AFL's Saguaros have the best record -- and the best celly

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Watching Chase DeLauter hit a double can be a thing of beauty. And at the Arizona Fall League this season, the entertainment didn't stop when he got to second.

MLB's No. 41 prospect, as well as his Surprise Saguaros teammates, would strike a saguaro cactus-like pose to celebrate a big hit en route to a league-best 18-10 (.643) record this fall.

"I think it's pretty fun. It adds a little bit ... of character to our team," Surprise catcher Carter Jensen said. "And I think obviously our team's got a lot of character already, so I think it just adds on, makes the game more fun."

Prior to the first game of the campaign, Surprise manager Roberto Mercado introduced a cowboy hat with a bandana as a nod to the Saguaros' logo mascot for home run celebrations. Then it was decided they needed a doubles move, like the Dodgers' Freddie dance or Rome's penguin waddle.

"We were kind of talking and nobody stood up and said anything, so I was like, 'Alright, I'll say it,'" said Jensen, the Royals' No. 5 prospect. "I stood up like, 'Alright, let's just make our own cactus.'"

The move, which is used after a base hit or big RBI, quickly took off. DeLauter did not travel for the first game of the season, so he did not get the memo. When the Guardians' No. 2 prospect did not celebrate after his first hit in Game 2, he was taken straight to kangaroo court and jokingly "got a bunch of crap for it" in the dugout.

"I think it just kind of brings a different energy to the game," said DeLauter. "I mean, it's not massive crowds; you can hear the game really well, so I think they're just bringing some energy, bringing some fun and, you know, trying to bring that out on the field as well."

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Surprise started off a little slow, but after 10 games, the Saguaros moved into a tie for first place on Oct. 18 and remained atop the standings ever since. The club -- which features Royals, Rangers, Guardians, Orioles and Astros prospects -- locked up home-field advantage for the Arizona Fall League Championship Game on Saturday night. And it's a good thing the Saguaros had such a pose at the ready as the club led the circuit with 64 doubles.

Both Jensen and DeLauter said Orioles No. 22 prospect Creed Willems gets the most into it. Jac Caglianone -- who is just four months removed from the Royals selecting him with the 6th overall Draft pick -- is also a consistent cactus poser.

After Saturday's championship game, the Saguaros will go back to their own farm systems. The next time they're on a field together, most of them will be in opposing dugouts. But they'll always have that fall they were cacti.

"I think the camaraderie we have as a team is unmatched," Jensen said. "We have a lot of fun. We're always super loud in the dugout. We're all rooting for each other. And I think it gives us a little bit of an edge because we're in the middle of November now, and it's kind of just like, it gets to be a grind, but, you know, having fun, it helps tremendously.

"You go out there, you know you're gonna have fun out there, and being with all the guys, guys that we've become close with, so I think it just adds a little bit and gives us an edge."