October 14, 2013 at 8:00 AM
Fall/Winter League Roundup: Fall seasons begin
This is the first in our series of weekly roundups of the Fall/Winter Leagues, and look for coverage to continue every Monday morning into January. This week's roundup covers the period of October 7-13.
Arizona Fall League:
Games started on October 8, with eight Red Sox prospects seeing action for the Surprise Saguaros. Mookie Betts has played both second base and shortstop, going 3 for 9 with a walk and two stolen bases. Fellow top prospect Garin Cecchini is hitless in his first eight at-bats, but has walked three times and also stolen two bases.
Travis Shaw (pictured) has only appeared in one game, but he made it count, going 2 for 4 with a home run and a walk. Derrik Gibson has gone 0 for 5 in his two appearances.
The AFL is a hitter-friendly league, so many pitchers usually struggle. There were mixed results for the pitchers this week, but Mickey Pena made a good first impression. Pena got the start in the first game of the season and threw three perfect innings, striking out one. Noe Ramirez has appeared in two games out of the bullpen, tossing 2 1/3 scoreless innings while striking out one.
Keith Couch allowed a solo home run in his lone inning of work on Tuesday, and he allowed an unearned run on Thursday. Pete Ruiz surrendered a two-run home run and recorded only one out in his lone appearance this week.
Venezuelan Winter League:
Pitching for the Bravos de Margarita, Ellis Jimenez pitched a scoreless inning in his only action this week. Heiker Meneses and Ronald Bermudez each went 0 for 1 this week, and Mario Martinez went 0 for 3 with a walk. JC Linares is also expected to see time for the Bravos, but he did not play this week.
Mexican Pacific League:
Terry Doyle got the start on Friday for the Aguilas de Mexicali, and he threw six shutout innings, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out two.
Mark Hamilton played in his first game on Sunday, going 2 for 4 with a home run, a walk, and two runs scored.
Photo Credit: Travis Shaw by Kelly O'Connor
Jim Crowell is a Staff Writer for SoxProspects.com