First AFL Box score - Page 14 - RedsZone.com - Cincinnati Reds Fans' Home for Baseball Discussion

lollipopcurve · 11-19-2009, 04:20 PM

Leake finishes the AFL season very strong. Four scoreless today, 2 hits, no walks, 4 Ks.

Overall, 1.37 ERA in about 20 innings, 15:3 K-BB. Very, very impressive numbers in a hitter's environment.

The kid knows how to pitch.

OnBaseMachine · 11-19-2009, 04:51 PM

He also induced six groundouts compared to just two flyouts. Very impressive stint by Leake in the hitter friendly AFL. I think he's ready for Double-A to begin next season.

OnBaseMachine · 11-20-2009, 12:20 AM

Leake finishes whirlwind year strong
First-rounder ends season with 9 1/3 scoreless innings
By Robert Emrich / Special to MLB.com

11/19/09 7:02 PM EST

On Thursday, Mike Leake put an exclamation point on a year in which he led the nation in wins for Arizona State University, was a Golden Spikes finalist and was selected by Cincinnati in the first round of the Draft.

Leake allowed two hits and struck out four over four shutout innings as the Peoria Saguaros defeated the Mesa Solar Sox, 8-1, in the final game of the Arizona Fall League regular season.

Leake ended up with 9 1/3 scoreless innings after finishing his junior season with the Sun Devils with a 16-1 record.

The highlights of the California native's year included his final college home start and performing in the Rising Stars Showcase. The right-hander struck out three batters and allowed one hit in an inning of relief in the AFL's version of an all-star game.

"Getting a standing ovation in my last start at Arizona State University was the most memorable moment of my year," Leake said. "I'll always remember that.

"It was a nice little experience with some of the top players and getting to know them and being able to play in that game," he added of the Rising Stars Showcase.

Lance Zawadzki (Padres) hit his second homer of the season and drove in three runs to lead the way for the Saguaros (14-18). The shortstop ended the season on a 14-game hitting streak.

"He's a strong player, he's always focused and never gives away at-bats," Leake said. "He can connect on some balls."

Reds prospect Yonder Alonso doubled and drove in a pair of runs and Brandon Hicks (Braves) contributed three hits, including a double.

Daniel Meszaros (Astros) struck out the side in his inning of relief for Peoria and Craig Kimbrel (Braves) fanned three batters while walking two in a scoreless frame.

Cubs prospect Josh Vitters doubled to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and Chris Singleton (Twins) doubled and scored once for the Solar Sox (13-18).

Marlins starter Andrew Miller was tagged with the loss, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three in four innings. Jeremy Haynes (Angels) allowed one hit and fanned two in 1 2/3 innings.

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin

OnBaseMachine · 11-20-2009, 12:24 AM

Angles of Leake

Mike Leake is a man of many arm angles. It makes pitch classification a little bit complicated, which I suspect hitters will also attest to. Leake is assigned to the Peoria Saguaros, where he is one of the smaller pitchers on the staff. He seems to have grown an inch, to 6-foot-1, since being drafted. He doesn't throw hard, exceeding 92 mph only a handful of times, but has shown good control—as advertised. If he can vary the angle while disguising his pitches, that control will serve him well.

The lowest arm slot Leake employs generally produces a two-seam sinker, which has lots of action thanks to the angle. His most over-the-top selection is a curveball. The middle slot(s?) for Leake overlap a bit with the brackets, starting with a change-up and moving up to a four-seam fastball. His slider occupies most of the middle-range. He also throws a cutter, moves like a slider but with fastball velocity.

Leake's curve comes in from 77-82 mph and the slider 83-85. Changes-ups are about the same—speed-wise—as the sliders, but with a lower bottom. The sinker/fastball/cutter group centers at 90 mph, with the sinkers getting the widest range (87-93).

http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/ar...-from-the-afl/

KoryMac5 · 11-20-2009, 04:39 PM

Sounds like he and Arroyo will have plenty to talk about come spring training, as Bronson is a master at arm angles and changing slots.

mth123 · 11-23-2009, 04:59 AM

Project Prospect rated Alonso as the 4th best prospect in the AFL. Leake was one of 6 honorable mentions. No mention of Heisey who had the best showing of any Red in the AFL.

http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/11/22/afl-top-5

Code:

Rk   Player              Pos   Comments                                                                     Age   Org   Lvl 
1   Stephen Strasburg   RHP   His CH is outstanding -- has movement & deception; the FB and CB are plus, too   21.7   WAS   NCAA 
2   Buster Posey   C   Tired legs slowed him down in the AFL; solid defender with good all-around bat   23.0   SF   MLB 
3   Dustin Ackley   CF/LF   Not going to be big HR hitter, but his D will be plus and he's a line-drive machine 22.1   SEA   NCAA 
4   Yonder Alonso   1B   His bat may be the best on this list; doesn't offer speed or much defensive value   22.7   CIN   AA 
5   Josh Bell   3B   Strong defender has patience at the plate and above-average power; ave. runner   23.4   BAL   AA

Honorable Mentions: Domonic Brown, Starlin Castro, Mike Leake, Jenrry Mejia, Thomas Neal and Jose Tabata.
* Ages are as of 4/1/10; Lvl is the highest the player has reached; Our rankings put a lot of weight into floor as well as ceiling
** We used a minimum of 75 PA/TBF for this list.

Mario-Rijo · 11-24-2009, 05:48 PM

Interesting that Heisey didn't even garner an honorable mention by PP. He certainly faired better with the AFL's coaches and mgr's. See below...

Quote:

Desme wins Arizona Fall League MVP
A's outfield prospect leads AFL with 11 home runs
By Tom Singer / MLB.com

11/21/09 6:45 PM EST

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Grant Desme, the Oakland outfield prospect who led the Arizona Fall League with 11 homers, has been chosen as the recipient of the league's Joe Black Most Valuable Player Award.

Desme began the five-week season on a tear, drilling 10 of his home runs before the end of October, and maintained a consistent level of play that saw him also lead the AFL with 72 total bases while ranking second in RBIs (27) and runs scored (30).

Desme was presented with his MVP Award prior to Saturday afternoon's AFL championship game, in which he started in left field for Phoenix against the Peoria Javelinas.

And, on cue, he offered a glimpse of why the league's managers and coaches considered him worthy of the award, drilling a long home run in the fourth that tied a game his Desert Dogs would eventually drop, 5-4.

"This is a great honor, and it means a lot to me, to be so acknowledged with all the outstanding talent in this league," said Desme, who excelled against higher competition than he had previously met in his brief professional career.

"Grant Desme performed far beyond his experience during his six weeks in Arizona this fall," AFL director Steve Cobb said in making the presentation. "For a young man who has yet to face Double-A and Triple-A competition, his success against an array of the game's top prospects was remarkable."

Desme, 23, had split the 2009 Minor League season between Class A Kane County of the Midwest League and High-A Stockton of the California League, combining at the two stops for 31 homers and 40 stolen bases -- ranking as the Minors' lone 30-40 man.

Other players receiving MVP votes from league managers and coaches were shortstop Starlin Castro (Mesa-Cubs), outfielder Chris Heisey (Peoria Saguaros-Reds), infielder Brandon Laird (Surprise-Yankees), outfielder Jose Tabata (Scottsdale-Pirates) and outfielder Casper Wells (Peoria Javelinas-Tigers).

The MVP award, honoring 1952 National League Rookie of the Year Joe Black of the Brooklyn Dodgers, has been presented since the 2002 season.

Past recipients include Braves pitcher Tommy Hanson (2008), Eric Duncan (2005) and Chris Shelton (2004).

The newest inductee into that honor roll was grateful for the experience -- and for the short weeks of rest to come.

"It's been a lot of fun," Desme said of the AFL. "This was a good opportunity to get better.

"Now I'm going to have a chance to relax a little bit, but it will be a quick turnaround. Next year will be here soon."

Spring~Fields · 11-26-2009, 02:14 PM

Code:

Winter League Stats	 OBP  SLG  OPS 	GPA
Heiseys  	AFL 	.379 .593 .972 	0.318
Cozart 		AFL 	.393 .560 .953 	0.316
Dorn 		VWL 	.400 .500 .900 	0.305
Mendez 	        VWL 	.400 .467 .867 	0.296
Francisco 	DWL 	.328 .514 .842 	0.276
Rosales  	LMP 	.394 .439 .833 	0.287
Alonso  	AFL 	.353 .395 .748 	0.257
Balentien 	VWL 	.333 .405 .739 	0.251
Rojas  		VWL 	.357 .368 .726 	0.256
Castro 		PWL 	.273 .364 .636	0.213

Are these the most up to date batting stats or are there some more recent updates?

11-19-2009, 04:20 PM	#196
lollipopcurve Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Shelburne Falls, MA Posts: 9,584	Re: First AFL Box score Leake finishes the AFL season very strong. Four scoreless today, 2 hits, no walks, 4 Ks. Overall, 1.37 ERA in about 20 innings, 15:3 K-BB. Very, very impressive numbers in a hitter's environment. The kid knows how to pitch. __________________ "Baseball is a very, very complex business. It's more of a people business than most businesses." - Bob Castellini

11-19-2009, 04:51 PM	#197
OnBaseMachine Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 34,692	Re: First AFL Box score He also induced six groundouts compared to just two flyouts. Very impressive stint by Leake in the hitter friendly AFL. I think he's ready for Double-A to begin next season.

11-20-2009, 12:20 AM	#198
OnBaseMachine Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 34,692	Re: First AFL Box score Leake finishes whirlwind year strong First-rounder ends season with 9 1/3 scoreless innings By Robert Emrich / Special to MLB.com 11/19/09 7:02 PM EST On Thursday, Mike Leake put an exclamation point on a year in which he led the nation in wins for Arizona State University, was a Golden Spikes finalist and was selected by Cincinnati in the first round of the Draft. Leake allowed two hits and struck out four over four shutout innings as the Peoria Saguaros defeated the Mesa Solar Sox, 8-1, in the final game of the Arizona Fall League regular season. Leake ended up with 9 1/3 scoreless innings after finishing his junior season with the Sun Devils with a 16-1 record. The highlights of the California native's year included his final college home start and performing in the Rising Stars Showcase. The right-hander struck out three batters and allowed one hit in an inning of relief in the AFL's version of an all-star game. "Getting a standing ovation in my last start at Arizona State University was the most memorable moment of my year," Leake said. "I'll always remember that. "It was a nice little experience with some of the top players and getting to know them and being able to play in that game," he added of the Rising Stars Showcase. Lance Zawadzki (Padres) hit his second homer of the season and drove in three runs to lead the way for the Saguaros (14-18). The shortstop ended the season on a 14-game hitting streak. "He's a strong player, he's always focused and never gives away at-bats," Leake said. "He can connect on some balls." Reds prospect Yonder Alonso doubled and drove in a pair of runs and Brandon Hicks (Braves) contributed three hits, including a double. Daniel Meszaros (Astros) struck out the side in his inning of relief for Peoria and Craig Kimbrel (Braves) fanned three batters while walking two in a scoreless frame. Cubs prospect Josh Vitters doubled to extend his hitting streak to 12 games and Chris Singleton (Twins) doubled and scored once for the Solar Sox (13-18). Marlins starter Andrew Miller was tagged with the loss, allowing one run on three hits while striking out three in four innings. Jeremy Haynes (Angels) allowed one hit and fanned two in 1 2/3 innings. http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/news/...=.jsp&c_id=cin

11-20-2009, 12:24 AM	#199
OnBaseMachine Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Posts: 34,692	Re: First AFL Box score Angles of Leake Mike Leake is a man of many arm angles. It makes pitch classification a little bit complicated, which I suspect hitters will also attest to. Leake is assigned to the Peoria Saguaros, where he is one of the smaller pitchers on the staff. He seems to have grown an inch, to 6-foot-1, since being drafted. He doesn't throw hard, exceeding 92 mph only a handful of times, but has shown good control—as advertised. If he can vary the angle while disguising his pitches, that control will serve him well. The lowest arm slot Leake employs generally produces a two-seam sinker, which has lots of action thanks to the angle. His most over-the-top selection is a curveball. The middle slot(s?) for Leake overlap a bit with the brackets, starting with a change-up and moving up to a four-seam fastball. His slider occupies most of the middle-range. He also throws a cutter, moves like a slider but with fastball velocity. Leake's curve comes in from 77-82 mph and the slider 83-85. Changes-ups are about the same—speed-wise—as the sliders, but with a lower bottom. The sinker/fastball/cutter group centers at 90 mph, with the sinkers getting the widest range (87-93). http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/ar...-from-the-afl/

11-20-2009, 04:39 PM	#200
KoryMac5 Kmac5 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Waterloo, NY Posts: 3,661	Re: First AFL Box score Sounds like he and Arroyo will have plenty to talk about come spring training, as Bronson is a master at arm angles and changing slots. __________________ If you have a losing record at Reds games, please stop going.

11-23-2009, 04:59 AM	#201
mth123 The Big Dog Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 12,914	Re: First AFL Box score Project Prospect rated Alonso as the 4th best prospect in the AFL. Leake was one of 6 honorable mentions. No mention of Heisey who had the best showing of any Red in the AFL. http://projectprospect.com/article/2009/11/22/afl-top-5 Code: Rk Player Pos Comments Age Org Lvl 1 Stephen Strasburg RHP His CH is outstanding -- has movement & deception; the FB and CB are plus, too 21.7 WAS NCAA 2 Buster Posey C Tired legs slowed him down in the AFL; solid defender with good all-around bat 23.0 SF MLB 3 Dustin Ackley CF/LF Not going to be big HR hitter, but his D will be plus and he's a line-drive machine 22.1 SEA NCAA 4 Yonder Alonso 1B His bat may be the best on this list; doesn't offer speed or much defensive value 22.7 CIN AA 5 Josh Bell 3B Strong defender has patience at the plate and above-average power; ave. runner 23.4 BAL AA Honorable Mentions: Domonic Brown, Starlin Castro, Mike Leake, Jenrry Mejia, Thomas Neal and Jose Tabata. * Ages are as of 4/1/10; Lvl is the highest the player has reached; Our rankings put a lot of weight into floor as well as ceiling ** We used a minimum of 75 PA/TBF for this list. __________________ "All I can tell them is pick a good one and sock it." --BABE RUTH Having better players makes "the right time" or "the big hit" happen a lot more often. PLUS PLUS Last edited by mth123; 11-23-2009 at 05:45 AM.

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