Category: Clint Frazier

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 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 10.14.15 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.