November 13, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Fall/Winter Roundup: AFL comes to close, McDonough goes deep
The Glendale Desert Dogs' season has ended, with their final three games being played this past week. The Dominican Professional League is also still in full swing. The Roberto Clemente Professional League, Venezuelan League, and Mexican Leagues are also in action, but no Red Sox players have played in those three.
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Glendale dropped their final three games to end their season with a 12-18 record, which landed them in last place on the year. Corey Rosier ended the year on a tough note, going 0 for 13 with four strikeouts over the final three games. He did take two walks and steal his third bag of the season. In 89 AFL at-bats, Rosier ends with a .258/.355/.344 slash line. Nathan Hickey caught one of Glendale's final three games, and he went 1 for 5 with a single and four strikeouts. He ends the fall with a .182 batting average and a .557 OPS in 55 at-bats. Shortstop Tyler McDonough (pictured) was a bright spot at the plate. Although he went just 2 for 11, he smoked a three-run home run and drove in four runs. He also drew a pair of walks. He finishes the fall with a solid .254/.366/.424 line and two home runs over 59 at-bats.
The pitching was tremendous in the final week, as four Sox arms each got one inning on the mound, all in the same game. Christopher Troye allowed a pair of hits in his inning, but did not walk anybody and punched out three batters. He had 11 strikeouts in 8 2/3 frames this fall. Felix Cepeda also did not allow a run in his inning. He allowed a hit and struck out two with no walks. Wyatt Olds' inning went well too, giving up just a hit with three strikeouts and no walks. The right-hander struck out 12 with just three walks in 11 innings this fall. Bryan Mata ended on a good note as well with a shutout frame that included one strikeout. Although his ERA was 8.00 this fall, he had an impressive 11 strikeouts and just two walks in nine innings.
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Dominican Professional Baseball League (LIDOM)
Enmanuel Valdez only got four at-bats last week, but was held without a hit. He has struggled so far this fall, hitting just .111 in 36 at-bats with four singles. He has drawn some walks, leading to a respectable .319 OBP. Pablo Reyes kept going, as the infielder belted yet another home run. He has been on fire this fall, hitting .296/.406/.815 with four home runs in just 27 at-bats. On the bump, Victor Santos saw action and pitched 3 2/3 innings. He allowed just one run and had one strikeout. For the year, he has an impressive 1.04 ER and 0.92 WHIP over 8 2/3 frames.
Photo Credit: Tyler McDonough by Kelly O'Connor