Arizona Fall League

[Providence A's]

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/a...x.jsp?sid=l119

Phoenix Desert Dogs (team A's players are on)

A's players

The Arizona Fall League is the place where top prospects go to play baseball after the regular season is over.

There are six teams in the AFL, each reflective of the Southwestern desert traditions in the state. The teams are broken into two divisions, American and National, and each MLB team sends six top prospects to the league, 180 players in all. Each team is stocked with prospects from five organizations.

Daric Barton INF Midland (AA)
Andre Ethier OF Midland (AA)
Shawn Kohn P Midland (AA)
Shane Komine P Stockton (A)
Matt Lynch P Midland (AA)
Kurt Suzuki C Stockton (A)

[Providence A's]

The Desert Dogs' 1st game is tonight. I'll be watching how our prospects do. Street was in this league last fall and ended up on the A's. I think Barton may be up at some point next year...depending on what happens.

[Providence A's]

Phoenix is 2 - 0 so far. And Barton is already crushing the ball.

Team Stats

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A little breakdown of each player

[Providence A's]

Phoenix is 4 - 1 so far. Barton's average has dipped a bit, but Ethier is at .400. Our pitchers aren't doing so hot so far.

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

RHP Shane Komine -- In a league in which three-inning outings seem to be the norm for starting pitchers, Shane Komine found a way to outlast most of the competition. Although the former ninth-round draft pick did not record a decision in his first two starts for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, he posted a 2.08 ERA over 8 2/3 innings, good for second in the league. Komine, the shortest player in the league at 5-foot-9, yielded two runs on 11 hits while walking one and striking out eight.

1B Daric Barton -- Barton went 6-for-20 (.300) with a double, a homer, five RBIs and eight runs scored. The former first-round draft pick also showed impressive plate discipline, drawing a team-high six walks.

OF Andre Ethier -- Ethier continued to mash the ball after winning MVP honors in the Texas League. The former second-round draft pick went 9-for-23 (.391) with three doubles, a triple, a homer, six RBIs and a .739 slugging percentage.

RHP Shawn Kohn -- The 25-year-old right-hander compiled a 12.00 ERA in three innings of relief, surrendering four runs on six hits while walking one and striking out three.

LHP Matt Lynch -- Lynch went 1-0 with an 8.31 ERA in 4 1/3 innings out of the bullpen. The 24-year-old Florida native allowed five runs -- four earned -- on seven hits and three walks while striking out three.

C Kurt Suzuki -- Suzuki hit .333 (3-for-9) with a double, five RBIs, three walks and a .462 on-base percentage. The highlight of his week was a four-RBI effort on Oct. 11 against the Peoria Saguaros.

[HuskerFan2002]

I'm surprised Shane Komine hasn't gotten far in the minor leagues by now. Hasn't he been stuck in AA for a couple of years? He was an excellent pitcher for Nebraska and struck out like 6-9 batters a game.

[Providence A's]

http://scout.scout.com/a.z?s=304&p=8&c=1&nid=1773297

says he split 2003 between A/AA, spent 2004 and 2005 at AA, so I guess so...drafted in 2002.

[Providence A's]

The team is 10 - 5 now in 1st place in their division. Komine, Either, and Barton are all doing well...the other 3 need to pick up the slack a little.

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

OAKLAND -- Andre Ethier, the MVP of the Texas League in 2005, batted .391 during the Arizona Fall League's first week and carried his hot streak through Week No. 2. The former second-round draft pick went 5-for-14 (.357) with three walks to lower his season batting average to .378. He scored four times and picked up three RBIs. In 10 games, he has struck out just twice. Ethier has also played errorless ball, splitting time in left and right field.

Here's how the other A's prospects performed over the past week:

1B Daric Barton -- The former first-round draft pick went 3-for-13 (.231) with three RBIs, a triple, a double and three walks.

RHP Shawn Kohn -- Kohn made three relief appearances, giving up one run on two hits over four innings. He recorded one strikeout and did not walk a batter. On Oct. 18, the 25-year-old Wisconsin native limited the Rafters to one hit over two scoreless innings.

RHP Shane Komine -- The 25-year-old Hawaiian suffered a hard-luck loss in his only start, surrendering two runs (both unearned) on five hits over five innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter, lowering his ERA to 1.32.

LHP Matt Lynch -- The former 10th-round draft pick made three relief appearances, allowing two runs on three hits in three innings. For the season, Lynch is 1-0 despite his 7.36 ERA.

C Kurt Suzuki -- In his only game, Suzuki went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts to lower his average to .250. In five games this season, the former second-round draft pick is 3-for-12 with a double and five RBIs.

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

Nobody wants to pitch to the Texas League MVP. Andre Ethier, who led the Midland RockHounds to the league championship with his .319 batting average and 104 runs scored, drew nine walks this past week for the Phoenix Desert Dogs. He walked three times in three of his five games to raise his Arizona Fall League-leading total to 16 and lift his on-base percentage to .507. As for his hitting, the former second-round draft pick went 3-for-12 (.250) with a double, a triple, three runs and four RBIs to lower his average to .347.

Here's how the other A's prospects performed during the week of Oct. 21-27:

1B Daric Barton -- Barton started the week on a high note, going 2-for-3 with a double, two runs, a walk and a stolen base against the Scorpions on Oct. 21. He cooled off after that, though, going 0-for-11 to lower his season average to .234.

RHP Shawn Kohn -- Kohn made two relief appearances, tossing one inning in each. In his two outings, he allowed a total of two runs on five hits, while striking out two and committing a balk. Overall, he's 0-0 with a 6.75 ERA in eight innings.

RHP Shane Komine -- The 25-year-old Hawaiian did not pitch this past week. In three starts this season, Komine is 0-1 with a 1.32 ERA.

LHP Matt Lynch -- Lynch struck out the side in his first appearance of the week, then surrendered a run on two hits in his only other frame three days later. In 9 1/3 innings this season, the former 10th-round draft pick is 1-0 with a 6.75 ERA and eight strikeouts.

RHP Marcus McBeth -- McBeth recently joined the Desert Dogs roster as a replacement for injured pitcher Wade Townsend of the Devil Rays organization. In two innings for Phoenix, the former fourth-round draft pick allowed a run on one hit and one walk.

C Kurt Suzuki -- After going 2-for-3 with two doubles and a walk against the Solar Sox on Oct. 22, Suzuki went 0-for-6 over his next two games to finish the week 2-for-9 (.222).

[Providence A's]

Phoenix has the best record at 18 - 7 (.720)...this really shouldn't be too surprising as the team is made up of two of the best systems (Braves and A's) plus Devil Rays, Dodgers, and Diamondbacks.

Stats

Andre Ethier

Daric Barton

Kurt Suzuki

Shane Komine

Matt Lynch

Shawn Kohn

Marcus McBeth

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

Andre Ethier is still tearing up the AFL. The Texas League MVP collected at least two hits in four of five games last week, finishing 11-for-23 (.478) with two doubles, a triple, a homer, five runs and seven RBIs. Ethier began the week by going 2-for-4 with a homer against the Scorpions on Oct. 28. Then, after going 0-for-4 the next day, he rebounded with three consecutive three-hit games to raise his average to .389.

Here's how the other A's prospects performed for the Phoenix Desert Dogs during the week of Oct. 28 to Nov. 3:

1B Daric Barton -- The former first-round draft pick went 5-for-17 (.294) with two doubles, four runs, an RBI and five walks.

RHP Shawn Kohn -- In his only appearance of the week, Kohn tossed a perfect inning against the Javelinas on Oct. 31 to lower his ERA to 6.30.

RHP Shane Komine -- Komine pitched brilliantly in his lone start, limiting the Javelinas to three hits and a walk over five scoreless innings. The former ninth-round draft pick earned the win to move to 1-1 with a team-best 0.96 ERA.

LHP Matt Lynch -- Lynch made two relief appearances, each lasting 1 1/3 innings. He pitched scoreless ball in the first outing and gave up two runs on three hits in the second. For the season, the 24-year-old Floridian is 2-0 with one save and a 6.75 ERA.

RHP Marcus McBeth -- McBeth tossed two hitless innings in relief, walking two and striking out four. In four innings this season, he's 0-0 with a 2.25 ERA.

C Kurt Suzuki -- The 22-year-old Hawaiian performed well in limited action, going 3-for-8 (.375) in two games to raise his season average to .276.

The team is now 21 - 7 (.750)

[Providence A's]

http://oakland.athletics.mlb.com/NAS...=.jsp&c_id=oak

Andre Ethier went just 2-for-10 with one RBI in his final week with the Phoenix Desert Dogs, but the outfielder still made headlines.

The former second-round draft pick bolstered his fast-growing resume when he was honored with the AFL's Dernell Stenson Sportsmanship Award on Nov. 9. Ethier, the Texas League Player of the Year and All-Star Game MVP, was chosen from a group of six candidates -- one from each team -- who had been nominated by their managers.

Despite his struggles in the final week, Ethier finished the season with monster numbers. In 23 games, he batted .366 with two homers and 21 RBIs while leading the league with a .495 on-base percentage and tying for the lead with 21 walks.

Here's how the other A's prospects performed during week of Nov. 4-10:

1B Daric Barton -- After going 0-for-6 in his first two games this week, the former first-round draft pick went 4-for-5 in his last two to finish the season with a .267 average (20-for-75). He hit one homer, drove in 10 runs and scored 16 while tying Ethier for the AFL lead with 21 walks.

RHP Shawn Kohn -- Kohn made two relief appearances, tossing two innings in each. In his first outing, he gave up an unearned run on one hit; in the season finale, he was tagged for five runs on eight hits to finish with a 7.71 ERA in 14 innings.

RHP Shane Komine -- In his only start, the 25-year-old Hawaiian had to settle for a no-decision after giving up just one run on two hits over five innings. The performance actually raised his ERA to 1.14, a figure that would have led the league if he had enough innings to qualify. Komine finished the season 1-1 with three walks and 18 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings.

LHP Matt Lynch -- Lynch made two relief appearances, allowing two runs on five hits while striking out three. He finished the season 2-0 with one save and a 6.60 ERA in 15 innings.

RHP Marcus McBeth -- McBeth did not return to the mound after tossing a scoreless inning on Nov. 3 against the Solar Sox. The 25-year-old South Carolina native ended the season with a 2.25 ERA in only four innings. He walked three, fanned five and surrendered just one hit.

C Kurt Suzuki -- Suzuki entered the week at .276 and went 5-for-9 in his final three games to finish at .342. He did not hit a homer in the AFL, but collected four doubles and drew eight walks while compiling a lofty .447 on-base percentage.

The team finished 22 - 10 (.688). They play for the championship today vs. the Scorpions. Dogs are going for their 2nd championship in a row. Here is a preview:

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/a...=.jsp&sid=l119

[Providence A's]

Dogs win 9 - 3!

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/a...=.jsp&sid=l119

Both Ethier and Barton knocked in runs. Komine got in the game, too.