AFL Update: Nov. 2, 2023
The Nationals’ contingent did its part, going 2-for-6 combined. But the rest of the lineup only added four more singles as Mesa shut out Scottsdale, 7-0.
DJ Herz got the start and went the first two innings, throwing 26 pitches with 16 going for strikes! He did not allow run and gave up a hit and a walk and strck out three.
Trey Lipscomb moved over to third base and had one putout and one assist. At the plate, went 0-for-4 to drop further down the Interstate (.183).
Robert Hassell shifted to left field and had two putouts. He singled twice in three at-bats, drew a walk, and stole his fifth base. His fall line is now .293/.362/.310 with eight walks, one double, and 12 RBI.
The loss drops the Scorpions to two games off the pace with four games left to play, but still in position to make the Championship game, thanks to the AFL’s playoff format that only eliminates three teams (#1 seed gets a bye, #2 and #3 play each other, then #1).
Scottsdale (13-12-1) hosts Salt River (13-13) tonight.
EDITOR’S NOTE: I missed a table tag on Tuesday that “hid” the Top 5’s of Wilmington, that’s now been fixed. I take no responsiblity for the level of meh. My new job has me commuting into DC almost daily until I’m fully up to speed, so as you might imagine, I’ve lost quite a bit of time to the commute and taking care of the animals (plus the dogs *rimshot!*). Fingers crossed I’ll have this under control by February/March
Keep up the yeoman work! Excellent job of hosting this site.
Amen.
The main Nat story lines for AZ:
Q: Is Herz for real? A: He has given up some runs, but 25 Ks in 17 IP is impressive. He’s done nothing to hurt himself and still is a very likely 40-man add. Figures to be in the AAA rotation to start 2024.
Q: Can Hassell finally start showing something after an injury-riddled year? A: Encouraging contact, still not much power. He may get a social promotion to AAA to make room for the influx of OF talent.
Q: Can Pineda rebound enough from an injury-recovery season to look like he still belongs on the 40-man? A: No.
Q: What do we have in Thad Ward? A: We still don’t know, but he’s been pretty good, with .143 average against and 0.92 WHIP. The scuttlebutt seems to be that he’ll be stretched out as a starter in AAA.
Q: Can Lipscomb build on his strong AA showing? A: No. He’s really struggled at the plate. But it is still just his first full pro season, and he’s shown impressive defensive versatility. Seems likely he will be back at Harrisburg to start 2024.
Good storylines!
Love to see that .293/.362 for Hassell. His hit tool/plate discipline was always his best skillset, so it’s great to see return, albeit brief, to it! I’m willing to reserve judgement on the .310 SLG for the remainder of the season because of the hamate injury.
Another very good outing from Herz in what is likely his last outing of the season (they limited him to only 26 pitches plus there’s only 3 regular season games remaining for Scottsdale). His 3.71 is quite substantially below league average of 5.26. His strikeout rate of 13.2 K/9 is well above the league average of 10.6, and most interestingly his 4.8 BB/9, his weakest stat, is also better than league average (5.2), all while being a year and a half younger than league average. I’m thrilled with his AFL showing, and looking forward to seeing what he can do next year in Rochester (alongside Hassell).
Hassell = Peter Bergeron? Hope not!
Bergeron (similar build) had good plate discipline, speed and defense. Former Dodgers prospect traded to Expos.
That’s actually a very good comp. Bergeron was even hyped as a top 100 prospect too. Let’s just hope Hassell can hit more effectively in the majors than Bergeron did!
My ceiling comp for Hassell would be Nimmo, who has never shown significant power but did enough to (somehow) rate a massive contract.
Nimmo has a different build and was never a speedy runner. But some similiraties in hype, yes!
For all the tools Bergeron had, he simply could not hit a good fastball.
Pitchers would literally throw down right down the middle and he would swing right through them.