Arizona Fall League Archives - River Avenue Blues

DotF: Torres, Andujar named to AzFL All-Prospect Team

December 10, 2016 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

The Arizona Fall League season ended a little less than a month ago, but other winter leagues are still going on around the world. Here are the final AzFL stats and here are the week’s news and notes:

Both SS Gleyber Torres and 3B Miguel Andujar were named to the Arizona Fall League All-Prospects Team, the league announced. The team is selected by AzFL managers and coaches. Torres became the youngest batting champ and MVP in AzFL history this year.
The Yankees have re-signed LHP Joe Mantiply to a minor league contract, reports Matt Eddy. Mantiply was claimed off waivers from the Tigers earlier this offseason before being dropped from the 40-man roster. The 25-year-old reliever had a 2.73 ERA (2.15 FIP) between Double-A and Triple-A before getting a cup of coffee in September this summer.
A.J. Cassavell wrote about C Luis Torrens from the Padres’ perspective. The Reds picked Torres in the Rule 5 draft, then traded him to San Diego in what I assume was a prearranged deal. The Padres traded a decent prospect to the Reds to get Torrens. San Diego seems pretty serious about trying to keep him.
Rookie Pulaski won the Short Season league Bob Freitas Award for “outstanding minor league operations.” Josh Norris has the story. The Pulaski franchise was a mess three years ago, but things have improved a ton under the new owners. Josh Leventhal wrote about it last year.
John Sickels at Minor League Ball posted his top 20 Yankees prospects list last week. Spoiler: Torres is in the top spot. “This is obviously a very deep system thanks to good drafting and recent trades,” said the write-up. Well, duh.
And finally, Christian Red has a puff piece on OF Clint Frazier, so make sure you check that out.

Australian Baseball League

RHP Brandon Stenhouse: 3 G, 2.2 IP, 5 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 1 WP (16.88 ERA and 2.63 WHIP)

Dominican Winter League

IF Abi Avelino: 18 G, 10-29, 4 R, 1 2B, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 1 CS (.345/.387/.379)
SS Jorge Mateo: 20 G, 7-42, 8 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 10 K, 5 SB, 1 CS, 1 HBP (.167/.239/.238) — he hasn’t played in more than a week now … I suppose it could be an injury, but chances are the team is just going with a more productive shortstop
RHP Anyelo Gomez: 3 G, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K (6.75 ERA and 1.50 WHIP)
RHP Adonis Rosa: 7 G, 14.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 BB, 6 K, 1 WP (0.00 ERA and 0.61 WHIP) — pretty great winter ball season

Mexican Pacific League

OF Tito Polo: 18 G, 15-66, 13 R, 4 2B, 1 RBI, 5 BB, 19 K, 8 SB, 1 CS, 4 HBP (.227/.320/.288) — hasn’t played in a few weeks now

Venezuelan Winter League

OF Angel Aguilar: 16 G, 4-23, 6 R, 10 K, 1 SB (.174/.174/.174) — I do enjoy that he’s managed to maintain an equal slash line through 16 games
C Francisco Diaz: 33 G, 21-94, 9 R, 4 2B, 2 3B, 3 RBI 9 BB, 17 K, 1 SB, 1 CS, 1 HBP (.223/.298/.309)
RHP Luis Cedeno: 4 G, 2 GS, 11.1 IP, 13 H, 9 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 7 K, 2 HR, 2 HB, 2 WP (5.56 ERA and 1.68 WHIP)
RHP David Kubiak: 9 G, 3 GS, 22 IP, 21 H, 15 R, 13 ER, 10 BB, 16 K, 1 HR, 3 HB, 3 WP (5.32 ERA and 1.91 WHIP)
RHP Mark Montgomery: 5 G, 3.2 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 3 K (7.36 ERA and 1.91 WHIP)

Tuesday Links: Chapman, Jansen, CBA, GMS Field, AzFL

November 1, 2016 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Pretty soon — as in 48 hours or less — the 2016 World Series will be over the offseason can officially begin. The free agent class is pretty weak, so I think we’re going to end up seeing a lot of trades this winter instead. That’s cool with me. Trades are much more fun. Anyway, I have some news and notes to pass along, so let’s get to them.

Yankees will target Chapman over Jansen

No surprise here: Jon Heyman says the Yankees are planning to target Aroldis Chapman in free agency before Kenley Jansen. Those two as well as Mark Melancon will hit the open market in the coming days now that the World Series is close to being complete. This upcoming free agent class kinda stinks, but there will be three high-end relievers available. Competition for them should be fierce.

A few weeks ago we heard the Yankees are planning to target a top reliever in free agency. I figured that would happen following the Chapman and Andrew Miller trades at midseason. The Yankees had the opportunity to flip those two for high-end prospects, then replenish the bullpen with free agents in the offseason. They did step one, now they have to do step two. Chapman won’t cost a draft pick plus the Yankees know him from his time in New York, so it’s no surprise he’s their Plan A. I prefer Jansen, but whatever.

MLB, MLBPA optimistic about finalizing new CBA

The current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on December 1st, which isn’t all that far away now, and Joel Sherman hears MLB and the MLBPA have agreed to “very few key issues” so far. Both sides are optimistic about avoiding a work stoppage, however. “I’m optimistic as well. The good thing is everyone understands and appreciates the issues,” said union chief Tony Clark.

Apparently free agent draft pick compensation is a hot topic and many potential changes are being discussed, including eliminating the need to surrender a pick. The team that loses a qualified free agent would still receive a compensatory draft pick, but the signing team would get to keep their first rounder. Sherman also hears it’s possible the current rules could remain in effect this offseason before a new system kicks in next winter. As long as there’s no work stoppage, and I don’t think there will be, it’s cool with me.

Yankees renovating GMS Field

Yankee Stadium is not the only park getting a facelift this offseason. George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa is being renovated as well, the Yankees announced. The ballpark is getting $40M worth of upgrades that will bring new seating sections, a shaded cabana area, and a huge new gift shop. Construction started in August — High-A Tampa had to play all their postseason games on the road this year — and will be presumably completed in time for Spring Training.

“The renovations, which include an increased number of fan-friendly vantage points, social gathering spaces and shaded areas, will provide our guests with the modern amenities necessary for an exceptional game day experience. We are equally excited about furthering the Yankees’ commitment to the Tampa community and look forward to unveiling a beautiful facility for our fans to enjoy for years to come,” said Senior VP and CFO Tony Bruno in a statement. Neat. Here are renderings of the upgrades and construction photos, if you’re interested.

Torres, Tate selected for Fall Stars Game

Gleyber Torres and Dillon Tate were selected to participate in the Arizona Fall League’s Fall Star Game, the league announced. Here are East and West rosters. Torres is the best prospect in the game according to MLB.com’s top 100 list. He’s hitting .313/.421/.656 (187 wRC+) with three homers, six walks, and five strikeouts in nine AzFL games so far. Tate has a 3.86 ERA (5.24 FIP) in 9.1 relief innings with the Scottsdale Scorpions.

The Fall Stars Game is more of a prospect showcase than a true All-Star Game. They pick the biggest names each year regardless of their AzFL performance. Also, they don’t disrupt pitching schedules, which is why Tate and not James Kaprielian was selected to the roster. Kaprielian’s not scheduled to pitch the day of the game. The Fall Stars Game is this Saturday at 8pm ET. It’ll be broadcast on MLB Network and streamed live on MLB.com. It’s a good time.

Update: Yankees remove James Kaprielian from Arizona Fall League roster

September 28, 2016 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Wednesday: Well, so much for that. Kaprielian has been removed from the Scottsdale roster, according to MLB Pipeline. Jack Curry says Kaprielian hasn’t suffered a setback. He was added to the AzFL roster prematurely. If Kaprielian completes his rehab work in Instructional League, he’ll pitch in the AzFL.

Monday: Right-hander James Kaprielian has been added to the Scottsdale Scorpions roster, according to the Arizona Fall League transactions page. The Yankees had one open pitching spot and were reportedly hoping to use it on Kaprielian, who has missed almost the entire season with an flexor tendon strain.

“I’m pretty happy and excited with the progression we’ve made,” he said to Brendan Kuty last week. “We’ve obviously taken our time with this and tried to deal with it smart. The Yankees have done a really good job with handling me and the process and I feel good with where I’m at.”

Kaprielian, 22, threw a two-inning simulated game last Tuesday and was scheduled throw again yesterday, according to Erik Boland. The plan was to have him make an Instructional League start this week if yesterday’s throwing session went as planned. The fact Kaprielian has been added to the AzFL roster indicates everything is going well. The Yankees wouldn’t add him to the roster if there any doubt about his health.

The Yankees selected Kaprielian with their first round pick (16th overall) in last year’s draft. He experienced a pretty significant velocity spike last year, going from 88-91 mph as a sophomore at UCLA to 92-93 mph by the end of his junior year, then 94-96 mph by the end of his first pro season. Kaprielian was reportedly up to 97-99 mph this spring. Unfortunately, big velocity spikes are followed by elbow woes more often than not, it seems.

In three starts with High-A Tampa this season Kaprielian had a 1.50 ERA (2.03 FIP) in 18 innings. He was dominant, as expected. Coming into the season the hope was Kaprielian would tear through High-A and Double-A, reach Triple-A in the second half, and possibly make his MLB debut in September. Obviously those plans had to be put on hold by the injury. The good news is he’s healthy now and going to the AzFL.

Kaprielian will join Greg Bird (shoulder surgery) as rehabbing Yankees in the AzFL. Tyler Wade, Gleyber Torres, Miguel Andujar, Josh Roeder, J.P. Feyereisen, and Dillon Tate are going as well. Yankees’ prospects will be on a team with Angels, Giants, Phillies, and Mets prospects. The AzFL season begins October 11th.

DotF: Bichette homers, helps Trenton advance to Eastern League Championship Series

September 10, 2016 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

Some notes before we get to today’s postseason action:

RHP Dillon Tate and RHP J.P. Feyereisen have been added to the Scottsdale Scorpions roster, according to the Arizona Fall League transactions page. Tate needs all the work he can get right now, so it’s good to see he’s going. The Yankees have one open AzFL roster spot and the hope is it will go to RHP James Kaprielian, assuming his elbow heals up in time.
Speaking of Tate, Grace Raynor wrote about the right-hander and not just his tough 2016 season, but his rise from unknown high school hurler to fourth overall pick in the draft. “I’m like, ‘Are you sure (you want to trade me)? Because I’m gonna come back,'” he said when asked about the deal.
2B Nick Solak and OF Billy McKinney both made today’s Prospect Report. I’m curious to know if the Yankees changed anything mechanically with McKinney. He hit one homer in 88 games with the Cubs and has four in 38 games with the Yankees, including playoffs.

Triple-A Scranton swept their first round postseason series. They’ll play either Gwinnett or Columbus in the best-of-five International League Championship Series. That series doesn’t start until Tuesday, so they’ve got the next few days off.

Double-A Trenton (3-2 win over Reading) they won the best-of-five series in four games … they’ll play either Akron or Altoona in the best-of-five Eastern League Championship Series starting next week .. Akron is up two games to one in that series

SS Tyler Wade: 0-4, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K — went 2-for-15 (.133) in the four games
CF Dustin Fowler: 2-5, 1 R, 1 K — went 5-for-16 (.313) in the four games
3B Miguel Andujar: 2-5, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 K — alternated no-hit games with two-hit games in the series
1B Dante Bichette Jr.: 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K — he went 5-for-13 (.385) and drove in five runs in the four games
RF Billy McKinney: 2-3, 1 BB — three straight two-hit games to close out the series
LHP Caleb Smith: 5 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K, 1/5 GB/FB, 1 E (throwing) — 65 of 95 pitches were strikes (68%) … only his eighth start of the season after spending most of it in the bullpen
RHP J.P. Feyereisen: 1.1 IP, zeroes, 2 K, 1/1 GB/FB — 12 of 17 pitches were strikes (71%) … allowed one hit and no walks in four innings in the series … he struck out six

[Read more…]

Update: Yankees sending Andujar, Bird, Torres, Wade, and Koerner to the Arizona Fall League

August 31, 2016 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

4:28pm: The rosters have been officially announced. The Yankees are sending RHP Brody Koerner to the AzFL in addition to Bird, Torres, Andujar, and Wade. They have three pitching spots listed as TBA. Wade is listed as an outfielder, so that’s interesting.

2:30pm: According to Josh Norris, the Yankees are sending first baseman Greg Bird to the Arizona Fall League this season. I imagine this is still a tentative assignment, but it does suggest Bird’s rehab from shoulder surgery is going well. The Yankees wouldn’t plan on sending him to the AzFL if there was serious concern he wouldn’t be ready in time.

Bird, 23, has missed the entire season after having shoulder surgery in February. He had a shoulder injury in the minors last year, raked during his second half cameo with the Yankees, then re-injured the shoulder during an offseason workout. Given how poorly Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez hit this year, the Yankees really missed Bird this summer.

This will be Bird’s second AzFL stint, though the circumstances are very different. He’s a rehabbing player now. Two years ago he was a prospect getting extra at-bats. Bird hit .313/.391/.556 (176 wRC+) with six homers in 26 games during his first AzFL stint. He was named the league’s 2014 Most Valuable Player, then made his MLB debut a few months later.

Norris says the Yankees are also sending third baseman Miguel Andujar and shortstops Gleyber Torres and Tyler Wade to the desert as well. All three are among the clubs better prospects and the Yankees are sending them to the desert for extra at-bats. Andujar is Rule 5 Draft eligible after the season and I imagine the team will use the AzFL stint to further evaluate him and make their 40-man roster decision.

The Yankees still have 3-4 pitching spots to fill and it could be a while before those are announced. James Kaprielian would be an ideal candidate if he gets healthy in time, though I doubt the Yankees will rush him back from a flexor injury. AzFL pitching assignments tend to be boring. Most top pitching prospects are already bumping up against their innings limit, so there are a lot of third and four tier pitching prospects in the league.

The AzFL season begins on Tuesday, October 11th, and runs through Thursday, November 17th. Yankees prospects will suit up for the Scottsdale Scorpions this year. They’ll be on a team with Phillies, Angels, Giants, and Mets prospects. There will be days Scottsdale has an all-Yankees infield. Pretty cool.

Ian Clarkin throws 4 innings in Arizona Fall League debut

October 19, 2015 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

For the first time in 2015, left-hander Ian Clarkin pitched in an official game this afternoon. Clarkin threw four innings for the Surprise Saguaros in the Arizona Fall League, allowing one run on three singles, one double, and three walks. He struck out two, got six ground outs, no fly outs, and threw 37 of 64 pitches for strikes (58%). Here’s the box score.

“I thought I pitched pretty well,” said Clarkin to William Boor. “It’s really good for me to have a starting point to make adjustments into my next start … It felt great. It was hard for them to take me out of today’s game. Obviously when they tell me I’m done, I’m done, but I wanted to go back out there”

Clarkin, 21, came into the season as the Yankees’ fourth best prospect. He then came down with a mysterious elbow injury and missed the season. It was originally called inflammation back in Spring Training. Clarkin was on a throwing program in August and September and has been pitching in Instructional League the last few weeks.

Keith Law was at this afternoon’s game and said Clarkin was sitting 90-92 mph with “that same good curveball he’s always had,” so that’s good news. His fastball/curveball combination has returned to where it was before the injury. Clarkin also throws a changeup and picked up a cutter last season. Here’s video of him warming up in the bullpen today.

“I think he threw the ball well, worked ahead in the count,” said Saguaros and Double-A Trenton pitching coach Jose Rosado to Boor. “It’s fun to watch a lefty so young in this league. It’s fun, especially when he’s able to work ahead in the count.”

The 2015 season is a lost season at this point, but at least the AzFL stint will allow Clarkin to get some competitive innings under his belt before going home for the winter. The AzFL season ends in about a month, so with any luck, Clarkin will throw another 25-30 innings this year.

“All I’m worried about is going out and dominating,” added Clarkin. “I have a lot more left in the tank. I’m happy that I have a starting point, but I can do a lot more. I expect a lot more.”

Yankees assign Domingo Acevedo to Arizona Fall League

October 12, 2015 by Mike Axisa Leave a Comment

According to the official roster, the Yankees have assigned RHP Domingo Acevedo to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League. He is the eighth farmhand heading to the desert, joining C Gary Sanchez, LHP Ian Clarkin, SS Tyler Wade, 1B/OF Tyler Austin, OF Dustin Fowler, LHP Chaz Hebert, and LHP Tyler Webb.

Baseball America recently ranked Acevedo the third best prospect in the Short Season NY-Penn League. Here’s a snippet of their scouting report:

Acevedo hit 103 mph at least once this summer and routinely worked his fastball at or around triple digits. He sits 95-96 mph early in starts but reaches back for 98-100 when he needs it … Acevedo complements his plus fastball with a plus changeup at 85-88 mph that serves as his main secondary offering. He completes the three-pitch mix with a below-average slider

Acevedo, 21, had a 1.69 ERA (2.85 FIP) in 12 starts and 54 innings for Short Season Staten Island this year, including the postseason. (He also made one spot start for Low-A Charleston.) He posted strong strikeout (26.2%) and walk (7.2%) rates. Acevedo’s a big boy. He’s listed at 6-foot-7 and 190 lbs. on the Surprise roster.

The 34-game Arizona Fall League season begins tomorrow. With all due respect to the other players, Clarkin’s return from the elbow injury that caused him to miss the entire 2015 regular season is the big story this year. He’ll be the youngest player in the AzFL.