFBC Draft Champions #1 | Ballroom (Left) | |
| NFBC Draft Champions #2 | Ballroom (Right) | ||
| NFBC Best Ball | Madera | ||
| Mixed Auction | Arroyo | ||
| Scoresheet | Canyon B | ||
| 4:45-5:45p | 2027 Rookies for Redraft Leagues Which prospects have the best chance of making an impact in 2027? Our panel will discuss… | Jesse Severe, Eric Cross, Chris Welsh | Agua Fria |
| Dinner on your own | |||
| Saturday Evening Hangouts - CHOOSE FROM: | |||
| 6:00-7:15p | RosterLords Podcast Room 7 - Pallazzo Podcast | Michael Govier, Britton Allan, Sam Wirsching | Canyon CE |
| 6:30p | AFL Home Run Derby at Salt River Fields | ||
| 7:30-8:45p | RosterLords Podcast Room 8 - Sleeper & the Bust | Paul Sporer, Justin Mason, Jason Collette, Joe Orrico | Canyon CE |
| 9:00-10:30 | Dugout Duels An interactive fantasy game show that will combine popular content providers and you! Signup details to come … | Sam Wirsching | Canyon Ballroom |
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 8
| 8:30-9:15a | Sunday breakouts - CHOOSE ONE | ||
| Rules Forum / Q&A Discussion on several rule proposals that the XFL league considered this year. Plus a brainstorming session on how to find more immediate gratification in full-season leagues. | Ron Shandler | Madera | |
| 2027 Sophomore Starters Outlook Following up on a robust group of second-year starting pitchers heading into 2027. Accolades, cautions and more! | Jake Crumpler, Eric Samulski | Agua Fria | |
| Creating a Weekly FAAB List Get tips, tricks, timesavers—and just new ideas—on how content creators manage weekly free agent pickups. | Erik Halterman, Ariel Cohen | Canyon CE | |
| 9:20-9:30a | Sunday Housekeeping | Hershey/Murphy | Canyon Ballroom |
| 9:30-10:30a | Injuries: Facts and Analysis Who is healing … and who might not be | Matt Cederholm | Canyon Ballroom |
| 10:40-11:55a | Scout talk | Derek VanRiper, TBA | Canyon Ballroom |
| 11:55-12p | Final Wrap-up | Hershey/Murphy | Canyon Ballroom |
| 6:00-9:00p | AFL Fall Stars Game at Salt River Fields | ||
Program details subject to change.