Category: Arizona Fall League

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 Salt River at Surprise 10.20.15

Notable Performances:

—  Adrian Houser, the Brewers No. 27 prospect, put together a strong outing after a rough beginning. Houser didn’t look to have his best stuff and struggled with command in the first inning. However, after escaping that frame via Wisdom’s double play, Houser settled down and found his rhythm.

The right-hander allowed two hits over 3 1/3 shutout innings. He walked two and struckout one. In two AFL starts, Houser has totaled six innings and allowed no runs on three hits. Read more about Houser on MLBpipeline.com.

— Royals No. 5 prospect Bubba Starling notched a two-hit day his third multi-hit performance in five Arizona Fall League games.

Best Play:

Cardinals third baseman Patrick Wisdom, the club’s No. 12 prospect, showed off some defensive versatility right away as he turned a double play to end the top of the first. Wisdom caught a foul ball up against the stands down the left field line and promptly threw home to get the runner tagging from third. Scouts believe Wisdom has above-average arm strength and that play certainly supported that theory.

Worth Mentioning:

— D-backs No. 5 prospect Yoan Lopez followed up what was a relatively successful first AFL start with a disappointing one. The 22-year old allowed two earned runs across four innings in his first outing of the fall, but on Tuesday he lasted just 2 2/3 innings and gave up three runs on a walk and five hits.

Lopez looked good early, but lost command in the third as six of the first seven batters of the frame reached. Lack of command has plagued Lopez early in his career and it looks like that’s still the case. As for his stuff, Lopez’s fastball topped out at 96 MPH, his cutter sat at 88 MPH and his slider topped out at 85 MPH.

— Michael Reed, the Brewers No. 17 prospect – came through with an RBI single in the third, but finished just 1-for-4. Wisdom also had an RBI single and was 2-for-4 on the afternoon.

AFL 10.19.15 Glendale at Peoria

Notable Performances:

Monday night’s game was a great one for the Glendale pitching staff. Phillies prospect Yacksel Rios started the game with three no-hit innings and a trio of relievers threw no-hit innings after that.

Peoria didn’t notch its’ first hit until the seventh – and promptly scored a pair of runs – but it was still a good day for the Glendale arms as they allowed just two runs on three hits in the hitter-friendly AFL.

Best Play:

Atlanta’s Connor Lien caught a line drive in centerfield that appeared to be over his head. The outfield made a nice read on the ball and made a leaping grab as the ball was above him.

Best At-Bat:

It may not have been the “best” at-bat, but at the time it was the most important. Padres prospect Nick Torres led off the seventh inning with a single up the middle – ending Glendale’s bid for a combined no-hitter.

Worth Mentioning:

— White Sox No. 17 prospect Adam Engel drove in the game’s first run with an RBI single and finished 2-for-3 on the night. Engel isn’t the best hitting prospect in the world and is known more for his speed as he stole 65 bases this past season.

Engel’s speed was on display once again Monday as he went 1-for-2 in stolen base attempts. Read more about his night on MLBpipeline.com.

— The 2015 season was a forgettable one for Mariners’ James Paxton (he missed the bulk of the season with multiple injuries) and Monday’s start was equally forgettable.

Paxton pitched 3 1/3 innings and allowed three runs – one earned – on five hits. However, the two unearned runs came as a result of Paxton’s own throwing error.

The left-hander got off to a strong start and looked good through the first two frames, but things fell apart in the third. The leadoff man reached via the Paxton error and then one strikeout later he surrendered three consecutive hits.

After retiring the first batter of the fourth, he gave up back-to-back hits and his night was complete.

AFL Opening Day: Mesa Solar Sox at Glendale Desert Dogs 10/13/15

The 2015 Arizona Fall League is officially underway and in addition to the articles I will be writing for mlb.com and mlbpipeline.com, I’m going to be adding some additional tidbits to the blog. These will be trends/players/plays that stood out, but that didn’t make it into any articles for one reason or another. This will also be a spot where I answer questions sent to me that I don’t get to on Twitter.

Notable Performances:

– Chad Pinder, Athletics No. 7 prospect, hit a pair of homers and finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs. Oakland’s organizational hitting prospect of the year and the Texas League Player of the year hit 15 homers this season and neither of his homers were cheapies. Wednesday was a strong start to the Arizona Fall League for Pinder as he hit the ball hard all afternoon.

– Dodgers No. 24 prospect Kyle Farmer didn’t show a lot of power during the year, so it was a bit surprising to see him pop one over the 380’ sign in left-center. Farmer also had a walk-off single. You can read more about him here.

Best Play:

– Renato Nunez, the sixth ranked prospect in the A’s organization, is still developing as a defender, but showed some flash in the second inning. Nunez, playing third, dove to his left and made a great stop on a hard-hit ground ball, but then rushed and made an errant throw across the diamond.

Nunez redeemed himself a bit in the fifth as he had to back up to field a big hop behind the bag and made the long throw with ease.

Worth Mentioning:

– Phillies 16th ranked prospect Andrew Knapp was named Philadelphia’s organizational hitting prospect of the year and showed why with a booming double off the left-center field wall.

– Brian Holmes, selected in the 13th round of the 2012 Draft by the Astros, isn’t on the club’s top-prospect list, but flashed some potential in his two innings of work. The left-hander struck out 115 batters in 101.1 innings this year so he has strikeout stuff, but struggled a bit with command in his two scoreless innings Tuesday.

– Phillies top prospect J.P. Crawford went 1-for-4 and wasn’t all that impressive at the plate, but made a few athletics plays defensively. Pretty easy to see what all the hype is about.

– Corey Black, the No. 18 prospect in the Cubs organization had 101 strikeouts in 86 innings of AA this season so it’s obvious he has the stuff necessary to put hitters away. Black threw one inning Wednesday and struck out a pair.

It’s never as far as it seems

I realize now you’re never as far from the Major Leagues as you may think.

Attend an Arizona Fall League game and other than the fact that the games are held in the Spring Training homes of the Major League clubs, they don’t feel like Major League games.

There’s hardly anyone in the stands, the games can end in a tie after 10 innings and the vast, vast majority of the players are anonymous to the casual fan.

However, the 2014 Arizona Fall League offered me the opportunity to watch Addison Russell, who made his Major League debut on April 21, as well as Byron Buxton and Francisco Lindor, both of which are expected to debut today.

Russell, Lindor and Buxton were all regarded as top prospects within their organizations so looking back on it, it’s not necessarily a major surprise that they have all been called up this season.

After watching the work that the trio – along with many others — put in work under the Arizona sun, it is nice to see them rewarded, accomplishing their goals and showcasing their talents on the big stage.

The AFL may be different from the MLB, but the first half of the 2015 season has shown us that those players playing in the half full stadiums, are just one phone call away from the show.