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2004 season
Final Report
December 26, 2004
National League West
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Conor Jackson |
Diamondbacks - Conor
Jackson (OF) showed the parent club why they should not get into any
long-term contracts with veteran free agent outfielders. After splitting
the season between High A and AA, Jackson tore up the AFL by batting
.324/.433/.586 with a league-leading eight HRs. Jackson hits the ball
hard and far. He also drew 22 walks while striking out 19 times. He's only
adequate defensively right now, but should be ready for the big leagues
soon ... Jackson's outfield mate, Carlos Quentin (OF), suffered
from back problems and got into only four games before shutting it down
for the year. Many scouts like Quentin as a prospect even more than
Jackson ... Corey Myers (3B/C) looked more like a top-notch
prospect than at any other time in his career since the D-backs selected
him with the fourth overall pick in the draft a few years ago. The kid's
got a pretty stroke and some pop in his bat; he hit .400/.434/.632 with
11 doubles and three HRs. Myers' upside is now likely as a utility player
--- not that there's anything wrong with that ... Marland Williams
(OF) was very impressive while playing for two different AFL teams,
batting .352/.395/.563 with nine stolen bases in ten attempts. The
diminutive Williams also hit three HRs in 71 ABs. It appeared as if he
sometimes lost his concentration on the bases, but overall Williams
looks like a nice future fourth outfielder ... Hard-throwing Jason
Bulger (P) was an effective closer for Scottsdale, saving five games
and posting a 3.46 ERA and fanning 16 in 13 IPs ... Mike Schultz
(P) pitched fairly well, finishing with a 3.94 ERA ... Justin
Wechsler (P) built on his success in High A by throwing 7.1 strong
innings in the AFL. He gave up only two hits and struck out nine
hitters.
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Zach Parker |
Rockies - It was not a very
successful year for any of the Rockies AFL players. Southpaw Zach
Parker (P) finished with a 6.47 ERA; opposing batters hit .318 off
him ... Sidearmer Ryan Speier (P) pitched fairly well, holding
hitters to a .239 average. He fanned 16 in 17/1 IPs ... Zach
McClellan (P) didn't pitch as well as lhis 2003 AFL season when he was a member of the Royals organization. This time around
McClellan posted a 5.00 ERA with a 14/13 K/BB rate ... Jayson Nix
(2B) really struggled in his second AFL season, hitting only
.191/.284/.281. After a not so great year in AA, Nix's prospect stock is
dropping ... Cory Sullivan (OF) missed all of the 2004 regular
season due to injury and was obviously rusty, hitting .203/.268/.266 ...
Jeff Baker
(3B) drew raves from his teammates during pre-season drills, but managed to get into three games before suffering an injury that shut him
down for the year ... Corey Slavik (3B) came in after Baker had
to leave, and hit only .214/.250/.268.
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Jason Repko |
Dodgers - Former first
rounder Jason Repko (OF) was just about to fall off the prospect
radar altogether until he put together a strong 2004 season. The
right-handed hitter furthered has case with an excellent performance in
the AFL, as he batted .291/.368/.590 and tied teammate Conor Jackson
with a league-leading eight HRs. The Dodgers rewarded Repko with a spot
on the 40-man roster ... Stud prospect James Loney
(1B) continued to swing the bat well, hitting .314/.362/.407 and playing
excellent defense at first base. If he can stay healthy next year, Loney
won't be too far away from being ready for the big leagues ... Russ
Martin (C) bumped himself up a notch on the Dodgers catching
depth chart. He showed good catching skills and hit .296/.452/.370 ...
Tom Farmer (P) got hit pretty hard this year, as opponents batted
.315 off him ... Sidearmer Steve Schmoll (P) was an effective
reliever for the Scorpions, posting a 1.42 ERA and a good 12/4 KBB ratio
... Lefty Eric Stults (P) struggled with his command, walking
eight batters in 15/2 IPs. Batters hit .258 off him.
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Paul McAnulty |
Padres - Left-handed
hitter Paul McAnulty (1B) is the kind of player with whom fans
can identify. At 5/10", 220, he's got a body similar to that of a young
John Kruk and is every bit as good of a hitter as Krukkie was at the
same point in his career. With no experience above High Class A,
McAnulty raked in the AFL to the tune of .353/.400/.561 with six HRs in
102 ABs. 2004 was a breakout year for him, so watch how he does in AA
(and perhaps AAA) next season ... Josh Barfield's (2B) AA season
was a downer compared to his great 2003 performance in High A. He did
okay in the AFL, batting .319/.359/.418 with one HR and 19 RBIs in 91
ABs. 2005 will be a key year for Barfield as he moves up to AAA ...
Ben Johnson (OF) isn't regarded as a top-flight prospect, perhaps
because he spent three straight years in AA. But his performance in the
AFL, both offensively and defensively, marks him as someone who should
be watched a little more closely. The 23-year-old right-handed hitter
batted .325/.400/.561 with five HRs ... Brad Baker (P) has
thrived since being moved to the bullpen and is now regarded as the
Padres' closer of the future. He was nothing short of superb in the AFL,
albeit in only 11 innings of duty. Baker posted a 1.64 ERA with a nice
14/3 K/BB rate. With a brief AAA stint behind him, Baker could make the
big league roster with a strong spring performance, although he'll more
likely return to the minors for more seasoning ... Australian Chris
Oxspring (P) pitched effectively in seven starts for the Javelinas,
finishing with a 4.08 ERA and showing good command ... R.D. Spiehs
(P) followed a strong AA season with a respectable performance in the
AFL, registering a 2.29 ERA ... Wilmer Villatoro (P) came in
later in the season as a replacement and only pitched 8.1 IPs. He fanned
eight batters.
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David Aardsma |
Giants - David
Aardsma (P) is just over a year away from having been chosen in the
first round of the draft, but the Rice product has already seen time
with the big league team. He's got that closer mentality, with a swagger
that exudes confidence in what he's got going for him. The right-hander
was one of the top closers in the AFL, posting a 2.93 ERA and striking
out 17 in 15.1 IPs ... Chris Begg (P) was dominated by opposing
hitters, who clubbed him for a .378 average ... Scott Munter (P)
is a big, strapping reliever who, despite being hit at a rate of .330,
kept the ball in the yard and thus finished with an ERA of 3.63. He
fanned only 11 batters in 22.1 IPs, so the lower ERA is likely a bit of
a statistical anomaly ... Lance Niekro (1B/3B) is now an AFL
veteran, having been here three different times. He hit .295/.348/.443,
but drew only four walks in 61 ABs. While he's got a nice batting stroke
and always hits for a high average, his inability to hit for enough
power and a penchant for getting injured will likely mark him as a
career 4-A player ... Former independent leaguer Mike Cervenak
(3B) is already 28 and only reached AAA at the end of the 2004 season.
He hit well in the AFL, batting .274/.337/.405, but is likely to be
nothing more than a career minor leaguer or perhaps as a big league
utility player ... Although he's already 24, Freddie Lewis (OF)
has limited experience above High Class A. He has great tools and may
still turn them into major league caliber baseball skills, but was
somewhat overmatched in the AFL. He hit .240/.341/.333 and stole only
one base. He struck out 26 times in 75 ABs, far too many for a leadoff
hitter type. He's got to put the ball into play more often to take
advantage of his speed.
--- Bill Mitchell
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