
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.
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