AFL Wrap Up

The Arizona Fall League has come to a close, and with it a loooong season of baseball for nine Indians prospects and Columbus manager Mike Sarbaugh.

The Peoria Javelinas fell just short of the AFL title, losing 3-2 to the Scottsdale Scorpions in the AFL Championship game this past Saturday. In the championship game, Cord Phelps went 2-5 with a nice defensive play in the field at 3B. He also overthrew 1B on a play that was ruled a hit, but easily could have been scored as an error. The 1B didn't do him any favors on the play, stretching very early and not adjusting to the throw. Jason Kipnis went 0-4 from the DH spot, reaching on an error on a routine grounder to 2B. He nearly tied the game for the Javelinas in the 8th, but a spectacular play by the Scottsdale SS on a ball up the middle ended a threat with 2 on and 2 out. None of the Tribe pitchers on the Javelinas roster appeared in the game. With the season in the books, let's take a look back and see how our guys did down in the desert.

Jason Kipnis, 2B: Kipnis had a slow start in AZ, and was under the Mendoza line for much of the season. By his own admission, he was hitting the ball well, they just weren’t falling in for hits. In his last 9 games in AZ, Kipnis went 16-34 to push his overall line to a healthy .295/.337/.628. The .628 SLG was good for 5th in the AFL, and he tied for the league lead with 11 doubles. He also popped 3 HR, 3 triples, drove in 19 and stole two bases without being caught. His 17 XBH were the most in the circuit. Kipnis played some 3B in AZ due to the presence of fellow top prospect Dustin Ackley. As he indicated in his blog, he hated every second of it. Don’t expect a position switch to the hot corner for Kipnis anytime soon. He was the only Indian selected to the AFL Future Stars Game, where he went 1-1 with a double. He was also the only Indian selected as one of the 20 prospects who “stood out” (whatever that means) in the AFL.

Cord Phelps, 2B/3B: After putting up an impressive season between Akron and Columbus in 2010, Phelps was sent to AZ to see if he could play 3B. Phelps played SS, 2B and a little 3B at Stanford, so the Indians wanted to see if he could handle the hot corner to increase his versatility. The reviews of his defense were mixed at best, but he definitely brought his bat with him to the desert. Phelps threw up a .367/.474/.557 with 3 HR and 10 RBI. The batting average was good for 5th in the league, and his OBP was 3rd. His OBP was buoyed by 16 BB in his 19 games played in AZ. Phelps is still seen by most scouts as a utility infielder, but he is a guy who has strong top of the order skills, and I can see him as a solid 2B in the #2 hole of a MLB lineup.

Roberto Perez, C: The defensive specalist was the backup catcher for the Javelinas and posted a .159/.215/.205 line in 44 ABs. He had two 2B, walked 3 times and struck out 11. He got great reviews for his ability to handle a pitching staff, threw out several would-be basestealers and even picked a couple guys off 1B. Perez was one of the few low-A players in the AFL, so no one really expected him to set the world on fire with his bat. Defense is and will continue to be his calling card if he wants to have a MLB career.

Adam Abraham, 3B/C: Abraham was the bullpen catcher and was on the "taxi squad" for the Javelinas, meaning he was only eligible to play on Wendsdays and Saturdays. His final line was .222/.378/.306 to go along with a 2B, a 3B and 3 RBI. He struck out 8 times and had 9 BB.

Scott Barnes, SP: Barnes found success in what is traditionally a hitter’s league, as the big lefty tied for the league lead in wins with 4 and was 3rd in the league with 28 K. Barnes posted a 3.65 ERA in 24 2/3 innings and was 4-1 in his 7 starts. He gave up a total of 10 ER, 5 of which scored in his first start of the season. The Indians wanted Barnes to work on his new slider in AZ, a pitch he started developing in mid-2010. Clearly it paid off, as Barnes was one of the most impressive pitchers in the Fall League this year with a 4/1 (28/7) K/BB ratio. The 3.65 ERA is especially impressive when you consider that the league ERA was 5.08.

Brian Price, RP: Following in the footsteps of teammate Jason Kipnis, Price started slowly but ended the season strong. He finished the season with a 5.40 ERA in 11 2/3 innings over 9 appearances. Most of the damage was done early though, when he gave up 6 ER in 2 2/3 innings over 3 outings. In his last 5 outings spanning 7 IP, Price gave up just one ER. He struck out 3, walked 6 and posted a 1.38 GO/FO rate.

Eric Berger, RP: Berger made 9 appearances out of the bullpen for the Javelinas, giving up just one ER in 11 IP. He struggled a bit with his control, walking 8 but was able to make up for it by missing bats (12 K).

Chen Lee, RP: Lee had a rough AFL campaign, dealing with both ineffectiveness and injury. He strained a muscle in his leg, and didn't pitch from Oct. 28-Nov. 10. When he came back on the 10th, he gave up 2 R (1 ER), walked 2 and didn't record an out. Lee finished with an ERA of 9.00 in his 6 innings of work. He walked 3, struck out 7, gave up a HR and blew a save to post a 0-1 record in 6 appearances.

Travis Turek, RP: Like Abraham, Turek was on the taxi squad for the Javelinas. He appeared in 7 games, throwing 8 1/3 innings. He did not record a decision and finished with a 5.40 ERA. He struck out 3, walked 3 and gave up 5 ER.

Posted in: Arizona Fall League