How the Minnesota Twins prospects fared in the Arizona Fall League

1 of 3

MINNESOTA, MN – APRIL 12: The grounds crew of the Minnesota Twins lay down a logo template on the mound prior to a game between the Minnesota Twins and the Boston Red Sox during the Twins home opener at Target Field on April 12, 2010 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Hannah Foslien /Getty Images) /

The Minnesota Twins sent a number of prospects to the Arizona Fall League. Along with making the championship game here is how each player performed.

The Minnesota Twins assigned eight players to Salt River Rafters for the 2018 Arizona Fall League. The Rafters were managed by the Twins 2018 AA Chattanooga manager and newly hired first base coach Tommy Watkins. The team also included prospects from the Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies, Miami Marlins, and Washington Nationals.

The Rafters won the East Division title with a 16-14 record. The team dominated early but lost six of the final regular season games. The Minnesota contingent had mixed results overall. As a group, the hitters lacked power and the while the pitchers put up a 4-2 record, they struggled to keep runners off base.

Compared to past years, the AFL Twins players were older and lacking in top-rated prospects. Brent Rooker, the 8th ranked Twins prospect, slated to be the showcase player but was scratched from the roster due to an ankle injury.

The Levine/Falvey front office appears to be more concerned than the past regime about determining the future placement of guys that are relative question marks. I think that’s a good thing.

The group sent last year included Andrew Vazquez, LaMonte Wade, and Tyler Jay. Current Twins players who appeared in the AFL include Byron Buxton, Mitch Garver (two seasons), Stephen Gonsalves, Trevor Hildenberger, Max Kepler, Taylor Rogers (two seasons), Eddie Rosario, and Andrew Vasquez.

The Rafters lost the championship game to Peoria, 3-2. No Twins player appeared in the game.

Player G AB R H 2B3BHR RBI TB BB SO SB CS AVG OBP SLG OPS

Jaylin Davis 15 61 7 17 2 0 0 8 19 2 21 2 0 .279 .323 .311 .635
Luke Raley 4 14 3 3 0 1 0 3 5 3 4 1 0 .214 .333 .357 .690
Travis Blankenhorn 17 58 12 13 1 0 0 6 14 10 13 3 2 .224 .352 .241 .593

Player W L ERA G GS SV IP H R ER HR BB SO WHIP

Griffin Jax 1 1 3.86 6 5 0 21.0 21 10 9 0 11 14 1.52
Adam Bray 1 0 2.63 10 0 1 13.2 10 5 4 0 5 14 1.10
Hector Lujan 1 1 5.59 10 0 0 9.2 13 9 6 1 5 10 1.86
Devin Smeltzer 1 0 5.87 8 0 0 7.2 14 7 5 1 4 7 2.35

Home/Minnesota Twins Prospects