AZ Fall League - Rosters, Schedule, Streaming, etc.

[Jim Goulart]

Quotes, video and Baez tidbits within -

 

[Joseph Zarr]

10 hours ago, Jim Goulart said:

Quotes, video and Baez tidbits within -

 

when he injured his right shoulder diving back to the bag on a pickoff attempt. 

 

Awesome to see Baez get much-deserved shine.

I continue to be mildly amazed at how Dykstra has doubled down on misrepresenting this play. Baez was playing defense when he was injured at 3B. He wasn't diving or sliding back to the base. He was covering the bag when the opponent was attempting to take the base. He was injured in their head first slide. I know it's 2024...but this is storytelling and indicative he almost certainly never saw the event being described. Anywho. 🤷‍♂️

[Jim Goulart]

 

[Joseph Zarr]

LHP Mark Manfredi's nightmarish start to his early AFL season continues. The Javelinas entered the bottom of the sixth frame leading 2-0. Manfredi entered with the Javelinas trailing 3-2. The bases were juiced with two down.

This line is not made up:

Walk, WP, walk, balk, walk, walk. 23 pitches total thrown. 7 strikes landing. 4 BB, 1 WP, 1 Balk and yet only 1 ER charged as he adds 4 ER to his previous stablemate in RHP Jimmy Joyce. 

Manfredi leaves the game not having recorded an out, his ERA blossoming to 23.14 and the Javelinas trailing 7-2. Mark, grab a beer. Hit the showers. Regroup.

 

 

[Joseph Zarr]

After losing last night dropping to 4-11, the Javelinas bounced back and took one 7-6 over the River Rafters moving to 5-11 in the process. 3B Brock Wilken plated two via sac flies and, yet, with an 0-for-2 final line he saw his AFL offensive numbers become even less impressive: 0.130 BA with a ripe 0.497 OPS. My goodness. Regardless, it is nice to see him impact the game in any positive way at this point. Those two sac flies surely helped. Luis Lara was back in right field again managing a 1-for-2 evening with 1 R, 2 BB, and 1 SB (his 4th on the season). This a night after Lara grabbed an OF assist at 2B. No pitching in the Brewers part of the ledger - RHP Will Childers did come aboard late in last night's 'L' allowing 2 ER in his work and seeing his ERA rise past 7. The pitching, as a general whole, continues to be a glaringly obvious Acchiles' heel for the Javelinas. 

[Jim Goulart]

 

[wiguy94]

Birchard getting notably squeezed again according to statcast. 6 strikes on 15 pitches while statcast has him with 9 strikes on 15 pitches. Just some bad umping really hurting him.

[Joseph Zarr]

21 minutes ago, wiguy94 said:

Birchard getting notably squeezed again according to statcast. 6 strikes on 15 pitches while statcast has him with 9 strikes on 15 pitches. Just some bad umping really hurting him.

He is certainly not getting the benefit of the doubt coming in with an extensive 2024 record of not hitting the zone. He has been squeezed a bit today. None the less, his current development is still a vastly improved array of offerings and results. In the full-season affiliated work, he was also getting smacked around the ballpark in addition to the walks. Flat delivery. Sprayed results. In addition to the walks. In Arizona, to date, he really isn't giving up much contact at all. It's a pretty big deal in terms of his overall trajectory. He is nibbling in better parts of the zone and his misses are just nowhere near as consistently poor. He just finished out his third frame of work with consecutive K's, for example. The stuff is there. He is starting to take a step before our eyes. 

[Jim Goulart]

 

[Jim Goulart]

 

[Joseph Zarr]

0-for-4, 2 K for Wilken tonight. BA now down to 0.120. OPS 0.460. 

Yikes.

 

[Playing Catch]

8 hours ago, Joseph Zarr said:

0-for-4, 2 K for Wilken tonight. BA now down to 0.120. OPS 0.460. 

Yikes.

 

You were sounding the warning bells with his placement in the AFL, believing he might just need a break. I was right there with you, and I think we were correct.

I have a hard time believing that the Wilken we were witness to in 2023 wouldn't have held his own in the 2023 AFL. I can't help but feel this is a head-game thing, more than evidence of his not being good enough.

With that said, it's probably not fair to speculate on a public forum. We're all rooting for him!

[Jim Goulart]

Recent Peoria action -

Sunday's game - RHP Ryan Birchard, Juan Baez at 2B, Luis Lara in RF

Tuesday's game - RHP's Coleman Crow and Nick Merkel, Juan Baez at 2B, Brock Wilken at 3B, Luis Lara in RF

Wednesday's game - RHP Will Childers, Juan Baez at 2B, Brock Wilken at 3B, Luis Lara in LF

 

[Jim Goulart]

Thursday's Peoria game - Juan Baez at 2B, Luis Lara in RF

Baez singled twice in five AB's (two K's), as his line now reads .354/.466/.604 (1.070 OPS) thru 48 AB's

Lara walked (0-for-3 one K), stole his 6th base in nine attempts, and now sits at .226/.344/.321 (.665 OPS) in 53 AB's.

No Brewers pitchers saw action, good considering the Javelinas lost 12-5 to drop to 5-15.

[Jim Goulart]

 

[Joseph Zarr]

Having watched some or all of each of RHP Coleman Crow's last three outings I've seen a bit of everything early in what are essentially his rehab innings. He has a massive and classic 12-6 curve. It has a seriously large arc with quite a bit of vertical break. And, it has me wondering if he can't reduce some of that movement and develop a gyro slider or death ball type set of movements in his arsenal. I mean he sits low 90's and his heat has some ability for late movement. Is he going to strictly be that traditional swooping curve guy and target that larger velo discrepancy? Or can he sacrifice some of that vertical movement for a higher velo version that can get more strikes? My early Friday AFL ponderings.

To that end, and for any of you pitching nerds...this is a really fun 6 minutes of your time.

** For those of you who haven't seen Crow pitch, he has a roughly 3/4 arm slot approach and I would gather - albeit it in extremely limited viewings, obviously - he has a distinct pronation bias in his tool kit **

[Austin Tatious]

On 10/16/2024 at 9:44 PM, Joseph Zarr said:

RHP Cameron Crow got the starting nod tonight vs the Mesa Solar Sox. He did not disappoint.

2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 2 K, 0 R, 1 Balk - 34 total pitches. 23 strikes.

Peoria leads 5-1 in the bottom of the 4th frame. The only field player taking the diamond tonight is 2B Juan Baez. He is currently 0-for-1 with 1 BB and 1 SB.

Great summary but I think it’s Coleman Crow.  

[CheeseheadInQC]

25 minutes ago, Austin Tatious said:

Great summary but I think it’s Coleman Crow.  

Easy mistake to make. As a minor leaguer who missed last year with an injury, he’s only almost famous.

Sorry. I’ll, yah, see myself out.

[Ro Mueller]

The 2024 Peoria Javelinas feel like the worst All-Star team ever.

[biedergb]

10 hours ago, Ro Mueller said:

The 2024 Peoria Javelinas feel like the worst All-Star team ever.

I mean yes, but if you look at the hitters, 6 of their 10 most common hitters (by AB) are teenagers, compared to Surprise and Glendale leaders where there is only one teenage (Z. Hope). So there is some excuse there.

Now as far as pitching - all around pitching ERA for the league is 6.12, and giving up 6.5 runs per game, and Peoria is sitting all alone with an ERA of 8.75 wow! No excuses there. Very few quality performances here. Heck our RHP R. Birchard is the youngest pitcher (20 yo) on the team and is 5th in ERA and 8th in WHIP with some awful stats.

[Joseph Zarr]

18 hours ago, Austin Tatious said:

Great summary but I think it’s Coleman Crow.  

It very much is. And, it very much spell checked me to 'Cameron'. Incredible. Thanks for the heads up - I'll go ahead and re-edit that post. As you can see given me several posts above, I very clearly know what his name is - I've been watching him pitch throughout his AFL stint. 😅

[Joseph Zarr]

I am now officially on "Will the Peoria Javelinas win another game in the 2024 AFL season watch?". They trail 6-2 in the eighth frame to Surprise. They are on the verge of falling to 5-17. It's a beautiful ugly in the desert.

Here's our moment of Zen: It's reasonable to say 3B Brock Wilken has had decent outcomes in three of his past four games. He is 1-for-2 with 1 RBI, 2 BB, and 1 K tonight. We have to start somewhere. I'll gladly find a needle in a haystack.

[Joseph Zarr]

The reverse jinx worked with aplomb:

A two out grand salami ties the game at 6 apiece. There is now a bases empty rain delay with 3B Brock Wilken scheduled to bat next. 

[wiguy94]

Childers might be pitching himself into legit RP prospect. Tonight his FB topped out at 98.4. It averaged 97.4mph, 2400rpm, 17 IVB, 5 horizontal.

[Jim Goulart]

Friday's Peoria game - an uncharacteristic low-scoring game, a 2-1 loss

Brock Wilken at 3B, 0-for-4, two K's; Juan Baez at 2B, 1-for-4, two K's; Luis Lara in RF, 1-for-3, one K

Thru 62 plate appearances, Baez is at .346/.452/.577 (1.029 OPS).

No Brewers pitchers saw action, given the score, we wish they had,

***

Saturday's Peoria game - game ends in a 7-7 tie after ten innings

Brock Wilken at 3B, 1-for-3, two BB's, two K's, RBI, throwing error, just his 2nd error of the fall season, thru 73 plate appearances, Wilken is at .145/.247/.258 (.505 OPS)

Luis Lara in RF, 2-for-4, BB, K, R; Lara stole his 7th base but was also caught stealing for a 4th time, thru 72 plate appearances, Lara is at .250/.361/.333 (.694 OPS)

LHP Mark Manfredi was tasked with keeping the game tied at 6-6 in the bottom of the 8th, and he did, despite two one-out walks and a balk. The inning ended on a line-out back to Manfredi. who threw to Wilken at third for the double play.

RHP Nick Merkel pulled a rabbit out of his hat to keep the game tied with a scoreless 9th. With runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, there was a strikeout, a walk to load the bases, and then a groundout.

Peoria grabbed a one-run lead in the top of the 10th thanks to a wild pitch, and RHP Will Childers was asked to strand the Manfred Man to end the contest. Childers immediately threw two wild pitches to allow the tying run to score as part of a leadoff walk. A double placed runners on 2nd and 3rd, and then Childers intentionally walked a man to load the bases and it was desperation time. Then -

Strikeout

Max Acosta strikes out swinging. 

1 Out

 

Strikeout

Milan Tolentino strikes out swinging. 

2 Outs

 

Strikeout

Brett Squires strikes out swinging. 

3 Outs