Tag Archives: Arizona Fall League

AFL Update: October 14, 2011

  By Luke Erickson | October 14, 2011 - 7:45 am |
5 Comments

Scottsdale lost its third straight last night by a 3-1 tally to the Salt River Rafters to drop the Scorpions’ record to 3-5.

Bryce Harper was the sole National to appear in the game. He went 1-for-4 and made two putouts while playing left field.

The Scorpions finish the week with a home-and-home against Peoria tonight and tomorrow afternoon.

In other winter-league action…(why yes, I am stretching here to fill out the post)

  • Gregory Blanco went 1-for-3 with a walk and an RBI for La Guaira in the Venezuelan Winter League (VWL)
  • Jesus Flores went 3-for-5 with a double, homer, two runs scored, and three RBI for Magallanes (VWL)
  • Seth Bynum went 0-for-3 with a walk for Zulia (VWL)
  • Carlos Maldonado went 0-for-2 with a walk for Zulia (VWL)
  • Ryan Tatusko got knocked from the box early with a run given up on a hit and three walks over 2/3rds of an inning in his first start for Margarita (VWL)

AFL Update: October 13, 2011

  By Luke Erickson | October 13, 2011 - 9:19 am |
3 Comments

Scottsdale was doubled up 10-5 for its second straight loss.

Sammy Solis was knocked around for four runs on six hits and a walk over his four innings of work, giving up a pair of runs in the first and third innings. He threw 63 pitches, 42 for strikes while getting six outs on the ground and three flyouts.

Derek Norris was the designated hitter and went 0-for-2 with a run scored. He walked twice and struck out once.
                                          #                                     #                                     #

As mentioned earlier this week, winter leagues in Mexico, Venezuela, and the Dominican are starting up this week. The editorial plan is to feature the AFL on a daily basis, but check in on the other Nats on a weekly basis. As expected, just one Nat farmhand is playing in the Mexican League (Pat McCoy) while roughly a dozen or so are in the Venezuelan League.

AFL Update: October 12, 2011

  By Luke Erickson | October 12, 2011 - 8:49 am |
7 Comments

A much busier day than usual for the Nats prospects in yesterday’s 3-2 loss by the Scottsdale Scorpions. The highlights:

  • Bryce Harper went 0-for-3 with a walk while playing RF, where he made two putouts and had a triple go off his glove. On his walk he stole second but was caught trying to steal third with one out and the Scorpions trailing 3-1
  • Derek Norris caught and went 1-for-3 with a run scored, but committed an error while attempting to throw out a runner at second
  • Zach Walters went 2-for-3 with an RBI while playing 3B, where he had one assist
  • Rafael Martin made his first appearance, tossing a scoreless inning while issuing a walk and striking out one
  • Pat Lehman suffered through two innings, giving up two runs on four hits, including a solo HR

Scottsdale returns to .500 (3-3) with the loss. Sammy Solis is slated to start tonight’s game against the Salt River Rafters.

AFL Update: October 11, 2011

  By Luke Erickson | October 11, 2011 - 8:06 am |
4 Comments

The Scottsdale Scorpions picked up where they left off on Saturday and won their third straight, 4-3.

Bryce Harper drove in his first run with an RBI groundout in the 4th and snapped an 0-for-15 streak with a single in the 6th. He was intentionally walked in the 8th. Both times he reached base he stole second. On defense, he played left field and made two putouts.

Zach Walters was the designated hitter but went 0-for-4 with a strikeout.

The two teams meet again this afternoon. Sammy Solis is most likely going to start tomorrow, while pitchers Rafael Martin and Matt Purke have yet to appear in a game.

AFL Update: October 10, 2011

  By Luke Erickson | October 10, 2011 - 7:55 am |
3 Comments

Here’s a look at how the Nationals fared over the weekend in the Arizona Fall League…

FRIDAY
Scottsdale broke into the win column with a 7-3 decision over the Phoenix Desert Dogs.

  • Derek Norris was the DH and went 1-for-4 with an RBI and 2K
  • Pat Lehman pitched the 9th and allowed a hit and a walk but struck out two

SATURDAY
The Scorpions evened their record with another win over the Desert Dogs, 5-4.

  • Zach Walters played 3B and doubled in five at-bats, making one assist
  • Bryce Harper played RF struck out twice while going 0-for-5
  • Norris caught and went 1-for-4 with a stolen base. No baserunners attempted to steal against him.

This week features home-and-home series with Mesa, Salt River, and Peoria with afternoon games on Tuesday and Saturday.

Winter leagues also start up in Mexico (tomorrow), Venezuela (Wednesday) and the Dominican Republic (Friday). Roster information is not yet available, though Syracuse pitcher Ryan Tatusko has announced via Twitter that he’ll be starting on Thursday. I’ll pass along info as I come across it, but most likely it will be on an ad-hoc basis.

AFL Update: October 7, 2011

  By Luke Erickson | October 7, 2011 - 7:20 am |
2 Comments


It was a light afternoon yesterday for the Nationals prospects in a 3-2 loss by the Scottsdale Scorpions to the Salt River Rafters.

Sammy Solis started and went three innings, allowing a run on two hits and three walks. He struck out none while throwing 53 pitches, just 30 of which were strikes.

Bryce Harper remains hitless after going 0-for-5 with a strikeout. He once again played LF, making three putouts.

Baseball America is scheduled to release its Top 20 prospects for the International League later today.

AFL Update: October 6, 2011

  By Luke Erickson | October 6, 2011 - 8:46 am |
3 Comments


The 2011 campaign started with a whimper as the Scottsdale Scorpions were pounded for a 10-1 loss. Four Nats saw game action…

  • Zach Walters played 3B and went 1-for-3, one of the two hits the Scorpions managed for the game
  • Bryce Harper played LF and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout
  • Derek Norris played C and went 0-for-3, but picked a runner off 1st
  • Pat Lehman got the last out of the 7th, but also threw a wild pitch


Sammy Solis gets the start today, according to MASN’s Byron Kerr, who also had a feature on Lehman yesterday morning.

Nats Name AFL Roster

  By Luke Erickson | August 31, 2011 - 8:48 am |
16 Comments

While I’ve yet to see an official press release, buried in one of the Strasburg/Milone stories were the names of the prospects selected for the Scottsdale Scorpions, Washington’s AFL team for 2011.

• OF Bryce Harper

• C Derek Norris

• LHP Sammy Solis

• RHP Rafael Martin

• RHP Pat Lehman

Taxi squad members (which Harper was last year) will be revealed at a later date, and as the above story mentions, 2011 picks such as Anthony Rendon and Matt Purke are still possibilities to play in that capacity. Unlike last year, the focus doesn’t appear to be on figuring out who to protect for the Rule V draft (still not sure if Martin is eligible) but the more mundane task of supplying the roster with players that fit the description of the AFL as a “finishing school for AA/AAA players.”

Final AFL Stats & Thoughts

  By Luke Erickson | November 22, 2010 - 7:56 am | ,
26 Comments

First, the stats…

BATTERS

PLAYER G AB R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO AVG OBP SLG SB
Lombardozzi 21 82 16 24 8 2 0 4 10 8 .293 .385 .439 2
Burgess 18 65 8 16 3 3 2 20 4 20 .246 .286 .477 1
Norris 16 54 10 15 5 2 4 19 11 18 .278 .403 .667 2
Harper 9 35 6 12 3 2 1 7 4 11 .343 .410 .629 1

PITCHERS

PLAYER W L SV ERA G IP H R ER BB SO WHIP HLD GF
Solis 1 0 0 3.80 6 23⅔ 22 13 10 7 12 1.225 0 0
Carr 1 0 1 2.08 10 13 6 3 3 3 8 0.692 1 4
Peacock 0 0 0 4.50 9 12 10 6 6 3 17 1.083 2 1
Kimball 0 0 1 0.82 11 12 8 1 1 2 15 0.833 0 11

Now, the thoughts…

  • Bryce Harper managed to make his mark despite only playing twice a week. Now, we will wonder for the next four and a half months where Rizzo will have him start. Hagerstown is the official word, but I can’t see him starting there unless he has a terrible spring, or unless the plan is to have Harper make a tour of the full-season minors no matter what.
  • Lombardozzi did nothing to dissuade our opinion of him, but now we’ll have to wait until the prospect guides to come out whether or not he changed anyone else’s minds. I suspect not because even in our own Natmosphere his game-winning double in the AFL title game was barely mentioned.
  • Derek Norris has shown that much of his “struggles” this season were because he was hurting, finishing the AFL with the third-highest slugging pct. and the fourth-highest OPS. His defensive deficiencies were also displayed but a full season under the tutelage of Randy Knorr in Harrisburg ought to help immensely.
  • Michael Burgess also did nothing to dissuade the growing perception that his prospect days are behind him. He’ll start as the Harrisburg RF in 2011, but how long he’ll stay is the question. The signal may just be when he starts playing LF and DH more often than RF.
  • Brad Peacock showed flashes of brilliance as a reliever, leading to some speculation that he was auditioning for a midseason ’11 callup, but by the end of the AFL season it was clear that this was done to limit his innings. Possible Opening Day starter for the Senators.
  • Sammy Solis got a baptism by fire, but nothing that one couldn’t attribute to his lack of pro experience or the long layoffs between the draft and after the end of the regular season. Some question as to whether he’ll start in Hagerstown or Potomac, but given Rizzo’s track record, I’d bet on Potomac until late June, then Harrisburg through late August.
  • Cole Kimball is probably the biggest surprise of the AFL, at least relative to the success shown in twelve appearances. I’m not entirely sold that he’s for real, but hopeful that he can continue to contribute and assist the parent club in its quest to build middle relievers from within and not overpay for FA relievers. Could make the parent club with a strong spring.
  • Adam Carr has come a long way in just a year. In November ’09, he was finishing up his first season as a starting pitcher, including an August in which he posted a 7.34ERA and walked more batters than he struck out. He returned to Senator ‘pen and found his niche as the two-inning man, then had success as a closer for Syracuse. Like Kimball, he’s a dark horse to make 25-man roster by March 31, the day before his 27th birthday.

Scottsdale Wins AFL Championship

  By Luke Erickson | November 20, 2010 - 6:48 pm | ,
12 Comments

The Scottsdale Scorpions survived three errors to capture the 2010 Arizona Fall League Championship with a 3-2 win over the Peoria Javelinas.

Washington’s Sammy Solis got credit for the win, allowing both runs (one unearned) on three hits and a walk while striking out three over his four innings of work. Cole Kimball was the last of five relievers to follow, tossing a 1-2-3 ninth with a strikeout to earn the save.

Bryce Harper, who started and played right field, drove in the Scorpions’ second run of the ballgame in the second inning with a first-pitch, opposite-field line drive to left but struck out twice to finish 1-for-4. Harper caught three fly balls and handled both singles hit to right.

Derek Norris, who caught and batted cleanup, legged out an infield single earlier in the second and scored on a sacrifice fly one batter before Harper, and went 1-for-3 for the game. No baserunners attempted to steal against him.

Steve Lombardozzi got the nod at shortstop and drove in the gamewinner in the fourth inning with a double to right for his 1-for-4 afternoon. He handled both chances he got before being lifted for defense in the seventh.

Michael Burgess pinch-hit for the DH in the bottom of the eighth and drew walk after balling behind 1-and-2.

Quick hits…

…Solis had moments of brilliance and moments where it looked like he was about to get clobbered, leaving pitches up in the zone. It’s not hard to imagine how in the second turn through the lineup that hitters would be looking for something up and if it’s a game in which his offspeed stuff isn’t working, he’ll get hit hard as he has at times this fall. Nice, smooth delivery.

…Harper is definitely old-school a la Pete Rose in terms of his hustle and intensity. What worries me is that that will be perceived as dirty pool by some opponents, particularly on double-play balls during blowouts. He can be had with elite heat and straight changes, but I suspect very strongly that he will learn to adjust to that very quickly because this kid’s got the Motts, as it were.

…Norris and Lombardozzi turned in the effort and produced the results I’d seen all season long. The announcers prattled about Norris being “too patient” and then said nothing when he worked the count to his favor and got a leg hit. Lombardozzi got the “well, I remember his Dad in the ’87 Series” treatment that seems to be de rigeur. The fault must be mine for expecting more.