AFL Update – 10-15-2013

Other Stuff

I’ll kick off the AFL updates today, now that we’ve had a couple games for most everyone involved. The league is good about getting up new photos, and so we get a fresh reminder that Kyle Simon knows how to wear a mustache, and that Cameron Rupp could eat you whole if he wanted.

A couple roster notes – Kelly Dugan, originally on the roster, was sent home without seeing the field, as he battles turf toe. He was replaced by Cameron Perkins, who has yet to log a PA. Aaron Altherr had some kind of hand injury last week, but he was back on the field last night.

As for the results, it’s so early, in a league where it’s going to be early the whole time, but Kenny Giles clearly got it done in his two outings, strking out 5 of the 7 men he’s faced. Rupp has been hitting some – 3-8 with a double. And Austin Wright gave up a homerun to Byron Buxton last night, which proves almost nothing about Austin Wright. I’m sure somewhere there’s a Twins fan saying the same thing about Buxton hitting a homerun off of “Some Phillies guy name Ashton White”.

Here’s the link for the Phils’ Off-Season League stats. As we go, I’ll mention anything interesting I see in those stats as well. So far, all I see is Manuel Chavez pitching in his native Mexico. Recall he had a fine year in the VSL, striking out 72 and walking just nine in 74.1IP. One to keep an eye on, even if he is about to turn 20 and has yet to pitch stateside in competition.

http://mlb.mlb.com/milb/stats/org.jsp?id=phi

10-15-13 AFL Stats

44 thoughts on “AFL Update – 10-15-2013”

  2. A couple of thoughts

    First, I’d love to know how hard Kenny Giles is throwing. I’ll bet he’s putting some serious heat out there – likely in the high 90s. That’s a ton of strikeouts against some very good prospects. He could rise very quickly this year.

    Second, Dear Kyle Simon, the 70s called, it wants its moustache back.

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  3. I have to say that Austin Wright is up there as having one of the most disappointing seasons. Even still, he looked liked a decent bounce back candidate heading into 2014. SSS notwithstanding, he’s looking very hit-able in the AFL so far

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    1. Don’t think he’s out there. He’s watching pitch f/x, I believe. Not that people shouldn’t read his stuff. Everyone should.

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    1. Landstuhl, Germany had a fairly large US Army medical facility there. One parent must have been a military personnel stationed in the Ramstein/Vogelweh region of Germany, then subsequently got transferred to Arizona. Happens at times.

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      1. Interestingly enough, moving to another country doesn’t affect a person’s birthplace, so I think that’s not the answer we’re looking for.

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        2. anon, what are you , clueless or something? With some people I guess you cannot make simple assumptions.

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        3. Yeah, if you look at the player card above , it lists place of birth as Buckeye , Arizona not Germany.

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          1. BA has him as this:
            Proper Name: Aaron Samuel Altherr…Born: Jan. 14, 1991 in Landstuhl, Germany
            High School: Agua Fria HS, Avondale, Ariz.
            Hope he never runs for President. Just we need , another birther issue!

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  7. A few questions –

    1) Are any of these games televised/streamed anywhere?

    2) Is it customary to have older guys in the league? I notice we have a few 25 year olds in there.

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    1. Thanks – Yeah, I’ve seen the championships (And if my memory is right maybe even an all star game, if the league has one) on TV, was wondering if there was more of a regular thing on the internet these days.

      As an aside, how isn’t everything streamed on the net these days?

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  9. By the way, Kenny Giles threw some serious heat last night in the 9th inning of the Peoria AFL game. His slowest fastball? How about 98 MPH. Threw several at 99 and his last pitch of the night was 100 MPH. I’ve never seen Giles in person but the pictures I’ve seen show him with almost the exact body type of a youngish Nolan Ryan. It’s nice to have a real back end bullpen candidate around. A legitimate flame thrower.

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  10. Apparently Giles pitched a 1-2-3 9th inning yesterday throwing only 10 pitches (7 for strikes) hitting 98-99 on every pitch. If he’s figured out his control, he could be a fast mover next season. He’ll definitely start at Reading if he finishes the AFL this way. I wonder if he changed something…

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    1. Wondering who was the last Phillie to throw 100 in big league action…I don’t really have even a good guess. Probably some bullpen dude who was gone the next week.

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        1. Wagner used to dial it up to 100 all the time at CBP. He sat at 97-100, touching 101 and 102. I remember being at a Phillies game where he was hitting 100 and the fans booed when he threw 99. Classic Philly.

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    2. To be as effective as he can be, Giles needs to learn to throw an off-speed pitch a lot slower than 89.8 mph. Just an acceptable change will make the FB play a lot better.

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      1. Not really, even at nearly 90 mph that is still a 8-10mph separation between FB and slider. For instance vintage Lidge was 94mph with FB and 85 with the slider. Chapman is 98 and 87 fastball and slider, and Kimbrel is 97 and 86.

        In general Giles slider is more 85-87, the one last night may have been a bit juiced.

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  12. I thought a ten mph difference is great, If he is at high ninety and low eighty with off speed, that is great, Why does he have to slow down more than that.

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    1. The difference shouldn’t be more than 10 mph either, it has to look the same to the batter out of his hand.

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    2. Because he’s not low 80s. His slider, which may well not have been typical, was 8-9 mph slower than his typical FB. To Murray — that’s true for a slider, but a changeup depends upon how the ball is released from the hand, not arm speed, so it can be slower without being an immediate give away to the pitch.

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