Twins Arizona Fall League Report (Week 2): DeBarge and Mercedes Turn It Up to Eleven

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Kyle DeBarge)

Game Results:
Tuesday, 10/13 | Salt River 6, Glendale 5 (10 innings)
Wednesday, 10/14 | Salt River 3, Mesa 7
Thursday, 10/15 | Mesa 14, Salt River 9 (10 innings)
Friday, 10/16 | Peoria 10, Salt River 0
Saturday, 10/17 | Salt River 5, Mesa 0 (7 innings)
Monday, 10/19 | Glendale 2, Salt River 7

After a solid opening week where they finished 5-2, the Salt River Rafters cooled down a little in week two, going 3-3 in their six games and sit one game back of the lead in the standings at 8-5.

They were on the giving and receiving end of a shutout in two of those games, both won and lost an extra inning affair in two others, and had to reschedule Monday’s contest against Mesa for their off day on Wednesday.

The top performers of the week according to MLB.com did not feature any of the Twins prospects, but you would be hard-pressed to find a better single game performance than what one of them did in Thursday’s loss against the Mesa Solar Sox. Two of their hitters also carry OPS’s above 1.000 as of 10/19.

OF Yasser Mercedes
Week (4 games): 5-for-13, 3 R, 2 3B, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 6 K, 2 SB (2)
Overall (through 10/19): .310/.421/.586 (1.007 OPS)
Mercedes roamed the outfield for the Rafters in four of their six games included in this week’s report, spending at least one game in each of the three outfield positions. He continued to bat in the top or middle of the lineup as well.

In Tuesday’s extra-inning win over Glendale he reached base four times, scored two runs, and stole two bases, finishing 1-for-2 with three walks. In Thursday’s extra-inning affair against Mesa  he went 2-for-5 with a triple in the seventh that drove in a run to pull the Rafters within one in the seventh. He followed that up with an RBI single in the eighth to give Salt River the lead at the time.

In Monday’s win over Glendale he added another triple in the bottom of the seventh inning that scored his Twins teammate for their seventh and final run of the game. He finished this one 2-for-3 and drove in two.

IF Kyle DeBarge
Week (4 games): 6-for-14, 6 R, 2B, HR (1), 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 2 SB (4)
Overall (through 10/19): .355/.488/.581 (1.069 OPS)
DeBarge appears to have earned his coaches’ trust, as he batted third in the lineup in three of his four games, and leadoff in the other. He served as the DH in two of them, then played second base and center field in the others.

He put on a hitting clinic on Thursday, reaching base all five times he came to the plate. He drew a walk leading off the bottom of the first for the Rafters. An errant pickoff throw and passed ball put him on third, then he scored their first run on a single. His two-out single in the bottom of the second scored their second run of the game, then another RBI single in the fourth cut the Solar Sox lead to one, before he scored the tying run on a double from the next hitter. He added another single in the sixth before putting a bow on his game with a one-out double in the eighth. He then scored the go-ahead run before Mesa was to pull out the victory in the ninth and tenth innings.

On Monday DeBarge again crossed home plate three times, and drove in two. Both of those RBI came in the bottom of the first inning as he hit his first home run in AFL play, it was just of the inside-the-park variety.

LHP Cesar Lares
Week (1 appearance): 2 IP, 1 H, 4 ER, 5 BB, 1 K
Overall (through 10/19): 0-0, 8.44 ERA, 7 BB, 5 K, 2.06 WHIP, .211 BAA (5 1/3 IP)
Lares made a start for the Rafters in week one, but was used as a long-reliever in his lone appearance of week two. That came in Friday’s shutout loss to Peoria, where he came on to start the fourth inning with the score 4-0 Javelinas.

It was 8-0 by the time he got out of the fifth inning. He walked the first three batters he faced, before giving up a two-run double, an RBI groundout, and a sac fly. Back out for the sixth he worked around a two-out walk, the fifth of his outing, by retiring all three other hitters including one on a strikeout.

LHP Ross Dunn
Week (1 start): 2 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
Overall (through 10/19): 0-1, 14.54 ERA, 4 BB, 5 K, 3.23 WHIP, .455 BAA (4 1/3 IP)
Dunn’s lone appearance came in Wednesday’s loss to Mesa, and it was as the starting pitcher for Salt River. He worked around multiple baserunners in the first by inducing an inning-ending double-play ball, then picked up a pair of strikeouts in the second.

In things that will confuse you if you don’t pay enough attention to the play-by-play or AFL rules, he did not record the final out of the second inning (another Twins pitcher did), but was back on the mound to begin the third inning, where he recorded just one out (on a K) before loading the bases and ending his outing after six total outs. Those three runners would end up charged to him as the Solar Sox took a 4-1 lead after that.

LHP Cleiber Maldonado
Week (1 appearance): 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
Overall (through 10/19): 0-0, 3.86 ERA, 1 BB, 5 K, 1.71 WHIP, .273 BAA (2 1/3 IP)
Maldonado saw action in Thursday’s loss to Mesa, inheriting a runner on first with one out in the top of the eighth and the score 8-7 Rafters. Unfortunately, the second pitch he threw was lined over the head of the center fielder for a triple to tie the game at eight, before he picked up a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning.

LHP Jake Murray
Week (1 appearance): 1 IP, 1 BB
Overall (through 10/19): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 1 BB, 1 K, 1.00 WHIP, .000 BAA (2 IP)
Murray also made his one appearance on the week on Thursday, coming in to start the fourth inning with Salt River down 5-2. He walked the first batter he faced, but still pitched to only three hitters as he coaxed an inning-ending double-play ball after a flyout. He threw just nine pitches, with five of them going for strikes.

RHP Brian Zeldin
Week (2 appearances): 2/3 IP, 1 K
Overall (through 10/19): 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.00 WHIP, .000 BAA, 0 BB, 2 K (1 1/3 IP)
In trends I want to see continue just for the weird fun of it, Zeldin again made two pitching appearances on the week, with each of them only lasting for one out.

In Wednesday’s loss to Mesa he was summoned in relief of Dunn for the final out of the bottom of the second inning. He got a ground ball out on his second pitch, and Dunn re-entered the game in the third.

In Saturday’s revenge win over Mesa, he pitched in the bottom of the first inning, serving in the same exact role as Wednesday. He recorded the final out of the frame, this one via a strikeout, before the starting pitcher then re-entered the game to begin the second inning.

OF Jacob McCombs
Week (did not play):
McCombs has yet to see the field for the Salt River Rafters this season, but it does appear he is with the team. Hopefully that means he will be able to take the field soon with his fellow prospects!

C Enrique Jimenez
Week (3 games): 0-for-6, RBI, 2 BB, 4 K
Overall (through 10/19): .000/.250/.000 (.250 OPS)
In the ever-growing category of “odd things that go on during the Arizona Fall League season,” Twins catcher Enrique Jimenez was added to the Rafters roster this week. He appeared in three games, serving as the first baseman, designated hitter, and came in as a substitute for the catcher in the other. While he didn’t pick up any hits, he did drive in a run on Thursday with a groundout and drew a walk in both of his other games.

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects playing in the AFL this week!

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[DJL44]

Definitely a high offense league - 6.2 runs per team per 9 innings so far.

[DJL44]

DeBarge is currently 4th in the league in OPS at 1157. Bruin Agbayani has a 437 OPS.