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AFL Update: Oct. 18, 2012

Salt River rallied from a 7-1 deficit, scoring 11 unanswered runs before holding off a late charge from Peoria in a 12-9 victory yesterday.

Anthony Rendon, serving as the Rafters DH in the cleanup spot, doubled in two during a four-run rally in the top of the 9th. He finished the afternoon with a mark of 2-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI.

Jason Martinson batted eighth and played third base but remains hitless this fall after an 0-for-4 game. He drove in a run with an RBI groundout in the 5th and laid down a sacrifice in the 6th. Defensively, he had an error and two assists.

Ryan Perry got the start, but was knocked around for five runs over the first two innings on four hits and two walks, including a three-run shot in the 1st. Paul Demny was the first man out of the ‘pen but was also ineffective, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk over the next two frames. Both Perry and Demny struck out two.

The win improves Salt River to 5-2 for the season, 2½ games up in the AFL East. The two teams rematch at Talking Stick tonight.

9 Commments

  1. Jason Martinson is doing his best Zach Walters impression.

    Skole is also doing his best to embarrass whoever is in charge of promotions in the farm system (Yes, I’m still a bit bitter). He has the highest AVG, OBP, SLG, OPS, and just about every other offensive rate statistic in the AFL. It’s still early, but he doesn’t look like a guy who was playing in low A ball.

    1. I think we can all pick out guys in low A that are better than guys in high A. This goes for about every level. The organization agrees that Skole is better than others in levels above him or he wouldn’t be in the AFL. Levels don’t tell the whole story. And, only few know the whole story.

    1. I understand that Skole isn’t the best defender, but
      defense in the Sally League is the same as defense in the Carolina League. Batters don’t hit the ball any less hard, and the field is the same size. It’s one of the few things that stays the same throughout the various levels. It couldn’t have been Skole’s glove that was holding him back.

      Either way, I’m looking forward to hearing some first-hand accounts of Skole’s defense at 1B. Anyone know where I can find some scouting reports from the AFL?

      1. Few and far between. Keith Law will occasionally remark in his chats, but I dropped the ESPN sub this year so I can’t see what he’s been saying these days. The nature of the beast in some ways — the big boys are spending this time (Sept-Dec.) compiling their books for 2013, so their focus is on hitting that deadline so us fanboys prospect enthusiasts will have time to buy, read, and absorb them in January/Feburary.

  3. We can look to the example of Mark Reynolds with Skole. A sieve at 3rd who played a Gold Glove 1st base.
    Not sayin Skole’s is GG material, but ……
    I’ll leave the classic quote from the great Dick Allen on playing 1st base.
    ‘You know how you play 1st base… you HIT.”

  4. Keith Law in todays blog post:

    I prefer to focus on prospects I like and would grade highly, but I’ve been asked about a number of prospects who’ve disappointed me so far out here. Two Washington Nationals prospects, Brian Goodwin and Matt Skole, have fallen short. Skole is an organizational player for me, a positionless slugger with a noisy, uphill swing, while Goodwin hasn’t run as well or shown the same electric bat speed I saw from him in college. (Some players do look slower out here every year between fatigue from the long season and discomfort in the early-October heat.)

  5. Will, ask the Nats infielders how they feel about Adam Dunn vs. Adam Laroche. Matt Skole can rake but he is a butcher in the field.

  6. The “butcher” showed some great reflexes in tonight’s Rafter’s game and did his best to help out his infield mates that made some pretty bad throws.

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