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2004 season
Final Report
December 28, 2003
American League West
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Tommy Murphy
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Angels - Tommy Murphy
(OF) is re-asserting himself as a prospect after a position change to
the outfield from shortstop. He demonstrated good on-base skills and an
effective slap hitting approach while batting .329/.400/.430 with eight
SBs ... Nick Gorneault (OF) got on base with regularity (.387)
but didn't do much else, as he managed only three extra-base hits and
struck out 26 times in 74 ABs ... Casey Smith (SS/2B) was a bit
of a surprise in a utility role for the champion Desert Dogs, playing
well defensively at three positions. He didn't provide a lot of offense
(.269/.321/.327), but put the ball in play. He may be able to make the
big leagues in the 25th roster spot ... Mike Napoli (C/1B) can
hit the ball very far. He also strikes out a lot, but knows the value of
taking a walk. Napoli's numbers were solid at .284/.415/.433. He'll make
the big jump to AA next year at the age of 23 ... A pair of southpaws,
Dusty Bergman (P) and Jonathan Rouwenhorst (P), both
struggled with their command out of the Phoenix bullpen. Bergman
especially got hit hard (.405 opposition batting average).
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Huston Street
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A's - Arguably, the
most impressive performer in the 2005 AFL season was former Texas
Longhorn closer Huston Street (P). The right-hander give up only
two runs in 18.1 IPs, tying for the league lead in ERA with 0.98; he
struck out 19 and walked only two batters. Some ML scouts claimed that
Oakland would have won the AL West had they called up Street during the
stretch run. While he's not overpowering, Street gets the job done with
business-life efficiency. It'll be a real surprise if he doesn't make
the big league squad out of spring training ... Omar Quintanilla
(SS) was a sparkplug for the Desert Dogs all season long, batting
.374/.404/.527, and then came a homerun short of the cycle in the
championship game. What's not to like about this little guy? He puts the
ball in play, has surprising gap power and plays strong defense. He'll
probably move to second base some day and may wind up being the Oakland
starter at that position. At worst, he'll be a valuable utility
infielder ... Jason Perry (OF) is an Eric Byrnes clone who did
well in the AFL, batting .229/.316/.471 with five HRs in 70 ABs. He's
already 24, so a big season as he moves to AAA in 2005 will be important
... Jeremy Brown (C) didn't get much playing time as the Desert
Dogs' taxi squad catcher, but he batted .353/.477/.647 in 34 ABs and
showed uncharacteristic power. Maybe this "Moneyball" thing isn't such a
bad idea after all ... John Baker (C) got on the field a little
more than Brown and did decently, batting .318/.404/.477 ... While not
possessing impressive stuff, Steve Obenchain (P) pitched
effectively for the Desert Dogs, finishing with a 3.71 ERA.
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Mike Morse
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Mariners - Mike Morse
(SS) came to the AFL to improve his defense; he left with the knowledge
that he proved his point that a big man can play the position, making
only four errors in 24 games and looking surprisingly agile around the
bag. His offensive numbers weren't up to snuff, as he batted only
.258/.296/.301, tailing off significantly late in the season. But he was
there to work on his glovework --- mission accomplished ... Shin-soo
Choo (OF) was impressive, batting .301/.422/.466 and showing
advanced hitting skills by walking 14 times as opposed to his 11
strikeouts. He also won admirers with his aggressive play in the
outfield. Choo may be in Seattle by mid-season ... Greg Dobbs
(3B) was making up for lost time this year after having missed virtually
all of the entire 2003 season to injury. He didn't show a lot of power
from the left side, batting .292/.339/.377, but put the ball in play
regularly. He's now blocked in Seattle after the signing of Adrian
Beltre, so Dobbs may become trade bait with a strong start in AAA ...
Southpaw reliever Jared Thomas (P) didn't follow up on his good
AA season. When he wasn't walking AFL hitters, he was getting pounded by
them. Chalk this one up to a learning experience ... Brett Evert
(P) pitched better than his 7.43 ERA would indicate, as opposing batters
hit only .255 and he yielded only six walks in 23 IPs ... Jon Huber
(P) fanned 27 batters in 28 IPs, but opponents batted .299 off him.
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Ian Kinsler
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Rangers - The biggest
surprise story of the 2004 season continued in the AFL as Ian Kinsler
(SS) batted .306/.369/.500 with four HRs in 108 ABs. The hitting skills
are there, so Kinsler's breakout season was no fluke ... Jason Botts
put up very nice batting stats (.355/.461/.570, six HRs, 21 BBs in 107
ABs). Strikeouts are still a problem, as he fanned 32 times. His
conversion to the outfielder was successful, as he demonstrated decent
range for a big man ... (OF) Juan Senreiso (OF) is a five-tool
talent who had a decent season at three levels (Low A, High A, AA) in
2005, but it didn't carry over into the AFL. The native Dominican batted
.181/.274/.289. It wasn't a totally lost season, as Senreiso worked on
improving his plate discipline and drew 10 walks in 83 ABs ... John
Hudgins (P) struggled in the AFL, as opponents batted .357 off him
... Matt Lorenzo (P) turned in a surprising performance,
finishing with a 2.63 ERA and earning Pitcher of the Week honors late in
the season. He walked only six batters in 24 IPs ... Wes Littleton
(P) was effective, with a 1.15 WHIP and a 2.65 ERA ...
--- Bill Mitchell
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