Mariners Arizona Fall League updates
Five Mariners prospects are playing for the Peoria Javelinas in the 2019 Arizona Fall League: Second baseman Jose Caballero, left-hander Aaron Fletcher (No. 27), left-hander Raymond Kerr, right-hander Penn Murfee and third baseman Joe Rizzo (No. 20). Outfielder Jarred Kelenic (No. 1, MLB No. 13) was removed from the Peoria roster due to a minor back issue. He went 3-for-10 with two RBIs, two runs and a walk. Outfielder Julio Rodriguez (No. 2, MLB No. 25) and right-hander Sam Delaplane (No. 30) were both removed from Peoria's roster on Oct. 19.
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Here’s a day-by-day look at how Seattle’s AFL contingent is faring:
Oct. 25: Salt River 6, Peoria 1
Jose Caballero finished his Fall League campaign with a .190 average after going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts on Friday.
Oct. 24: Glendale 2, Peoria 1
Aaron Fletcher, just as he’s done all fall, made quick work of the opposing lineup. Fletcher needed just nine pitches, (seven strikes) to strike out two in a clean inning out of the Peoria bullpen. The 23-year-old hasn’t allowed a run through the Fall League and has struck out 15 over 9 1/3 innings (eight appearances). Joe Rizzo’s average dipped to .200 after he went 0-for-2, but Rizzo did put together quality at-bats and drew walks in the seventh and ninth innings. Rizzo came around to score in the seventh and was replaced for a pinch-runner, who was ultimately stranded on third, in the ninth. Jose Caballero entered the game as a pinch-runner in the ninth inning.
Oct. 23: Peoria 6, Scottsdale 1
Jose Caballero singled and scored as part of a 1-for-4 night, but his offensive struggles continued as he struck out in each of his other three at-bats.
Oct. 22: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.
Oct. 21: Peoria 4, Scottsdale 3
Jose Caballero did not collect a hit Monday, but made the most of his two times on base via the walk. After reaching in the sixth, he promptly reeled off a steal of both second and third, his seventh and eighth steals of the Fall League, respectively. He has hit just .196 over 20 games for Peoria, but he ranks second in the league in stolen bases. Joe Rizzo served as the Javelinas’ designated hitter and went 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. After striking out just three times over his first 11 games with the club, the Mariners’ No. 19 prospect has four punchouts in his last two outings alone.
Oct. 20: Mesa 8, Peoria 2
Penn Murfee’s impressive AFL stint continued Sunday as he fired 46 of his 59 pitches for strikes and gave up one run over four innings. The right-hander, a 33rd-round pick from the 2018 Draft, gave up a leadoff triple and a run in the first inning, but concluded his outing with an exclamation mark as he struck out the side in the fourth inning, bringing his total to seven on the night. Murfee, who retired eight of the final nine batters he faced, has pitched to a 1.23 ERA in Arizona and struck out 30 over 22 innings. Raymond Kerr followed Murfee out of the ‘pen and cruised through two scoreless innings. Kerr struck out one and retired all six batters he faced. Jose Caballero reached base in each of his first three trips to the plate and also put his speed on display as he swiped his sixth bag of the AFL. Caballero walked and stole second in the third, doubled in the sixth and drew another walk in the eighth.
Oct. 19: Mesa 5, Peoria 1
Joe Rizzo collected one of Peoria’s three hits on Saturday, going 1-for-3 in the Javelinas’ loss to Mesa. He’s batting .231 (.619 OPS) overall, albeit with hits in three of his past four games.
Oct. 18: Peoria 9, Salt River 0
Jose Caballero lined a double in the fifth inning of his 1-for-4 performance, and he came around to score a run. The Javelinas’ third baseman also committed a fielding error, his third this fall. Aaron Fletcher, acquired from the Nationals at the Trade Deadline, recorded a strikeout during a perfect ninth inning, and his line remains scoreless in this year’s Fall League. Overall, the Mariners’ No. 26 prospect has compiled a 13/1 K/BB in 8 1/3 scoreless frames (seven appearances) out of the Javelinas’ bullpen.
Oct. 17: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.
Oct. 16: Salt River 4, Peoria 2
Both Joe Rizzo and Jose Caballero went hitless for Peoria (a combined 0-for-5), but Caballero reached base after being hit by a pitch, stole second and scored a run in the loss.
Oct 15: Surprise 3, Peoria 0
Jose Caballero’s average dropped below .200 (.196) with an 0-for-3 performance for Peoria. The 23-year-old has gone three straight games without recording a hit.
Oct. 14: Surprise 1, Peoria 0
Penn Murfee piled up the strikeouts during his fifth AFL start, recording eight of his first nine outs by punchout, baffling the Surprise lineup. He finished by tossing 45 of his 63 pitches for strikes, yielding three hits and one walk across four frames. The 25-year-old Murfee has taken the Fall League by storm, striking out 23 batters in 18 innings and pitching to a 1.00 ERA. Raymond Kerr raised his streak of consecutive appearances with a strikeout to five following a scoreless frame Monday. He yielded a two-out single, but was able to lower his AFL ERA to 2.45.
Oct. 13: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.
Oct. 12: East 4, West 2
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Oct. 11: Peoria 8, Glendale 3
Seattle’s No. 2 prospect Julio Rodriguez drove in a run with a groundout in the first, later adding a walk to his 0-for-3 afternoon. He made his second error of the fall on a lined shot to right, but through 15 games, he has produced a .288 batting average and driven in 10 runs. Jose Caballero had his defensive acumen on display Friday, turning a heads-up double play in the seventh by letting a shallow popup drop in the infield before gloving it. He swiped his fourth base of the fall after reaching via a walk during his 0-for-2 afternoon.
Oct. 10: Glendale 5, Peoria 2
Julio Rodriguez, Seattle’s No. 2 prospect and No. 25 on the Top 100, singled and walked in a 1-for-3 day for Peoria, raising his fall average to .306. Jose Caballero went 0-for-4 with a strikeout against Glendale.
Oct. 9: Peoria 3, Scottsdale 1
Julio Rodriguez bookended his night with a pair of singles and now has multiple hits in three straight games. Rodriguez, who finished 2-for-4, is now hitting .375 and has hits in eight of his past 10 games. Joe Rizzo went 1-for-3 with a double, but it was his sixth-inning walk that proved the difference. Rizzo drew a bases-loaded walk to give Peoria the lead, and that run held up as the game-winner.
Make it 15 strikeouts over eight AFL innings for Sam Delaplane after he struck out the side on Wednesday. Delaplane wasn’t as dominant as he has been, as he gave up a hit and walked a batter, but he put a zero on the board and lowered his ERA to 1.13. Aaron Fletcher picked up his first save of the Fall League with a scoreless ninth. Fletcher, who gave up a hit and struck out a pair, has thrown 7 1/3 innings (six appearances) and has yet to surrender a run.
Oct. 8: Peoria 3, Scottsdale 2
Jose Caballero is batting .243 for Peoria after a 1-for-2 performance that included a walk. Joe Rizzo went 0-for-1 with a walk after entering as a pinch-hitter. Raymond Kerr struck out two batters during a scoreless seventh inning out of Peoria’s bullpen. The 6-foot-3 lefty flashed impressive stuff, averaging 94-96 mph with a fastball that he paired with a hard, swing-and-miss slider in the low-90s.
Oct. 7: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.
Oct. 6: Mesa 4, Peoria 2
Joe Rizzo is beginning to heat up for Peoria, as he’s now recorded at least one hit and scored one run in three straight games after a 2-for-16 start. Jose Caballero laced a single in the second and also drew a walk en route to a 1-for-3 performance that raised his average to .229 in the AFL.
Penn Murfee was unhittable until he gave up a one-out solo home run in the top of the fourth inning. The 25-year-old right-hander bounced back to end the frame, capping another strong AFL start for the Peoria. After Sunday’s performance, Murfee, a 33rd-round pick in the 2018 Draft, owns a 1.29 ERA with 15 strikeouts in 14 Fall League innings (four starts). Aaron Fletcher, acquired from the Nationals at the Trade Deadline, gave up a pair of hits during a scoreless eighth inning out of the bullpen, and Sam Delaplane struck out two batters in the ninth.
Oct. 5: Peoria 9, Salt River 7
Jose Caballero powered up for his first Fall League homer in the sixth, a lined solo shot to left that was a part of a six-run Peoria sixth. He finished the day 1-for-4, collecting his first hit in over a week. Joe Rizzo laced an RBI single to right in the first, before notching another hit to right in the sixth. He has delivered an RBI in back-to-back contests and raised his average to .208 after a slow start to the AFL.
Oct. 4: Salt River 10, Peoria 9
Top prospect Jarred Kelenic (MLB No. 13) went 1-for-4 and scored a run from the three-spot in Peoria’s lineup in his third AFL game. Julio Rodriguez (No. 2, MLB No. 25), the youngest player in this year’s league, went 2-for-4 with an RBI double. They’re batting .300 and .286 this fall, respectively. Joe Rizzo has struggled so far, batting .158 through five games, but he connected on his first Fall League homer in the fifth inning on Friday, hitting a 100.1 mph solo shot.
Oct. 3: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams
Oct. 2: Peoria 2, Glendale 0
Jarred Kelenic picked up his first RBI of the Fall League season in only his second game, as the Mariners’ top prospect served as the DH and hit a first-inning RBI single -- his only hit in three at-bats. He was lifted for a pinch hitter in the eighth inning. Julio Rodriguez started in center field and finished 2-for-4 with a pair of singles, bringing his fall average up to .263. Joe Rizzo started at third and finished hitless in four at-bats, striking out once.
Aaron Fletcher tossed a scoreless inning of relief, striking out a pair of batters along the way without allowing a hit or walk. In 5 1/3 innings so far this fall, he’s allowed only three hits and issued one walk while striking out nine batters. Acquired from the Nationals in the trade that sent Hunter Strickland and Roenis Elias to D.C., Fletcher pitched to a 2.09 ERA across four Minor League teams this season, spanning 41 appearances. Sam Delaplane added his own inning of scoreless bullpen work, closing out the game to earn the save for the Javelinas. He struck out a pair of batters, bringing him to 10 strikeouts in six innings pitched in the AFL this season.
Oct. 1: Peoria 3, Surprise 1
Making his AFL debut, top prospect Jarred Kelenic (MLB No. 13) hit a single and scored a run from the leadoff spot in Peoria’s win over Surprise. The 20-year-old outfielder was sidelined for the first two weeks of the Fall League after having his wisdom teeth removed. Julio Rodriguez had his five-game AFL hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 performance that included a pair of strikeouts. Jose Caballero entered the game as a pinch-hitter in the seventh inning and struck out in his only at-bat.
Penn Murfee dominated in his third AFL start for Peoria as he racked up seven strikeouts in four scoreless innings against Surprise. The 25-year-old right-hander, a 33rd-round pick in the 2018 Draft, allowed two hits and one walk and threw 42 of 60 pitches for strikes. It was Murfee's second straight scoreless four-inning start, and, overall, he owns a 0.90 ERA with 11 strikeouts in 10 innings this fall.
Sept. 30: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.
Sept. 29: Surprirse 11, Peoria 4
Center fielder Julio Rodriguez (No. 2, MLB No. 26) hit cleanup for Peoria, going 1-for-4 with a double and a walk. Second baseman Jose Caballero went 0-for-4 with a walk and a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Joe Rizzo (No. 20) hit seventh and played first base, going 1-for-4 with an RBI single. And left-hander Raymond Kerr gave up two runs on one hit, walking four and striking out one over 1 2/3 innings of relief.
Sept. 28: Peoria 9, Glendale 4
Julio Rodriguez had a big day for the Javelinas, collecting a pair of hits from the No. 4 spot in the order, driving in three runs and scoring a run, as well. He started things off with an RBI double in the top of the third, plating a pair of runs. Then in the eighth inning, he singled home another run. Rodriguez didn’t get off to a great start in the Fall League but is turning things around, notching hits in four straight games and RBIs in three of his past four.
Sam Delaplane issued a walk in what would have been a perfect ninth inning, striking out the other three batters he faced. Strikeouts are nothing new for the right-hander, who sat down 120 batters on strikes this season in only 68 2/3 innings pitched.
Sept. 27: Peoria 5, Glendale 2
No. 2 prospect Julio Rodriguez notched his fifth RBI in the Fall League with a single in the Javelinas' four-run first inning. That was the lone hit in the 18-year-old’s 1-for-4 night, but he also showed off with his second stolen base this fall, forcing an errant throw to allow another first-inning run to score. Jose Cabellero knocked in Peoria’s final run of the night in the fourth with a single, marking the second hit in his 2-for-4 showing as the leadoff batter. The third baseman also scored a run in the first after being hit by a pitch and stole a base.
Sept. 26: Thursday's game between Scottsdale and Peoria was rained out and will not be made up.
Sept. 25: Surprise 6, Peoria 2
Julio Rodriguez notched a hit for Peoria, finishing 1-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts. He’s now 4-for-20 (.200) in six Fall League games. Jose Caballero struck out in both his plate appearances as a pinch-hitter then designated hitter.
Sept. 24: Surprise 6, Peoria 4
Julio Rodriguez recorded his first extra-base hit in the Fall League, ripping an RBI double in the third inning. It was part of a two-hit day for the 18-year-old, who also drew a walk. Jose Caballero went 1-for-4 in the nine-hole for Peoria.
Penn Murfee was dominant in his four-inning start for the Javelinas, allowing just a single and a walk. The right-hander, who posted a 3.07 ERA at Class A Advanced Modesto this season, struck out two in his scoreless outing. Raymond Kerr closed out Peoria’s pitching effort with a scoreless inning.
Sept. 23: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.
Sept. 22: Surprise 2, Peoria 1
No. 2 prospect (No. 26 in MLB) Julio Rodriguez is off to a bit of a slow start to his AFL season. After going 0-for-3 on Sunday, the 18-year-old phenom is just 1-for-13 over four games. No. 20 prospect Joe Rizzo played first and hit ninth, going 1-for-3 in his second start for Peoria.
Sam Delaplane was dominant once again in his first inning of work on Sunday after tossing two scoreless innings in his Fall League debut. He struck out the side in the eighth and had one out in the ninth when he threw one bad pitch to Royals outfielder Brewer Hicklen, who promptly hit it out to right-center to give Surprise a 2-1 win and hand Delaplane the loss.
Sept. 21: Mesa 4, Peoria 1
Julio Rodriguez finally got on the board after going hitless in his first two AFL games. The 18-year-old, ranked the Mariners’ No. 2 prospect and the No. 31 prospect in baseball, stroked a single in the fourth inning in a 1-for-3 day. The club’s No. 27 prospect, Aaron Fletcher, finished the game for Peoria, bouncing back from allowing a single to his first batter to hold Mesa scoreless over 1 1/3 innings with three strikeouts.
Sept. 20: Peoria 5, Mesa 1
Joe Rizzo finished 0-for-3 with a walk. Jose Caballero went 1-for-4 at the plate, but also struck out three times.
Sept. 19: Peoria 10, Glendale 3
No. 2 prospect Julio Rodriguez (No. 26 in MLB) doesn’t have a hit yet over his first two games, but he does have a knack for driving in runs. He went 0-for-4 with a walk on Thursday, but drove in the first run of the game in Peoria’s 10-3 victory over Glendale with a slow bounding ground ball to first base. He now has three RBIs in Peoria’s 2-0 start. After going 2-for-4 on Wednesday, infielder Jose Caballero came up empty on Thursday, going 0-for-4 with a pair of strikeouts.
Lefty Raymond Kerr began making the transition to the bullpen in the California League in 2019 and is continuing that work for Peoria. He worked 2 2/3 innings on Thursday, allowing an unearned run on just one hit and two walks. He struck out three over the course of his outing.
Sept. 18: Peoria 10, Salt River 6
No. 1 prospect Jarred Kelenic (No. 14 in MLB) had his wisdom teeth removed on Wednesday and is expected to miss approximately the first five days of the AFL season. No. 20 Joe Rizzo was also out on Wednesday because of the flu. The Mariners who were healthy enough to play made solid contributions. No. 2 Julio Rodriguez (No. 26 in MLB) went 0-for-3, but drove in a pair of runs with a bases-loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. Third baseman Jose Caballero went 2-for-4 and stole a base, though he also was caught trying to steal a second time. Mariners relievers helped maintain a Peoria lead, with No. 27 prospect Aaron Fletcher tossing two scoreless innings, striking out two, and Sam Delaplane adding two scoreless frames with two strikeouts to earn the save.