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

Diekman a Late Addition to Mesa AFL Roster

On Wednesday, Phillies lefty pitching prospect Jacob Diekman made his Arizona Fall League debut. Diekman, who was drafted in the 30th round of the 2007 amateur draft, was assigned to Mesa late, in order to increase his 2010 innings total, according to Mesa hitting coach Mark Parent, who managed Diekman in Lakewood this past season. Diekman, 23, posted a 2-0 record with 1.90 ERA in 21 games with Class A Lakewood before being promoted to High-A Clearwater on June 24th. In 24 games with the Threshers, Diekman went 0-2 with a 3.66 ERA. Combined, Diekman tossed 55 2/3 innings and held opponents to a .187 batting average against at two levels in 2010. However, after not pitching in an official game since he threw a shutout inning to wrap up the Clearwater season on September 5th, Diekman was unable to record an out as all seven batters he faced reached base, six with hits, one on an error. Diekman was charged with 5 earned runs in the outing. Diekman had spent time at instructional ball from

2022 Phillies Top Prospects Countdown: #24 RHP Cristian Hernandez

Venezuelan born right-hander Cristian Hernandez has begun to earn recognition as one of the Phillies most promising pitching prospects. Signed as a 16-year-old in 2017 for a reported $120,000, Hernandez got his professional career started the following summer as a starter for the Phillies' Red Dominican Summer League club. There, in 13 starts, Hernandez tallied a 2-3 record with 2.57 ERA, a 1.14 WHIP as well as a 7.0 K/9 mark. An injury sidelined Hernandez in 2019 and the 2020 season was cancelled due to the global pandemic. In 2021, Hernandez saw his first regular season action in the United States, starting his season in Florida Complex League. After two appearances there, the six-foot-three 185-pounder was promoted to the Class A Clearwater Threshers. In 20 combined outings (17 starts), Hernandez notched a 2-7 record with a 3.57 ERA, a .228 batting average against and an 11.2 K/9 mark. Projectability is something that baseball folks like about Hernandez. His size, consistent

Who is Your Favorite Willie 'Mays' Hayes?

PhoulBallz.com is wondering which individual who has portrayed Willie "Mays" Hayes is the favorite of the public. Hayes, of course, is the character made famous in the Major League motion picture series. In Major League , Willie "Mays" Hayes was portrayed by budding Hollywood actor Wesley Snipes, who would go on to action movie superstardom. Snipes has starred in major motion pictures like the Blade trilogy, Passenger 57 , Undisputed and many more. Snipes remains an impact Hollywood actor, despite legal troubles related to income tax evasion. Snipes was replaced for the sequel, Major League II when his busy career, and possibly the film's budget, would not allow him to return, by Omar Epps. Another budding actor, Epps had previously worked with director David S. Ward, on the film The Program , and landed the role of Hayes, who had become a Hollywood action star over the off-season that occured between the two films. Epps' career portraying athletes rolle

PhoulBallz.com

Search This Blog