The video above, courtesy of Kiley McDaniel, is SS Jorge Mateo running down the line a few times in Instructional League. McDaniel says he clocked him at 4.0 seconds down the line from the right side of the plate, which is basically 80 speed. Kid’s fast.
In other video news, Josh Norris posted some Arizona Fall League footage the other day. It’s not embeddable, but just click the link to watch. It includes clips of both OF Tyler Austin (2:17 to 2:36) and 1B Greg Bird (2:36 to 3:27). The video is from the first game of the AzFL season, when Bird hit two doubles and a homer. Austin singled twice. Check it out.
AzFL Scottsdale Scorpions (6-3 loss to Salt River) Wednesday’s game
- 1B Greg Bird: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K
- RF Tyler Austin: 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 K
- RHP Kyle Haynes: 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 3/0 GB/FB — 15 of 28 pitches were strikes (54%) … looks like he replaced RHP Branden Pinder on the roster for whatever reason … Norris says Haynes sat 93-95 mph with a hard slider and changeup both in the mid-80s … he’s the guy they got from the PirateS for Chris Stewart last winter
- RHP Caleb Cotham: 2 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 HB, 2/0 GB/FB — 17 of 29 pitches were strikes (59%) … both hits were solo homers
- RHP Alex Smith: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K, 1 HB, 1/0 GB/FB — 16 of 32 pitches were strikes (50%) … he plunked ex-battery mate Peter O’Brien
AzFL Scottsdale Scorpions (11-2 loss to Peoria) Thursday’s game
- 1B Greg Bird: 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K
- RF Tyler Austin: 1-3, 1 BB, 2 K
- 3B Dante Bichette Jr.: 0-3, 1 RBI, 1 E (fielding) — replaced 3B Eric Jagielo on the roster after Jagielo had his face broken by an errant pitch in Instructional League a few weeks back
AzFL Scottsdale Scorpions (6-5 win over Glendale) Friday’s game
- RF Aaron Judge: 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 K
- 1B Greg Bird: 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K — got picked off first … 7-for-16 (.438) with three doubles in a dinger in his first three games out in the desert
- DH Dante Bichette Jr.: 1-4, 1 K — got picked off second … Judge, Bird, and DBJ hit 3-4-5 in the lineup
- RHP Alex Smith: 1 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 0/1 GB/FB — 18 of 29 pitches were strikes (62%)
- RHP Kyle Haynes: 1 IP, zeroes, 1 K, 2/0 GB/FB — nine pitches, six strikes
AzFL Scottsdale Scorpions (7-6 win over Surprise in ten innings) Saturday’s game
- 1B Greg Bird: 1-5, 1 R, 2 K
- 3B Dante Bichette Jr.: 1-4, 1 R, 1 K, 1 CS — 2-for-11 (.182) in the early going
- RF Tyler Austin: 0-4, 1 BB
- C Kyle Higashioka: 3-5, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
- RHO Caleb Cotham: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 1/0 GB/FB — 18 of 28 pitches were strikes (64%)
The Dominican Winter League season begins next Friday. The rosters have not yet been released but don’t worry, there will be more than a few Yankees’ farmhands playing here this winter.
The Mexican Pacific League just started Friday and no one’s gotten into a game yet. RHP Luis Niebla, RHP Gio Gallegos, and OF Jose Figueroa are all listed on rosters.
The Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League (Puerto Rico) doesn’t begin play until October 30th. No rosters yet.
Venezuelan Winter League
- C Francisco Arcia: 3 G, 3-11, 1 R, 2 2B, 5 RBI, 3 K (.273/.273/.455)
- UTIL Ali Castillo: 3 G, 2-9, 1 R, 2 K, 1 CS (.222/.222/.222)
- OF Ramon Flores: 2 G, 2-6, 2 R, 1 K (.333/.333/.333)
- UTIL Adonis Garcia: 3 G, 3-12, 2 R (.250/.250/.250)
- C Jose Gil: 1 G, 0-2, 1 BB, 1 K (.000/.333/.000)
- RHP Diego Moreno: 2 G, 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 1 HB (0.00 ERA, 0.50 WHIP)
The VWL season just started Thursday, so obviously there hasn’t been much action. In addition to the six guys who have already appeared in games, OF Ericson Leonora, RHP Mark Montgomery, RHP Wilking Rodriguez, SS Angel Aguilar, and C Frankie Cervelli are all listed on rosters. Remember, just because a player is listed on a roster, it doesn’t mean he will play. That just means the team controls his winter ball rights.
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