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AZ Fall League Scouting Report

2003 season

Our AFL All-League Team
November 22, 2003

Richard Lewis led the AFL in hitting and excelled on defense for the champion Mesa Solar Sox.

It's that time of year again when we go through the nearly impossible task of selecting our Arizona Fall League "all-league" team. What makes this job so difficult is that nearly every player sent to the league is considered to be all-star caliber. It really IS the cream of the crop from each major league organization, or at least somewhat close to it. Unlike other lists, we base our selections entirely on AFL performance and not on future potential. We've had to leave off many good, solid ballplayers. It's a tough job, but someone's got to do it.

J.R. House commenting on his time in the Arizona Fall League:

"Everything's been good so far ... we've got a really good team. (Tony) Beasley is just a great manager to play for ... This is a great opportunity to come out here and play again --- the elite of the minor leagues ... Everything's been great so far; I feel really blessed."

Catcher - After two lost years due to a variety of injuries, J.R. House (Pirates - C) had something to prove to the Buccos organization when he returned for his second Arizona Fall League season in the last three years. House finished at .338/.386/.730, with five homeruns and ten doubles in only 74 at bats. His .730 slugging percentage led the league. Also meriting consideration after fine offensive seasons were Dane Sardinha (Reds - C) and Ryan Hankins (White Sox - DH).

Designated Hitter - Mike Vento (Yankees - OF) followed a strong season, in which he hit over the .300 mark at both AA and AAA, with a solid AFL season. The 25-year-old right-handed hitter batted .343/.382/.647, with 12 doubles, five homerun and 26 RBIs while splitting time between right field and designated hitter. He struck out only eight times in 102 at bats.

Dan Johnson speaks out on his performance:

"I always shoot high. I think my power numbers were down a little bit, but I can't really complain. I had a pretty good year. I was just trying to learn a few things and get better as a player. This pitching ... was outstanding. The guys around here are all good. It's the next level of baseball for me ... it passed all the expectations I had."

First Base - This position was a one-man contest --- Dan Johnson (Athletics - 1B) hit well from start to finish. The left-handed product of the University of Nebraska raked at a rate of .382/.496/.609, leading the AFL in on-base percentage (and you know how the A's love those high OBP guys!) and in RBIs with 30.

Second Base - Richard Lewis (Braves -2B) was coming off a rough season in which he hit only .239 for Class AA Greenville. The Georgia Tech product rebounded in a big way in the AFL, leading the league in batting with a .404 mark and anchoring a strong Mesa Solar Sox infield with organization-mate Kelly Johnson. Lewis committed only one error in 21 games. Also performing well at the second base position were Rickie Weeks (Brewers - 2B) and Scott Hairston (Diamondbacks - 2B).

Richard Lewis talks about his "comeback" season in the AFL:

"The regular season didn't go as well as I had hoped or had planned, so I started out here to prove to myself that I could play ... and get back to the things that were making me successful ... They (the Braves) have told me that they were pleased with the way I played ... Hopefully, I've opened enough eyes to be put on the 40-man roster."

Shortstop - Another Braves player sending a strong message to the parent club, hitting .303/.364/.573, was Kelly Johnson (Braves - SS). Johnson's five homeruns nearly equaled his total for the entire 2003 regular season. Earning honorable mention were Freddie Bynum (Athletics - SS) and J.T. Stotts (Athletics - SS), who both put together a strong AFL season while sharing the position for the Mesa Desert Dogs.

David Wright

Third Base - One of the more surprising performances this year came from David Wright (Mets - 3B), who hit .341/.427/.489 despite not having played above the High Class A level. The 20-year-old former first round draft choice drew 13 walks while fanning only 10 times in 88 at bats. Also performing well at the hot corner was Brendan Harris (Cubs - 3B).

Jonny Gomes

Speaking out on Jonny Gomes:

Solar Sox manager Pat Kelly - "He's our inspirational leader. He's such an emotional guy. He gets really involved in the game, and he's got great passion ... Jonny really turned his game around."

Devil Rays teammate B.J. Upton, when asked which of his teammates he'd pay to see play - "Jonny Gomes --- he makes me laugh ... Every day on the field, he comes out and plays."
Read the full interview with B.J. Upton ...

Outfield - Any list of top outfielders must start with league MVP Jason Dubois (Cubs - OF), who hit .358/.379/.717, with a league-leading nine homeruns. He also led the AFL in hits, extra-base hits and doubles. Jonny Gomes (Devil Rays - OF) opened a lot of eyes with an AFL season in which he hit .295/.441/.705, while being one of the team leaders on the championship Solar Sox squad. The right-handed hitting slugger trailed teammate Dubois with eight homeruns, although he lost nearly a week in the race due to a tryout with Team USA. Gomes drew 17 walks while striking out 19 times, a vast improvement from his career trends to date. Our third outfielder was arguably the most exciting AFL player to watch this year; Rich Thompson (Pirates - OF) hit .346/.417/.510, swiped a league-leading 13 bases, topped the AFL with 28 runs scored, and played sparkling defense in center field. Not known as a power hitter throughout his career, Thompson smacked a surprising 11 extra-base hits. He even hit a homerun, something he failed to do with three teams during the regular season. Other outfielders earning consideration include Chris Duffy (Pirates - OF), Luke Scott (Indians - OF), David DeJesus (Royals - OF), Todd Linden (Giants - OF) and Stephen Smitherman (Reds - OF).

Dewon Brazelton

Starting Pitcher - Dewon Brazelton (Devil Rays - P) was the ace of the Solar Sox staff, leading the top AFL team to the championship game with perhaps his best outing of the year. One rocky start pushed Brazelton's ERA over 3.00, but his overall totals were superb (4-0, 3.27 ERA, 36 strikeouts and nine walks in 33 innings). Ben Hendrickson (Brewers - P) used his devastating curve ball to put up a nice 2.03 ERA, but his the right-hander's most impressive statistic was his 21-2 K/BB ratio. The Yankees may have found another Dominican gem by way of Japan in the form of Ramon Ramirez (Yankees - P). The 22-year-old right-hander led the league with a 1.44 ERA and was effective in all six of his starts. Ramirez's 25-2 K/BB ratio was even more impressive than that of Hendrickson. Other starting pitchers with strong AFL performances were John Webb (Cubs - P), Kyle Evans (Indians - P) and Dustin Nippert (Diamondbacks - P).

Relief Pitcher - The most consistently dominant closer was Joe Valentine (Reds - P), who saved five games while compiling a 3.46 ERA in 13 innings, striking out 16 batters. Take out one bad outing and Valentine's ERA would have been under 1.00. Aaron Rakers (Orioles - P) struck out 24 batters in 18 1/3 innings en route to a 1.96 ERA as part of the Solar Sox's closer by committee. Matt Squires (Phillies - P) was a late addition to the Desert Dogs roster, but the 5'10" southpaw appeared in 11 games without giving up a run. Opposing hitters batted only .150 off Squires. Zach McClellan (Royals - P) picked up four victories out of the Peoria Javelina bullpen, recording a 2.77 ERA and walking only four batters in 26 innings. Other relievers of note include Bryan Hebson (Red Sox - P) and Brandon Medders (Diamondbacks - P).

--- Bill Mitchell

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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.