Arizona Fall League Update: Week 4

It’s Monday, so it’s once again time to check in on the Yankee prospects playing for the Mesa Solar Sox in the Arizona Fall League. While none of the position players the Yankees sent to the desert had outstanding weeks, they continued to hold their own for the most part, though the most-hyped of Yankee prospects continues to struggle. Meanwhile, one of the club’s pitchers continued his strong fall while others continued their rocky fall seasons.

Through four weeks, first baseman TJ Rumfield is the straw that stirs the Mesa drink on offense. He continues to pace the club in batting average, on-base percentage, and OPS If there’s one quibble, he is still stuck at one home run. Only two players on the Solar Sox have hit fewer. Nonetheless, his strong fall season proceeds apace.

Third baseman Tyler Hardman also kept up his strong play this past week. Hardman continues to hit, with a .310 batting average that is third on the Solar Sox. He has also displayed some power, with eight of his 18 hits going for extra bases (five doubles, one triple, and two home runs). Strikeouts continue to be the one blemish on Hardman’s line, as he’s now struck out 17 times in 15 games.

Jasson Domínguez has yet to shake off his struggles. After bringing his batting average up past the Mendoza Line last week, he was ice-cold at the dish this week, finishing hitting only .167 this fall. His three doubles remain his only extra-base hits of the fall season. Though he has undoubtedly struggled at the dish, his swing from both sides of the plate continues to look good, at least in batting practice. And he has not neglected his base-running, remaining perfect on the base paths for Mesa.

For all of these guys, and perhaps especially for The Martian, the reps are more important than the results. And it was not all bad, even for Jasson. On Saturday, all three Yankee farmhands contributed to Mesa’s 10-3 win. Domínguez went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a SB, Hardman went 1-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, and Rumfield had two base hits in four at-bats and scored two runs.

Leam Mendez continues to deliver on the mound for Mesa. This past week, he threw three more innings of relief, surrendering no earned runs. For the fall, he’s now tossed 11.1 IP to the tune of a 2.38 ERA. His 6:4 walk-to-strikeout ratio is not ideal, but he has also only allowed eight hits, leaving opponents with a .205 batting average.

Mendez remains the only pitcher the club sent to Arizona who has tasted much success. Yorlin Calderon took a step back this week, allowing two runs in his two innings of his work. Likewise, Nelson L. Alvarez continues to have issues on the mound. Seven innings into his fall, he has now allowed 21 baserunners, resulting in a staggering 3.00 WHIP.

The AFL regular season ends on November 10th, so our prospects have another week and a half to hone their respective crafts and take advantage of valuable reps in the desert.