Two relievers and three position players were in the Scottsdale lineup:
- Seaver King played short and batted second, going 1-for-4 with a walk and a strikeout at the plate and a putout on defense.
- Ethan Petry was the No. 7 batter abd reached base three times on a single, walk, and a Robles. He fielded three hits and snagged a flyball in right field.
- Sam Petersen rounded out the Scorpions lineup but went deep for the first time with two-run shot in the 2nd and added an RBI single in 4th before striking out twice (nos. 12 & 13 in 9G). He played left field but had no balls hit his way.
- Pablo Aldonis turned in two scoreless innings as the first man out of the Scottsdale ‘pen, walking two but strking out three.
- Austin Amaral gave up a run on two walks and a two-out single in his single inning pitched. He striuck out none.
The Scorpions (9-5) visit the Rafters (8-6) at Salt River Fields this afternoon for their fifth straight road game.
As noted in the comments, every Fall there seems to be a breakout hitter that in these desperate times we often put way too much emphasis on. The sample sizes are small and statistically insignificant. The pitchers are Rule 5 candidates and/or guys that were hurt. The stadiums are hitter-friendly.
Still, even with all those caveats, it’s worth passing along what Keith Law saw in Arizona about Seaver King and Sam Petersen. Plus, there’s this juicy tidbit:
King’s 2025 regular season was derailed in spring training by a specific Nationals coach encouraging him to change his swing to pull the ball in the air more. The results speak for themselves: he started in a huge funk, with a .222/.283/.333 line and 27.6 percent strikeout rate on May 15, then hit well for two weeks before a promotion to Double-A.
[Pause while Will sweeps up the morning beverage container he just threw]
I can understand the TalkNats‘ speculation that said coach—who, according to Law, is still employed by Washington—may get sent packing by next spring as part of the current overhaul by new president Paul Toboni. But let’s not forget that this is one player of dozens.
Still, it does fit the pattern of players leaving Washington and improving (too many to list)…