|
|
2005 season October 31, 2005 The AFL's Best of the Best Who is the best of the best? Hard to say, so very hard to say in fact that I really don’t think I can do it. Nick Markakis is having a banner year and so is Andre Ethier ... so is Eric Duncan ... so is Dan Uggla, and on and on. But there were players I saw this season I really liked. So let’s start with them. Since I am an Orioles fan, naturally I have been very pleased with the season Markakis is having. He made the MiLB mid-season all star team as the DH. He is really not a DH, but keeping him off any all star team would have been impossible, and since the three outfielders chosen are having good seasons, Markakis had to be placed somewhere. DH is fine by me.
Markakis and Adam Loewen are the hope for the future for Orioles fans. Markakis is cruising along with a batting average of .379 and an OBP of .463. I don’t think any Oriole position player sent to the AFL has ever done this well. Personally, I watched him leg out a triple on a nice shot to the left center gap in Peoria two weeks ago and was impressed with two things, his ability to go with the pitch to the opposite field and his speed. He is still filling out, so his power should develop as time passes. Every time I see Ethier play, I am reminded that he was available to be drafted by the Orioles in 2003 when they chose Texas A&M pitcher Brian Finch. I would love to be able to watch Markakis and Ethier develop side by side in the Orioles system. Ethier is carrying a .333 batting average and an OBP of .487. He has walked almost three times more than he has struck out! I watched him face Loewen three weeks ago when the Javelinas took their no-hitter into the top of the ninth before James Loney ended it with a one out, pinch-hit home run. Ethier was the only hitter who gave Loewen problems that day. In his first at bat he took Loewen to a 3-2 count and fouled four straight pitches off before getting ball four. This is the guy the A’s have in mind when they look for hitters. I watched him before the games and he made sure he signed everything everyone put in front of him. Not just a scribble, but a nice neat signature every time. In my opinion, the A’s have a real gem here, both on the field and off the field. Brendan Harris is having a huge AFL season for the Nationals. He is hitting .426 with an OBP of .471 and has a one to one walk to strikeout ratio. The guy has played adequate defense, at least when I saw him play. Moreover, he has played second, shortstop and third in the AFL. One would have to think he is forcing himself into the Nats 2006 picture with his play this season.
Harris is joined on the Saguaros by his higher profile teammate, Ryan Zimmerman. The former “Hoo” came to the AFL after making his major league debut --- all this after being taken as the Nationals first ever draft pick. He signed immediately after the draft and acclimated himself to professional baseball at the team's A and AA affiliates. All told, he played a total of 67 minor league games before moving to RFK stadium, where he accumulated a batting average of .397 in 58 at bats. Just call him the “Future” as far as the Nats are concerned. The Surprise Scorpions had Angels aplenty, as well as the power to go with them. On the evenings when the infield had a Halo look, Brandon Wood started at short, Howie Kendrick at second and Kendry Morales at first. Combined, they have hit 15 home runs this season. Wood has hit the most with 11. This is the first time I saw Wood and the first thing that stood out to me was how slight he is. For a small guy, he can really leverage the ball. Right now, he is one home run away from tying Tagg Bozied's AFL single season home run record. He stalled at nine for two weeks until he got untracked. I saw Kendrick hit a home run at Surprise that went over the left field bullpen and landed on the back of the berm. I am guessing it was all of 410 feet, maybe more. Another Brandon who is opening some eyes this season is Baltimore’s Brandon Fahey. Though not as heralded as Wood, Fahey has shown up in the desert and played his way onto the Orioles radar. e is the first player onto the field before games and when he leaves, his uniform is the dirtiest. He batted over .300 for most of the season, showed the ability to bunt his way on base, steal a base and take a walk. For the week I was there, I felt he was outplaying Steven Drew and was even with Wood.
The other position players who have stood out include Uggla, who would be my choice as all-star second baseman and Duncan, slugging .784 and playing a nice third base. I like him at third almost as much as I like Kevin Howard. Howard doesn’t have as many home runs a Duncan, but I feel he is a more complete player. He has also walked twice as many times as he has struck out and has good defensive skills as well as speed on the base paths. Unlike past AFL seasons, this year’s crop of pitchers has been much better. There have been some high-scoring games to be sure, but it isn’t like a slow pitch softball tournament day after day. Loewen has been busy fulfilling everyone’s wishes for him. I saw him throw five innings of no-hit ball against the Phoenix Desert Dogs. Loewen threw only 65 pitches that day and shut down a potent lineup that included Daric Barton, Ethier and Drew. Loewen has been dominating so far this season, allowing only one earned run. His ERA is currently a miniscule 0.53. Another left hander having a good year is Twins prospect, Glen Perkins. I saw him twice and walked away impressed with his stuff. Steve White is the best right-hander I saw. he Yankees prospect is pitching to a 1.35 ERA and has shut down some very capable hitters in his outings. Catching is a premium position in this years AFL. Seattle’s number one pick of the 2005 draft, Jeff Clement, is playing and hitting the ball well. In addition, he handles the pitchers well and calls a very fine game. Braves 2003 number one pick, Jarrod Saltalamacchia is also in the desert for reps. Former catcher and current first baseman Barton is included in the A’s contingent. Ryan Garko, Billy Butler, Alex Gordon, Denard Span ….. the list goes on and on. How can you really pick an all star team from this group? --- John Kazlo 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.
|
