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2006 season October 30, 2006 We've now reached the midpoint of the six-week season, with the quality of play improving as players get back into playing shape and perhaps catch their second wind.
The inaugural mid-season all-star game, dubbed the Rising Stars Showcase, was a huge success. Held this past Friday at Surprise Stadium, the game attracted over 2,300 fans, despite going up against what turned out to be the final game of the World Series. This was one of the biggest crowds to watch an AFL game since the "Michael Jordan" year of 1994. I will admit that I was skeptical about the decision to host the game at the league's most remote facility, with fans having to battle Friday evening rush hour traffic to get to Surprise. I really was expecting no more than a few hundred people to attend. Granted, many of those at the game came in on free tickets, but nonetheless there were a lot of new faces and they saw a well-played game. The Fall League officials got this one right! The only disappointment of the night was that the Kansas City Royals decided to shut down pitcher Luke Hochevar due to shoulder stiffness, thus wiping out the marquee match up of a pair of number one draft picks. Mike Pelfrey (Mets - P) started as scheduled for the East squad, with southpaw Gio Gonzalez (Phillies - P) replacing Hochevar. Pelfrey impressed everyone in the first inning when, with the bases loaded and no outs, he proceeded to strike out the next three hitters. The right-hander's fastball consistently registered 96 on the scoreboard speedometer. The Eastern Division team prevailed, 3-1. The "legend" arrives
In just the first 15 minutes of seeing Dukes on the field, I saw a man that is jovial and good-natured, yet also suspicious and sometimes angry. But I also quickly witnessed his enormous talent, as he ripped a ball high off the left-field wall for a double in his first at bat. I really believe that Dukes can be a very, very special ballplayer ... if he can keep his emotions under control. The Devil Rays are trying him out at first base in Arizona. While his athleticism and instincts are obvious, he's still very much a work in progress around the bag as he showed on Saturday. Dukes commands your attention when he's on the field. I look forward to seeing him repeatedly over the next three weeks. Mid-season surprises
Chip Cannon (Blue Jays - 1B) raced into the league lead in homeruns last week and hit his eighth bomb of the year this afternoon. His power is obvious, but whether he can hit at the big league level remains to be seen. I always struggle in projecting tall, lanky first basemen from their AFL stints; I didn't expect Richie Sexson or Tony Clark to ever develop into productive big leaguers, while I thought Craig Brazell had real potential. Obviously, I was wrong on all three. In the meantime, Cannon is heating up and making a run on the league homerun mark of 14 ... Kevin Kouzmanoff (Indians - 1B/3B) continues to get better every time I see him. The guy is a hitting machine. As of yesterday, he was batting .429/.487/.743 ... Fernando Martinez's (Mets - OF) numbers (.196/.236/.314), but the 18-year-old Dominican has a nice swing and advanced hitting skills. He's not afraid to go the other way and is selective at the plate, often fouling off pitches until he gets the one he wants. Ignore the numbers --- this one's a keeper ... We previously wrote about Amaury Marti (Cardinals - OF), but there are two other Cuban expatriates that are doing quite well in Arizona. Michel Abreu (Mets - 1B) hit a pair of homeruns today; he's now got five long balls in just over 40 at bats. Abreu, who led the Eastern League in hitting in his first pro season in the States, has drawn six walks while striking out five times. Yunel Escobar (Braves - SS/2B) has shown a lively bat and good defense in the middle infield, especially at second base. He's batting .360/.407/.460 ... Kevin Slowey (Twins - P) lowered his ERA to 2.25 with three strong innings for the Solar Sox today. The right-hander has a nice 7/1 K/BB rate in 12 innings. What's on tap Night games are back on the schedule this week now that the World Series has concluded, with a Halloween night contest between the Javelinas and Scorpions in Scottsdale Stadium. --- 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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