Another week has gone by in the Arizona Fall League and there was more strong hitting by Cubs prospects.
We’re two weeks into the 2024 Arizona Fall League, which means it’s time for another update on the Cubs Boys of Autumn playing with the Mesa Solar Sox!
In case you’ve forgotten, the Arizona Fall League (AFL) is an end-of-the-season league where minor leaguers can get in some extra work after their regular season. It also serves as a way for teams to get one last look at players before roster decisions are made over the winter.
The Mesa Solar Sox is the team the Cubs prospects play for, alongside minor leaguers from the Athletics, Red Sox, Angels and Rays. They play their home games at the Cubs’ Spring Training home of Sloan Park in Mesa.
It was a week that started out well for the Solar Sox and then took a turn for the worse. They won their first two games to break out to a 6-2 record to start the season. Then they came back to earth by losing their next three games and falling to an overall record of 6-5. That puts the Solar Sox in third place in the league, albeit just one game out of first place.
Here are all five games the Solar Sox played this past week. The home team is listed last.
Tuesday, October 15: Scottsdale Scorpions 2, Solar Sox 15
Wednesday, October 16: Peoria Javelinas 7, Solar Sox 8
Thursday, October 17: Solar Sox 5, Salt River Rafters 9
Friday, October 18: Solar Sox 7. Glendale Desert Dogs 9
Saturday, October 19: Solar Sox 4, Javelinas 5
Here is how the eight Cubs prospects on the Solar Sox did this past week.
Catcher Moises Ballesteros
Ballesteros continues to show off his considerable hitting prowess. Ballesteros played three games this past week. He was the DH on Tuesday and he caught on Wednesday and Friday. Ballesteros had two hits in each game, making him 6 for 14 (.429) with a walk on the week. On Wednesday, he also doubled and homered in the win over Peoria. For the week, Ballesteros scored three times and had the one run batted in.
Overall, Ballesteros is hitting .419 in the AFL, which is (checks) good for fifth place in the league amongst qualified hitters. I told you the league would be a great place to hit this year. He has an OBP of .457 (17th) and a slugging percentage of .677 (9th).
Ballesteros’ home run.
Second AFL HR for Moises Ballesteros! pic.twitter.com/CLKqi2kxF2
— Brad (@ballskwok) October 17, 2024
1B/3B Jonathon Long
Long also played three games this past week, playing third base on Wednesday and Friday and first base on Thursday. He had at least one hit in each game. Long was 1 for 5 on Wednesday, 3 for 5 with a double and Thursday and 1 for 5 with a home run on Friday. That’s 5 for 15 or a .333 batting average. Long scored three times and had one RBI this past week.
Long also went 5 for 15 with a double and a home run last week, so he’s nothing if not consistent with that .333 batting average and .600 slugging. He’s also getting a lot of attention for his bat speed and exit velocities, as noted in that article by Sam Dykstra. Long has a .375 OBP on the campaign. He’s scored ten runs and driven home nine.
Long’s three-hit game [VIDEO].
Infielder Benjamin Cowles
Cowles got off to a poor start to the AFL season last week, going 1 for 18. He turned things around in week two. Cowles went 3 for 3 with two doubles and two walks in Monday’s win over Scottsdale and had two more hits on Wednesday. He went 0 for 1 on Friday, but that’s OK because he walked three times.
So for the week, Cowles played three games—shortstop on Monday and Friday and second base on Wednesday. Cowles went 5 for 9 (.555) with five walks for a .714 OBP on the week. He scored twice and had four runs batted in.
Those impressive numbers raised Cowles’ line on the season to .222/.344/.296 with three runs scored and four RBI.
One of Cowles’ doubles [VIDEO].
RIght-hander Grant Kipp
Kipp started Friday’s 9-7 loss to Glendale and took the L after allowing two runs on four hits over three innings. He gave up a solo home run, struck out three and walked no one, although he did hit one batter.
Kipp has now made two starts for Mesa and is 0-1 with a 3.00 ERA. Over six innings, he’s allowed five hits, walked two and struck out seven.
Right-hander Shane Marshall
Marshall pitched one inning this past week and he’d probably like to forget it. He pitched the sixth inning in Friday’s 9-7 loss to Glendale and he was rocked for five runs on six hits, including two home runs. Marshall walked one and struck out no one.
Marshall has now pitched three times in the AFL for a total of three innings. He’s allowed nine runs on 11 hits, including three home runs, for a 27.00 ERA. He’s struck out three and walked two.
Right-hander Vince Reilly
Reilly only pitched once this past week, but he retired the side in order in the top of the ninth inning to get the save in Wednesday’s 8-7 win over Peoria. Reilly struck out one.
Reilly has now pitched 2⅓ innings over three appearances in the AFL and he’s yet to allow a run. He’s given up one hit but walked no one and struck out two.
Right-hander Luis Rujano
Rujano did not pitch this past week, although he did pitch three innings last Sunday, so not pitching this week isn’t too surprising. His ERA is still 0.00.
Right-hander Sam Thoresen
Thoresen pitched twice this past week. On Tuesday, he pitched the ninth inning in Mesa’s 15-2 win over Scottsdale. He gave up a one-out walk, but no hits and no runs.
On Saturday, Thoresen pitched the seventh and final inning and took the loss when he walked Romeo Sanabria with the bases loaded to force in the walk-off winning run. Thoresen’s line on Saturday was one run on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.
On the AFL season, Thoresen has pitched 3⅓ innings over three relief appearances. He has a 5.40 ERA after giving up two runs on five hits. Thoresen has walked five and struck out five.