Minor League Baseball Daily Thread for October 8th, 2019

With a day off on Monday, it’s a good time to reflect on the Arizona Fall League so far statistically with 15 games played. Let’s check out the top minor league baseball performers for each team by squad:

Minor League Baseball Top Performers

Glendale (5-10)

Hitters
Glendale has the worst record in a fairly even AFL overall, and their bats show why, with just two regular players hitting over .300. The offense is led by Tyler Stephenson with a .414/.485/.621 line, punching 6 doubles so far. Omar Estevez has also hit well, with a .300/.341/.325 line. Though his contact hasn’t been great, Blake Rutherford has still put up an .825 OPS while punching out 5 extra-base hits.

Pitchers
While the hitting has struggled, the Glendale Desert Dogs’ pitching has still been stellar. Four relievers have each tossed at least 5 innings without allowing an earned run thus far. Starters Victor Castaneda, Griffin Roberts, and Gerardo Carrillo have combined for 37 2/3 innings, a 3.34 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and an impressive 10/43 BB/K ratio.

Mesa (8-7)

Hitters
One of three teams with equal 8-7 records, Mesa’s used a balance of hitting and pitching to find success this year. The top performer at the plate has been Greg Deichmann, who has slashed .326/.412/.721 with 5 home runs thus far. Angels prospects Brandon Marsh, Jo Adell, and Jahmai Jones have combined for 12 extra-base hits and 8 stolen bases with a 16/29 BB/K over 113 combined at-bats, hitting a combined .301.

Pitchers
The top 9 pitchers on Mesa’s ERA leaderboard are all relievers, and that has been the weakest point for the Mesa team thus far. Former major leaguer Daniel Gossett has had the best time of any starter for the Solar Sox with a 3.27 ERA and 1.09 WHIP over 11 innings.

Peoria (8-7)

Hitters
Peoria just got one of their most talented players on the roster this week as Jarred Kelenic joined the team. He could have a tough time taking over the team “stud” role from Jared Oliva, though, as Oliva is slashing .425/.549/.625 with 7 extra-base hits and 7 stolen bases.

Pitchers
The strength of the Peoria team has been their pitching, led by Forrest Whitley, who has posted a 0.63 ERA, 0.70 WHIP, and a 2/20 BB/K over 14 1/3 innings. Starters Cody Ponce and Penn Murfee have combined for 23 innings with a 7/24 BB/K ratio and a 1.57 ERA.

Salt River (10-5)

Hitters
The Rafters have the best record in the league for a reason, with arguably the best combination of pitching and hitting in the Arizona Fall League, leaning on some of the deepest farm systems in minor league baseball to build their roster. Eight players are currently hitting .300 or better, led by top prospect Royce Lewis, who has a 1.078 OPS along with 5 doubles, 3 home runs, and 2 stolen bases. Victor Victor Mesa, Jake McCarthy, Seth Beer, Josh Lowe, Vidal Brujan, and Jerar Encarnacion are all hitting very well.

Pitchers
Just like the hitting, it’s been a team approach on the pitching, with 9 pitchers with a sub-3 ERA so far. Starter Ryan Castellani hasn’t allowed an earned run in two short starts while Nick Neidert has posted a 1.62 ERA and 0.78 WHIP over 16 2/3 innings with a 2/17 BB/K.

Scottsdale (8-7)

Hitters
With one of the more talented rosters on paper, Scottsdale’s lineup hasn’t produced quite to the level that many projected. There have been some standouts, however. Alec Bohm hasn’t found his power stroke yet, but he is hitting .390/.409/.463. Joey Bart is leading the AFL in home runs with 4, in spite of playing less games due to being a catcher, putting up an impressive .345/.513/.793 line. Middle infielders Andres Gimenez and Logan Warmoth are making big impressions and could potentially translate their AFL work into 2020 playing time in their respective organizations.

Pitchers
While the hitting hasn’t quite been what was expected, the pitching has been incredible, especially the starters. The Scorpions’ starting staff of David Peterson, Connor Seabold, Spencer Howard, Connor Johnstone, and Tristan Beck have combined for a 2.09 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and a 19/55 BB/K over 51 2/3 innings. Multiple relievers have shown well, but behind that rotation, not a lot of relief has been needed!

Surprise (9-6)

Hitters
The second best record in the league has come significantly from the arms, but with all the talent on the team, the surprise (pun intented) in the Saguaros offensive success has been the hitting of their catchers, especially Matt Whatley and Jakson Reetz, who have combined to go 15-for-42 (.357 average) with 3 doubles, a triple, and a home run. Luis Garcia and Kyle Isbel have been dynamic at the top of the order, sporting .904 and .877 OPS’s respectively with 4 doubles apiece.

Pitchers
The Surprise starters have carried their squad thus far, specifically their top 4 of Daniel Lynch, Glenn Otto, Dean Kremer, and Sterling Sharp. Combined, those four pitchers have allowed 8 earned runs in 40 innings (1.80 ERA) with a 14/45 BB/K ratio. Add in a half dozen relievers that have yet to allow an earned run in the AFL, and the Surprise pitching has been a tough matchup so far for hitters.