AFL Update: October 12, 2011

October 12, 2011

A much busier day than usual for the Nats prospects in yesterday’s 3-2 loss by the Scottsdale Scorpions. The highlights:

Bryce Harper went 0-for-3 with a walk while playing RF, where he made two putouts and had a triple go off his glove. On his walk he stole second but was caught trying to steal third with one out and the Scorpions trailing 3-1
Derek Norris caught and went 1-for-3 with a run scored, but committed an error while attempting to throw out a runner at second
Zach Walters went 2-for-3 with an RBI while playing 3B, where he had one assist
Rafael Martin made his first appearance, tossing a scoreless inning while issuing a walk and striking out one
Pat Lehman suffered through two innings, giving up two runs on four hits, including a solo HR

Scottsdale returns to .500 (3-3) with the loss. Sammy Solis is slated to start tonight’s game against the Salt River Rafters.

7 Commments

rfdad says:

October 12, 2011 at 11:31 am

For all those who think Harper is ready for the show think again. It will take some more time to learn how to play at the major league level. He’ll get there but just not yet.
Rich says:

October 12, 2011 at 11:33 am

I’m sure that Bryce Harper will turn it around, but I think he needs to spend all of next year at AA and AAA. He is such a slow starter. I wouldn’t bring him up until May or June of 2013. I will qualify this statement that his performance should dictate placement, but he NEEDS to master each level before he moves up. And he has not mastered AA. The Nationals will need a left handed power hitter, but I doubt a September call up will do much since we can be pretty sure he’ll just strike out…
Mark H says:

October 12, 2011 at 2:56 pm

I couldn’t agree more. BH is a pure talent for sure, as we all know, but he’s somewhat a slightly below and average AA player right now. IMO it was a mistake to skip Potomac. It’s always been the norm in the Nats organization for a player to master the level he’s in before you move him up. In many cases, there has to be both a mastering of the level AND a position need in the level above. In BH’s case, I suspect all they will do is wait until he’s mastered AA. I strongly recommend him to stay a full year before at AA before moving to AAA. He just needs time to adjust to the speed and talent level.
Jackson Campbell says:

October 12, 2011 at 4:13 pm

Mark, I respectively disagree. Harper, after a very poor start at double A, had begun to produce. Poor starts seem to be his matra. But always, after he makes these poor starts, there are the ‘he’s not ready’ comments.
Maybe, maybe not, but I truly think the kid could hit in the majors now, if we fans could get past the inevitable poor start.
Jackson Campbell says:

October 12, 2011 at 4:16 pm

God, ‘respectively’ disagree. And I was an English major. Shoot me … please.
1. Sue Dinem says:
  
  October 12, 2011 at 4:17 pm
  
  That would be impactful.
John C. says:

October 12, 2011 at 5:29 pm

I’m still open minded about where Harper ends up next year. Throughout his time in baseball, from HS to JuCo to A ball to AA ball, he starts slowly and then heats up. Until AA ball, when he heated up he pretty much destroyed the level he was playing at. He was just heating up when he got hurt last year. Three to four games in the AFL aren’t going to lead me to any conclusions one way or the other.

Unless he really comes in the AFL and in Viera, he starts in AA ball. I still think it fairly likely that he does well in AA ball, moves up after a couple of months and (after his obligatory slow start) does well enough in Syracuse to get a cup of coffee in Nats Town next September.

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