Arizona Fall League Update: October 10
Another exciting day in the desert in the Arizona Fall League. Two blowouts really pop out at you on this day. Pitching was a struggle for a couple of teams, while the bats were really going for a certain team. It seems to be a very balanced league, with many great players coming through for their team in the big moments. Major League teams should be excited about these players in their farm system.
Peoria 6, Scottsdale 3
Peoria got their first win of the fall with a 6-3 win over Scottsdale. Delino DeShields and Nolan Fontana, both from the Houston Astros, had nice days at the plate. Both were 2-3 with a RBI, while Fontana had two doubles on the day. Cameron Rupp of the Phillies also had a pair of RBI in the win. Angel Baez (Royals) pitched 3 innings allowing two runs but struck out five. Baez picked up his first win of the fall. Scottsdale got a big contribution from Tommy La Stella (Braves) who had a double, 2 RBI, and added a stolen base. Scottsdale falls to 1-2 on the season. Scottsdale will stay at home on Friday to play Glendale, while Peoria will travel to Salt River.
Mesa 8, Salt River 1
There was a first of the fall in the Mesa versus Salt River game. The league saw its first triple of the fall by Cubs prospect Albert Almora. Almora had another fantastic day at the dish going 2-5 with the triple mentioned and 3 RBI. That brings his RBI total to 6 in just his first 2 games. Brian Goodwin (Nationals) had a 2 RBI single in the win as well. Oakland A’s top prospect Addison Russell has struggled so far at the plate getting hits, but has walked three times and stolen two bases. Nationals 9th rated prospect Matt Purke made his AFL debut pitching 3 innings while allowing only an unearned run. Salt River had a bad day all around not getting anything going offensively and the pitching really struggled as well. John Stilson (Blue Jays) pitched one third of an inning giving up five earned while walking a pair. Mesa is off to a 2-0 start while Salt River falls to 1-2.
Glendale 11, Surprise 0
The Glendale Desert Dogs had a very balanced offensive attack in the blowout of the Surprise Saguaros. Seven of their nine starters had at least one run batted in, while eight of the nine were on base due to the hit or base on balls. The huge day at the plate came from Brian Cavazos-Galvez (Dodgers) who was 5-5, 2 doubles, 2 runs and 1 RBI. Number one overall prospect Byron Buxton (Twins) had a hit and a RBI in the win. Mesa pitching held Surprise to only three hits while racking up 9 punch-outs. Glendale moves to 1-1, with Surprise going to 2-1 on the season.