Category: baseball

November 10, 2015

AFL 11.10.15 Mesa-Surprise

Notable Performances:

— Jurickson Profar went 2-for-5 with a three-run homer. Profar has battled injuries each of the past two seasons and is using his stint in the Arizona Fall League to make up for lost time and get some at-bats. So far, he’s taken advantage of the opportunity.

Best Play:

— Royals prospect Ramon Torres started a nifty 6-4-3 double play in the third. The shortstop had to range to his right to make a play in the hole, but still made a nice, quick throw to second base. Yankees second baseman Tyler Wade also made a quick turn to complete the play.

Worth Mentioning:

— Ian Clarkin, the No. 7 prospect in the Yankees organization, started for Surprise. Clarkin, who missed the 2015 season because of injury, gave up two runs on four hits in four innings.

Clarkin threw 39 of his 63 pitches for strikes, but didn’t appear to have his best stuff. However, the left-hander was able to get himself out of some jams and Tuesday’s start was Clarkin’s best since his first AFL start.

— Brendan McCurry, Oakland’s 30th ranked prospect, was very impressive. The right-hander gave up one hit and struck out three in 1 1/3 innings of work. McCurry, who threw 12 of his 18 pitches for strikes, came in with the bases loaded and two outs and needed just once pitch to get out of the inning as he forced Rangers prospect Jurickson Profar to ground out.

McCurry’s fastball sat in the low 90s, his changeup in the low 80s and he also featured a curveball in the low 70s.

— Another day, another homer from Jeimer Candelario. The No. 20 prospect in the Cubs organization continues to stand out offensively in Arizona as he’s homered in each of his last two games.

— Cardinals prospect Aledmys Diaz put together a nice day at the plate at the third baseman hit a pair of doubles in the third and fifth innings.

November 10, 2015

A look back at 2015 MLB prop bets

Apologies for being a little late on this, but it’s a topic I wanted to revisit. Obviously if you bet on any of these preseason MLB prop bets, you know how they turned out, but for the rest of us – here’s a look.

Prior to the season, I published a list of some over/under bets that were being offered for the 2015 regular season and now I’m going back and seeing where the smart money was.

Highest Save Total By A Pitcher Over/Under 48.5

Pirates closer Mark Melancon finished the year with 51 saves.

Highest Strikeout Total By A Pitcher O/U 255.5

Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer and Chris Sale all hit the over in this category. Kershaw struck out 301 batters, Scherzer 276 and Sale 274.

Highest Home Run Total By A Batter O/U 42.5

Chris Davis led the league with 47 homers and Nelson Cruz hit 44, both going over the total.

Highest RBI Total By A Batter O/U 127.5

Nolan Arenado’s 130 RBIs would have hit the over.

Highest Hit Total By A Batter O/U 210.5

Dee Gordon led the league with 205 hits, falling just 5.5 hits shy of the mark.

Highest Stolen Base Total By A Player O/U 62.5

Dee Gordon’s 58 stolen bases led the league, but weren’t enough to hit the over.

Highest Batting Average By A Batter O/U .340

Miguel Cabrera hit .338.

Highest Win Total By A Pitcher O/U 20.5

Jake Arrieta’s 22 wins would have won this bet for those that picked the over. Consider that a 23rd win for Arrieta.

Will Any Pitcher Pitch A Perfect Game Yes (+200) No (-300)

Nope.

How Many No-Hitters Will There Be In Regular Season? O/U 4.5

Perhaps there should have been a bet about Max Scherzer’s no-hitters as the right-hander threw two of them himself. While Scherzer’s efforts would not have hit the over, the bet includes the whole league and Scherzer’s peers helped him out. All in all there were a stunning seven no-hitters in 2015.

November 10, 2015

AFL 11.9.15 Mesa at Glendale:

Notable Performance:

— White Sox prospect Adam Engel has been impressive in the AFL. The outfielder led off the game with a double, extending his hitting streak to six games, and promptly stole third base.

After hitting .251 in 136 games in the Minors, Engel has hit really well in Arizona. The former 19th round selection went 2-for-3 on Monday and is hitting .420 overall.

Best Play:

— Dodgers prospect Kyle Farmer had a nice game at third. The infielder/catcher made a nice play to end the fourth as he cut in front of the shortstop on a softly hit ball, spun around and fired across the diamond for the out. Farmer also turned a 5-3 double play to end the sixth.

Worth Mentioning:

— Jeimer Candelario, the Cubs No. 20 prospect, hit a solo homer to left in the third inning. Candelario has also hit well in the AFL, with the homer being his fourth of the season.

The infielder got off to a hot start in Arizona, is hitting .358, and has consistently performed as one of the better prospects in the league.

— Farmer came through with an RBI single in the third. Farmer is hitting .308 after a season in which he hit .296 with a career best 40 doubles and 66 RBIs.

— Brandon Brennan, the No. 30 prospect in the White Sox organization, gave up three earned runs in 12 innings over his first four AFL games (three starts). However, Monday was a different story. Brennan threw 32 of his 52 pitches for strikes, but wasn’t as sharp as he’d have liked. The right-hander gave up six hits and one run in each of the three innings he worked.

November 9, 2015

AFL 11.9.15 Salt River at Scottsdale

Notable Performance:

— Red Sox prospect Sam Travis stole the show with a three-run walkoff homer, but that wasn’t his lone contribution to the game. Travis went 2-for-6 on the afternoon and has been hitting well in the AFL as he now has a six-game hitting streak.

Best Play:

— Red Sox prospect Carlos Asuaje opened the game with a nice play on a slow roller up the middle. Asuaje may not be an elite defender, but has made several good plays during the AFL.

Worth Mentioning:

— Mickey Jannis, a knuckleballer in the Mets’ system, got the start for Salt River and his knuckleball was effective throughout.

The right-hander threw 50 of his 84 pitches for strikes and gave up just one unearned run in five innings of work.

Over his five AFL starts, Jannis has given up five earned runs in 24 innings.

— Twins No. 13 prospect Taylor Rogers started for Scottsdale and turned in another strong performance. The left-hander gave up two runs, one earned, in four innings. He also gave up three hits, walked three, struck out four and threw 51 of his 94 pitches for strikes.

Rogers allowed six earned runs in 21 innings over his five starts and had a streak of 10 scoreless innings snapped in Monday’s contest.

— Gabby Guerrero had a nice day at the plate. The D-backs No. 14 prospect had an RBI single in his first at-bat, but the two walks he drew may have stood out more. Just like his uncle, Guerrero is a bit of a free swinger (he struck out 108 times in 126 games this season) so it was a good sight to see him take some pitches and draw a pair of walks.

— Nationals prospect Chris Bostick hit a three-run homer in the eighth inning – his third homer of the Fall.

— Mac Williamson, the Giants No. 13 prospect, had a good afternoon as he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs.

November 4, 2015

AFL: Salt River at Mesa 11.4.15

Notable Performance:

— Raimel Tapia, the No. 8 prospect in the Rockies organization, jumpstarted the Salt River offense with a two-run, inside-the-park homer in the top of the first. Tapia doesn’t have a ton of power (although he is staring to generate more as he matures), but is blessed with a lot of speed and he put it on display Wednesday. In addition to flying around the bases on the homer, Tapia also used his legs to track down some balls in the outfield.

Tapia finished 4-for-4 and a triple shy of the cycle. Read more about him on MLBpipeline.com.

Best Play:

— Angels prospect Chad Hinshaw didn’t come up with the catch, but the way he attacked the ball and crashed into the wall in the first was impressive. Hinshaw showed he was willing to give up his body to make a catch and after a quick visit from the trainers, he stayed in the game – toughness is always a good trait as well.

Worth Mentioning:

— I hadn’t spent much time watching Blue Jays prospect Roemon Fields run, but had heard a lot about his speed, so Wednesday afternoon I decided to watch him run. It didn’t take long as Fields drew a walk to leadoff the game and promptly stole second. It wasn’t necessarily the stolen base that was impressive, but more the manner in which it was done – Fields got a tremendous jump and stole the base easily, the catcher’s throw never had a chance. However, Fields did get picked off first later in the game being a bit too aggressive on the basepaths.

— Athletics prospect Chad Pinder hit a home run deep to left. Pinder has hit four home runs in the AFL after hitting 15 in the regular season.

— Arizona’s Oscar Hernandez had a nice day at the plate with a trio of hits. Hernandez had an injury filled season and hasn’t hit very well in the Arizona Fall League, but perhaps he’s starting to put it together.

— Nationals prospect John Sims gave up one run on five hits. The right-hander tossed five innings and threw 41 of his 61 pitches for strikes.

November 3, 2015

AFL: Surprise at Scottsdale 11.3.15

Best At-Bat:

— Bubba Starling, the Royals 5th ranked prospect, hit his fourth home run of the Fall and it was a no-doubter out to left at Scottsdale Stadium. Starling’s homer cleared the left-field bullpen and gave his team a 4-0 lead.

Best Play:

— Indians third baseman Yandy Diaz made a few nice plays at third base. The play that stood out came in the third inning as he charged a groundball, fielded the short hop and began a 5-4-3 double play.

— Starling also made a great catch in the bottom of the sixth as San Francisco’s Christian Arroyo hit a line drive to straight away center. Starling got a good jump on the ball and made a leaping catch over his head.

Worth Mentioning:

— The wind was blowing out and clearly had some impact on the game, but there was still some power on display early.

Brewers No. 18 prospect Yadiel Rivera led off the game with an opposite field ground-rule double and Cardinals shortstop Aledmys Diaz followed up with a two-run homer to left that definitely benefitted from the wind.

— Rangers prospect Sam Wolff got the start for Surprise and was very impressive on the mound. Wolff had struggled in his first two AFL appearances – 8 earned runs in 13 innings pitched – but looked really good Tuesday.

The right-hander threw 4 1/3 shutout innings and although he never retired the side in order, he was really effective with his breaking ball and off-speed pitches.

November 2, 2015

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.

October 28, 2015

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.

October 27, 2015

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.

October 26, 2015

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.