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2003 season October 26, 2003
Week four of Arizona Fall League action marked the end of Team USA's 12-game stint; the national team finished with a 9-3 record. Graham Koonce (Athletics - 1B) led Team USA's potent offensive attack with the astronomical totals of .654/.700/1.115. Ace of the staff: Dewon Brazelton (Devil Rays - P)
continues to assert himself as the top pitcher in this 2003 Arizona Fall
League season. The big right-hander won his third game this week with
another strong performance, throwing five scoreless innings to lower his
AFL ERA to 1.42 ...
Surprising hitters:
Delmon Young (Devil Rays - OF) had another strong game at the plate this week. The 2003 #1 overall draft pick out of a California high school is eligible to play only on Wednesdays and Saturdays as a member of the Mesa Solar Sox taxi squad, but he's making the most of his limited playing time. Young is hitting .444 with a pair of doubles in his first nine at bats ... Jonny Gomes (Devil Rays - OF) smacked his seventh homerun of the season on Friday, putting the Solar Sox slugger on target to break the league record of 12, set last year by the Padres' Taggart Bozied. Gomes may not get to continue his shot at the record as the Tampa Bay outfielder was moved over to the Team USA squad to replace the injured J.J. Davis. Of course, Gomes went deep in his first game with Team USA in a Saturday exhibition game against the Canadian National Team. The final 24-man roster for Team USA will be announced this Tuesday, so Gomes will find out if he's headed to Panama with the national team or back to the AFL ... Matt Holliday (Rockies - OF) is quietly putting together a solid season for the Mesa Solar Sox. The right-handed hitter is batting .355/.431/.548 with three homeruns, and is tied for the league lead in stolen bases with seven ... Justin Leone (Mariners - 3B) had a day to remember on Monday. The Team USA member smacked homeruns in his first two plate appearances and made a dandy play at the hot corner. New this week: New arrivals to the AFL this week included a pair of Mets farmhands, Mike Jacobs (Mets - C), who collected four hits, including a homerun, in his first 10 at bats, and southpaw Len DiNardo (Mets - P) ... Also making his debut was "Magic" Merkin Valdez (Giants - P), one of the top pitching prospects in low Class A this season. The Dominican right-hander had been pitching with the Giants' Instructional League team before that squad broke camp last weekend ... Matt Roney (Tigers - P) spent most of the 2003 season in the big leagues, pitching 100 innings for Detroit. The week ahead: All six AFL teams are back in action tomorrow. For fans lamenting the lack of night games in Arizona this fall, Team USA and the Canadian National Team play an exhibition game at Maryvale Park on Monday night; it is the final game for both teams before heading for Panama. --- Bill Mitchell All photos on the Arizona Fall League Report are credited to Bill Mitchell, unless noted otherwise, and are not to be used for any other purpose without express permission.
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