AFL/Offseason Update: Oct. 29, 2024

The Rafters nearly notched their first shutout, but gave up a run in the 9th to “only” win, 3-0.

Dustin Saenz got the start and somehow managed to string three scoreless innings in a row, giving up three hits and a walk while striking out four. This lowered his Fall ERA to 6.00.

Phillip Glasser batted second and played second base. At the plate, he was 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. In the field, he had one putout and one assist.

Robert Hassell started in right field and batted thrid but went 0-for-4. Defensively, he had one putout and fielded three hits.

Max Romero Jr. didn’t throw out any basestealers, which is to be expected as he played Raudy Read’s best position (DH) and was 1-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and three whiffs.

Salt River (9-8) returns home to host Glendale (10-7) this afternoon.

2024 FREDERICKSBURG NATIONALS

The FredNats swooned in June, which is perfect timing for the half system. They did indeed make like a drydock and got their ship together in the second half and held off the MudCats for the division title, then “swept” (is winning two in a row a sweep outside of a doubleheader?) Carolina in the semifinals to earn a berth in the Carolina League championship for the first time in six years.

After taking the opener from Kannapolis, rain from Tropical Storm Gordon reduced the Mills Cup to a doubleheader (it was never adequately explained why the season HAD to be over by September 18) where Fredericksburg prevailed 3-0 in the second game after losing the first, 3-0. It was the first minor-league championship for Washington since 2014 and the sixth for the franchise.

Since 2022, Fredericksburg has been the level where there’s the most talent and interest in the system. In theory, Wilmington should join them but we’ll talk about that on the next season review, which may require some adult beverages, tums, or castor oil to endure.

The offense was 4th-best in the league (4.82 R/G vs. 4.41) while the pitching was 6th (4.31) and the defense was 8th with a .967 FPct, same as the league average. The catching was best in the league at preventing wild pitches and had the fewest passed balls and was third-best at preventing steals (27%).

Despite Washington’s swing towards HS picks, the team was nearly the oldest in the league with the pitchers at 22.4 (vs. 21.6) and the hitters at 21.2 (vs. 20.5). The team used 31 batters and 37 pitchers, making the cutoffs 100PA and 20IP for the statistical Top 5’s:

Honorable mentions to Seaver King and Kevin Bazzell, who had their PA limited by the lateness of the Draft, and Moises Diaz, who was promoted to Wilmington and wasn’t knocked around. Believe it or not, all five of the batters were above the Lg. Avg. for their GPA, as the Carolina League was a pitcher’s league in 2024.

If you’re interested, full team statistics can be found here, while pitching data can be found here.