Cubs prospect Happ sparks AFL title win

Chicago's No. 1 prospect goes deep from both sides of plate

November 19th, 2016
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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- A pair of home runs from Cubs No. 1 prospect Ian Happ backed a strong effort by Dylan Covey on the mound as the Mesa Solar Sox won the Arizona Fall League title Saturday with a 6-1 win over the Surprise Saguaros at Scottsdale Stadium.
Happ, No. 21 on MLBPipeline.com's Top 100 Prospects list, homered from both sides of the plate, hitting a two-run homer from the left side in the third inning and then connecting on a right-handed solo shot in the seventh. He finished the game 4-for-4, with three runs scored and three RBIs.
"First time in my whole life I've done that from both sides," the switch-hitting Happ said about his home runs. "I'm normally hacking when I hit from the left side and then go righty, but that was awesome."
:: 2016 Arizona Fall League championship game coverage ::
The Solar Sox (16-15-1) boasted the top offense in this year's Fall League, pacing the circuit in home runs (25), stolen bases (44), on-base percentage (.340) and slugging (.395) while ranking second in the circuit in scoring (5.03 runs per game). Unsurprisingly, it was Mesa's high-octane offense, led by Happ, which powered the AFL East champions to a league title.
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"To be completely honest, I didn't have to tell these guys anything before the game," Solar Sox manager Ryan Christenson said. "They've always showed up to play, and I knew they'd be out here to play today."
Marlins No. 4 prospect Brian Anderson, whose five home runs during the regular season paced the Fall League, provided the Solar Sox with an early lead as he delivered a three-run homer in the bottom of the first inning, depositing the first pitch he saw from Surprise starter Eric Stout over the wall in left field.

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"As a team you always want to get ahead early in a big game like this," Anderson said after the game. "We knew we had Dylan Covey on the mound and he's been lights-out for us, so getting that early lead helped settle him down and let everyone relax."
After that, it was all Happ. After notching a single in his first trip to the plate, the 2015 ninth-overall Draft pick added to Mesa's lead in the bottom of the third with a two-run homer to right-center field off Pirates righty Alex McRae. He would then double down the left-field line in the fifth, setting the stage for a potential cycle in his final at-bat.
Batting from the right side of the plate with a runner on in the bottom of the seventh, Happ laced a line drive to the right-center-field gap that narrowly cleared the wall. Had it not left the park, the 22-year-old believes it likely would have been a triple.

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"When it was headed that way, yeah, that's what I was thinking," he said. "Going the other way doesn't happen all that often, so I would have been trucking had it hit the wall. I was seeing the ball well today and was fortunate enough to get a couple barrels on the ball. They were all falling today."
Happ, a natural second baseman, also impressed with his defense in left field, making a running catch on the warning track in the top of the fifth inning.
"He's a special hitter as he showed today, and the fact that he's been able to step in and play left field for us the last couple days was good to see -- he made a great play out there today," Christenson said.

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Covey was at the heart of the Solar Sox's combined no-hitter against Surprise on Nov. 1, when he tossed the first five innings before handing off the ball to a pair of relievers. On Saturday, the A's No. 20 prospect hurled four perfect inning before issuing a walk and kept the Saguaros out of the hit column for 4 1/3 frames. He ultimately allowed one earned run in five innings, tallying three strikeouts and six ground-ball outs while throwing 35 of his 59 pitches for strikes.
"It's not quite the atmosphere like a regular-season championship because it's only one game,'' Covey said. "We don't get the chance to maybe lose one and then come back and win two or three in a row. It was a must win and we got the job done, scored early, gave me a cushion to pitch."
A's No. 10 prospect -- who also contributed in Mesa's aforementioned no-hitter -- fired three dominant innings in relief of Covey, as he allowed one hit and struck out five. The flame-throwing right-hander's heater sat in the upper 90s and bumped 101 mph in the outing, and he generated a trio of strikeouts with his 88-90-mph slider. Cubs right-hander James Farris worked a perfect ninth inning to seal the victory.

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"It lined up very nice to see Covey and Montas to get the chance to win this clinching game," Christenson said. "They both performed very well, which I was glad to see. It was just a good game."
Mesa's first four hitters created all of the offense in the victory, as (A's No. 1), Allen, Happ and Anderson, who finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs, combined to go 8-for-15 and scored all six runs. Shortstop Yu-Cheng Chang (Indians' No. 9) also collected a pair of hits for the Solar Sox from the bottom of the order.
Jose Trevino (Rangers' No. 20) collected the only hits for the AFL West champion Saguaros (17-14-1), going 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, and Ryan O'Hearn (Royals' No. 7) and Mauricio Ramos (Royals) both reached base once via a walk.

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Mike Rosenbaum is a reporter for MLB.com. Follow him on Twitter at @GoldenSombrero.