With the OKC Dodgers, Rancho Cucamonga Quakes, and Great Lakes Loons seasons officially over and the Tulsa Drillers and Ogden Raptors fighting for championships in their respective leagues. the Minor League Baseball season is just about over, despite the majors running through October.

However, fans of baseball’s up and coming stars need not turn to their offseason activities quite yet as the Arizona Fall League is set to begin its season on September 18.

The Arizona Fall League is an offseason league that and features six teams made up of top prospects from all 30 major league teams. The six teams are the Scottsdale Scorpions, Mesa Solar Sox, Salt River Rafters, Peoria Javelinas, Surprise Saguaros, and the Glendale Desert Dogs. Each of the six teams is comprised of prospects from five MLB teams. For example, this year’s Glendale Desert Dogs team will have prospects from the Dodgers, White Sox, Reds, Brewers, and Cardinals. 

The Desert Dogs roster features four Dodger pitching prospects, two infielders, and one outfielder. The coaching staff will also feature Tulsa Drillers pitching coach Dave Borkowski and OKC Dodgers athletic trainer Shawn McDermott.  

The first of the four pitchers representing the Dodgers is Gerardo Carrillo. Carrillo was primarily a starting pitcher for the Class A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga Quakes throughout the 2019 season. Carrillo made 21 starts out of 23 games despite being on the injured list and spending some time in extended spring training. He finished the season with a 5-9 record and a 5.44 ERA. He struck out 86 batters over 86 innings and gave up just three home runs. 

The next pitcher on the list is Brett de Geus, who was also with the Quakes in 2019. de Geus started the season with the Class A Great Lakes Loons where he recorded four saves over 19 games out of the bullpen and was named to the Midwest League East All-Star team. In addition to his saves, he also posted a 4-2 record and a 2.35 ERA. With Rancho, de Geus continued his relief role, becoming the closer after Logan Salow and Jordan Sheffield were promoted to AA. He earned the save in four out of five chances and also won two games while keeping a low ERA of 1.16 over 20 games.

Pitcher number three is Marshall Kasowski who spent the 2019 season in Tulsa. With the Drillers, he posted a 4-3 record, and a 2.45 ERA while also earning two saves over 27 games. He also helped the Tulsa Drillers complete a no-hitter in early April. Like Carrillo, Kasowski spent a little over 2 months on the IL this season. 

The fourth and final pitcher is Mitchell White, who spent the first month + in Tulsa before going to OKC for the remainder of the season. While with Tulsa, White was one of four pitchers, including Kasowski, who no-hit the Arkansas Travelers (Mariners) in an eventual 1-0 loss. White also threw a combined no-hitter with the Quakes in 2017. Despite three separate IL stints, White posted a 1-0 record with Tulsa and a 2.10 ERA over 7 games. He had a 3-6 record in OKC and a 6.50 ERA over 16 appearances, 13 of them being starts.

Moving on to position players, we first come to infielder Omar Estevez who played for Tulsa throughout the 2019 season. Estevez was named Texas league play of the month in April and player of the week for 8/11/19. Although he was on the IL for 1.5 months he had a regular-season batting average of .291 and led the team in doubles with 24.

The second infielder is Devin Mann who spent his season with the Quakes. He accrued many accolades while in Rancho, although he missed over a month due to injury, including being named player of the week for 5/19/19, starting at third in the California League All-Star game, being named Cal League Player of the Month for June and also being named a post-season All-Star. By the end of the season, Mann second on the team in home runs and doubles with 19 of each. He also ended up with a .278 batting average and a .854 on-base plus slugging percentage.

 The last Dodgers prospect on the Desert Dogs roster is Jeren Kendall who also played in Rancho the entire season and was, for the most part, the heart and soul of the team. Kendall spent over a month on the IL during the season, but once he returned, he was back with a vengeance. In the month of August, he hit .302 and earned player of the week for 8/18/19. In September, he hit .333 and finished the season leading the team in triples with 10, tied for second in home runs with 19 and second in stolen bases with 24.  

The Desert Dogs open the season at Camelback Ranch against the Surprise Saguaros who feature players from the Orioles, Royals, Yankees, Rangers, and Nationals. 

Minor Leagues – Major Fun!

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