Texas Rangers: Grades for Prospects in Arizona Fall League
The Arizona Fall League ended Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 win for the Surprise Saguaros over the Mesa Solar Sox.
The Texas Rangers organization are a part of the Saguaros and helped claim the team’s first AFL title since 1995. The team finished 18-12-1, winning the West division by 4.5 games.
Eight prospects represented the Rangers this year, one more than each of the other four teams making up Saguaros’ squad. Ryan Harvey was replaced by Keone Kela when the organization believed he had enough innings for the year.
It’s difficult to give these players grades on their performance considering each game is sort of its own prospect all-star game; however, few players played exceptionally well during the 31-game league, while others struggled.
Here are the grades for each of the Rangers' prospects.
Jorge Alfaro; A
1 of 9
The 20-year-old backstop played great from start to finish, including an RBI single in the AFL title game last Saturday.
Considered the Rangers top prospect by MLB.com, Jorge Alfaro led the Saguaros with a .386 batting average, which was also second best in the AFL. In 19 games, the Columbia native scored 18 runs, drove in 11 and had a .438 OBP, good for sixth best in the league.
Alfaro was especially good against left-handed pitching, going 8-for-16 with three doubles. He drew four of his five walks against southpaws, giving him a .619 OBP.
Three errors behind the plate kept Alfaro from getting an A+, but he was still the Rangers best hitter during the fall.
Lisalverto Bonilla; A-
2 of 9
Lisalverto Bonilla only appeared in three games during the AFL but was effective nonetheless.
The Dominican Republic product pitched five innings in relief work, posting a 1-0 record and did not give up a single run. He had eight K’s during his limited time on the mound, striking out at least two in each of his appearances.
His best appearance came on Nov. 12 against Scottsdale. Bonilla threw two shutout innings and earned the decision while striking out two and giving up just one hit.
It’s hard to knock a guy for the amount of innings thrown when he is one of 19 pitchers on the roster, especially since the Saguaros surrendered the most hits in the AFL this year.
Ryan Harvey; B
3 of 9
Ryan Harvey’s stint in the AFL was brief; however, like Bonilla, he was effective when called upon.
His 5.40 ERA is misleading, considering he only gave up two runs and it came in one outing. In that same game, he struck out the side in the only frame he worked.
In his two other appearances, the Seton Hall product held opposing teams hitless and scoreless. He did give up one walk in each of the two frames he threw. In all, he struck out six and recorded a save in his final appearance on Oct. 17.
Had he been able to participate in the AFL longer, his grade might have gone up with the way he was pitching. He held right-handed hitters to a .143 batting average.
.png?w=256)
Keone Kela; A
4 of 9As previously mentioned, Keone Kela replaced Ryan Harvey about midway through the league. It proved to be a good move for the Saguaros.
Like Bonilla, Kela did not give up an earned run during the AFL. In 8.2 innings, the Californian struck out 10 and gave up five hits in seven appearances, recording two saves and one hold.
Control may have been the only issue for the right-hander, as he issued five walks in his short time on the rubber; however, his WHIP was just 1.15, the fifth best on the team.
Kela was a reliable bullpen option for the Saguaros. His zero ERA was the lowest of any Surprise pitcher with a minimum of five games.
Will Lamb; D
5 of 9The AFL proved to be a rough stretch for Will Lamb, who started six games for Surprise and struggled mightily in each outing.
The former Clemson Tiger had the league’s worst WHIP (2.44) and the fifth worst ERA (8.69). In 19.2 innings, Lamb gave up 29 hits, walked 19 and struck out 10. Opponents hit a healthy .349 average against the southpaw.
There aren’t any splits that can point out anything strong for Lamb. He struggled against righties and lefties, at home and on the road, during the day and at night. He allowed at least seven batters to reach base in each game and lasted no more than four innings in any start.
Lamb’s biggest problem was not shutting the door when opponents had runners in scoring position. He had a 20.25 ERA in eight innings, and batters hit .419.
Nick McBride; C-
6 of 9Nick McBride tied Matt West for the most appearances by a Ranger pitcher, getting the call in 10 games during the AFL.
The righty from North Carolina struggled mightily in his first appearance, giving up five runs, three of them earned on two hits and three walks. He gave up at least two hits in each of his outings and only pitched two full innings once.
McBride would finish with a 1-0 record, a 6.43 ERA and surrendered 21 hits in 14 innings. All eight of his walks came against left-handed hitting, and he gave up a .400 average to lefties.
A former fifth-round pick of the Rangers, McBride was inconsistent throughout the AFL. He had a three-game and two-game streak of giving up runs and the same streaks of holding opponents scoreless.
Brett Nicholas; C
7 of 9
After hitting .289 and 21 home runs in his first season at Double-A Frisco, Brett Nicholas struggled to get going in the AFL.
In 17 games with Surprise, the former Missouri Tiger hit just .230 and drove in six runs. Left-handed pitching gave him the most trouble, which accounted for seven of his 11 strikeouts and yielded a .167 average against southpaws.
Out of Nicholas’ 14 hits, however, more than half of them went for extra bases. He hit seven doubles and a home run over the course of the league. He also hit two home runs in the Fall Stars game in which he was named MVP.
His performance in the all-star game helped improve his grade, as well as his perfect fielding percentage.
Ryan Rua; D
8 of 9Ryan Rua had the worst performance of the Rangers position players at the AFL.
His struggles were both at the plate and in the field. Rua hit a lowly .175 and struck out 24 times, which was the ninth most in the league. He had just 11 hits in 17 games, four of which were long balls.
The Lake Erie College product did string together a seven-game hitting streak toward the latter part of the season; however, he struck out 10 times during that time frame and had only one multi-hit game.
He showcased some of his power in the AFL that he has shown throughout 2013; however, his strikeouts and six errors hurt his grade severely.
Matt West; C+
9 of 9
Although he wasn’t stellar, Matt West wasn’t bad during his stint in the AFL.
The Houston native made 10 appearances and recorded a 1-0 record with a 3.72 ERA. The four earned runs he gave up came in three of his appearances, and he struck out at least one hitter in nine outings.
Altogether, West struck out 10, surrendered 12 hits and walked seven in 9.2 innings. His WHIP of 1.97 was one of the worst in the league, but he did record two holds and a win down the stretch.
As with McBride and Lamb, West was unable to shut down opposing hitters with RISP. Although his ERA jumped over eight, he struck out six batters in that situation.
.png?w=480)
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
