Arizona Fall League Wrap Up: Week 3

Hello, from Scottsdale! How’s the Fall League treating you Heliot?

You can actually hear a little more from Heliot in this excellent piece from Jim Callis, including his efforts to stay “process focused” in light of hitting in some hard luck:

Ramos’ AFL experience hit a high note this week when he went deep for the first time with a dramatic, game-tying three run shot. Despite the overall numbers, he’s still garnering lots of fans so far.

Baseball America just ranked Ramos the #5 prospect in their California League Top Prospect List (Joey Bart was #2 and Sean Hjelle #11) and were very bullish on Ramos’ prospects in the accompanying chat (subscribers only).

The Hitters

Joey Bart, 3 games, 2 for 11, 1 HRs, 2 RBI, 2 BBs, 4 K, Season totals .345/.513/.793
Jacob Heyward, 2 games, 0 for 6, 2 BB, 3 K, Season totals .111/.304/.278
Jalen Miller, 2 game, 3 for 7, 2b, HR, 1 K, Season totals .267/.267/.533
Heliot Ramos, 3 games, 2 for 12, HR, 1 BB, 5 K, Season totals .171/.222/.293

I don’t want to bury the lede — you came here for Heliot dinger footage I’m sure!

As noted above, Ramos has been hitting into a little tough luck in the AFL but he’s also not showing quite the same control of the strike zone here that we saw out of him earlier in the year in the Cal League (with a ratio of 2 BB to 12 Ks). Whether that’s a result of fatigue at the end of a long year or still adjusting to more advanced pitching patterns is hard to say. In the Cal League Top 20, Modesto’s Manager Denny Hocking said of Ramos (the league’s #5 ranked prospect): “There wasn’t, in my opinion, one way you could attack him.” So you trust that he’s making the right process in his mental approach to his PA.

One guy who is showing a vastly improved control of the strike zone in the AFL is Joey Bart. So far Bart has an atypical (for him) 9 BBs to 7 Ks. And he keeps doing this, as well:

You want a “hubba hubba” quote on Bart? Try this one!

Oh yeah, and there’s the defense, too. Speaking of which, Jacob Heyward hasn’t been having much luck at the plate in the AFL, but he can flash some smooth moves in the OF:

And finally, Jalen Miller started finding his groove despite sporadic play, as he came up with his first two XBH of the fall. Jalen has yet to draw a walk in the AFL (15 AB), but after striking out in each of his first four PA in the AFL, he’s K’d just two more times in the subsequent three games.

The Pitchers

Tristan Beck, 1 GS 4.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, Season Totals 4.15 ERA
Frank Rubio, 2 G, 2.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB 2 K, Season Totals 3.60 ERA
Tyler Schimpf, 2 G, 2 IP, 4 H, 7 R, 3 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, Season Totals 7.94 ERA
Bryce Tucker, 1 G, 1.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, Season Totals 2.25 ERA

Tristan Beck stretched out to his longest start with a 4 inning effort that also saw him cut his ERA in half. Beck was a very interesting pickup this summer in the Mark Melancon deal. He’s suffered from a litany of non-arm medical issues (back, oblique) the last couple of years and could really benefit from an uninterrupted stretch of health. He’s also started using a different throwing motion that has given him greater comfort on the mound, as you can read in Steve Kroner’s piece on him for Baseball America.

Lefty Bryce Tucker has been having the best success of the Giant’s trio of relievers in the AFL, striking out 9 batters and allowing just 1 run over his 4 innings.

As we wrap up for the week — some important dates to keep an eye on. This Saturday (October 12) will be the Rising Stars game, which almost surely will include Bart. The game is normally telecast on MLB Network (or streamed online) and begins at 5 PM MST. The AFL wraps up on Oct. 25 with the Championship Game, which is also broadcast on MLB Network, coming the following day (Oct 26). Scottsdale currently is sitting a couple of games out of 1st place in their division.

As we leave, enjoy a little AFL hijinx featuring Joey Bart and his bling.