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Good afternoon baseball aficionado's and welcome to the Halloween Edition of the AFL Gameday thread. It's not much diffrerent but it does give me the excuse I've been looking for to utilize some eye candy. So without further adieu, I give to you all the goodies from out West.
League Standings
| TEAM | WIN | LOSS | TIE | GB |
| AFL EAST | ||||
| Mesa Solar Sox | 11 | 7 | 1 | - |
| Salt River Rafters | 9 | 10 | 2.5 | |
| Scottsdale Scorpions | 7 | 12 | 4.5 | |
| AFL WEST | ||||
| Surprise Saguaros | 12 | 6 | 1 | - |
| Glendale Desert Dogs | 8 | 9 | 2 | 3.5 |
| Peoria Javelinas | 8 | 11 | 4.5 |
Game Recaps
Mesa 7 - Scottsdale 0
The Mesa pitching was too much for the Scorpions to handle, only managing five hits on the day while getting shut out. Starter Dallas Beeler gave the Solar Sox four excellent innings, only allowing a pair of hits with one strike out. Reliever Richie Mirowski pitched in two more scoreless frames with three hits allowed and two strike outs. Kenny Faulk, Seth Frankoff and Mike Morin finished off the game with each tossing a hitless inning. Faulk walked a pair while Frankoff struck out two, and Morin walked a batter. Their offense was led by a two-run shot off the bat of Matt Skole who also walked, struck out twice, and made his first error. Addison Russell went 1-4 with a double, run scored, stolen base, was hit by a pitch and struck out. Lead off man Brian Goodwin put together a two hit day with a double, single, run scored RBI and a strike out. Right fielder Tyler Collins and catcher Jett Bandy each had multi-hit games as well. Collins scored one and walked in five trips while Bandy drove in one and struck out once. Scottsdale's pitching did not do them any favors either. Phil Irwin was tagged for three runs on three hits in four innings with a wild pitch, hit batter, three strike outs and a home run allowed. He was tagged with the loss. The next five relievers all handled an inning a piece, but with varying success. Tyler Waldron came in after Irwin and gave up two runs on three hits. Cody Hall also allowed two on three hits but both runs were unearned. Shae Simmons struck out two with two hits in his inning while Derek Law had an almost identical line with only one hit allowed. John Cornely finished it out by dancing around three walks with a strike out. Mason Williams had the only extra base hit, a double, along with a strike out from the lead off slot. Elmer Reyes and Tommy La Stella each had a single in four at bats with Reyes going down on strikes once and La Stella making his second error. Left fielder Jarrett Parker was 1-2 with a pair of walks, third baseman Aderlin Rodriguez was 1-3, and DH Addison Maruszak walked once in four trips to the plate. Maruszak was named to the roster in place of Tyler Austin. Right fielder Cory Vaughn came up empty, going 0-4 with a punch out and his third error of the fall.
Surprise 12 - Salt River 6
Up until the 6th inning this game was all Salt River, with the Rafters in possession of a commanding six run lead. The next three innings were everything you would expect from a bullpen that hit the self-destruct button. Three runs in the 6th, five in the 7th and another four runs in the 8th finished it off. Surprise went yard three times in that span, with first baseman Travis Shaw delivering the final straw, a grand slam to right that took Surprise from two runs down to up by two and they would not give up the lead. Shaw finished 3-5 with the slam, a double, two runs scored, four RBI and a strike out. Center fielder and lead off spark plug Tyler Naquin was 2-4 with three runs scored, a home run, two RBI and a walk with an assist from center, throwing out Andy Burns at second base. Third baseman Ryan Rua also went yard for the second night in a row, part of a 1-4 game with a run scored, two RBI, a strike out and the bomb shot to center. Short stop Derrik Gibson is hitless this fall, and still is after this, but he did walk twice, score three runs and struck out once. Catcher Michael Ohlman was 0-3 with a walk, strike out, run scored and made a throwing error. DH Joe Wendle knocked in a pair with a hit, walk, and run scored in five trips to the plate. Starter Will Lamb was rocked again, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and four walks in just 2.2 innings. He struck out one and threw a wild pitch as well. Tim Berry followed with 1.1 innings, allowing a run on a hit and walk with two strike outs and a wild pitch. The next four relievers were lights out, covering five shut out innings with just three hits allowed. Shawn Armstrong started the trend with a hit and walk allowed but all three outs came on punch outs. Branden Kline had four strike outs and just a hit allowed in two innings. Tyler Sturdevant, the replacement for pitcher Trey Haley, threw a perfect 8th inning and David Goforth locked down the 9th with a strike out, hit and walk allowed.
Salt River wasted one of the best starts of anyone this fall from Sam Gaviglio. He shut down Surprise, allowing just a pair of walks and hits over five scoreless with six punch outs. Mike Montgomery followed with three unearned runs on one hit and two wild pitches with a strike out in one inning. Anthony Ferrara began the 7th inning and walked two and gave up two runs, only getting a pair of outs. Henry Garcia got the last out of the inning but allowed three more runs on two hits, two walks and a homer. Jake Barrett got the first two outs of the 8th inning, but was tagged for four runs on two walks and three hits, with two of those hits leaving the park. Dean Kiekhefer was brought in to stop the bleeding and got the last out of the inning. Andy Burns got the start in left field and went a perfect 3-3 with a walk and pair of doubles. He also drove in two and stole his fifth base of the AFL. DH Kyle Parker also knocked two doubles, scoring once and also striking out twice. Cristhian Adames went 1-3 with a walk, triple, two RBI, and a strike out. He also made his fourth error at short stop. Left fielder Mike Freeman went 1-4 with a stolen base, strike out and made an error on a bad throw. Catcher Luke Maile made his AFL debut with a 0-3 performance with two strike outs and an RBI from a sacrifice fly. He replaced fellow Rays catcher Curt Casali. First baseman Richie Shaffer worked three walks, scoring twice and going down swinging twice.
Peoria 7 - Glendale 5
A third inning three-run home run by Stefen Romero gave Peoria a firm lead they wouldn't relinquish. Romero finished the day 2-5 with four RBI's and a strike out to go with the homer. Second baseman Chris Taylor also went yard, starting off the game with a long ball. Short stop Nolan Fontana was 2-3 with two walks, a strike out and two runs scored. Center fielder Lane Adams was 1-2 with two walks as well, a strike out and a run scored. Jake Lowery was 1-4 with a triple and RBI at the dish and had two passed balls behind the plate. Cameron Perkins was 1-4 while getting caught stealing, and Japhet Amador was 0-4 with an RBI off a sacrifice fly. Starting pitcher Brandon Maurer allowed three runs on four hits and a walk but struck out six and balked. Adys Portillo came in next and gave up a pair of runs (one earned) on two hits and two walks with three strike outs. Jonas Dufek threw a pair of near-perfect frames, striking two with one walk. Ken Giles handled the final inning, walking two but not allowing a run or hit.
A key error by starting pitcher Stephen McCray in the third inning led to Romero's homer and putting the Desert Dogs in a huge hole. Because of his error only one of the five runs he allowed was earned, with two walks, three hits and two home runs allowed. He also uncorked a wild pitch and was tacked with the loss. Trevor May threw a scoreless frame with a hit allowed and a strike out. Chad Rogers threw a pair of innings, allowing an unearned run on two hits and two walks with a strike out and a balk. Yimi Garcia, Colby Suggs, and Chris Bassitt finished it off with an inning a piece. Garcia allowed one run on two hits with a punch out, Suggs only walked one and Bassitt struck out one with a hit allowed. Third baseman Colin Moran drove in two going 1-3 with a walk and a throwing error, his first of the fall. The 1-2 combo of Brent Keys and Marcus Semien both walked twice with a single and a strike out. Keys scored once while Semien circled the bases two times. Center fielder Jared Mitchell was 1-4 with a triple, a run scored and three strike outs. Catcher Tucker Barnhart was 1-3 with a double, walk and a run scored.
Probable Starters
Glendale @ Peoria * - 3:35 PM EST
Glendale - RHP Jamie Walczak (1-0, 6.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R/ER, 5 BB, 10 K, 2.5 GO/FO)
Peoria - LHP Kyle Hunter (0-1, 10.1 IP, 17 H, 7 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 K, 1.33 GO/FO)
Scottsdale @ Mesa - 3:35 PM EST
Scottsdale - LHP Vidal Nuno (0-1, 10.2 IP, 14 H, 8 R, 6 ER, 1 BB, 9 K, 1 HR, 0.67 GO/FO)
Mesa - LHP Michael Roth (1-0, 13 IP, 10 H, 6 R/ER, 9 BB, 8 K, 1.25 GO/FO)
Surprise @ Salt River - 3:35 PM EST
Surprise - LHP Tim Berry (2-0, 11 IP, 10 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 1.00 GO/FO)
Salt River - RHP Drew Hutchison (0-0, 10.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 11 K, 1 HR, 1.75 GO/FO)
*Peoria "home" games are played at Surprise Stadium
League Leaders
| Rank | Category | Player | Team | |
| 1 | AVG | .415 | Jorge Alfaro | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | OBP | .552 | Michael Ohlman | BAL/SUR |
| 1 | SLG | .920 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| 1 | OPS | 1.366 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| 1 | Hits | 23 | Tyler Naquin | CLE/SUR |
| 1 | Runs | 15 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| T-1 | Doubles | 6 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| T-1 | 6 | James Ramsey | STL/SRR | |
| 1 | Triples | 3 | Cory Vaughn | NYM/SCO |
| 1 | HR | 6 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| 1 | RBI | 17 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| T-1 | SB | 9 | Steven Souza | WAS/MSS |
| T-1 | 9 | Kenny Wilson | TOR/SRR | |
| T-1 | Walks | 12 | Tommy La Stella | ATL/SCO |
| T-1 | 12 | Matt Skole | WAS/MSS | |
| 1 | K | 1 | Tommy La Stella | ATL/SCO |
| 1 | Total Bases | 46 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| 1 | wOBA | .582 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| 1 | wRC+ | 252 | Kris Bryant | CHC/MSS |
| Rank | Category | Player | Team | |
| 1 | AVG | .000 | Derrik Gibson | BOS/SUR |
| 1 | OBP | .150 | Todd Glaesmann | TB/SRR |
| 1 | SLG | .000 | Derrik Gibson | BOS/SUR |
| 1 | OPS | .302 | Lane Adams | KC/PEO |
| T-1 | Hits | 2 | Lane Adams | KC/PEO |
| T-1 | 2 | David Frietas | OAK/MSS | |
| 1 | Runs | 0 | Todd Glaesmann | TB/SRR |
| T-1 | RBI | 0 | Five players tied | |
| 1 | CS | 4 | Kenny Wilson | TOR/SRR |
| T-1 | BB | 0 | Three players tied | |
| 1 | K | 20 | Robby Hefflinger | ATL/SCO |
| 1 | Total Bases | 0 | Derrik Gibson | BOS/SUR |
| 1 | wRC+ | -19 | Todd Glaesmann | TB/SRR |
| 1 | wOBA | .151 | Todd Glaesmann | TB/SRR |
| T-1 | ISO | .000 | Eight players tied |
| Rank | Category | Player | Team | |
| 1 | ERA | 11.25 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | WHIP | 2.83 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | Loss | 3 | Aaron Northcraft | ATL/SCO |
| T-1 | Hits | 20 | Will Roberts | CLE/SUR |
| T-1 | 20 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR | |
| 1 | ER | 15 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | Walks | 14 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | HR | 4 | Will Roberts | CLE/SUR |
| T-1 | K | 6 | Stephen McCray | CWS/GDD |
| T-1 | 6 | Kyle Hunter | SEA/PEO | |
| T-1 | 6 | Tyler Waldron | PIT/SCO | |
| T-1 | 6 | Dallas Beeler | CHC/MSS | |
| 1 | FIP | 6.33 | Will Roberts | CLE/SUR |
| 1 | K/9 | 3.86 | Dallas Beeler | CHC/MSS |
| 1 | BB/9 | 10.5 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | K/BB | 0.50 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | BAA | .386 | Kyle Hunter | SEA/PEO |
| 1 | K% | 10.3 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| 1 | BB% | 20.6 | Will Lamb | TEX/SUR |
| Rank | Catgory | Player | Team | |
| 1 | ERA | 0.64 | Tommy Collier | DET/GDD |
| 1 | WHIP | 0.56 | Drew Hutchison | TOR/SRR |
| 1 | Wins | 3 | Sammy Solis | WAS/MSS |
| T-1 | Hits | 5 | Drew Hutchison | TOR/SRR |
| T-1 | 5 | Aaron Sanchez | TOR/SRR | |
| T-1 | ER | 1 | Tommy Collier | DET/GDD |
| T-1 | 1 | Drew Hutchison | TOR/SRR | |
| T-1 | 1 | Keyvius Sampson | SD/PEO | |
| T-1 | 1 | Stephen McCray | CWS/GDD | |
| T-1 | Walks | 1 | Drew Hutchison | TOR/SRR |
| T-1 | 1 | Vidal Nuno | NYY/SCO | |
| 1 | K | 20 | Bo Schultz | AZ/SRR |
| 1 | IP | 18.1 | Bo Schultz | AZ/SRR |
| 1 | FIP | 1.84 | Bo Schultz | AZ/SRR |
| 1 | K/9 | 10.64 | Aaron Northcraft | ATL/SCO |
| T-1 | BB/9 | 0.84 | Drew Hutchison | TOR/SRR |
| T-1 | 0.84 | Vidal Nuno | NYY/SCO | |
| 1 | K/BB | 11.0 | Drew Hutchison | TOR/SRR |
| 1 | BAA | .116 | Aaron Sanchez | TOR/SRR |
Links
****Former scout Bernie Pleskoff interviewed AFL participant Mitch Haniger over at MLB.com.
****Yesterday I linked to Jim Callis' opinion on the Bryant v. Sano debate, now here is Jonathan Mayo's take.
****Mike Rosenbaum who runs the Prospect Pipeline at Bleacher Report looked at the hottest and coldest pitchers and hitters in the AFL this year. Scroll down to avoid the slideshow.
****In case you missed it in the comments yesterday, Vivafakethirdtofirst linked us to an article written for The New Yorker by former Cub Adrian Cardenas titled "Why I Quit Major League Baseball".
****Baseball America released their Top 10 for the Miami Marlins. Andrew Heaney tops the list and interestingly enough, Jose Fernandez tops even Giancarlo Stanton on their Under 25 list. Links behind the paywall include scouting reports and a chat with James Bailey.
****Perfect Game partnered with a company called TrackMan during the WWBA World Championships to bring radar tracking systems. They shared some of the info with Baseball America. It's like pitch f/x but for prep players.
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