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| Fall Leagues Weekly Update (11/5) |
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By Joe Ritzo 11/5/2007
Burriss Red-Hot In Arizona Fall League Action
Emmanuel Burriss has collected ten hits over his
last 19 at-bats in the Arizona Fall League
(photo by Damon Tarver) |
Fall League play rolls on with a handful of former San Jose Giants continuing to post impressive numbers. The pitching in Arizona remains strong, but the story of the past week was the emergence of Emmanuel Burriss. The former first round draft pick has caught fire with Scottsdale leading to a substantial increase in his batting average.
Arizona –
The big story in Arizona concerning Giants fans this past week was the emergence of Emmanuel Burriss. Burriss started his fall season at Instructional League workouts at the San Francisco Giants spring training facility. Then once Dan Ortmeier went down with a hand injury, Burriss was summoned to the Arizona Fall League where he became a member of the Scottsdale Scorpions.
It was a slow start for the speedy middle infielder as he adjusted to the high level of pitching in the most prestigious fall league. In fact, Burriss went hitless in his first ten at-bats before catching fire. In his last five games through Monday, Burriss has rapped out ten hits in 19 at-bats to raise his batting average to a very impressive .345.
A supplemental first round draft pick in 2006, Burriss enjoyed an excellent season in Augusta last summer when he hit .321 with 51 stolen bases. The Washington D.C. native will likely get another crack at the California League come next April after an unsuccessful stint with the San Jose Giants during the first six weeks of the ’07 campaign. Most players in the Arizona Fall League are high-level Double-A and Triple-A prospects, so Burriss’ big week with the bat is certainly encouraging and a great sign for the future.
Meanwhile, both Brian Anderson and Sergio Romo continue to impress out of the Scottsdale bullpen. In fact, the two hurlers boast the two lowest earned run averages on the ballclub. Anderson has maintained a perfect 0.00 ERA over nine appearances while Romo checks in at 0.82 with 13 strikeouts in just 11 innings pitched.
Anderson, the 2006 San Jose Giants MVP and Relief Pitcher of the Year, will almost certainly begin next season out of the Fresno bullpen. Romo, the ’07 San Jose Relief Pitcher of the Year, figures to begin his season with the Connecticut Defenders. However, with continued success in Arizona and a strong spring training, might Romo advance all the way to Fresno by next April?
Nick Pereira made his fifth start of the fall season last Saturday and earned the victory after surrendering just one run in four innings. The ’06 San Jose Giant and Bay Area native has been effective in the Scottsdale starting rotation all season.
Like Burriss, Nate Schierholtz had a huge week in Arizona as the slugging outfielder blasted three home runs. Schierholtz, a major contributor on the 2005 San Jose Giants championship squad, is now batting .344 with ten extra-base hits in 15 games. Schierholtz will likely begin next season as either a starting outfielder in Fresno or as a reserve with San Francisco.
Scottsdale is 9-13 this year with ten games remaining.
Hawaii –
Antoan Richardson continued his strong fall season in Hawaii last week. The speedster has hit safely in nine straight games to raise his batting average from .204 to .256. Richardson leads the Hawaii League in stolen bases (13) and triples (4).
David Maroul has slumped of late with his batting average dipping to .214 while Dave Newton has only received one appearance in the last 12 days out of the Waikiki bullpen. Additionally, Ben Snyder has been taken off the Beachboys roster after posting a 9.39 ERA in six games (five starts) in favor of another Giants farmhand, Dan Griffin. Snyder excelled in Augusta last season, but the heavy workload over the last seven months probably caught up with the young left-hander.
Griffin is an intriguing prospect in the Giants system. A fifth round draft pick in 2005 out of Niagara University, Griffin has spent the last two seasons with Augusta. In 2007, he went 6-6 with a 4.33 ERA pitching as both a starter and a reliever. A 6’7” right-hander with tremendous potential, Griffin will likely begin next season in San Jose.
Waikiki is 14-15 this season and ½ game behind Honolulu for first place in their division. Ten games remain in the regular season.
Statistics (2007 San Jose Giants) –
Arizona:
Sergio Romo: 7 G, 0-0, 0.82 ERA, 11.0 IP, 1 ER, 3 BB, 13 SO
Emmanuel Burriss: .345 (10-for-29), 1 2B, 1 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 3 SB
Hawaii:
David Maroul: .214 (12-for-56), 4 2B, 3 HR, 7 RBI
Antoan Richardson: .256 (21-for-82), 2 2B, 4 3B, 0 HR, 5 RBI, 13 SB
Dave Newton: 10 G, 2-0, 8.18 ERA, 2 SV, 11.0 IP, 10 ER, 5 BB, 15 SO
Venezuela:
Pablo Sandoval: .154 (2-for-13), 1 2B, 0 HR, 0 RBI
Statistics (Others) –
Arizona:
Brian Anderson: 9 G, 0-1, 0.00 ERA, 2 SV, 9.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 BB, 8 SO
- San Jose Giant in 2006; Pitched for Connecticut in 2007
Nick Pereira: 5 G, 5 GS, 2-1, 2.79 ERA, 19.1 IP, 6 ER, 11 BB, 18 SO
- San Jose Giant in 2006; Pitched for Connecticut in 2007
Nate Schierholtz: .344 (21-for-61), 6 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 5 RBI
- San Jose Giant in 2004 and 2005; Played for Fresno and S.F. in 2007
Hawaii:
Dan Griffin: 1 G, 0 GS, 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2.1 IP, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 SO
- Pitched for Augusta in 2007
Ben Snyder: 6 G, 5 GS, 0-4, 9.39 ERA, 15.1 IP, 16 ER, 4 BB, 16 SO
- Pitched for Augusta in 2007
Venezuela:
Eliezer Alfonzo: .196 (11-for-56), 3 2B, 1 HR, 7 RBI
- San Jose Giant in 2005; Played for Fresno and S.F. in 2007
Julio Cordido: .254 (17-for-67), 3 2B, 0 HR, 5 RBI
- San Jose Giant in 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006; Played for Connecticut and Fresno in 2007
Guillermo Rodriguez: .323 (20-for-62), 6 2B, 2 HR, 11 RBI
- San Jose Giant in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2002, 2005, 2006; Played for Fresno and S.F. in 2007
Mexico:
Erick Threets: 11 G, 0 GS, 1-2, 2.13 ERA, 12.2 IP, 3 ER, 6 BB, 12 SO
- San Jose Giant in 2001 and 2002; Played for Fresno and S.F. in 2007
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