Padres Winter League Report: November 7 (Franmil & Reed Homer/Avila & Olivares Square Off in Venezuela)
Credit: Venezuelan Baseball
Peoria and Salt River battled it out on Wednesday, as both teams with identical records coming in (15-8) fought to see who would prevail in the desert and walk away with the best overall record in the Arizona Fall League.
In the end, Peoria was victorious, as a home run off the bat of Buddy Reed in the top of the 9th was the difference. The Fall Stars Game’ MVP has been very impressive in the AFL so far in 2018.
There were some other interesting stories on Wednesday for Padres fans, as Franmi Reyes hit his second homer of the year in the D.R. Edward Olivares and his Tigres de Aragua faced off against Pedro Avila and his Bravos de Margarita in Venezuela. Aragua won late by the score of 3-2 (Avila did not factor in the decision). The two teammates last year in Lake Elsinore must have had a good time competing against each other on Wednesday.
Here is a recap of the day’s events:
Arizona Fall League
Buddy Reed– (2-5) HR, RBI, 2 Runs
The switch-hitting outfielder continues to grow with the bat. Reed is proving to be a late-bloomer with the ability to be a special player in the game of baseball. He is hitting .368 on the year after going 2-for-5 on Wednesday. People are taking notice.
Hudson Potts– (1-4) 2B, K
Potts continues to struggle a bit, as he is hitting .227 on the year in the AFL. He has shown plus power and a strong arm at third. The 20-year-old will look to have a breakout year in 2019 where his name could be mentioned among the elite prospects in the game.
Austin Allen– (0-5) 3 K
The left-handed catcher had a very rough night at the plate on Wednesday as he went 0-for-5 with three K’s. He is hitting .240 on the year now and will need to be protected in the MLB Rule 5 Draft, which is coming up next month.
#Padres’ Buddy Reed, the MVP of Saturday’s Fall Stars Game, launched this go-ahead shot for Peoria in the top of the ninth. Gameday: https://t.co/BPgjUximQX pic.twitter.com/KnUXYm5HMT
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 8, 2018
Dominican Winter League
Franmil Reyes– (1-4) HR, RBI, Run, 2 K
La Mole blasted his second homer of the year in a close loss in the D.R on Wednesday. He is hitting .304 on the year and has been playing right field as well as DH’ing for the Leones. Reyes looks to be in great shape this winter and could continue to get better in 2019.
Con esta #TablaEscarlata ENORME de Franmil Reyes le pusimos número a la pizarra en el Tetelo Vargas. #Ruge #GenEscarlata #CAPITAL pic.twitter.com/pEFBnE7iKx
— Escogido Baseball (@EscogidoBBClub) November 8, 2018
Mexican Winter League
Chris Huffman– 2 IP, 5 H, 4 ER, BB (37 pitches/24 strikes)
The 25-year-old right-hander was coming off his best performance so far in Mexico last week, when he went five shutout innings against Obregon. On Wednesday, he was roughed up for four earned runs in just two innings. He now has a 4.56 ERA on the year.
Christian Villanueva signed by Yaquis de Obregon
Venezuelan winter league
Edward Olivares- (3-4) 3B, Run, 2 RBI, K
Olivares continues to be impressive in Venezuela as he is now hitting .368 on the year. He went 3-for-4 on Wednesday and drove in two runs for his Venezuelan team. What will the Padres do with this young outfielder who is starting to generate awareness about his skill level while needing protecting from the Rule 5 draft next month?
Pedro Avila– 5 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 7 K (80 pitches/55 strikes)
The right-handed pitcher has his ERA at 0.89 after allowing one earned run in five innings. The curveball specialist struck out seven and has looked extremely polished in Venezuela so far this winter. He is another interesting prospect with an unknown future in the organization.
James was born and raised in America’s Finest City. He is a passionate baseball fan with even more passion towards his hometown Padres. Editor-In-Chief of EastVillageTimes.com. Always striving to bring you the highest quality in San Diego Sports News. Original content, with original ideas, that’s our motto. Enjoy.