DODGER NOTES - 10-07-07
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1. From Scout.com: Travis Schlichting, who was once an infield hopeful for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, will be in the Dodgers system next spring as a pitcher after having picked him up from the Kansas City T-Bones of the independent Northern League. |
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| Schlichting was both an infielder and pitcher while in high school at Round Rock, Tex., when the D-Rays led off the fourth round of the 2003 draft by choosing him. They used him at third base but even then a scout noted, ” We’ll see how far his bat carries him but if that doesn’t work out, he has a real chance as a pitcher because he throws 89-90 with sink.”Tampa Bay wound up trading him to the Angels in December 2005 for catcher Josh Paul. His new team liked his arm more than his bat so put him back on the mound but even though he wasn’t scored on in five games in the Arizona Rookie League in 2006, he was still released.
He then caught on with the T-Bones for whom he was 2-1, 5.29 with 47 strikeouts and 29 walks this past summer. 2. Hawaiian Winter League Box Score (the Dodgers are playing on the CaneFires). Joba Chamberlin and Ian Kennedy are just a couple of the recent HWL grads. It’s not like the AFL, but it’s a nice league. 3. The AFL starts in 3 days! The Dodgers are playing for the Peoria Saguaros. Here is their roster (Dodgers in Bold): Hu took the place of DeJesus who broke his hand or wrist.
Want to know more about the AFL? Here it is: Makeup of the AFL There are six teams in the Arizona Fall League: the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Peoria Saguaros, Phoenix Desert Dogs, Peoria Javelinas and Grand Canyon Rafters. These club names were picked by Major League Baseball as reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state. The teams are broken into two divisions, East and West. Each Major League Baseball team sends six top prospects to the Arizona Fall League, 180 players in all. The games are played in the Spring Training stadiums used by the Giants, Mariners, Padres, Cubs, A’s, Royals and Rangers. How good are the players in the Arizona Fall League? The 2006 All-Star Game in Pittsburgh featured 25 AFL alums, including first-time All-Stars David Wright, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. Each August, Major League clubs hold a position draft to determine the players who will go to Arizona. Most are Double-A and Triple-A Minor League players. Each club can opt to send one player considered a Class A player. History of the League The roots of the Arizona Fall League go back several years, when the Major Leagues wanted to create an easily accessed off-season league. A concern was that some of the best ballplayers left to play winter ball out of the country, such as in the Caribbean and there was no way to monitor them. If Major League Baseball created a league that it could govern and monitor, it would be better organized. If a player was injured, proper care and treatment would be on hand. With the Arizona Fall League, managers, coaches, scouts and league officials could participate. “That was the beauty of this,” says Steve Cobb, AFL executive vice president, “and that seemed to be one of the unifying factors for all the clubs. They created a Fall League where all of their personnel would be involved, with reduced travel and immediate accessibility on the part of scouting.” As the regular season winds down and all eyes are on the postseason, the Fall League is getting ready to begin. The two-month experience sharpens skills and gets players ready to participate in the big leagues. Baseball Benefits off the Field “There’s a two-pronged mission to the AFL,” Cobb says. “One is for the players to accelerate, and hopefully jump a classification. The other is for the managers and umpires to develop. For those who aspire to be Major League managers, this is a place to gain additional experience. The AFL provides employment opportunity to enhance managers’ and coaches’ skills … Dusty Baker is a good example of a field manager who had not had managerial experience until he had managed here in ‘92 for some seasoning. Then he became the field manager of the Giants for a decade and now the Cubs. And he was the National League Manager of the Year three times — 1993, 1997 and 2000. “The umpires come from the Umpire Development Program,” says Cobb. “And again, this league is for their development as well. “We’ve had considerable success with working through (college) sports management programs,” Cobb adds. “People have gained some baseball experience here in the Phoenix market, from working in the AFL. We have been able to enhance many interns’ careers. The Arizona Fall League is unique in the industry.” The Games Given the top prospects who play here, every game in the AFL is like a future All-Star Game. It’s a definite destination for baseball fans and families who want to see great action on the diamond. “These are all the Spring Training sites, first-class facilities,” Cobb says. “The playing surfaces are outstanding.” A day or night at a game is affordable: $6 for an adult and $5 for kids and seniors, and you can sit anywhere you want. The AFL sells individual season passes ($65 for seniors, $75 for adults), and a family pass (for up to six people, $105). That means you can go to as many games as you’d like. Another benefit of the Arizona Fall League is that all five stadiums are within a short driving distance. Most stadiums are within minutes of each other. “It is very condensed,” Cobb says. “That’s one of the beauties of Arizona versus Florida, quite honestly. Florida has some wonderful ball parks, but there’s some pretty lengthy driving in between.” |
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AFL HALL OF FAME
Here are the inductees of the AFL Hall of Fame, listed by year: 2001 Nomar Garciaparra
The Boston Red Sox shortstop played for the Scottsdale Scorpions in 1994. He went on to win the American League Rookie of the Year Award in 1997, and won batting titles in 1999 and 2000. Derek Jeter
The Yankee shortstop and captain played in the 1994 AFL season for the Chandler Diamondbacks and won the AL Rookie of the Year Award in 1996. He won both the All-Star Game and World Series MVP Awards in 2000. Mike Piazza
Piazza was a part of the first AFL class, in 1992, playing for the Sun City Solar Sox. He became the first of 10 AFL alumni to win Rookie of the Year honors, earning the NL award in 1993. The perennial All-Star won the Midsummer Classic’s MVP Award in 1996. Dusty Baker
The first manager enshrined in the AFL Hall of Fame, Baker got his managerial feet wet with the Scottsdale Scorpions in 1992. The following year he took the helm of the San Francisco Giants, the team he guided to the 2002 World Series before leaving to take over the Chicago Cubs. 2002 Jason Giambi
Giambi played on the 1994 AFL champion Peoria Javelinas. He has gone on to win the AL MVP in 2000 with the Oakland A’s and wsa just the ninth player in MLB history to increase his batting average in six or more consecutive seasons. Jerry Manuel
Managing in 1994, Manuel led Maryvale to an Eastern Division crown. He served as Felipe Alou’s third base coach from 1991-96, then was Jim Leyland’s bench coach on the 1997 World Series-winning Florida Marlins. He took over as the Chicago White Sox’ skipper in 1998. 2003Shawn Green
Green spent time with the Scottsdale Scorpions in 1993. He spent his first full season in the majors in 1995 and has since gone to two All-Star Games, won a Gold Glove and hit 40+ homers three times.
Todd Helton
Helton played for Peoria in 1996. He finished second to Kerry Wood in NL Rookie of the Year voting and has hit well over .300 ever season in his career, driving in 100 or more runs for five consecutive seasons. Mike Scioscia
Scioscia skippered the Peoria Javelinas to a championship in 1997. The team set an AFL record with a .317 batting average and led the AFL that season in ERA. After one season of managing in the Pacific Coast League in 1999, Scioscia took over as manager of the Anaheim Angels in 2000, leading them to a World Series Championship in 2002. 2004Garret Anderson
Anderson played for the 1993 Tempe Rafters as a standout outfielder. In 2003, Anderson became the first player ever to win the Home Run Derby and All-Star Game Most Valuable Player at the same Midsummer Classic. He also led the Angels to the 2002 World Series Championship.
Albert Pujols
Pujols played for the 2000 Scottsdale Scorpions as a stellar third baseman. He has been selected to the Major League All-Star Game multiple times and has finished in the top five in voting for the National League Most Valuable Player voting in each of his first four seasons. Tony Peña
Peña managed the Maryvale Saguaros club in 2000. The team was comprised of top prospects from the Astros, Brewers, Expos, Phillies and Yankees organizations. In 2003, Peña was named the American League Manager of the Year as skipper of the Kansas City Royals. 2005Troy Percival
Percival pitched for the 1992 Scottsdale Scorpions as a stellar closer. He holds the distinction of being the first former AFL pitcher to record over 300 saves at the Major League level. Percival was the first former AFL pitcher elected to the AFL Hall Of Fame.
Terry Francona
Francona has served the AFL twice: First as a Coach of the 1992 Grand Canyon Rafters and his second stint as Field Manager of the 1994 Scottsdale Scorpions. His 1994 Scottsdale team showcased notable players such as Nomar Garciaparra, Joe Randa, Michael Tucker and Michael Jordan. 2006Roy Halladay
A four-time American League All-Star (2002-03, ‘05-06), Halladay, who hurled for the Grand Canyon Rafters in 1998, is the first AFL pitcher to win a Major League Cy Young Award. He joins Troy Percival as the only two pitchers in the AFL Hall of Fame. Halladay was the 2003 American League Cy Young winner.
Grady Little
Little managed the Grand Canyon Rafters during the Arizona Fall League’s inaugural season of 1992 en route to becoming the first former AFL manager to win 1,000 games in the Minor Leagues. He has completed his 33rd year in professional baseball as a manager, coach, or player as the first-year manager of the Dodgers. He also skippered the Boston Red Sox in 2002-03. Little’s 93 wins with the 2002 BoSox were the most by a rookie Major League manager since 1980. Alfonso Soriano
Soriano is the first AFL player to post a either a 40/40 or a 30/30 season (home runs/stolen bases) in the Major Leagues. Soriano made his U.S. professional debut in the 1998 AFL after signing with the Yankees. In 34 games for the Grand Canyon Rafters, he hit .254 with six homers and 28 RBIs. He was third in the AFL with 17 extra-base hits and fourth in RBIs. Soriano was named AFL Player of the Week twice. Soriano reached 200 home runs and 200 stolen bases in fewer games (929) than any player in baseball history. The five-time All-Star became the fourth player ever to reach the rarefied air of a “40/40″ campaign in 2006, while also breaking the Nationals/Expos single-season franchise record for home runs in a season, previously held by Vladimir Guerrero.
