Sunday's top 10 Arizona Fall League performers

September 23rd, 2019

Here are the top 10 performers from the fifth night of games in the Arizona Fall League.

Vidal Brujan, 2B, Josh Lowe, OF and Shane Baz, RHP, Rays Nos. 3, 11 and 6

Brujan, batting from the left side of the plate, hit his second homer of the AFL in the fourth inning, a 406-foot blast that also had an 102.6 mph exit velocity. Brujan, a 21-year-old whom the Rays signed in 2014, also singled earlier in the game, but was caught stealing third base. After his 2-for-5 night at the plate, Brujan is hitting .250 in Arizona.

Lowe put together a strong night at the plate and led all batters in the game with three hits. The 21-year-old, a first-round pick from the 2016 Draft, not only tripled, but he collected a pair of singled and also reached once via an error. Lowe finished the night 3-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs, and he's now batting .294.

Baz was roughed up in his Fall League debut (six runs in 1 2/3 innings) but was dominant on Sunday night. Baz, whom the Rays acquired via a trade from the Pirates, walked the first batter he faced, but then struck out five in a row -- all via fastballs, including one at 99.1 mph -- and picked a guy off to complete two innings. The 20-year-old, a first-round pick from the 2017 Draft (Pirates), spent the entire season with Class A Bowling Green and pitched to a 2.99 ERA with 87 strikeouts over 87 1/3 innings (17 starts).

Greg Deichmann, OF and Alfonso Rivas, 1B, Athletics Nos. 17 and 25
Deichmann headlined Mesa’s offense with his 3-for-4, four-RBI showing. The 2017 second-round Draft pick hit a two-run homer, his first of the fall, in the fourth inning, came through with an RBI double in the eighth and then tied the game up with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the ninth. Following Deichmann’s sacrifice fly, Alfonso Rivas sent everyone home with a two-out, walk-off double. Rivas, who is hitting .300 in the AFL, finished just 1-for-4, but that hit was obviously a big one. More »

Daniel Lynch, LHP and Brewer Hicklen, OF, Royals Nos. 3 and 15
Lynch is in Arizona making up for some lost innings after he missed over a month of the regular season. Working quickly, the left-hander tossed three shutout innings, allowing three hits and striking out four while not walking a batter.

Hicklen picked a good time to collect his first hit of the AFL season. He had gone 0 for his first 10 until he gave Surprise what ended up being a 2-1 win with a one-out home run in the top of the ninth inning on Sunday.

Royce Lewis, SS, Twins No. 1
Lewis got things started with a two-run homer in the first inning, his second homer of the Fall League. Lewis crushed the fifth pitch he saw out to left field and the no-doubter left his bat at 106.9 mph. Lewis, who ended up reaching three times and scoring twice, singled in the second inning and drew a walk in the ninth to complete his 2-for-4 performance. The Twins’ top prospect is hitting .333 in the AFL, but it’s his defensive positioning that's garnering attention. The shortstop has already played a game in center field and two at third base.

Jerar Encarnacion, OF, Marlins No. 17
Encarnacion came through with a booming RBI double -- one that had a 105.9 mph exit velocity -- in the right-center-field gap in the first inning. He also drew a pair of walks and finished 1-for-3 with a run scored. Encarnacion is hitting well in Arizona, posting a .357 average and showing solid power in batting practice.

Trey Harris, OF, Braves No. 18
Harris has impressed early in the Fall League and boosted his average up to .400 with a 2-for-2 night at the plate. Harris singled in each of his first two at-bats, drew a walk in his third plate appearance and then finished his night with a sacrifice fly.