His Second Professional Season
Filia’s second professional season was as impressive as his first. He hit .326/.407/.434 with the High-A Modesto Nuts and helped the team win their division. Then they cruised through the postseason with six straight victories to win the league championship. In those six postseason games, Filia hit .333/.400/.704, with seven runs scored, three home runs and five RBI.
He followed that up with a terrific performance in the Arizona Fall League. He continued to show a good eye at the plate while also leading the league in batting average (.408/.483/.605). His performance and personality earned him the Dernell Stenson sportsmanship award, and his team once again made it to the league finals. Although not known for his defense, Filia made two great catches in right field in the championship game.
If you include his stint in the AFL, Filia has a .344/.428/.468 batting line in 219 professional games. He’s walked 46 more times than he’s struck out, which shows he can control the strike zone. He hasn’t hit for much home run power, but his 51 doubles in 219 games translate to roughly 38 doubles in a 162-game season. Every team he’s been on has been successful.
And yet he’ll be 26 years old in July, hasn’t made it to Double-A yet and will miss the first 50 games of the upcoming season with a drug suspension. He’s done nothing but hit when he’s been on the field, but off-field issues have plagued him once again. It’s a significant setback for a minor league player who is just starting a family.