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| Chris Kissock will state his case in the AFL this off-season. Photo courtesy of Goldpanners.com |
What makes the AFL interesting is that the players are usually those poised to make some sort of a move. On the one hand, you've got guys who are considered some of the top prospects in a system and are sent to polish up their games before making the final push toward the majors. On the other, you have a lot of guys who might have struggled in their pro careers and are getting some extra work to figure out their issues and hopefully avoid getting the cut. In a nutshell, there are plenty of compelling stories to follow in the fall.
Of course, anywhere you find an assortment of professional baseball players, you're bound to find a few guys who have logged time in Alaska, and the Arizona Fall League is never an exception. The AFL teams have released their initial rosters, and I've caught wind of some ABL alumni who are going to Arizona to represent their organizations. Last year I followed all the former ABLers in the league with a little blurb on each and concluding with a "report card"; I imagine I'll do at least as much this year. But first, let's just have a look at who made the initial rosters (which are, of course, subject to change).
Chen Lee - Bucs, 2007
RHP - Cleveland
Drafted: N/A (Int'l free agent)
Highest Level: AA
Chen is one of the many Taiwanese prospects who have made the trip over to play in the ABL -- and particularly for the Bucs -- and get the opportunity to play American ball in front of big league scouts. A year later he would go on to pitch for his country's national team in the 2008 Olympics across the strait in China. According to this very good bio and scouting report on Indians Prospect Insider, Chen brought home a $400,000 signing bonus when he inked a deal with Cleveland. In two seasons in their minor league system, he's had some pretty solid success. In two roughly equivalent seasons -- in 2009 at high-A and this year at AA -- he's logged a composite stat line of 3.29 ERA, 1.128 WHIP, with a 3.58 K/BB ratio. He'll be using the Arizona Fall League to pick up some more innings and show the Cleveland front office that he's ready to jump another level for 2011.
Adam Jorgenson - Bucs, 2006
RHP - Colorado
Drafted: 2008, Round 26
Highest Level: AA
Adam Jorgenson -- who will be 25 on Friday, happy birthday bro! -- signed in 2008 and has (predictably) burned through the lower rungs of the minor leagues on his way up the ladder. He absolutely punished the Pioneer, Sally and California leagues before getting promoted to AA, where he stands at the moment. He's kind of hit a bump in the road, though, and has posted a 5-plus ERA in his double-A stint to close out this year (although he has maintained his 10+ K/9 ratio). His AFL season will be a test to see if he can continue his success against higher-level hitters and continue the climb up the ladder.
Christopher Kissock - Panners, 2006
RHP - Philadelphia
Drafted: 2007, Round 9
Highest Level: AA
Christopher Kissock should have a special place in the heart of die-hard PannerFans, as he was the one who threw the 10-inning complete game victory for the Goldpanners to pick up the win in the 100th Midnight Sun Game. As a pro in 2010, Kissock split time between A+ Clearwater and AA Reading in the Phillies organization. Combined between the two levels he went 7-3 with a 2.80 ERA. Making the jump, some of his stats predictably declined -- walks (from 1.3 to 1.8 per nine IP), strikeouts (from 6 to 5 per nine) and ERA (2.17 to 4.50) -- but others actually improved. In AA he posted a lower WHIP (1.000 vs. 1.056), thanks to the fact that he gave up fewer hits on average (7.2 per nine innings vs. 8.2). Kissock's prospect status has gone up a few notches since moving full-time to the pen, and he'll be looking to use this AFL season to polish up his game as he transitions to the higher minor leagues.
BJ Rosenberg - Miners, 2005
RHP - Philadelphia
Drafted: 2008, Round 13
Highest Level: AA
BJ Rosenberg's career took a pivotal turn during his stay in Alaska, more so than some players anyway. It was during his stint with the Mat-Su Miners that he developed a shoulder injury that led to his transition to the bullpen. How his career would have progressed differently had he remained a starter, no one will ever know, but as a reliever Rosenberg is considered enough of a prospect to have made it to MLB spring training with the big-league Phillies this past spring. He didn't stay long; he pitched a mere four innings but gave up just two hits and no runs. The Phillies are obviously keeping a close eye on Rosenberg, so this fall in Arizona will likely be another opportunity for the guy to be groomed for his future MLB debut.
Daniel Stange - Miners, 2004
RHP - Arizona
Drafted: 2006, Round 7
Highest Level: MLB
Daniel Stange, as noted above, is a guy who actually made his MLB debut earlier this spring. But his stay was short and the results weren't pretty. He was sent back to AAA and struggled there, as well, despite a very promising stat line while pitching at the AA level. It seems as though the D-Backs view Stange as a prospect, and a guy who should have made the major league club a while ago. He'll be getting some extra work this fall to help him get back to the Majors -- next time, for good.
Michael Taylor - Miners, 2005
OF - Oakland
Drafted: 2007, Round 5 (PHI)
Highest Level: AAA
Michael Taylor is one of those guys who are on the cusp of breaking into the Majors, and is heading to the AFL to get some extra work in before being called up to the show. In 2010, Baseball America ranked Taylor the 29th top prospect in the minor leagues. We ranked him the #2 prospect among ABL alumni. Obviously, it seemed as though he was banging on the door before the 2010 season, but he stumbled a bit in his first complete season at AAA this past year. He still put up a respectable batting average (.272) but his power was down (6 HR, and a .392 SLG%. This from a guy who combined for 20 homers between AA & AAA last season with a .549 SLG%) and he saw a .200 drop in his OPS. Is this guy the real deal, or not? That's what we'll be trying to find out in Arizona this fall.
Daniel Turpen - Miners, 2006
RHP - Boston
Drafted: 2007, Round 8 (SFG)
Highest Level: AAA
Last season, when he was employed in the San Francisco organization, he pitched in the AFL representing the Giants. He pitched pretty well in the 2009 winter season and earned a grade of "B" on our season-end report card. After putting up some great minor league numbers all through his career, Turpen started off slow in the Giants organization and continued to be mediocre in AA after the trade to Boston. Turpen will be rule-five draft eligible this season and, as such, his fall-league season will be an audition for a protected spot on the Red Sox 40-man roster.
Having looked over the entire crop of former ABLers to be shipped out to AZ, two things stand out to me. First, there are far fewer of our boys in the league this year than there were in 2009. This is, of course, assuming my count is correct. It may not be, because it's based on my own prospect list which is admittedly imperfect. So send me any additions, please. But anyway, it's weird to see the count down from last year. On the flip side, all of these guys listed above are actual prospects. Last year we had a lot of players who were, unfortunately, fighting to save their careers with varying degrees of success. At least this year we know that our alumni in the AFL are making a charge at the big leagues, and that we aren't going to run into them at the KFC drive-thru the next time we see them.
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