Category: AFL
AFL: Peoria at Mesa 11.2.15
Notable Performances:
— Dylan Bundy, the No. 2 prospect in the Orioles organization, made his long-awaited return to the mound Monday afternoon and threw one perfect inning. Read more about him on MLBpipeline.com.
Bundy, selected fourth overall in the 2011 Draft, skyrocketed through the organization and made his Major League debut in 2012, but injuries have hampered him ever since.
The right-hander has pitched in just 17 games since the end of the ‘13 season — he had Tommy John surgery in ‘14 and was shut down with inflammation in his throwing shoulder this past May. The 22-year old was 0-3 with a 3.68 ERA in eight starts with AA Bowie this season, but until Monday, hadn’t started a game since May 21.
— Reds prospect Phillip Ervin put together a nice game at the plate. The left-fielder went 3-for-4 with two RBIs.
Ervin is coming off a 2015 campaign that was all about restoring his name as a top prospect. The former first-round pick struggled mightily in 2014, but rebounded this year and is showing some good signs in the Arizona Fall League. Read more about him on MLBpipeline.com.
Best Play:
— Athletics prospect Chad Pinder has made a couple nice plays in the Fall. The shortstop fielded a ball deep in the hole Monday afternoon and made the long throw across the diamond for the out.
Pinder, the No. 7 prospect in Oakland’s organization, was primarily used as a third baseman in college so the arm strength is not a total surprise. Pinder also hit a two-run homer.
— Atlanta’s John Camargo made a nice diving play at third to grab a ball down the line and take away a double.
Worth Mentioning:
— Sean Manaea got the start for the Mesa club and the No. 3 prospect in the A’s organization, and allowed one run in four innings.
The left-hander threw 66 pitches, 43 strikes, and although he was a bit shaky in the first (two hits and a walk) it may have been his best outing of the Fall as he found his rhythm and retired eight of the final nine batters he faced.
— Mariners prospect Tyler Smith was credited with a steal of home in the first inning. Smith was on third when Reds prospect Phillip Ervin stole second base and upon the catcher’s throw to second, Smith swiped home, completing the double steal.
— Orioles pitching prospect Tanner Scott, a lefty, had his fastball clocked at 101 MPH.
AFL Mesa at Surprise 10.28.15
Notable Performances:
— Alex Reyes was as advertised. The right-hander entered the Arizona Fall League as the top prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals and came through with another strong start Wednesday.
Reyes threw four shutout innings, allowed four hits and hit 100 MPH with his fastball. His curveball was clocked at 76 MPH and he threw 47 of his 80 pitches for strikes.
— Cubs No. 9 prospect Mark Zagunis hit the decisive three-run homer, which was his first homer in the AFL this year. He had an RBI single earlier in the day, which extended his hitting streak to four games, and was his first RBI of the AFL season. Read more about Zagunis and today’s crazy game on MLBpipeline.com.
Best Play:
— Rangers prospect Lewis Brinson and Yankees prospect Dustin Fowler each made diving catches in the outfield. Brinson made his in the first and although it was a nice play, he only had to dive because he initially broke back on the ball. Fowler, on the other hand, made a nice diving play breaking in on a ball in the sixth and in doing so kept a runner at third base.
Best At-Bats:
— A’s No. 6 prospect Renato Nunez jumpstarted the scoring for Mesa with a solo homer to left field.
— Yankees prospect Tyler Wade came through with a two-run go-ahead triple off the right field wall.
— Jurickson Profar continues to hit in the Arizona Fall League and drove in a pair with a double off the right center field wall in the 6th.
— Brinson also hit a solo homer in the seventh.
— The Cubs’ Jeimer Candelario highlighted a five-run eighth with a two-run double. Candelario has hit extremely well in the AFL with Wednesday being the latest example.
Worth Mentioning:
— Yankees prospect Gary Sanchez continues to rake. The catcher had another good day offensively and showed off some speed in the process. Sanchez stole second base in the first inning and was clocked at 19 MPH on the base paths. Then, in the third he tripled off the centerfield wall and topped out at 18 MPH.
Odd occurrence of the day:
— During the top of the 6th, an emergency alarm went off and while it startled everyone initially, it didn’t appear as it there was any real danger so play continued – despite the alarm. Thankfully it only lasted a couple batters, but I can now check “cover a game with an alarm on in the background” off the career bucket list.
It was later revealed that one of the cooks burnt lunch in the clubhouse and set off the fire alarms.
AFL Salt River at Scottsdale 10.27.15
Notable Performances:
— Taylor Rogers, the Twins No. 13 prospect, had a really strong afternoon and threw five shutout innings.
The left-hander struck out three, walked two and surrendered a pair of hits in his outing. After a couple rough outings, Tuesday’s game was Rogers’ best of the AFL so far. Rogers had great command of his pitches and was in a nice rhythm all afternoon. Read more about him on MLBpipeline.com.
Best Play:
— D-backs shortstop prospect Jack Reinheimer has a reputation for being a strong defender and the organization’s No. 12 prospect hasn’t disappointed thus far in the AFL. Reinheimer may a nice diving catch of a line drive in the first inning – just the latest example of his defensive abilities.
Best At-Bat:
— Nationals No. 21 Spencer Kieboom hit a go-ahead three-run homer to left in the sixth inning. Kieboom, who suffered a concussion at the end of the season, is healthy and having a nice showing in the AFL so far. The home run was his first of the Fall – Kieboom hit just two homers in 71 games this season – but the catcher does have a hit in five consecutive games.
Worth Mentioning:
— Kyle Freeland LHP Rockies No. 9 6 runs in 3.2 IP over two starts, but 3 scoreless in last start
Rockies prospect Kyle Freeland has improved each time I’ve seen him and Tuesday was no different. The left-hander threw six innings and allowed just one run on three hits.
Freeland, the No. 9 prospect in Colorado’s organization, couldn’t get out of the first inning in his first start and followed that up with three scoreless frames in his next start. Tuesday, despite allowing a run, was better as he looked to have command of all his pitches, especially the off-speed stuff.
— Giants No. 13 prospect Mac Williamson hit a pair of doubles and showed off his ability to hit the ball to all fields. Williamson hit a ground rule double to right in his first at-bat and followed that up with a double down the left field line in his next trip to the plate.
Williamson went opposite field again in his final at-bat of the day as he hit a two-run homer into the right-field bullpen.
AFL Scottsdale at Salt River 10.26.15
Notable Performance:
— Clint Frazier had another good showing offensively. The Indians No. 2 prospect went 3-for-5 and continues to hit the ball hard as all three of his hits were line drives. However he also struck out in his last two at-bats.
Overall Frazier put together a real nice game as he scored three runs and stole a pair of bases. Read more about his afternoon on mlbpipeline.com.
Best Play(s):
— Boston’s middle infield prospects were impressive. Shortstop Tzu-Wei Lin showed some nice range and arm strength in the first as he fielded a ball deep in the hole and threw across the diamond for the out. Two batters later, second baseman Carlos Asuaje – the club’s No. 23 prospect, fielded a ball in the hole and made a quick throw to second for the force out, showing quick feet in the process. Asuaje isn’t projected to be an elite defender, but had a nice showing Monday.
Best At-Bat:
— Adam Brett Walker II hit a monster three-run homer in the top of the ninth. I’ve heard a lot about the Twins’ prospects power, but had yet to witness it in person. Although there are still questions and doubts about his skills defensively, his power is real.
Worth Mentioning:
— Red Sox No. 11 Sam Travis also had a three-hit day and looked good offensively.
— D-backs prospect Yoan Lopez struggled once again. The young right-hander showed good flashes in his first two starts, but didn’t look nearly as good Monday. Lopez tossed 3 2/3 innings, gave up seven hits, walked one and hit a pair of batters. He also surrendered five runs – four earned. Lopez has struggled with command often in his career and that was the case once again as he left several balls up in the zone.
— Giants prospect Adalberto Mejia had a good outing through four innings, but when he came out for the fifth everything changed. The left-hander may have run out of gas as he gave up a leadoff single and then walked a pair of batters before he was lifted. All in all Mejia threw four-plus innings, gave up four hits and a trio of runs.
AFL Mesa at Peoria 10.21.15
Notable Performances:
— After a strong 2015 campaign, Reds No. 6 prospect Nick Travieso didn’t disappoint in his Arizona Fall League debut.
The right-hander was nearly perfect as he walked one and struck out four in three scoreless innings. The former first-round pick threw 16 of 24 pitches for strikes and showed off good command throughout his start. Read more about him on MLBpipeline.com.
Best Play:
— Reds prospect Phillip Ervin showed off his throwing arm in center. After catching a medium-depth fly ball, Ervin fired a strike to third base and nearly threw the runner out trying to advance from second. However, Peoria appealed and insisted the runner left the bag early. Following the appeal, he was called out.
Worth Mentioning:
— Left-handed pitcher Sean Manaea was really impressive in his Fall League debut last week and through two innings Wednesday it was more of the same.
But then came the third. After a pair of strong innings to start the game, Manaea lost some command in the third as he walked one, hit a batter and gave up four hits in that fateful frame.
While the third inning was disappointing, Manaea finished four innings having allowed three runs on five hits. Take away the third and he had a trio of 1-2-3 innings.
Although Manaea lost command in the third, his slider looked really good in the other innings and it’s easy to see why the Oakland organization wanted to acquire him.
— After Manaea left, a pair of A’s relievers came in and both looked good. Aaron Kurcz tossed a 1-2-3 inning with one strikeout and was followed up by Kris Hall and Brendan McCurry, who did the same.
— Cubs prospect Willson Contreras had a good day at the plate with a pair of doubles. Contreras doubled off the wall in left-center in the fourth and hit one to the warning track in right field in the seventh. He also hit a game tying two-run homer in the eighth.
— Marlins shortstop prospect J.T. Riddle had an RBI double off the right-field wall. Riddle is really starting to drive the ball as he doubled and homered in Tuesday night’s game.
— Braves prospect Mauricio Cabrera was clocked at 102 MPH on the radar gun. Of course, when you throw that hard, you’re susceptible to a long home run, which Cabrera gave up to Contreras.
AFL Mesa at Scottsdale 10.20.15
Notable Performances:
— Lefthander Adalberto Mejia, the Giants No. 12 prospect, had an up and down start. Right out of the gate Mejia struck out the side in the first inning and looked like he had great stuff.
But then he walked the bases loaded – his only three walks of the evening — and gave up a run in the second.
Overall, there was more good than bad in Mejia’s start as he finished five innings and allowed one run on one hit. He also struck out seven.
Best Plays:
— Jeimer Candelario, the Cubs 20th ranked prospect, is really making a name for himself so far in the Arizona Fall League. The third baseman was named co-player of the week after going 8-for-10 through the first three games, then made a nice play defensively Tuesday night.
Candelario fielded a hot shot behind the bag at third and after an initial bobble, made a strong throw across the diamond for the out. Really impressive arm strength.
— Marlins prospect J.T. Riddle made the play of the night with a diving stop up the middle. The shortstop made a nice stop on a hard-hit ground ball and turned what looked to be a hit into a 6-4-3 double play.
Riddle then homered in the next half inning. Read more about his night on MLBpipeline.com.
Best At-Bat:
— Indians No. 2 prospect Clint Frazier hit a massive opposite-field three-run homer in the third inning. Frazier is off to a great start in the AFL and has hit really well over the first two weeks.
— Candelario didn’t want to be outdone so in the sixth inning he hit a homer of his own. The Chicago farmhand hit a massive two-run shot to out to right that would have been gone in any ballpark.
Worth Mentioning:
— Pierce Johnson, the Cubs No. 7 prospect, had mixed results in his outing, similar to his first AFL start. The right-hander threw four innings and allowed three runs – the Frazier homer – on three hits. In the first inning it appeared Johnson was having trouble picking up the signs from the catcher so that may have been a cause for some of the struggles, but either way his stuff wasn’t crisp.
In the bullpen, Johnson said he didn’t have a good feel for his off-speed pitches and it looked like that carried over into the game.
AFL 10.19.15 Surprise at Salt River
Notable Performance:
Left-handed pitcher Ian Clarkin, the Yankees No. 7 prospect got the start for Surprise and allowed one run in four innings. Clarkin was a first-round selection in 2013 (33rd overall) and although he has plenty of talent, his young career has been hampered by injuries. The 20-year old appeared in just three games in 2013 because of a sprained ankle and missed all of the 2015 regular season with elbow troubles. In 2014, pitching for both Class-A Tampa and Class-A Charleston, he went 4-3 with a 3.12 ERA in 17 games – 16 starts. Read about Clarkin’s performance on MLBpipeline.com.
Best Plays:
— Cardinals shortstop prospect Aledmys Diaz made a nice play in the second inning as he fielded the ground ball up the middle, did a 360 turn and then threw to first for the out. Not the most challenging play in the world, but not an easy play either.
Later in the inning, Diaz made another nice play as he ranged to right to field a ball in the hole and was still able to start the 6-4-3 double play.
*Diaz did commit a throwing error in the sixth.
— Lewis Brinson, a Rangers prospect, made a terrific diving play in center to end the seventh.
— D-backs prospect Daniel Palka has impressed me multiple times with a strong arm in right. The clubs’ No. 29 prospect made another strong throw Monday afternoon on a flyball as he threw home and kept the runner at third.
Worth Mentioning:
— Brett Phillips hit leadoff for Surprise and after drawing a walk to start the game he stole second one batter later. Phillips, the second-ranked prospect in the Brewers’ organization, got a tremendous jump and stole the bag easily – despite a small stumble after taking a few steps. He stole 17 bases in the regular season.
Phillips later doubled and finished 1-for-3. He also made a strong throw from right to retire a runner trying to go from first to third on a single.
— The Mets’ Dominic Smith continues to impress at the plate. Smith has a really smooth swing and came through with a pair of singles and an RBI on Monday. Smith finished Monday’s game 3-for-3 and is now 6-for-8 in the Arizona Fall League.
AFL 10.15.15 Salt River at Peoria
Notable Performances:
— Jason Garcia, the 16th ranked prospect in the Orioles organization, impressed with a strong start. The right-hander threw two scoreless innings, allowed one hit and struck out five.
Garcia got some good experience after making his Major League debut this season and is hoping to build on that in the Fall League.
— Rowdy Tellez is a bit of a free swinger – he struck out three times Thursday – but he’s still fun to watch hit. The Blue Jays’ prospect had both a two-run single and a two-run homer in Thursday’s game and has eight RBIs in his first two AFL games.
— Nationals prospect Chris Bostick was the star of the game with two go-ahead homers. The former 44th round pick got a lot of carry on the first home run, but the second was a no-doubter. Read more about him here.
— Reds No. 11 prospect Phillip Ervin came through with a game-tying RBI double in the seventh and showed good range in centerfield.
AFL 10.14.15 Salt River at Scottsdale
Notable Performances:
— Tigers No. 10 prospect SS JaCoby Jones hit a three-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the third. Jones was really impressive at the plate Wednesday night. You can read more about him in my article on MLBpipeline.com.
— Indians No. 2 prospect Clint Frazier went opposite field with a two-run homer in the first. Frazier hit 16 homers this season and has plenty of power.
— Twins No. 13 prospect Taylor Rogers had a nice night on the mound. The left-hander made one mistake – which Guerrero hammered for a homer – but was otherwise in complete control.
Rogers allowed one run on two hits in four innings of work. He also struck out five.
Best Play:
— Indians prospect Todd Hankins made a nice play at second base as he leapt and snared a screaming liner in the second. Off the bat it looked like an easy hit on a hit-and-run, but instead it turned into a highlight reel double play.
— Not to be outdone, Sam Travis also made a nice play on a liner just past the bag at first. The ball appeared to be by Travis for a double into the right-field corner, but he was able to snag it at the last minute for the out.
Best At-Bat:
— Scottsdale scored 13 runs on 16 hits, so I’ll leave this category open for their entire lineup.
Worth Mentioning:
— Boston’s No. 11 prospect Sam Travis drove in the first run of the game with an RBI double down the left field line in the first. However, the second round pick from a year ago didn’t do much in his other at-bats and finished 2-for-6.
— D-backs prospect Gabby Guerrero, nephew of former MLB All-Star Vladimir Guerrero, reminded everyone of his uncle with a big home run to left-center. Gabby hit just seven home runs during the regular season, but hit 18 in 2014 so seeing him flash some power is not a complete surprise.
AFL 10.14.15 Glendale at Mesa
Notable Performances:
— Athletics prospect Sean Manaea got the start for Mesa. The left-hander, ranked as the No. 3 prospect in Oakland’s organization, was a big piece in the trade that sent Ben Zobrist to the Royals at this year’s Trade Deadline.
Manaea missed the first half of 2014 with injuries, but over the second half of the year he showed why expectations are so high. In 14 starts, Manaea posted a 2.66 ERA and struck out 51 batters in 42 2/3 innings.
On Wednesday, the left-hander got off to a bit of a shaky start — allowed one run on two hits in the first — but set down 10 in a row to finish his outing. Manaea finished four innings and allowed one run on two hits.
Best Play(s):
— Angels prospect Eric Aguilera made a diving stop at first base to take away a hit in the first inning. He also had two hits and two RBIs.
— Pirates No. 2 prospect Austin Meadows made an impressive throw from right field to home plate. The throw was right on line and one-hopped the plate. On the 20-80 scouting scale, one scout gave it a 55, another a 60. However, later in the game he had a similar opportunity and the throw wasn’t nearly as impressive.
The arm strength is there, the consistency needs some work.
Worth Mentioning:
— Angels catching prospect Stephen McGee hit just two home runs in 68 games this season, but he tapped into that power in the second inning with a home run to left. The prospect later doubled and caught a runner stealing with a real quick pop and perfect throw to second.
— Cubs No. 19 prospect Jeimer Candelario two well hit singles to right in first two at-bats. Then showed a little bit of pop with a ground rule double to right-center in his third trip to the plate.
Boor on Baseball 