The 08 Arizona Fall League season is over, well except for Saturday's championship game. The Solar Sox won their division and are sending Tommy Hanson to the rubber to face the Desert Dogs for the AFL title. The Dogs have won the last four titles.
The AFL has long been a breeding ground for the next generation of major league stars, a "Finishing School" so to speak. You only need to look at the past few All Star games to see that each team is packed with ex-AFL studs, and the talent this year is as impressive as ever. Some of these guys could make an impact in next years fantasy season.
Heres todays lineup
| Starting Lineups | |||||
| Mesa | Phoenix | ||||
| 1. | Matt Young (ATL) | LF | 1. | Eric Young Jr. (COL) | CF |
| 2. | Jason Donald (PHI) | SS | 2. | S. Tolleson (MIN) | SS |
| 3. | L. Morrison (FLA) | DH | 3. | J.P. Arencibia (TOR) | C |
| 4. | Jeff Larish (DET) | 1B | 4. | Mike McKenry (COL) | DH |
| 5. | T. Flowers (ATL) | C | 5. | J. Donaldson (OAK) | 1B |
| 6. | S. Cousins (FLA) | CF | 6. | Dustin Martin (MIN) | LF |
| 7. | C. Wells (DET) | RF | 7. | Chris Nelson (COL) | 2B |
| 8. | Van Pope (ATL) | 3B | 8. | D. Valencia (MIN) | 3B |
| 9. | Will Rhymes (DET) | 2B | 9. | Evan Frey (ARI) | RF |
| T. Hanson (ATL) | P | Jeff Manship (MIN) | P | ||
Ryan Fagan : Five stars from the Arizona Fall League
"He's been heads and shoulders the best pitcher in the Fall League, and he's just gotten more dominant as the league's gone along. His [Tommy Hanson] fastball's been around 92-94 (mph), with a real sharp slider at 85 or 86. His curveball is at 75-76; it's more of an 11-to-7 action instead of 12-to-6, so it comes across a bit. He's throwing everything for strikes, and he's locating them well. That's the difference right now. When you've got three different pitches you've got to be concerned about as a hitter -- especially when they're that good -- you don't have a whole lot of a chance. When he gets in trouble, he's reaching back and being even more precise with more gas on his fastball. His fastball comes out very smooth, so to a hitter it looks even faster than it actually is. His mechanics aren't always clean, aren't always smooth, but right now that hasn't mattered."
John Torenli : Young captures AFL batting title
In 31 games, Young batted a league-best .430 (43-for-100) and paced the AFL with 37 runs scored and 20 steals. He also showed some unexpected power at the plate, launching five homers -- including a pair of grand slams -- to go with his 20 RBIs. The 5-foot-10, 180-pound speedster out of Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona thrived in the desert heat, going deep in three of his last four contests, including a three-run blast on Thursday.
"He's a really dynamic player," said Wheeler, who will have to deal with Young one more time in Saturday's AFL Championship Game. "He runs well above average, so his speed allows him to be a menace once he gets on the bases. He led the league in stealing bases, so once he gets on he's going to steal. He showed a little pop out here as well. "I'm sure when [he gets a chance to play in the Majors], he's going to take great advantage of his opportunity."
Jayson Stark : World Famous StatSpeak Roundtable: November 21
Question #2: Who are your favorite rookies for 2009?
Jayson Stark: Can't say I've thought about this a lot. I might even name a couple of guys who aren't technically rookies. But here's a list of five: Matt Wieters (Orioles), David Price (Rays), Max Scherzer (Dbacks), Tommy Hanson (Braves), Cameron Maybin (Marlins). And here's a sleeper: Bobby Parnell (Mets). Lit up the gun in the Arizona Fall League
