AFL Update: Oct. 29, 2021
Surprise’s relievers coughed up four in top of the 9th but the batters got ’em right back in the bottom half for an 8-7 walkoff win vs. Salt River
.
Drew Millas and Donovan Casey were in the Sagauros starting lineup at catcher and center field, respectively.
Millas went 1-for-4 at the plate and racked up 17 putouts (all K’s) though he did commit a throwing error in the 9th after chasing down a wild pitch.
Casey (pictured) homered for the second time – a three-run shot in the 2nd that put Surprise up 4-0. He walked in the 4th and doubled in the 9th to start the four-run rally.
Jackson Rutledge made his first appearance in relief, and it suited him. The Nats’ #9 prospect allowed an unearned run over three innings on three hits and one walk while striking out six, which earned him a hold. He threw 61 pitches, 39 for strikes.
Evan Lee followed Rutledge but was ineffective again: two runs on two hits and a walk in a single inning thrown, which required 26 pitches (15 for strikes). He got all three outs by way of the K and was also credited with a hold.
The AFL West-leading Sagauros (10-3) take their five-game win to Mesa this afternoon to face the AFL East-leading Solar Sox (7-6).
Lee went overboard . Great Casey follow through swing snapshot
Young is young as 1 st base coach …
Interesting to see how the org uses the mix – n match asset pieces in Alu, Marincanz , Daily and any other “ can’t hit the interstate as a BA” holdovers @ AAA/AA.
We have an idea how Cluff will be used in utility .
Plus any minor league refugees brought in..
Thank you for the shout out.
I have a great vantage point in Surprise so the images come easier there than most venues.
Kudos to Luke for fitting all of the content in. He remains the favorite editor I’ve ever worked with.
Who wants to make a verbal wager that Darin Baker gets to City Isle next summer ..joining Jack Dunn , Ricardo Mendez Justin Connell..
Casey is going to be an interesting decision for Rule 5 protection. He may be good enough to stick on the MLB roster of another team, although he struggled at AAA (hitting .179 while striking out almost 40% of the time), so that isn’t assured. There also usually are several guys like him who pass through Rule 5 every year. He’ll turn 26 in February. It’s good to see him having a chance to regain his confidence in AZ.
Rutledge also seems to be regaining some confidence, which is big news for an organization desperately in need of starting pitching. Yes, that would be the same organization that has spent about a million recent draft picks on starting pitching . . .
I don’t think the Nationals will have much of a “roster” crunch. They’ve already cleared a few wasted spots on Fuentes and Braymer. So it would be a no brainer to keep an interesting, albeit highly flawed, batter in Casey. Unfortunately, we’ve got nothing to lose (except a bunch of big league games) the next 3-4 seasons…
Casey will be an easy decision with Rule 5. He’s almost ready.
That said, I have no idea what his ceiling is.
I was going to ask if Casey had gotten injured. He hadn’t featured in a very long time. Guess that lay off helped, homering in his first AB back!
Good, Southern, Lone Star swilling, cowboy hat sporting Donovan Casey, straight out of Philadelphia with a detour via Boston!
That’s the team’s Homer Hat.
Whichever player hits one out gets to don the hat while he makes his way down the dugout.
Surprise is as loose a team as I’ve ever seen in Fall League.