The regular season of the Arizona Fall League ended on Thursday for the Glendale Desert Dogs and the eight Dodgers minor leaguers on the team. Glendale didn’t make Saturday’s championship game, which is the only contest left in the AFL.
Dodgers catcher Will Smith homered on Wednesday, his second of the Arizona Fall League, and hit .371/.452/.565 with a team-leading 16 RBI and 12 runs scored in 18 games for Glendale.
“It definitely gives me confidence that I can compete at this level, and hopefully keep it rolling into Spring Training,” Smith told Eric Newman of MLB.com.
"It's been a lot of fun playing with these guys."@Dodgers prospects led the way in the @MLBazFallLeague as Will Smith, Yusniel Diaz & DJ Peters teamed up in a big win: https://t.co/aSud6sEhlJ pic.twitter.com/U5nfunwRdn
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 14, 2017
D.J. Peters only played in 10 games as a taxi squad player — twice per week — but had an extra-base hit in each of his last four games, including three straight games with a home run. Mike Rosenbaum of MLB.com listed Peters among his 10 players who stood out in the AFL:
Peters has confirmed in the Fall League that the power he showed in the California League, a circuit which he paced with 27 home runs, is legit and will play anywhere. In my two-game look at the outfielder last week, he blasted an impressive home run to right-center field and then followed it with a mammoth blast down the left-field line in his subsequent start. The latter homer had an exit velocity of 116 mph and traveled over 450 feet. What’s more, his athleticism and speed gives him a chance to play all three outfield positions, with arm strength that’s a natural fit in either center or left field.
Regular speed, slo-mo, and freeze frame clips of two LONG home runs by #Dodgers OF DJ Peters out at #AFL17: https://t.co/gg1QKiYzsQ
— Baseball Census (@BaseballCensus) November 14, 2017
First Professional Season is in the books. It was a year I will never forget. Thank you to everybody who made it that much more special. I am truly blessed to call this my job. I can't wait to begin the 2018 season! The Off-Season is officially underway! ⚾️ #Blessed pic.twitter.com/UBs5AGYRYI
— DJ Peters⚾ (@8Peters) November 18, 2017
Yusniel Diaz was 6-for-13 (.462) with a triple in his last three games. Matt Beaty played four different positions in the AFL (first base, third base, left field and right field), and had a five-game hitting streak that included four straight games with a double.
Here are the final Arizona Fall League stats for the four Dodgers position players who participated.
Arizona Fall League batting stats
Player | G | H/AB | 2B/3B | HR | Runs/RBI | SB/CS | BB/SO | PA | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Player | G | H/AB | 2B/3B | HR | Runs/RBI | SB/CS | BB/SO | PA | BA/OBP/SLG | OPS |
Will Smith | 18 | 23/62 | 4/1 | 2 | 12/16 | 0/0 | 10/18 | 73 | .371/.452/.565 | 1.017 |
Yusniel Diaz | 17 | 20/66 | 2/1 | 1 | 10/10 | 2/3 | 6/9 | 73 | .303/.356/.409 | 0.765 |
Matt Beaty | 17 | 16/66 | 6/0 | 2 | 8/10 | 0/0 | 2/10 | 69 | .242/.275/.424 | 0.700 |
D.J. Peters | 10 | 8/42 | 2/1 | 3 | 8/7 | 1/0 | 4/20 | 47 | .190/.277/.500 | 0.777 |
Totals | 67/236 | 14/3 | 8 | 38/43 | 3/3 | 22/57 | 262 | .284/.347/.470 | 0.818 |
On the pitching side, left-hander Michael Boyle pitched scoreless outings in eight of his 10 relief appearances. Isaac Anderson finished off his AFL campaign with 6⅓ scoreless innings in his final four games.
Saying goodbye to the @MLBazFallLeague and welcoming in the offseason! I’m extremely honored to have represented the @Dodgers and blessed to create new friendships and strengthen old ones. See you in a few baseball! ✌ pic.twitter.com/LfgnYEwJpI
— Isaac Anderson (@idanderson7) November 16, 2017
Shea Spitzbarth led Glendale with 19 strikeouts despite finishing 15th on the team in innings pitched (11). Andrew Sopko pitched four scoreless innings in two of his last three starts.
Arizona Fall League pitching stats
Pitcher | G/GS | IP | H | R/ER | HR | BB/SO | ERA | WHIP | FIP |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Pitcher | G/GS | IP | H | R/ER | HR | BB/SO | ERA | WHIP | FIP |
Andrew Sopko | 6/6 | 19.0 | 18 | 8/5 | 2 | 7/11 | 2.37 | 1.316 | 4.52 |
Michael Boyle | 10/0 | 13.0 | 10 | 5/5 | 1 | 3/11 | 3.46 | 1.000 | 3.43 |
Isaac Anderson | 9/0 | 12.3 | 14 | 4/3 | 0 | 5/12 | 2.19 | 1.541 | 2.71 |
Shea Spitzbarth | 10/0 | 11.0 | 11 | 8/6 | 2 | 2/19 | 4.91 | 1.182 | 2.65 |
Totals | 55.3 | 53 | 25/19 | 5 | 17/53 | 3.09 | 1.265 | 3.49 |