Fall/Winter Roundup: Brannon stays hot; Valdez homers
It was a tough week for the Mesa Solar Sox in Arizona. They went 2-4 to drop to third place after sitting in a tie for first place on Monday. Every Red Sox player got into at least one game this week, with Brooks Brannon (pictured) again leading the way. In the Dominican, Enmanuel Valdéz hit his first home run.
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Arizona Fall League
After posting an 8-for-20 week, Brooks Brannon is hitting .333 with a .875 OPS this fall. He notched three doubles while driving in two runs. He struck out four times without drawing a walk, and on defense, he had one caught stealing while allowing eight stolen bases and a passed ball. Caden Rose turned in a solid week, going 7 for 23 (.304) with three runs scored, three RBI, two doubles, a walk, three strikeouts, and an outfield assist at home. That helped push his average up to .226 with an OPS of .656. Max Ferguson saw his numbers regress, as he went 1 for 14 with one run scored, one walk, and four strikeouts. He committed an error, stole a base, and hit two sacrifice flies as his OPS dropped to .697.
All five pitchers made one appearance, with Zach Fogell and Conor Steinbaugh posting scoreless outings to keep their ERAs at 0.00. Fogell recorded a walk and a strikeout in his lone inning, while Steinbaugh struck out two while allowing two baserunners in his inning. Tyler Uberstine was effective despite not getting a strikeout, as he allowed one run on three hits over two innings with one walk. Danny Kirwin did not receive any help from the defense, allowing three runs (one earned) over two innings. He struck out three without issuing a walk but did serve up a home run. The rough stretch continued for Cooper Adams, who allowed four runs (three earned) in two innings. He walked four without striking out a batter.
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Dominican Winter League (LIDOM)
Enmanuel Valdéz hit his first home run as part of a 2-for-10 week with the Estrellas. He drew two walks and struck out three times as his triple slash moved to .149/.216/.213.
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Mexican Pacific League (LMP)
Alex Speas dropped to 0-2 after getting charged with a loss on Tuesday. He allowed one run on a hit and a walk while striking out two in one inning of work. Mazatlan fell to Tomateros by a score of 3-2.
Photo Credit: Brooks Brannon by Kelly O'Connor