Sunday's top 10 Arizona Fall League performers

October 21st, 2019

Here are the top 10 performers from Sunday, Oct. 20 in the Arizona Fall League.

Conner Capel, OF, Cardinals No. 24
After going 18 games without a home run this fall, Capel came through with a two-homer day to help power Glendale’s win. The first was a leadoff blast in the fifth inning, sparking a five-run rally. He followed it up with a lined shot to right field which turned into an inside-the-parker as Braves prospect Trey Harris crashed into the outfield fence.

“I saw him go up and then I saw the ball land, so I just took off,” Capel said of the second home run. “I kept running until I was halfway to home, and I looked out and he was still on the ground. Hopefully, he's OK, and I hate to see something like that happen."

Capel finished 2-for-4 for his second multihit performance in a three-game span as he tries to close out his fall campaign on a high note.

"Just trying to work with my swing, stay through the ball and just trying to have good at-bats,” Capel said of his approach in Arizona.

Michael Busch, 2B, Dodgers No. 8
One of two 2019 draftees in the Fall League, Busch made a mark in his fourth fall contest with his first homer, which opened Glendale’s scoring. The fourth-inning solo home run was also the first pro blast for the former North Carolina Tar Heel, who played in just 10 Minor League games in the regular season. Busch added to his line by scoring twice and adding a pair of walks, bringing his free pass total to an astounding eight in four games. More »

Aaron Hernandez, RHP, Angels No. 14
Hernandez put forth his best start of the fall as he twirled five no-hit innings for Mesa. Hernandez, who threw 37 of his 63 pitches for strikes, retired the first eight batters he faced before issuing a walk. The walk was the lone blemish as Hernandez retired the next seven batters he faced before departing the game. The no-hit bid came to an end in the following frame.

Ryan Castellani, RHP, Rockies No. 15, Ashton Goudeau, RHP
Castellani, a Phoenix native, tossed a gem in the shadow of his hometown, working four innings with one unearned run crossing the dish Sunday. The right-hander continued to rack up the strikeouts, compiling four while yielding two hits and three walks for the Rafters. Through 16 2/3 innings in the Fall League, he has 20 strikeouts to his credit. After a rough 10-start stretch for Triple-A Albuquerque during the 2019 regular season, the 23-year-old has rebounded to post a 2.16 ERA over his first five starts.

Goudeau followed Castellani and continued his AFL dominance as he worked a pair of perfect innings, striking out three batters along the way. He has yet to issue a walk in the Fall League and has a flawless 0.00 ERA through 13 innings pitched, as well. The 27-year-old was a 27th-round pick of the Royals back in the 2012 Draft, and signed with the Rockies as a Minor League free agent ahead of this season, where he spent time at Double-A Hartford. He pitched to a 2.07 ERA there in 78 1/3 innings.

Penn Murfee, RHP, Seattle Mariners
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.

Greg Deichmann, OF, A's No. 17
Deichmann, who was in a bit of a funk and entered play hitless (0-for-10) in three straight games, got back on track with a solo homer in the seventh. Deichmann, a second-round pick from the 2017 Draft, hit a career-high 11 homers over 80 games during the regular season and now leads the AFL with eight through 19 games. Deichmann finished 1-for-4.

Ernie Clement, SS, Indians No. 25
Clement put together one his better AFL performances, finishing 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored from atop the Mesa lineup. Clement, who is batting .294 through 14 games, got things started with a triple in the first and then promptly scored on Brandon Marsh’s (Angels) groundout. Clement doubled in his next trip to the plate and then concluded his night with a run-scoring single in the seventh.

Sterling Sharp, RHP, Nationals No. 13
On the heels of having been named Pitcher of the Week, Sharp picked up Sunday right where he left off. The right-hander allowed just one hit against Salt River, an RBI single that led to his only run allowed. But outside of that, he had his pitch mix working en route to compiling seven strikeouts, the most of any of his starts in the AFL. Through six starts for Surprise, Sharp owns a 1.50 ERA and has yielded three hits or fewer in five of those outings.

Derek Hill, OF, Tigers No. 28 Hill helped Mesa break the game open in the seventh with a two-run homer, his third of the fall. The blast, a line dive out to left, wasn’t Hill’s only offensive contribution. Hill reached base three times Sunday, finishing 2-for-3 with a walk and a pair of runs scored.