White Sox Arizona Fall League updates

October 25th, 2019

Seven White Sox prospects are playing for the Glendale Desert Dogs in the 2019 Arizona Fall League: Outfielder Blake Rutherford (No. 9), outfielder Micker Adolfo (No. 11), first baseman Gavin Sheets (No. 13), right-hander Tyler Johnson (No. 19), left-hander Bernardo Flores (No. 28), right-hander Vince Arobio and left-hander Bennett Sousa.

Here’s a day-by-day look at how Chicago's AFL contingent is faring:

Oct. 25: Glendale 5, Surprise 3
Blake Rutherford went 0-for-3 at the plate. Gavin Sheets picked up his eighth RBI of the AFL and went 1-for-3 in the season finale. Vince Arobio finished the Fall League with back-to-back scoreless outings and lowered his ERA to 6.75. Arobio threw nine of his 14 pitches for stikes, struck out one and gave up one hit in a scoreless frame.

Oct. 24: Glendale 2, Peoria 1
Gavin Sheets extended his hitting streak to four games and reached base in each of his final three plate appearances on Thursday. Sheets, who finished 1-for-2 and is batting .246 in the AFL, singled in the fifth and also drew a pair of walks, one of which led to a run scored. Blake Rutherford’s offensive struggles continued with an 0-for-3 showing. He did reach once via a walk. Micker Adolfo went 0-for-4 offensively, but made a nice play to end the game as he ran down a deep fly ball in right field.

Bennett Sousa made quick work of the Peoria lineup, striking out one and retiring the side in order in his lone inning of relief. Tyler Johnson walked two and struck out two while giving up one run in an inning of relief.

Oct. 23: Glendale 5, Salt River 4
Blake Rutherford scored a run and went 1-for-4 with a walk from the leadoff spot for Glendale. He’s hit safely in six of his past seven games, but is batting only .194 through 19 games in the AFL.

Oct. 22: Scheduled off day for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 21: Salt River 11, Glendale 7
Blake Rutherford, Gavin Sheets and Micker Adolfo each recorded at least one hit and one RBI against Salt River on Monday. Sheets, who went 2-for-5, put Glendale on the board with a first-inning double, and Rutherford extended the Desert Dogs’ early lead with an RBI double of his own in the following frame before finishing 1-for-5. While the White Sox No. 9 prospect has now posted an extra-base hit in four of his past five contests, he’s batting just .191 in the Fall League through 18 games.

Adolfo’s hit and RBI came with one swing of the bat in the fourth inning via a solo homer to center field. The 23-year-old outfielder is up to four homers in 14 games in the Fall League, though it’s come with 27 strikeouts and a .180 average. 

Bernardo Flores was tagged for a season-high five runs on six hits over 2 2/3 innings in another rocky start for Glendale. The left-hander has given up at least three runs in four of his six starts in the Fall League, and he’s now allowed at least five hits in three consecutive turns. Overall, Flores has pitched to a 7.97 ERA with 32 hits allowed in 21 1/3 innings. Cory Thompson took over for Flores in the third inning and went on to strike out three of the four batters he faced. Vince Arobio recorded a pair of strikeouts during a scoreless seventh inning. Tyler Johnson entered with two outs in the ninth inning, with runners on second and third base, and served up a three-run homer to Luke Raley before recording the final out in the frame.

Oct. 20: Glendale 7, Scottsdale 2
Gavin Sheets finished 1-for-3 with a single for Glendale, but it was his fifth-inning bases-loaded walk that produced his one RBI.

Oct. 19: Glendale 5, Scottsdale 2
Blake Rutherford hit his second homer of the Fall League, a solo blast in the fifth inning. The ball left the bat at 101.5 mph and gave Glendale the lead. Rutherford didn’t have much success in his other trips to the plate as he finished 1-for-4 and is now batting .170 in the Arizona Fall League. Micker Adolfo went 1-for-5 and has struggled throughout his stint in the AFL, but the hit did snap an 0-for-7 skid. Gavin Sheets went 1-for-2. Bennett Sousa lowered his ERA to 6.23 with two scoreless innings of relief. Sousa struck out three and gave up one hit out of the bullpen.

Oct. 18: Surprise 3, Glendale 1
It was a tough night for both Blake Rutherford and Gavin Sheets, as the White Sox prospect duo went 0-for-7 with five strikeouts for Glendale. Rutherford struck out three times and went 0-for-4 from the top of the lineup, while Sheets finished 0-for-3 with a walk and two punchouts. Tyler Johnson tossed a scoreless frame of relief, getting some assistance from behind the dish when the one hit that he allowed was erased on the basepaths on a caught stealing. The right-hander bounced back in his first appearance in nine days, lowering his ERA to 1.23 across 7 1/3 Fall League frames.

Oct. 17: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 16: Glendale 8, Surprise 4
Right-hander Vince Arobio was the only White Sox prospect to see action on Wednesday night. He entered the game in the sixth inning after Brewers right-hander Victor Castaneda put up five zeroes for Glendale. Things didn’t go nearly as well for Arobio, who gave up a single, a walk and a wild pitch before Yankees prospect Brandon Wagner hit a two-run double. Command has been an issue for Arobio, who has now walked seven in 8 2/3 innings, including two Wednesday. He’s also allowed 10 hits, leading to his 8.31 ERA.

Oct. 15: Glendale 4, Mesa 3
Blake Rutherford hit out of the leadoff spot for Glendale on Tuesday and immediately helped the Desert Dogs get an early lead. The left-handed hitter laced a double down the right-field line on a 3-2 count in his first at-bat of the game in the bottom of the first inning, then came around to score on Reds prospect Jonathan India’s triple. It turned out to be his lone hit in four at-bats. While Gavin Sheets also went 1-for-4, he and outfielder Micker Adolfo had trouble making contact, with each striking out three times. Adolfo now has 22 K’s in 41 at-bats. Sheets has struck out 19 times in 54 ABs.

Bernardo Flores made his fifth start of the fall for Glendale and pitched into the fifth for his second straight outing. The southpaw did allow seven hits and was charged with three runs in 4 1/3 innings, leaving the game with runners at first and second and one of those runners coming around to score. He struck out five and his ERA for the fall now stands at 6.62.

Oct. 14: Glendale 9, Mesa 5
Left fielder Blake Rutherford reached base three times for Glendale in its 9-5 win over Mesa on Monday. Rutherford singled, doubled and walked in the game, which brings his AFL average up to .196 and OPS up to .717. He also added a stolen base, his first of the AFL season. Gavin Sheets, starting at first and batting fifth, went 0-for-3 but walked twice for the Desert Dogs.

Left-hander Bennett Sousa got the job done in the ninth with a clean inning of relief, striking out two batters. Sousa’s ERA now sits at 8.10 in the AFL, but he’s coming off a strong season in 2019 where he posted a 2.49 ERA with 74 strikeouts over 65 innings that spanned three levels of the Minor Leagues, topping out at Double-A.

Oct. 13: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 12: East 4, West 2
Here's how every player performed in the Fall Stars Game. More »

Oct. 11: Peoria 8, Glendale 3
Blake Rutherford, Chicago’s No. 9 prospect, who won the Final 2 vote to make Saturday’s Fall Stars Game, collected his eighth knock of the AFL with an infield hit in the first. Right-hander Vince Arobio worked a 1-2-3 frame in relief, his first such inning as a member of the Desert Dogs. He struck out one and lowered his ERA to 7.04, recording his second scoreless outing. It was a struggle offensively for Micker Adolfo and Gavin Sheets on Friday, as the pair combined to go 0-for-6 with five strikeouts in Glendale's defeat. Adolfo, who served as the designated hitter, saw his average drop to .189 during the fall, while Sheets, who hit third, left four runners on base and now owns a .584 OPS through 12 contests.

Oct. 10: Glendale 5, Peoria 2
None of the White Sox prospects played for the Glendale Desert Dogs in Thursday's game.

Oct. 9: Salt River 6, Glendale 2
Micker Adolfo and Gavin Sheets, the White Sox Nos. 11 and 13 prospects, respectively, each drove in a run in Glendale’s 6-2 loss against Salt River. Sheets laced an RBI double to right center (108.7 mph exit velocity) in the first inning to put the Desert Dogs on the board and added a single in his next at-bat to finish 2-for-4. Adolfo, after striking out swinging in two of his first three at-bats, unloaded on his third AFL homer (a 420-foot solo shot) to left field in the ninth. Blake Rutherford’s average fell to .159 after an 0-for-4 performance.

Oct. 8: Salt River 11, Glendale 10
Gavin Sheets collected a pair of singles in a 2-for-5 performance, the second of which plated a run, his 4th RBI of the fall. He has hit safely in six of his past seven appearances. While Glendale piled up 10 runs as a club, it was a tough go for Blake Rutherford, who went 0-for-6 from the No. 3 spot in the batting order. Entering the night with an extra-base hit in back-to-back contests, the White Sox No. 9 prospect saw his average dip to .175.

Oct. 7: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Oct. 6: Scottsdale 6, Glendale 5
Chicago’s No. 9 prospect Blake Rutherford notched his third triple of the fall season as part of a 1-for-5 day, also driving in two runs and scoring one. Micker Adolfo went 0-for-3 with a walk and a strikeout, while Victor Arobio gave up one run on two hits and a walk over 1 1/3 innings out of Glendale’s bullpen.

Oct. 5: Glendale 2, Surprise 0
Blake Rutherford, batting second for Glendale on Saturday, put the Desert Dogs on the board when he connected on his first Fall League homer in the first inning. He finished the game 1-for-3 with a walk. The White Sox No. 9 prospect is batting just .207 so far, but it’s worth noting that he’s hit safely in five of his past six games after getting off to a 1-for-10 start. Gavin Sheets is batting .200 after a 1-for-3 performance that included a walk and his third AFL double.

Oct. 4: Glendale 7, Surprise 6
Micker Adolfo cranked his second home run of the fall in the fifth, a deep drive to left-center field. He entered the day 3-for-22 with Glendale, before collecting three hits in the club’s victory. Chicago’s No. 11 prospect also did not strike out for the first time in eight AFL appearances. Tyler Johnson continued his dominant run in the AFL with another scoreless inning of relief. The right-hander walked one batter, but ultimately delivered his fifth consecutive scoreless appearance. Gavin Sheets collected his second multihit game of AFL play. He would score the go-ahead run Glendale, finishing the day 2-for-5 with a double, his second of the fall. Southpaw Bennett Sousa was hit hard for his second straight outing, yielding two runs on three hits. He was able to recover and limit the damage, escaping the frame with a pair of strikeouts, now having racked up six punchouts over 4 2/3 frames with Glendale.

Oct. 3: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams

Oct. 2: Peoria 2, Glendale 0
Blake Rutherford notched one of the five hits Glendale tallied on Wednesday against Peoria, the right fielder went 1-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout in the matchup. Bernardo Flores got the start for the Desert Dogs and the 24-year-old left-hander finished four innings, allowing two runs on five hits with two walks and three strikeouts.

Oct. 1: Mesa 4, Glendale 0
Both of Chicago’s batters struggled against Mesa, with Gavin Sheets going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts and Micker Adolfo finishing 0-for-3 with a pair of punchouts. Vince Arobio gave up back-to-back singles to lead off the fifth inning -- the only baserunners he allowed -- and was charged with a run on an RBI groundout in his inning of work.

Sept. 30: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Sept. 29: Salt River 4, Glendale 3
Blake Rutherford is looking to find his stroke at the plate. The center fielder did not get a hit in two at-bats and dropped his batting average to .167, but he did earn a walk. Micker Adolfo had a chance to drive in the tying run in the bottom of the ninth inning, but struck out swinging for the second out. It was his third strikeout of the game. The outfielder has struck out 11 times in six games. Tyler Johnson allowed one hit in one scoreless inning of relief. He’s only allowed two hits in 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Sept. 28: Peoria 9, Glendale 4
Micker Adolfo had a two-hit day as the Desert Dogs’ right fielder, including a sixth-inning RBI single. Bennett Sousa allowed four hits -- three of which scored a run -- and a walk in 2/3 of an inning.

Sept. 27: Peoria 5, Glendale 2
Blake Rutherford picked up his second triple of the Fall League season and scored a run, finishing 1-for-3. Gavin Sheets singled for his lone hit, winding up 1-for-4 with a strikeout. Both players have batting averages shy of .200 at this early point in the AFL season.

After allowing four runs in his first three AFL innings, Vince Arobio threw 1 1/3 blank frames, giving up just one hit and striking out a batter. Tyler Johnson followed soon after with a perfect seventh, in which he recorded three ground-ball outs.

Sept. 26: Glendale 5, Salt River 4
Gavin Sheets put the Desert Dogs on the scoreboard in his first at-bat, lifting a bloop near the left-field line to score two. The 2017 second-round pick showed his heads-up baserunning, stretching the lazy fly ball into a double, then taking home on a passed ball in the bottom of the first inning. Micker Adolfo finished 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

Bernardo Flores pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings to start the game for Glendale. He threw 36 of his 55 pitches for strikes, picking up a strikeout without issuing a walk. The 24-year-old was a seventh-round Draft pick back in 2016 out of USC and pitched to a 3.33 ERA in 14 games with Double-A Birmingham this season.

Sept. 25: Salt River 8, Glendale 4, postponed due to lightning
Blake Rutherford reached base via a hit-by-pitch during an 0-for-1 performance for Glendale in a postponed game against Salt River.

Sept. 24: Glendale 7, Mexicali 2
No. 13 prospect Gavin Sheets reached base three times for Glendale in Tuesday night’s 7-2 win, going 2-for-4 with two singles, an RBI and a walk while scoring twice. The second-round pick from the 2017 Draft spent this season with Double-A Birmingham, where he hit .267 with 16 home runs and a .759 OPS over 126 games. Left-fielder Blake Rutherford batted second for Glendale and went 1-for-4 with a triple and a walk while Micker Adolfo was 0-for-2 with a pair of walks.

On the mound, left-hander Bennett Sousa closed out the game with one inning of work, where he allowed one hit and recorded all three outs via the strikeout. In 2019, Sousa posted a 2.49 ERA with 74 strikeouts over 65 innings across three levels of the Minor Leagues, topping out at Double-A.

Sept. 23: Scheduled day off for all Arizona Fall League teams.

Sept. 22: Mesa 7, Glendale 6
Vince Arobio allowed a pair of runs in two innings of work, issuing two walks, allowing one hit and striking out one batter. The damage was done when a one-out walk was followed by a two-run homer by A’s prospect Greg Deichmann. Tyler Johnson followed Arobio and issued two walks in an inning of work but did not allow a hit or a run. Blake Rutherford drove in his first two runs of the Fall League, going 1-for-5 with a fifth-inning single that plated a pair.

Sept. 21: Glendale 1, Scottsdale 0
The three White Sox prospects in the Glendale lineup went a combined 0-for-8 in Saturday’s game. To be fair, there wasn’t much offense to be found anywhere in the Desert Dogs’ 1-0 win against Scottsdale. Blake Rutherford went 0-for-3 with a pair of strikeouts and has begun his AFL campaign 1-for-10 with a double and five strikeouts. Micker Adolfo went 0-for-2 with a walk and two strikeouts. He’s gone 1-for-6 with a homer over two games. Finally, Gavin Sheets hit in the five-hole and played first base on Saturday, going 0-for-3. He’s now 0-for-11 to start out his Fall League.

Lefty Bennett Sousa was a 10th-round senior sign out of the University of Virginia in 2018 who signed for $10,000. The expectations may have been low, but the reliever pitched across three levels, reaching Double-A in his first full year and finished with a combined 2.49 ERA, 10.2 K/9 and 1.8 BB/9. He kept it up in his first AFL outing on Saturday, pitching a scoreless eighth and allowing just one hit. He actually got the win in Glendale’s 1-0 victory over Scottsdale, the Desert Dogs’ first win of the fall.

Sept. 20: Scottsdale 3, Glendale 2
No. 13 prospect Gavin Sheets is coming off his first year in Double-A, where his power started showing up a bit more (16 homers) in a league that tends to be pitching-friendly. He’s yet to tap into it over his first two AFL games for Glendale. He went 0-for-4 on Friday and is now hitless in eight at-bats. He was the only White Sox prospect to see action in Friday night’s 3-2 loss to Scottsdale.

Sept 19: Peoria 10, Glendale 3
No. 9 prospect Blake Rutherford picked up his first hit of the fall, a one-out line-drive double to right field in the second inning against Tanner Houck. He’s now 1-for-7 over Glendale’s first two games with four strikeouts. No. 28 prospect Bernardo Flores would likely prefer to forget his AFL debut. The left-hander started on the mound for Glendale, but he couldn’t get out of the first inning, allowing four runs on three hits and a walk, recording strikeouts for the only two outs he recorded. No. 19 prospect Tyler Johnson fared better coming out of the 'pen. The right-hander tossed 1 1/3 scoreless, allowing just one hit and a walk while striking out one.

Sept. 18: Surprise 4, Glendale 2
Micker Adolfo served as the designated hitter for the Desert Dogs on Wednesday and made an impact, hitting a solo home run to lead off the eighth inning to score his team's first run of the contest. The 23-year-old out of the Dominican Republic played only 36 games this season after surgery to further repair his elbow as he recovered from Tommy John surgery performed in 2018. He is unlikely to play the outfield in the AFL, but the White Sox will be pleased that he's swinging the bat after injuries have limited him over the past few seasons. Blake Rutherford went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts, and also committed a fielding error. Gavin Sheets played first base and was hitless in four at-bats, striking out twice. Lefty Bennett Sousa tossed a perfect eighth inning, striking out a batter in the process.