Author Topic: Arizona Fall League (Read 7372 times)

Duman · « **on:** August 30, 2008, 05:29:45 am »

ETA: We will sticky this tread and let it be the discussion place for the AFL this year.

This year, the Astors farm hands will be on the Scottsdale Scorpions.

Here is the list of players assigned so far:

Chris Blazek
Brad James
Bud Norris
Sergio Perez
Chris Johnson
Mark Ori (taxi squad, can only play on Wed. & Sat.)
Drew Sutton
Brian Bogusevic

jonbloozy · « **Reply #1 on:** August 30, 2008, 07:47:55 pm »

Duman, you're the man

Taras Bulba · « **Reply #2 on:** September 02, 2008, 02:20:45 pm »

Quote from: Duman on August 30, 2008, 05:29:45 am

ETA: We will sticky this tread and let it be the discussion place for the AFL this year.

This year, the Astors farm hands will be on the Scottsdale Scorpions.

Here is the list of players assigned so far:

Chris Blazek
Brad James
Bud Norris
Sergio Perez
Chris Johnson
Mark Ori (taxi squad, can only play on Wed. & Sat.)
Drew Sutton
Brian Bogusevic

My astors aren't blooming. Probably because of the goddamn scorpions.

jonbloozy · « **Reply #3 on:** September 02, 2008, 03:13:15 pm »

Quote from: Taras Bulba on September 02, 2008, 02:20:45 pm

My astors aren't blooming. Probably because of the goddamn scorpions.

Ask JackAstor to photoshop a picture of a rattlesnake for your garden

Duman · « **Reply #4 on:** September 03, 2008, 01:36:21 pm »

So spelling isn't my strong suite.

Taras Bulba · « **Reply #5 on:** September 03, 2008, 01:49:09 pm »

Quote from: Duman on September 03, 2008, 01:36:21 pm

So spelling isn't my strong suite.

Well, doing a cracker jack job on the minors certainly is.

jonbloozy · « **Reply #6 on:** September 03, 2008, 02:36:58 pm »

Quote from: Duman on September 03, 2008, 01:36:21 pm

So spelling isn't my strong suite.

If that's all we got on ya (after keeping us up-to-date with the Minors for the whole season), then you done good

Duman · « **Reply #7 on:** September 12, 2008, 01:03:27 pm »

Blazek gets local press about going to AFL

On his season:

Quote

"Overall I was pleased with my numbers, but I did have a rough stretch in July when I wasn't making good pitches," Blazek said.

On his development:

Quote

"I'm throwing a lot more strikes," he said. "Every year my walk total has gone down."
In high school and in three years at the University of Vermont, Blazek was known for going deep into counts. But with better control of his fastball and development of a curveball and changeup, and this season a slider, he has become a more efficient pitcher.

jonbloozy · « **Reply #8 on:** October 08, 2008, 05:34:40 pm »

Looks like we're gonna get a Blogging Bogey for this AFL season

jonbloozy · « **Reply #9 on:** October 09, 2008, 02:48:26 pm »

Sergio Perez is making his AFL debut today

Gameday

Hornstros · « **Reply #10 on:** October 14, 2008, 02:13:07 pm »

Anyone know if Bogusevic is injured? He hasn't really been playing for Scottsdale (only 1 AB)

Reuben · « **Reply #11 on:** October 14, 2008, 06:04:57 pm »

Quote from: Hornstros on October 14, 2008, 02:13:07 pm

Anyone know if Bogusevic is injured? He hasn't really been playing for Scottsdale (only 1 AB)

No mention of an injury in this piece from yesterday by Jason Grey, who clearly did not jump on the Bogusevic bandwagon.

Quote

Astros outfielder Brian Bogusevic is trying to make the Rick Ankiel transition from pitcher, and he generated buzz with a .371 average in 41 games at Double-A after making the switch. That small sample size aside, the jury is still out. He has shown length in his swing, stiffness at the plate and a tendency to jump early and get too far out in front of off-speed pitches. Granted, it is still early in the transition, but he hasn't been overly impressive thus far.

Nor did Alyson Footer mention any injury in a piece posted today...

FFWally · « **Reply #12 on:** October 14, 2008, 09:57:56 pm »

From a credible source, I was told he reinjured his hamstring hamstring.

jonbloozy · « **Reply #13 on:** October 14, 2008, 10:17:47 pm »

Quote from: Reuben on October 14, 2008, 06:04:57 pm

No mention of an injury in this piece from yesterday by Jason Grey, who clearly did not jump on the Bogusevic bandwagon.Nor did Alyson Footer mention any injury in a piece posted today...

I'm curious where Jason Grey is getting his information from. Was he watching Bogusevic in Corpus or is this just the consensus of the scouts? According to this, Bogey has had only one AB in the AFL (and he done good). Let's just hope he hasn't injured his hamstring hamstring.

Quote

That small sample size aside, the jury is still out. He has shown length in his swing, stiffness at the plate and a tendency to jump early and get too far out in front of off-speed pitches. Granted, it is still early in the transition, but he hasn't been overly impressive thus far.

OregonStrosFan · « **Reply #14 on:** October 15, 2008, 01:11:47 am »

Quote from: FFWally on October 14, 2008, 09:57:56 pm

From a credible source, I was told he reinjured his hamstring.

Which is confirmed by an even more credible source... (Bogusevic's blog)

Quote

In the second to last game of the regular season in Corpus Christi I tweaked my hamstring a little bit. It was reaggrivated the other day and I had to come out of my first game here after just three innings. I don't think that it is a very serious injury though, and hope to be back on the field within the next couple of days. Since then, most of my days have been spent getting treatment and rehabbing so that I can be healthy as soon as possible.

Hornstros · « **Reply #15 on:** November 06, 2008, 09:24:57 am »

MLB.com has a story on the Astros prospects in the AFL focusing in on Bogusevic

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20081105&content_id=3665107&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

jbm · « **Reply #16 on:** November 06, 2008, 10:50:57 am »

Thanks for the link. What a stark reminder of just how thin the upper ranks are.

The scout's observation, or the reporting of it at least, was kind of odd. Didn't Norris strike out batters at a similar rate this year as a starter?

Russe · « **Reply #17 on:** November 06, 2008, 11:22:09 am »

I posted this in the Drew Sutton topic as well, but there is a article on Bogusevic at Baseball America right now. It's premium content, so if anyone has a subscription and could give us highlights, I (along with everyone else, I'm sure) would be very appreciative.

Jacksonian · « **Reply #18 on:** November 06, 2008, 12:11:28 pm »

Quote from: jbm on November 06, 2008, 10:50:57 am

Thanks for the link. What a stark reminder of just how thin the upper ranks are.

The scout's observation, or the reporting of it at least, was kind of odd. Didn't Norris strike out batters at a similar rate this year as a starter?

True on the strike outs. But, he generally didn't go deep and allowed more baserunners than you'd like. I think the thinking is his third and fourth pitches aren't going to be good enough to allow him to start in the majors.

jbm · « **Reply #19 on:** November 06, 2008, 12:16:58 pm »

The theme that kept surfacing in the article was Bogusevic needs to learn to pull the ball.

Quote

His tendency is to hit to the opposite field, with his handlers here imploring Bogusevic to turn on inside pitches.

Quote

Tamargo took note that Bogusevic can hit well the opposite way and is optimistic about his ability to pull pitches.

and

Quote

"The thing I have to work on is pulling the ball. I'm struggling with that right now," he added.

His Scottsdale coach praised his speed in the outfield and accurate arm

He will be working out in Houston after the AFL.

jbm · « **Reply #20 on:** November 06, 2008, 12:18:49 pm »

Quote from: Jacksonian on November 06, 2008, 12:11:28 pm

True on the strike outs. But, he generally didn't go deep and allowed more baserunners than you'd like. I think the thinking is his third and fourth pitches aren't going to be good enough to allow him to start in the majors.

Those are certainly legit reasons, but the strikeout rationale was odd, or just lazy reporting.

Duman · « **Reply #21 on:** November 07, 2008, 08:37:15 am »

John Sickles comments on his trip to the AFL:

Bogusevic:

Quote

Converted to the outfield after failing to sustain success as a pitcher. He was a good hitter at Tulane, and he looks like a good hitter now, with a very attractive short swing, good strike zone judgment, and fine overall tools. Not sure about his home run power and he may project best as a fourth outfielder, which is better than being a Double-A pitcher.

Sutton:

Quote

Had a terrific Double-A season though he is old for the level. Being groomed as a super-utility type, spending time in the outfield though second and third are his main positions. Not a great athlete, but a "baseball rat" type who is fundamentally sound, hustles, and controls the zone well. I can see him as a .260ish hitter with a bit of pop to go with his defensive versatility.

Jacksonian · « **Reply #22 on:** November 07, 2008, 09:26:07 am »

Quote from: Duman on November 07, 2008, 08:37:15 am

John Sickles comments on his trip to the AFL:

Bogusevic:

I thought that was an odd conclusion at this point. He's only a 4th outfielder if he can't hit for average. He's stinging the ball regularly now and did so at AA. He's got enough raw power to hit for extra bases regularly down the road a bit. He's a very good defender with a good arm. He's better than Pence in the outfield. We'll see how he does against AAA pitchers next year.

Froback · « **Reply #23 on:** November 07, 2008, 09:28:55 am »

There are a lot of hitters who have been very good ML players who don't pull the ball when they could. Usually it means they give up some power (as you normally have a lot more power when pulling it, if it is one you "should" try to pull), but they do tend to be higher averages to balance it out.

I don't know much about his speed as far as base-stealing potential and such, but every line-up needs guys who are very good at just putting the ball in play (singles/doubles type hitter). You want a balanced line-up.

From all I have heard, his "return" to position player makes me think Hunter Pence is more expendable now than he used to be. (dreaming the impossible Peavy dream...) I don't know about Bogusevic's ability to play CF, or I might think he could push for that spot too if he can.

It is still very early to tell for sure if he can hit at the big-league level, but so far all indications are looking favorable, IMO.

HooksFan · « **Reply #24 on:** November 14, 2008, 01:09:56 pm »

http://mlb.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200811133674459

Duman · « **Reply #25 on:** November 25, 2008, 12:07:48 pm »

In a MLB wrap up of the AFL season, Drew Sutton is talked about:

Quote

He played three infield position and both corner outfield positions this fall, showing an ability to handle pretty much anything thrown his way defensively. At the plate, Sutton proved that his 20-20 season in the Texas League wasn't a fluke, slugging .611 with a .426 OBP for Scottsdale. He has drawn comparisons to Geoff Blum, which wouldn't be a bad career at all, but he might have a little more bat than that.

What do you think? Is Sutton as good as Blum?

Minor Stats: Blum vs Sutton