The Arizona Fall League came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as Peoria beat Salt River, 4-3 in a protested game.

The Surprise Saguaros, and the KC Royals contingent, came in second place in the West Division at 17-14.

Let’s recap the four games in the AFL’s final week.

The Saguaros won their first two games of the week, starting with Monday. Malcom Culver picked up his first hold of the AFL season with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed one hit and induced five ground outs. He threw 11 of his 17 pitches for strikes.

In that game, Brian Fletcher played left field and batted fifth. He went 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. He also walked, but was picked off first base.

On Tuesday, Surprise picked up their second win in a row. Whit Merrifield played second base and batted second. He went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He also walked and stole a base.

Justin Marks picked up his first and only loss of the AFL season on Wednesday. He pitched well, but the Surprise offense collected just two hits. Marks allowed two runs on five hits over four innings. He struck out six while throwing 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes. Nick Ahmed of Atlanta picked up two triples off him.

Edwin Carl was roughed up in his final AFL outing. He allowed three runs on four hits over just 1.2 innings. He struck out one and threw 19 of his 26 pitches for strikes. Jon Keck entered in relief of Carl and needed just three pitches to escape the jam.

On offense, Fletcher was back in left field but moved down to the sixth spot in the order. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout. Orlando Calixte played shortstop and batted ninth. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

The Saguaros lost their final game of their AFL season on Thursday. Merrifield played left field and surprisingly batted third. He went 3-for-5 with a two-run homerun. He also walked twice. His two-run homer cut the deficit to 5-3 in the 7th inning. Calixte pinch-ran in the 8th inning for the DH.

Here are the Royals final AFL stats:

Calixte: .275 (11-for-40), HR, five runs scored, 2RBIs, 2BB, 14K, SB

Carl: 0-1, 2.77 ERA, 13IP, 9H, 6R, 4ER, 2HR, 3BB, 8K

Culver: 0-1, 6.35 ERA, 5.2IP, 6H, 4R, 2HR, 0BB, 3K

Fletcher: .203 (14-for-69), four doubles, one triple, HR, nine runs scored, 9 RBIs, 17BB, 24K

Keck: 0-0, 5.59 ERA, 9.2IP, 15H, 9R, 6ER, 5BB, 7K

Marks: 5-1, 2.59 ERA, 24.1IP, 24H, 10R, 7ER, OHR, 5BB, 22K

McClure (did not play this past week): .216 (8-for-37), two doubles, 7 runs scored, 4RBIs, 2BB, 11K, 2SB, CS

Merrifield: .250 (17-for-68), one double, HR, 15 runs scored, 8RBIs, 10BB, 8K, 9SB, CS

The Surprise Saguaros went 3-3 last week, but fell to 1.5 games back of first place in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. Unfortunately, they do not play first place Peoria in their final four games. The AFL Championship Game is Saturday afternoon (live on MLB Network).

The KC Royals contingent of players had a fairly good week.

In Monday’s loss, Brian Fletcher played left field and batted sixth. He went 1-for-2 with two walks (and no strikeouts). Whit Merrifield was the DH and batted 7th. He went 0-for-4 and grounded into a double play.

In Tuesday’s win, the Saguaros received solid pitching from a Royals duo. Jon Keck pitched two scoreless innings of relief. He did allow two hits but did not walk a batter. Edwin Carl followed and pitched a perfect inning of relief.

On offense, Fletcher was the DH and batted fifth. He went 1-for-5. Alex McClure played shortstop and batted ninth. He went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

In Wednesday’s loss, Merrifield played left field and batted second. He went 0-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout. He was caught stealing for the first time in the AFL. Calixte played shortstop and batted ninth. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a stolen base. He struck out once.

Malcom Culver had a tough outing. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning of work. He had a strikeout. He threw just 19 of his 31 pitches for strikes.

On Thursday, Justin Marks improved to 5-0 (tops in the AFL). He allowed one run on four hits over four innings of work. He struck out three. Marks threw 35 of his 55 pitches for strikes.

On offense, Fletcher played left field and batted fourth. He went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Both RBIs came with two outs. Merrifield entered late in the game as an injury replacement for St.Louis’ Kolten Wong. He went 0-for-1 with a strikeout.

In Surprise’s win on Friday night, Fletcher went 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI as the DH. McClure went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the nine hole.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 5 Update”

The Surprise Saguaros lost to Scottsdale, 4-3 in the Arizona Fall League’s Military Appreciation Game live on MLB Network. They were down 4-1 heading into the 8th inning before making the comeback.

The KC Royals minor leaguers had their chance to make an impact in the game, but couldn’t come up with the clutch hit.

Whit Merrifield started in left field and batted second. He reached on an error in the first inning (though I would have given it an infield single). He then stole second base and scored the Saguaros’ lone run until the eighth.

Merrifield came to the plate in the 8th inning with a runner on first base and nobody out. He got a good swing against NYY reliever Mark Montgomery on the first pitch fastball, but fouled it down the left field line. However he struck out on the nasty slider he could not lay off of.

With two outs, the score 4-3, and runners at second and third base, Orlando Calixte pinch-hit. He flied out to right field to end the inning with a chance to at least tie the game.

Overall, Merrifield went 0-for-4. He only had one chance in left field.

Edwin Carl

Reliever Edwin Carl impressed MLB Network analyst Tom Verducci in his two inning outing. He struck out two in his scoreless outing (the fifth and sixth innings). He threw 36 of his 23 pitches for strikes. Carl was the only Surprise pitcher to get NYY prospect Slade Heathcott out (he went 2-for-2 with two walks and two stolen bases). He got him to ground out to end his outing.

He was followed by fellow Royal Jon Keck, who threw a scoreless inning. He allowed a hit while also striking out two. Keck threw ten of his 19 pitches for strikes.

If you were with me in the Wilmington Blue Rocks press box this season, then you know that every game that I attended, Keck pitched (before his promotion). After Keck was promoted, it seemed like Carl pitched all the time. The two wore the same number. So when there was a pitching change, I usually called out “It’s number 30″. I was right most of the time.

Surprise has Sunday off (as does all the other teams in the AFL), before getting back into action on Monday against Scottsdale again.

The Surprise Saguaros are just one game back of first place in the Arizona Fall League’s West Division heading into the final week of the season. They host Scottsdale tonight at 8pm ET on MLB Network. The Scorpions are two games back of first place in the East Division.

KC Royals prospect Whit Merrifield will be playing left field and bat second. There is a chance that one or more of the Royals relief core ( Edwin Carl, Malcolm Culver, and Jon Keck) could pitch.

I was expecting shortstop Orlando Calixte to play considering he is on the taxi squad and can only play on Wednesday and Saturday, but no such luck.

Seth Blair of the St. Louis Cardinals will start for Surprise against Kyle Kaminska of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Here are the lineups they will be facing:

Scottsdale: CF Slade Heathcott (NYY), SS Joe Panik (SF), 3B David Adams (NYY), 1B Matt Curry (Pittsburgh), LF Adalberto Santos (Pittsburgh), RF Randal Grichuk (LAA), DH Travis Witherspoon (LAA), C Carlos Ramirez (LAA), and 2B Ronny Rodriguez (Cleveland).

Surprise: CF Darrell Ceciliani (NYM), MERRIFIELD, 2B Colin Walsh (St. Louis), 1B Chris McGuiness (Texas), RF Cesar Puello (NYM), C Cody Stanley (St. Louis), 3B Dustin Lawley (NYM), DH Michael Almanzar (Boston), and SS Luis Sardinas (Texas).

It was a shorter week in the Arizona Fall League, with the Rising Stars Game taking place on Saturday night. Surprise went 3-2 during the week and are a 1/2 game back of first place in the West Division.

It was a fairly good week for the KC Royals players with the Saguaros.

Jon Keck with the Wilmington Blue Rocks during the 2012 season.

The Saguaros won their third game in a row on Monday, as Jon Keck picked up a hold. He struck out one over one inning of work and threw eight of his 12 pitches for strikes. Brian Fletcher played left field and batted fifth, but went 0-for-3. He did walk and drive in a run, but also struck out.

On Tuesday, the Saguaros winning streak came to an end, as Malcom Culver took the loss (he also got the blown save). In 2/3 of an inning, he allowed two runs on three hits. The runs scored on Kent Matthes two-run homerun in the 8th inning. In terms of pitches, he threw nine of his 13 pitches for strikes. Prior to that inning, Edwin Carl allowed one hit in an inning of work while striking out one. He threw ten of his 15 pitches for strikes.

Whit Merrifield batted seventh and played left field, but went 0-for-4. Alex McClure batted ninth and played shortstop. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

On Wednesday, Surprise got back into the win column. Orlando Calixte batted ninth and played shortstop. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Unfortunately, he committed two errors. Fletcher was back in left field and batted fourth, but he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

On Thursday, the Saguaros won their second game in a row behind the now 4-0 Justin Marks. He allowed one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out three and threw 29 of his 45 pitches for strikes. Keck picked up his second hold of the week with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two. He threw 26 of his 36 pitches for strikes.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 4 Update”

The East beat the West 9-4 in the Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game on Saturday night.

That put KC Royals left fielder Brian Fletcher on the losing end of the game. He started in left field and batted ninth, but had an uneventful evening. He went 0-for-2 and unfortunately struck out yet again.

The West scored two runs in the top of the first inning, led by Cincinnati centerfielder Billy Hamilton. He walked to lead off the game and stole second and third base before scoring on Rymer Liriano‘s double (San Diego). Liriano then scored on a foul pop from second base (the third baseman fell into the stands). He went 3-for-4.

Washington Nationals prospects Brian Goodwin

The East got on the board with Brian Goodwin‘s (Washington) lead off homerun. He had two hits, as did DH Nick Castellanos (Detroit).

The West actually led 4-3 after a two-run top of the 5th inning. However the East scored six runs in the bottom of the inning to finish off the game’s scoring. David Adams (NYY) drove in two runs with a double. The East collected five hits, a hit batter, a sac fly, and the West committed an error.

For the East, two pitchers’ performances stood out: Chase Anderson of Arizona and Mark Montgomery of the Yankees. Anderson, one of two starting pitchers on the team, threw two innings and struck out four. Montgomery, who could be the Yankees closer of the future, struck out the side in his only inning of work.

*Next Saturday, MLB Network will once again be televising an AFL game. It will be the Military Appreciation Game, pitting Scottsdale against Surprise at 8pm ET. That means that some Royals prospects can be seen on TV.

**Royals first baseman Eric Hosmer was voted one of the AFL’s top 20 all-time players. He was named the 2010 season’s top player.

KC Royals outfielder Brian Fletcher will be starting in tonight’s Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. He is starting in left field and batting ninth for the road team. It will be televised shortly (at 8pm ET) on MLB Network.

I know I was critical of Fletcher being named to the West squad, mainly because his numbers don’t exactly scream PROSPECT or ALL-STAR. But I am excited to see how he does. And isn’t it cool to see someone you’ve covered play on TV?

Houston prospect (via Philadelphia) Jarred Cosart will be taking the ball for the East against Minnesota’s Kyle Gibson. I saw Gibson pitch back in 2010 when he was an Eastern League All-Star, but he is coming back from Tommy John surgery.

Here are the lineups for tonight’s game:

WEST: CF Billy Hamilton (Cincinnati), SS Hak-Ju Lee (TB), RF Rymer Liriano (San Diego), 1B Hunter Morris (Milwaukee), 2B Nick Franklin (Seattle), 3B Cody Asche (Philadelphia), DH Bryce Brentz (Boston), C Tommy Joseph (Philadelphia), and FLETCHER.

EAST: LF Brian Goodwin (Washington), CF Gary Brown (SF), 1B Jonathan Singleton (Houston), DH Nick Castellanos (Detroit), 3B Kaleb Cowart (LAA), C Austin Romine (NYY), RF Corey Dickerson (Colorado), 2B David Adams (NYY), and SS Chris Owings (Arizona).

I am most looking forward to watching the bottom four in the West’s order bat tonight. That’s mainly because I have seen all four (Asche, Brentz, Joseph, and Fletcher) play this season.

Oh and I want to see Hamilton run!

KC Royals minor leaguer Brian Fletcher will be playing in Saturday’s Arizona Fall League Rising Stars Game. It will be broadcast LIVE on MLB Network at 8pm ET.

I get that Fletcher was the Royals‘ priority player heading into the AFL season, meaning he would get PLENTY of playing time. However, his numbers suggest he should have been left off the roster of prospects. (That statement was hard for me to type considering I am a fan of Fletcher’s, but it is the truth.)

As a member of the Surprise Saguaros in the West Division, he has played in 13 of the team’s 19 games, mainly in left field. The team is tied for first place, but Fletcher has not exactly helped the team on offense.

Fletcher is hitting a whopping .158 with just one homerun and five RBIs. The upside is that three of his seven hits have gone for extra bases (including two doubles).

The glaring negative is the strikeouts: he has 20 of them. That means, he has struck out in almost half of his at-bats (he has 44 at-bats). The upside is that he has walked 12 times.

Hopefully, Fletcher can have a nice game on national television and restore my faith in him that he can be successful at the plate.

The KC Royals contingent in the Arizona Fall League helped the Surprise Saguaros go 3-3 last week. Overall, the Saguaros are 9-7, 1.5 games back of first place in the West Division.

In Monday’s loss, Jon Keck pitched an inning of relief. Surprisingly, it was a good inning. He allowed one hit while striking out one during the scoreless inning. Keck threw 15 pitches, nine for strikes.

On offense, Brian Fletcher batted seventh and went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. He played left field. Whit Merrifield was a late inning replacement in centerfield and went 0-for-1.

In Tuesday’s ten-inning victory, Fletcher went 1-for-3 with a two walks, a run scored, and an RBI. He did strike out again. Alex McClure was back at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases. Unfortunately, he also struck out twice.

Edwin Carl was the reason the game went into extra innings, as he picked up the blown save. He allowed a homerun to Washington Nationals prospect Matt Skole in the 7th inning. In one inning, he allowed two runs (none earned) on one hit while striking out one.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 3 Update”

JC Sulbaran, who the KC Royals received from the Cincinnati Reds as part of the Jonathan Broxton deal, made just one start in the Arizona Fall League and has been shut down.

After three innings of work for the Surprise Saguaros on October 19th, the right-hander was sent home for precautionary reasons due to a sore right arm.

Replacing Sulbaran on the Saguaros roster is fellow right-hander Malcom Culver, who spent the entire 2012 season with Low-A Kane County. There, he was 2-1 with a 3.69 ERA in 37 relief appearances. He allowed just one homerun all season (63.1 innings).

Culver was drafted in the 8th round in 2008 out of high school. He played in the infield until the 2011 season.