AFL Update: Oct. 27, 2025
Led by Jake Bennett on the mound and Seaver King at the leadoff spot, the Scorpions closed out Week Three of the ’25 AFL season with a 7-4 win over the Solar Sox.
Bennett went the first four innings for Scottsdale, allowing one run on two hits and two walks. He struck out six, throwing 65 pitches and 43 for strikes.
Seaver King struck out in his first at-bat then reached base in his next four plate appearances, including a two-run single in the 2nd to give the Scorpions a 2-1 lead, an RBI single in the 6th to put Scottsdale up 4-3, and an safety in the 8th to cap off a three-run inning that broke a 4-4 tie.
Ethan Petry rounded out the Nats contingent. He singled, walked, and was hit by a pitch, scoring two runs and stealing his second base of the fall. None of which prevented him from signing for the fans. 😉
With the win, the Scorpions improved to 11-5, in first place by a ½ game over the Saguaros. The two teams will play tomorrow afternoon in Scottsdale.
King continues to get on base! His .472 OBP is somehow only 10th best in the offense-happy league (same for his 1.094 OPS). Interestingly two guys are currently sporting OBPs at or near .700! Esmerlyn Valdez at .674 and King’s teammate Max Anderson at .700! Wow.
It’s a bit surprising that Petry just stole his 2nd base, to put him ahead of King for the moment. Despite getting on base at least 23 times, King has only attempted (and succeeded) to steal one base this short AFL season. We know he’s got wheels, going 30 for 34 this regular season, so if focusing more on his approach at the plate is what it takes to get him on track, then who cares. But it’s an interesting statistical tidbit, especially when 24 players have stolen 4 or more bases in the AFL.
Glad to see Bennett put in yet another very strong outing. Bennett’s 23 Ks dwarves the next best (18), but he’s also by some margin thrown the most innings (15 vs next most at 11.1). Add in only 4 BB and 13 H allowed, and Bennett is having a fabulous AFL. I wonder how long it’ll take before he’s considered an option for the rotation in DC?
Well the vibe feels like a Hyde hire unless new brass g
Has a secret candidate in mind
It seems that most Orioles fans problem with Hyde was taking the team from rebuild mode into contention mode. A lot of criticism was around bullpen usage and motivating veterans, and that he was generally very well liked for his job in the rebuild. (Not to mention most of the sources of the problems of the Orioles’ shift to contenders lie squarely at Elias’ feet)
Given we’re still years from shifting to contender mode, I think I’d be fine with Hyde, but I also would like to see a more imaginative/thorough recruitment process, if the current reporting (Albernaz, Hyde and Cairo) is exhaustive.