Friday's top 10 Arizona Fall League performers

October 12th, 2019

Here are the 10 best performers from Friday, Oct. 11 in the Arizona Fall League.

Greg Deichmann, OF, A's No. 17; Alfonso Rivas, 1B, A's No. 25; and Daniel Gossett, RHP
Deichmann nearly went deep in his first at-bat for Mesa, hitting a deep drive to right field that would have cleared the fence if not for a strong wind. The A’s No. 17 prospect took the wind out of the equation in the fifth inning, though, as he blasted an opposite-field solo shot for his AFL-best seventh homer. Overall, the 24-year-old outfielder has slashed .333/.422/.786 with 17 RBIs in 15 Fall League contests.

Rivas went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI single in his second straight multihit performance for the Solar Sox.

Gossett fired three no-hit innings on 43 pitches (32 strikes) against Salt River in his fifth AFL start. He struck out two batters and issued one walk in the outing. The 26-year-old right-hander lowered his Fall League ERA to 2.57 with the scoreless performance, and he’s now allowed one run or fewer in four straight turns for the Solar Sox.

Glenn Otto, RHP, New York Yankees
Otto spun four innings of one-hit ball for Surprise as he improved to 2-1 in four AFL starts. Throwing 37 of 64 pitches for strikes, the 23-year-old right-hander issued two walks, struck out three and recorded five groundouts. The scoreless performance was Otto’s third in the Fall League, and overall, the former fifth-round pick (2017) owns a 1.20 ERA across 15 innings. Opposing hitters are batting just .125 against him.

Jared Oliva, OF, Pirates No. 11
Oliva came a home run shy of the cycle during Friday’s victory. He began his afternoon with an RBI double in the first before reaching on an RBI single in the second that was aided by a misplay on a popup. The Pirates' No. 11 prospect finished off his performance by lacing an RBI triple to right-center field in the sixth. His average sits at .393 through 16 games, while he boasts a 1.118 OPS.

Jarren Duran, OF, Red Sox No. 4
Duran roped three hits during Peoria’s win, coming just a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. Voted as having the best speed of any prospect in Saturday’s Fall Stars Game, Duran put those wheels on display when he socked his first triple of the Fall League to right in the second. He capped his team’s win by clearing the bases with a two-RBI double over the center fielder’s head in the sixth. The 23-year-old also scored three runs while batting in the No. 2 slot.

Cody Reed, LHP, Arizona Diamondbacks
Reed turned in his best start of the Fall League for the Rafters on Friday as the 26-year-old left-hander allowed one run and struck out seven in three innings. He mixed four hits with a walk and threw 43 of 60 pitches for strikes in the outing. Reed’s ERA sits at 5.00 for the fall, and he’s now struck out 14 batters and walked two in nine innings in four games for the Rafters.

Forrest Whitley, RHP and Jeremy Pena, SS, Astros Nos. 1 and 8
Whitley got the start for the Javelinas and showed off his electric right arm. All five outs that he recorded came via the strikeout, with his fastball ticking up as high as 97 mph. His curveball also had devastating depth, with a breaking pitch in the first registering more than 3,000 rpm. But around that, Whitley walked three, allowed two hits and tossed 58 pitches in 1 2/3 innings. Ultimately, he has racked up 25 strikeouts in 16 innings with Peoria, posting a 1.13 ERA through his first four starts.

Pena hit leadoff Friday and scored a pair of runs, in addition to a pair of singles, the latter of which brought home a run in the sixth. Pena started slow to open the fall but has collected eight hits over his last five games.

Derek Hill, OF, Tigers No. 28
Hill delivered a go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning to help lead Mesa past Salt River. The Tigers prospect recorded his second straight multihit game with a 2-for-3 performance that also boosted his Fall League average to .275.