Skip to main content

2011 Phillies AFL Wrap Up

The Arizona Fall League season wraps up today as the Salt River Rafters take on the Surprise Saguaros in the championship game in Scottsdale. The game will be broadcast live on MLB Network and on MLB.com at 3 PM Eastern.

No Phillies prospects will be represented in the title contest, as their club, the Scottsdale Scorpions finished 14-22, placing last in the East division.

Salt River features minor leaguers from the Astros, D-Backs, Dodgers, Rockies and Tigers, while Surprise includes players from the Braves, Marlins, Rays, Rangers and Royals.

Despite Philadelphia farmhands missing out on the final game of the AFL season, let's take a look at their fall league performances, with some players shining and others just getting by.

Lefty hurler Jake Diekman, who was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster on Friday, performed exceptionally for the Scorpions. The 6-foot-4-inch 190-pound reliever allowed just 1 earned run in 11 appearances (11 1/3 innings) while striking out 14 batters and walking 6. AFL opponents posted a lowly .079 batting average against Diekman, who also recorded 2 saves. The Nebraska native was originally a 30th round draft pick by the Phillies in 2007.

25-year-old first baseman Darin Ruf picked up his production during the latter portion of the AFL season, posting a .333 average over his last 10 games, but had a .239 mark overall for Scottsdale. The 6-foot-3-inch 220-pound righty batter also slugged 3 homeruns and drove in 14. Ruf, a 20th round draft choice in 2009, spent the 2011 season with Class A Advanced Clearwater and sported a .308/.388/.506 line in 133 games.

First baseman/third baseman/outfielder Cody Overbeck had a strong AFL showing, posting a .321 average with 6 doubles, 1 triple, 1 HR and 7 RBI. The 25-year-old has hit 24 homeruns in each of the last two regular seasons in the Phillies system. With his positional versatility, he should get a good look in spring training with the big club.

Outfielder Tyson Gillies had a rough go of it during AFL play. The 23-year-old batted .178 with 2 doubles, a HR and 7 RBI in 27 games in the autumn developmental league. The speedster who has missed a great majority of the past two regular seasons with hamstring and foot injuries also stole 4 bases without being caught. The Canadian born Gillies was acquired by Philadelphia as part of the December 2009 Cliff Lee trade with Seattle.

Right-handed pitcher Tyler Cloyd made 8 starts without much success. The 18th round pick from 2008 went 1-4 with a 4.35 ERA while serving up a .296 batting average against. The 24-year-old was solid throughout the 2011 regular season, posting a combined 9-4 record with a 2.77 ERA in 31 appearances for Clearwater and Double-A Reading.

BJ Rosenberg's 5.14 ERA in 6 AFL contests was not very appealing. The same applies to Colby Shreve's 5.59 ERA in 9 games. Rosenberg was once a fast rising reliever within the Philadelphia developmental ranks, however he no longer appears to be on the rise as he posted a 5-7 record with 2 saves and a 4.28 ERA in 39 games (14 starts) during the 2011 regular season. Shreve, a Nevada native, was a 6th round draft choice from 2008. He posted a 2.87 ERA in 40 combined games for Class A Lakewood and High A level Clearwater this year. The 23-year-old still stands a solid chance at reaching Double-A Reading in 2012.

_______________________________________________

You can follow PhoulBallz on Twitter by clicking HERE.

Also connect with PhoulBallz on Facebook by clicking HERE

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Jersey Shore clinches playoff berth on final day of regular season

Ottto Kemp, image- Jay Floyd With an extra-inning victory over first-half division champions Hudson Valley on Sunday, the Class A Advanced Jersey Shore BlueClaws clinched the team's first playoff appearance since 2018, winning the second-half division title. Key performers in the BlueClaws' clincher were righty hurler Jason Ruffcorn, who threw three innings of relief to earn the victory and third baseman Otto Kemp, notched three hits, a walk, two stolen bases and plated the game winning run in the 11th inning on a sacrifice fly.  On top of that, Kemp, who turned 24-years-old on Saturday, made an absolute game-saving defensive play to help the club hold their lead in the bottom of the 11th frame. One of Jersey Shore's most consistent performers all season long has been right-handed reliever Cam Wynne.  The Phillies' 20th round draft pick in 2021 out of Nebraska.  In 34 appearances, one start, the 24-year-old tallied a 1-1 record with one save, a 2.44 ERA and a .190 batti

PhoulBallz Interview: BlueClaws OF Justin Crawford

Justin Crawford w/ junior reporter Evan At the age of 19, outfielder Justin Crawford has played his way into the conversation of being considered as one of baseball's top prospects. The son of four-time MLB All-Star Carl Crawford, Justin has looked every bit as impressive as his position as the 17th overall draft selection last year would have most fans thinking he should be.  He opened the season with Class A Clearwater where, in 69 games, he notched a .344/.399/.478 slash line.  And since mid-August when he was promoted to Class A Advanced Jersey Shore, the younger Crawford has posted a .300/.364/.440 line.  He's also stolen 44 bases in 52 attempts overall. And while the BlueClaws enter the final week of the regular season 1/2 game out of first place in their division, I spoke with Justin Crawford about the team's hopes of making the postseason for the first time since 2018. I also asked Justin about the similarities and differences between his skillset and his father'

RHP Pipkin headed to AFL after hot August

After completing what was easily the best month of his career, righty hurler Dominic Pipkin is ready to face the tough competition of the prominent Arizona Fall Leage.   Pipkin, who was the Phillies' 9th round draft selection in 2018, has had moderate success in his five years as a pro, posting a 4.93 ERA, a 7.6 K/9 mark and a .260 batting average against mostly at the lower levels on the minors. After missing time this year with an unspecified ailment, the six-foot-four 170-pounder proved to be healthy as he dominated AA competition in nine appearances with the Reading Fightin Phils during August.  Pipkin's impressive production resulted in a 1-0 record with a save and a 0.96 ERA while striking out eight and walking three in 9 1/3 innings. The California native says his efforts to improve have helped him touch 100 MPH on the radar gun, while his fastball velocity is mostly around 96 MPH.   Pipkin's arsenal includes that improved fastball as well as a slider while his curve