Following the conclusion of the minor league baseball season, many players go on to play in fall or winter leagues. In the Brewers case, they have nine prospects playing in the Arizona Fall League (AFL) for the Salt River Rafters. Currently, they are at the halfway point of their fall season and we are going to look at how the Brewers prospects are performing.
It is worth mentioning that the AFL is experimenting with changes to the game. For one, they are using robot umpires. There still is an ump behind home plate, but he is not the one calling balls and strikes calls. Secondly, in attempts to limit the shift, infielders must keep their cleats in the dirt. This essentially means that they cannot be positioned in the outfield grass.
Here is a quick breakdown of the nine Brewers prospects playing in the AFL this fall.
OF Joey Wiemer – 30 ABs, .467/.568/.667/1.234 three doubles, one home run, four RBI’s
The Brewers 23rd ranked prospect is picking right up from where he left off with the Carolina Mudcats this summer. His incredible stretch of baseball has continued and he one of the must watch players in the AFL. When the next prospect rankings come out, expect him to be much higher than 23rd.
OF Joe Gray Jr – 30 ABs, .033/.171/.033/.205 one hit, 14 strikeouts
After putting together a 20/20 season in the minor leagues between Low-A and High-A, Gray Jr has struggled so far in the AFL. Perhaps it is just a bad nine game stretch, but how he performs in the second half will be worth monitoring.
C Mario Feliciano – 19 ABs, .263/.263/.368/.632 five hits, three doubles, three RBI’s
Feliciano is one of three catchers on the River Rafters roster. After missing a vast majority of the minor league due to injury, it is nice to see Feliciano in action and looking healthy.
P Abner Uribe – 7.20 ERA, five innings pitched, seven walks, ten strikeouts
Uribe is a pitcher who throws in the triple digits with his fastball. As expected, control has always been his biggest down fall. So far his control issues continue to plague him.
P Justin Jarvis – 1.29 ERA, seven innings pitched, two games started
Jarvis, a 2018 fifth round draft pick, did not have a great season with the Timber Rattlers for he had a 5.40 ERA in 17 starts. However, he is off to a good start in the AFL.
P Jolon Zhao – 2.25 ERA, four innings pitched, one earned run, three walks
Zhao was signed by the Brewers when he was just 16 years old. Now at age 20, he is starting to gain more experience in professional baseball. He is known for having a high spin curveball and is an interesting player to watch.
P J.T. Hintzen – 12.46 ERA, 4.1 innings pitched, six earned runs
After a solid season with the Carolina Mudcats, Hintzen is off to a rough start. This 2018 10th round pick is known for throwing lots of strikes, which unfortunately the AFL hitters were informed of.
P Taylor Floyd – 1.59 ERA 5.2 innings pitched, eight strikeouts
Floyd was a pleasant surprise throughout the minor league season in which all together he had a 2.89 ERA. He excels at striking batters out, so to see that continue against the AFL competition is encouraging. He is a prospect on the rise.
The last player is shortstop David Hamilton. With receiving just three at bats there is not a lot to analyze.
The AFL’s season concludes on November 20th. The championship game will air live on MLB Network.
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