AFL/Offseason Update: Nov. 12, 2021

A seven-run 7th was the difference as the Sagauros put down the Desert Dogs, 11-7 and reclaimed first place in the AFL West.

Once again, two position players were in the lineup while a reliever made an appearance:

• Jackson Cluff, candidate for the Final 2 vote, led off and played shortstop. He went 1-for-5 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored and took part in a 6-4-3 DP
• Drew Millas (pictured) was the Surprise DH and got off the interstate (now batting .209) with a 2-for-4 afternoon, including a solo homer. He also walked, which improved his OBP to .292
• Todd Peterson allowed an unearned run in the 8th while giving up two hits. He nevertheless got through the inning on just 12 pitches, eight for strikes.

The Sagauros (15-9) return home to host the AFL East-leading Solar Sox (13-10) to close out the penultimate week of the 2021 AFL season.

As noted in the comments, WaPo beat writer Jesse Dougherty continues to (un)cover the Nats’ front-office makeover, which has seen another longtime yes-man executive (Mark Scialabba) reassigned from the minors to the majors. While GM Mike Rizzo claims the new role is a promotion, Dougherty once again calls bullshit:

The Nationals have since gone 26-34 and 65-97, good for back-to-back last-place finishes. And while only a fraction of that can be pinned to trouble developing major league contributors, a bottom-ranked system helped nudge them to dealing Max Scherzer and Trea Turner, among six others, this summer. Flaws in player development philosophy and a lack of resources — from staffing to technology — were exposed and given a hard look within the organization. Fixing that became a top priority.

As the WaPo headline notes, the Nats are seeking a new farm director. Rizzo is spouting the usual platitudes about fresh eyes/perspective, but that will only be true if the new person has no ties to Rizzo, the Nats, or the Diamondbacks.