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Summer is officially heading out the door when the Arizona Fall League rumbles to life. Syracuse manager Marty Pevey has been rewarded for suffering through a brutal Skychiefs campaign with the reins of the Peoria Saguaros. Pevey should be considered a prospect himself: managerial stints in the AFL are often considered auditions for big-league positions. The AFL gets underway in the first week of October: for those of you who'll be in the 48th state this autumn, here's the Saguaros' home schedule. For those of you wondering what a saguaro is, we offer these tantalizing choices:

A) cigar
B) cactus
C) Padre Armand Saguaro, founder of a famed 19th-century Jesuit mission near present-day Peoria
D) scorpion

The AFL rosters have now been finalized, and as you'll see, the Jays have sent six players into the desert. Here's a brief rundown.

Jason Arnold: Running out of time to make an impact, Arnold suffered through an injury-plagued 2004 campaign that saw him pitch for three different Toronto farm teams; his strikeout rates have been unremarkable. His AFL stint will allow him to get more innings and show the team he really has made progress.

Adam Peterson: This trip to the AFL feels like a do-over for Peterson, who needs to forget most of his nightmarish outings in Toronto and Syracuse, and to gain better command of his powerful stuff. A strong performance here could move him into contention for a bullpen assignment at Skydome next year; a weak one might ticket him back to Double-A.

Francisco Rosario: Unlike Arnold and Peterson, Rosario is here to build on recent success, more than to put a bad year behind him. After struggling early in 2004, Rosario put it all together his last two months at New Hampshire, especially in the playoffs. Now he needs innings and experience in order to accelerate. It was in the AFL two years ago that Rosario tore up his arm.

Vito Chiaravalotti: Big Vito put up good but not great numbers at Dunedin, and some said a wrist injury and the heavy Florida heat were to blame. After batting just a dollar and change in August, Chiaravalotti needs to prove he's OK and to show off his raw slugging power. The Blue Jays could certainly use some good first-base options.

John Hattig: The swag in the Terry Adams deal, Hattig posted terrific on-base and slugging numbers at Double-A this season. This AFL stint could be a chance for Pevey to study the guy who likely will bat cleanup for the Skychiefs next season, and perhaps to check out his defence too. Did we mention that the Blue Jays could use first-base options?

Aaron Hill: The star attraction, Hill is among the organization's best prospects. He may be a little worn down at the end of his first full-season campaign, so don't be alarmed if his numbers in Peoria aren't great. But the Jays are in a hurry to see what Hill can deliver with the bat and the glove. Note this: Russ Adams made this trip last fall, and he was in Toronto by September.

Oh, yeah ... here's your saguaro. Think of it as a southwestern cuttlefish.
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_Matthew E - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 10:00 AM EDT (#16235) #
But will these guys play in Peoria?
Pistol - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 10:12 AM EDT (#16236) #
Is Peterson replacing a pitcher that originially was scheduled to be in the AFL for the Jays?
Mike Green - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 10:14 AM EDT (#16237) #
If Jordan's picture of a saguaro is worth a thousand words, we are about even. Here are the thousand words, exactly and approximately.

I wonder if Aaron Hill will see time at third base in Arizona.
Mike D - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 10:15 AM EDT (#16238) #
Hilarious, Matthew. And I hope they don't take a wrong turn in Albuquerque.
_CaramonLS - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 11:45 AM EDT (#16239) #
This just in guys:

Leafs to be on the hook for Belfour, Nolan and Mogilny's contracts. Due to injury these players will be paid their contracts over the duration of the lockout.

Good on the leafs for signing an Injured UFA in Belfour, in a bidding war against NO ONE. Now they have to pay him.

Smart move Fergy.
_Jonny German - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 12:52 PM EDT (#16240) #
Caramon, if you absolutely must soil a thread with non-baseball talk, please do so in a Roundup thread. Yes, I admit that I am both anti-Leafs and anti-NHL.
_Caino - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 03:01 PM EDT (#16241) #
"Good on the leafs for signing an Injured UFA in Belfour, in a bidding war against NO ONE. Now they have to pay him."

Jeeze, I didn't know Damien Cox vistited the Blog. J/K, It was a rookie move by the GM. I had faith in his abilities up till that point. That move made me wonder about him... Isn't Eddie 40 yrs old, and signed for three years... Brilliant move.
_Jabonoso - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 04:00 PM EDT (#16242) #
If you happen to be in saguaro nation when they blossom, their flowers are an exquisite delicacy, try them pickled or in an omelette. Delicious... ( are cuttlefish edible?).
I've got the impression that the players for this league were younger and in general prospects to develop a special trait.
There seems to be too many fillers...
_ainge_fan - Wednesday, September 29 2004 @ 08:00 PM EDT (#16243) #
Scottsdale features an ex-Blue Jay farmhand in LHP Ryan Costello.

Now, he did have a floundering/underwhelming few years in the system and *is* now 25 (was 24 in A ball when released and in the pen - not a good combo), but this guy punched out his share of batters as a Jay, so he'll be an interesting one to watch. LH too.

He was a Gord Ash draftee who had a nice year in AA for... who else ... the Brewers. Started 24 games (pitched only in relief with TO), sub 4.00 era, 1h/inn and 105k/125ip. Still pretty wild, lotsa bb's and a handful of hb's and wp's so he's still got some warts but overall, nice progress for him. I'd suspect that if he get improve his control, he'd make a nice situational reliever at least.
Baseball in the Arid Zone | 9 comments | Create New Account
The following comments are owned by whomever posted them. This site is not responsible for what they say.