Tag: Salt River Rafters

Royce Lewis named 2019 Arizona Fall League MVP

Royce Lewis #9 of the Salt River Rafters bats against the Mesa Solar Sox during the game at Salt River Fields. (Photo by Buck Davidson/MLB Photos via Getty Images)

After leading the 2019 Arizona Fall League with 30 hits and slashing .353/.411/.565 with three homers and 20 RBIs over 22 games, Royce Lewis the Minnesota Twins top prospect according to MLB Pipeline was chosen as the league’s most valuable player. MLB Pipeline has Lewis as the ninth best prospect in all of baseball and the second highest rated prospect playing in the AFL this season.

Lewis had a great AFL season as he also won the Fall Stars Game MVP Award with a two-run homer in the East’s 4-2 win over the West and was named the Championship Chains Hitter of the Week after going 6-for-10 in the fourth week of the AFL season. 

You may have heard of the previous three winners of the AFL MVP award. They are Brewers 2B Keston Hiura in 2018 and debuted with the Brewers this past season, Braves OF Ronald Acuna Jr. in 2017 who debuted in Atlanta in 2018 and Yankees 2B/SS Gleyber Torres in 2016 who debuted in 2018. Some pretty nice players. I think I here Royce Lewis knocking at the Target Field door.

The strong AFL performance was huge for Lewis, who hit just .236/.290/.371 over 127 games with Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Double-A Pensacola during the regular season after suffering some injuries. The Twins claim they are still committed to keeping Lewis at shortstop but in the AFL this fall Lewis spent most of his time playing third base but did spend some time in centerfield and second base. I can’t help but wonder if the Twins see a time in the not too distant future when they can make Royce Lewis their third baseman and move Miguel Sano to first base full time.

Arizona Fall League broadcasts

Arizona Fall LeagueThe World Series could end as early as today and there will be no more baseball to watch, or so it seems. If you get the MLB Network or want to check in at MLB.com you can watch some games from the Arizona Fall League and see what some of the up and coming young stars are doing. The Minnesota Twins contingent of players is with the Salt River Rafters and they will be on a number of times as you can see on the schedule below.

The Fall Stars game will be taking place on Saturday, November 1 and you don’t want to miss that one where supposedly the best of the best are playing. Byron Buxton and Jake Reed were named to the team but now Buxton is hurt once again so it remains to be seen if he will play or not. I have to add though that it must be a cruel Halloween joke that Eddie Rosario who is second in the league in hitting with a .407 average the last time I looked, is not on the team. Maybe he will be added before this week-end.

 

Oct. 30 – Surprise at Salt River
Watch live on MLB.com at 9:35 p.m. ET/6:35 MST
Oct. 31 – Scottsdale at Salt River
Watch live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 3:35 p.m. ET/12:35 MST
Nov. 4 – Mesa at Salt River
Watch live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 8:35 p.m. ET/6:35 MT
Nov. 6 – Mesa at Salt River
Watch live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 8:35 p.m. ET/6:35 MT
Nov. 8 – Mesa at Surprise (Military Appreciation Game)
Watch live on MLB Network at 8:05 p.m. ET/6:05 MT
Nov. 15 – AFL Championship Game at Scottsdale Stadium
Watch live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 3:08 p.m. ET/1:08 MT

In addition, the Fall Stars Game featuring Arizona Fall League All-Stars from the East and West divisions will play at Salt River Fields at 8 PM ET on Saturday November 1, which will be shown on the MLB Network.

It is getting to be time for everyone to start publishing their 2015 prospect ratings and I noticed that TopProspectAlert.com had published their list a few days ago, you can see it here.

Twins announce 2014 AFL participants

AFL logoThe Minnesota Twins have named six players that will participate in the 2014 Arizona Fall League season and will announce one additional player at a later date. The Twins players that will play for the Salt River Rafters this season are outfielders Byron Buxton, Eddie Rosario, Max Kepler as well as RHP Jason Adam, LHP Mason Melotakis, and LHP Taylor Rogers. Players do not often play in the AFL two years in a row but in the case of the Twins they will Buxton, Rosario, and Kepler back for a second try. Not because of how they played in the AFL in 2013 but because they all need more at bats this season. Buxton the number one prospect in baseball has been out most of the season with wrist injuries and now is coming off a concussion. Kepler has had various nagging injuries all season and has not played up to his potential at Ft. Myers this season. Rosario missed the first 50 games of the season due to his suspension. All three outfielders have something to prove this fall.

The Salt River Rafters roster will be made up of players from the Rockies, Diamondbacks, Astros, Marlins and Twins organizations. The team will be managed by Andy Haines and the hitting coach will be Kevin Riggs and the pitching coach will be Joshua Miller.

The six-team  league, owned and operated by Major League Baseball, will play six days per week (Monday-Saturday). As always, the AFL will be chock full of future big leaguers when the six-week league, which has established itself as the finishing school for the game’s best prospects since its inception in 1992, begins its season on Tuesday, October 7. The Fall League season runs through Saturday, November 15, with a championship game held at Scottsdale Stadium. The league’s Fall Stars Game, which will feature many of those Top 100 prospects, will be held Saturday, November 1, at Salt River Fields.

According to MLB, approximately 60 percent of AFL players will reach the Major Leagues. 14 players on the Twins current roster have participated in the Arizona Fall League. Since its inception in 1992 about 2,300 AFL players have reached the major leagues.

MLB TV will carry some of these AFL games so make sure you check it out and watch some of these young stars play this fall and maybe, just maybe you will see some of the players in the major leagues in 2015.

UPDATE AS OF AUGUST 30 – The Twins have announced that RHP Jake Reed will also join the Salt River Rafters this fall.