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2006 season November 6, 2006 As the AFL heads into the last two weeks of the season, the Phoenix Desert Dogs are heading quickly towards a playoff berth with a four game lead in the East Division. Grand Canyon holds a slim one game lead in the West. Don't look now, but there's a chance that Chip Cannon (Blue Jays - 1B) could threaten Brandon Wood's season homerun mark of 14, set last year. Cannon smacked number 10 on Saturday. His Desert Dogs have eight games remaining. While Cannon's homerun was a nice shot, it paled in comparison to the bomb that the Rafters' Joe Koshansky (Rockies - 1B) hit at Scottsdale Thursday night. That ball traveled over the picnic pavilion that sits above the bullpen beyond the right field fence. Coincidentally, two of the longer homeruns of the season have been hit by University of Virginia alumni, as Koshansky's former college teammate, Mark Reynolds (Diamondbacks - INF/OF), blasted a ball that traveled almost as far several weeks ago. The "legend" arrives (part two)
Overachieving hitters
Ben Zobrist (Devil Rays - SS), who spent the last two months of the regular season as Tampa Bay's starting shortstop, is showing surprising hitting skills, including a the ability to turn on the pitch and hit with some power. Zobrist jumped right from AA to the big leagues after being acquired from Houston in a deadline deal for Aubrey Huff, so there's still room for further development ... Scouts and fans alike have raved about little-known Matt Tolbert (Twins - 2B). The 24-year-old switch-hitter is batting .339/.406/.500. The Ole Miss alumni has been compared favorably to David Eckstein ... Now that he's over his early season aches and pains, Freddie Lewis (Giants - OF) has been raking with authority. The left-handed stick is hitting .323/.436/.774, with seven of his 10 hits going for extra bases ... Kevin Frandsen (Giants - 2B/SS) is leading the league in hitting, checking in at .373/.484/.569. With the parent club in desperate need of an influx of youth, both Frandsen and Lewis are helping their respective causes this Fall. Bullpen stalwarts
Part of the reason for Phoenix's dominance in the East Division is an outstanding group of relievers, including Jon Coutlangus (Reds - P), Marcus McBeth (Athletics - P), Jeff Ridgway (Devil Rays - P), Mike Mitchell (Athletics - P), Jeremy Flanagan (Devil Rays - P) and Jordan De Jong (Blue Jays - P). Southpaw Ridgway has not yielded a run this Fall ... Jonathan Meloan (Dodgers - P), who was a late replacement when the Dodgers pulled Scott Elbert from the league prior to the start of the season, has been great, with a 1.42 ERA and 15-6 K/BB rate in 15.1 IPs. The University of Arizona product is a big, hard throwing right-hander who posted excellent numbers at three levels in '06. --- 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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