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Footballguy
Adam Eaton is the next Adam Eaton
The Arizona Fall League announced its 2011 Top Prospects Team. Selected by Fall League managers and coaches, the Top Prospects Team identifies the players who distinguished themselves throughout the league's seven-week 2011 schedule against other top prospects from every organization in Major League Baseball. Voters were asked to consider Fall League performance and major league projectability.OutfieldersBryce Harper, Scottsdale Scorpions (Washington Nationals)Tied for third with six homers and third with 26 RBI ... hit safely in 19 of his final 20 games ... 16-game hitting streak tied for third for longest in the league ... hit .403 (25- for-62) with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 6 home runs, 24 RBI, 12 runs scored and 7 walks during the 16-game hitting streak, Oct. 13-Nov. 11 ... home run in five of six games, Oct. 26- Nov. 3 ... hit .522 (12-for-23) with 5 home runs, 17 RBI and 8 runs during a six-game multi-RBI streak, Oct. 26-Nov. 3 ... season-high four RBI in consecutive games, Oct. 26-27 ... run scored in nine straight, Oct. 21-Nov. 8 ... sacrifice fly in AFL Rising Stars Game ... 3-for-3 with 1 homer, 3 RBI, 2 runs and 2 walks Nov. 3.Michael Choice, Phoenix Desert Dogs (Oakland Athletics)Tied for third in home runs (6) and ranked fourth in slugging percentage (.667) ... six home runs in 66 at-bats (second in AFL) ... week one co-player-of-the-week after hitting .471 (8-for-17) with 1 double, 3 homers, 4 RBI and 7 runs scored ... reached safely via hit or walk in his first 12 games, hitting .362 (17-for-47) and posting a .455 on-base percentage with 3 doubles, 6 home runs, 14 RBI, 13 runs and 7 walks, Oct. 4-28 ... homered in four of his first five games, Oct. 4-18 ... 1-for-3 with a walk and run scored in AFL Rising Stars Game ... season highs in RBI and runs Oct. 28, going 3-for-4 with 1 home run, 5 RBI and 3 runs scored.Robbie Grossman, Mesa Solar Sox (Pittsburgh Pirates)Tied for league lead with 20 walks, second with seven homers, third with 39 hits and a .472 on-base percentage, fourth with 65 total bases and a .375 average and tied for sixth with 22 RBI ... finished his AFL season with an 18-game on-base streak, during which he hit .420 (29-for-69) and posted a .534 on-base percentage with 4 doubles, 5 homers, 16 RBI, 18 runs scored, 18 walks and 5 stolen bases ... walks in 13 of final 18 games ... hit .520 (13-for-25) with 2 doubles, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, 7 runs, 7 walks and 1 stolen base over six-game multi-hit streak (Oct. 13-20) ... leadoff homer in three of four games, Oct. 15-20 ... 14 multi-hit games overall ... RBI in 16 of 26 games ... four of his seven home runs led off first inning ... AFL Rising Star ... 2-for-2 with 2 RBI, 3 runs, 2 walks and 1 stolen base, Oct. 22.Kevin Mattison, Surprise Saguaros (Miami Marlins)Tied for the league lead in triples (5), ranked second in runs scored (29), third in total bases (68), tied for third in stolen bases (9), tied for fourth in hits (38) and tied for eighth in average (.349) ... 2011 Dernell Stenson Award winner ... hit safely in 22 of 25 games ... 15-game hitting streak, Oct. 21-Nov. 17, was fifth-longest in the league ... hit .359 (23-for-64) with 2 doubles, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 12 RBI, 18 runs scored and 9 walks during the streak ... 12 multi-hit games, five multi-RBI games and six multi-run games ... four triples in first seven games ... five straight multi-hit games, Oct. 28-Nov. 4 ... 2-for-5 with a double and a run scored leading off for the West in the AFL Rising Stars Game ... 3-for-4 with 1 triple, 1 home run, 2 walks, a season-high 4 RBI and season-high 4 runs, Oct. 14 ... season high in hits Oct. 8, going 4-for-4 with 1 triple, 2 RBI and 1 stolen base ... added to Marlins' 40-man roster.Adam Eaton, Salt River Rafters (Arizona Diamondbacks)Led the league with 31 runs scored, second with 42 hits, fifth with eight steals and 10th with .344 average ... shared league high with 17-game hitting streak, Oct. 21-Nov. 15, during which he hit .365 (27-for-74) with 4 doubles, 1 home run, 7 RBI, 15 runs scored and 6 walks ... second in at-bats (122) and tied for third in games played (30) ... 15 multihit games and eight multi-run games ... hit safely in 25 of 29 games with plate appearance ... run scored in first 15 games and 21 of 29 starts overall ... five straight two-hit games, Nov. 3-8 ... AFL-best 28-game on-base streak lasted from Opening Day until final day of the season ... season-high three hits Oct. 13 and Nov. 10 ... season-high three runs Oct. 12 and Oct. 18.Wil Myers, Surprise Saguaros (Kansas City Royals)Tied for the league lead in walks (20) and triples (5), ranked second in on-base percentage (.481), third in slugging percentage (.674), sixth in average (.360) and tied for sixth in runs (24) ... reached safely via hit or walk in 22 of 23 games ... run scored in 18 of 23 games ... 17-game on-base streak (Oct. 5-Nov. 1) was tied for sixth-longest in AFL ... extra-base hit in five straight games, Oct. 20-27 ... eight multi-hit games, six multi-RBI games, five multi-run games and five multi-walk games ... hit .403 with .764 slugging percentage against right-handers ... league shared singlegame- high with five hits Nov. 4, going 5-for-5 with 1 triple, 2 RBI, 3 runs and 1 walk ... 3-for-5 with 1 double, 2 RBI, 1 run and 1 stolen base in AFL Rising Stars Game ... 3-for-6 with 1 double, 1 triple and 2 RBI Oct. 11.Third BasemenNolan Arenado, Salt River Rafters (Colorado Rockies)League MVP on East Division-winning Rafters ... after leading the minor leagues with 122 RBI at High-A Modesto in 2011, finished second in the league with 33 RBI ... led AFL in hits (47) and doubles (12), tied for league lead in extra-base hits (18), second in total bases (77), third in average (.388), tied for third in home runs (6) and fifth in slugging percentage (.636) ... only AFL player with multiple hit streaks of 10 or more games (11 and 10) ... hit .408 (20-for-49) with 3 doubles, 2 home runs, 19 RBI and 7 runs scored during 11-game hitting streak, Oct. 4-20 ... hit .439 (18-for- 41) with 6 doubles, 1 home run, 9 RBI, 11 runs and 6 walks during 10-game hitting streak, Nov. 1-16 ... week four player-of-the-week after batting .429 (9-for-21) with 3 doubles, 3 home runs, 5 RBI and 4 runs scored in five games ... hit safely in 26 of 29 games ... RBI in 18 of first 23 games ... RBI streaks of three, four, five and six games ... only player in AFL with multiple four-hit games (2) ... 13 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games ... homered in three straight games, Oct. 25-27 ... 15 RBI over six-game RBI streak, Oct. 12-18 ... seven doubles over five-game stretch, Oct. 29-Nov. 4 ... hit .452 (19-for-42) with 28 RBI with runners in scoring position ... AFL Rising Star ... 4-for-5 with 3 doubles, 1 RBI and 1 run Nov. 4 ... 4-for-5 with a homer and four RBI Oct. 17 ... 3-for-4 with five RBI Oct. 12.Mike Olt, Surprise Saguaros (Texas Rangers)Led the AFL in home runs (13), RBI (43), slugging percentage (.764) and total bases (81), tied for the league lead in extra-base hits (18), second in OPS (1.197), tied for third in runs scored (27) and tied for eighth in batting average (.349) ... one of the top offensive seasons in AFL history ... led the AFL with a home run every 8.15 at-bats ... one home run shy of Brandon Wood's AFL HR record (14, 2005) and one RBI short of Orlando Miller's RBI record (44, 1993) ... first 40-RBI season since 1996 (Bubba Trammell) ... .764 slugging percentage is second all-time to Tyler Flowers' .973 mark in 2008 ... finished the season on a shared AFL-high 17-game hitting streak, during which he hit .397 (25-for-63) with 4 doubles, 9 home runs, 31 RBI, 19 runs and 10 walks ... hit safely in 23 of 27 games ... RBI in 19 of 27 games ... runs in 18 of 27 games ... nine-game RBI streak, Nov. 2-15 ... three games of five or more RBI ... had four of the league's nine multi-homer games ... 11 multi-hit games, 10 multi-RBI games and seven multi-run games ... week five player-of-the-week after batting .571 (8-for-14) with 1 double, 2 home runs, 8 RBI, 5 runs and 5 walks in four games ... week six player-of-the-week after he hit .333 (5-for-15) with 4 home runs, 9 RBI and 17 total bases in four games ... 1-for-3 with an RBI and a walk in AFL Rising Stars Game ... 2-for-4 with 2 home runs, 5 RBI, 3 runs and 2 walks Nov. 11 ... 3-for-4 with 1 double, 1 home run and AFL shared single-game high 6 RBI Nov. 4 ... two home runs and five RBI in AFL debut, Oct. 5 ... hit .478 (11-for-23) against left-handers.ShortstopsJunior Lake, Mesa Solar Sox (Chicago Cubs)Led the AFL with 18 stolen bases, the second-highest total in the AFL since 2000 (Eric Young, Jr., 20, 2008) ... did not get caught stealing ... tied for fourth among AFL single-season stolen base leaders all-time ... tied for third in extra-base hits (16) and ranked fifth in total bases (63) ... stolen base in 10 of his first 14 games and 16 of 28 games overall ... hit .450 (18- for-40) with 4 doubles, 1 triple, 3 homers, 13 RBI and 8 stolen bases during a nine-game hit streak, Oct. 11-22 ... extra-base hit in seven straight games, Oct. 14-22 ... week three player-of-the-week after hitting .455 (10-for-22) with 3 doubles, 1 triple, 1 homer, 8 RBI, 3 runs and 4 stolen bases ... played primarily shortstop and third base but also made his career debut in the outfield ... 1-for-3 with a double and a run in the AFL Rising Stars Game ... season-high four hits Oct. 22 ... 3-for-5 with 1 double, 1 home run, 4 RBI and 1 steal Oct. 15 ... added to Cubs' 40-man roster.Brandon Crawford, Scottsdale Scorpions (San Francisco Giants)Tied for third-longest hitting streak in the league with 16-game streak, Oct. 6-Nov. 11 ... hit .338 (24-for-71) with 2 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs, 9 RBI and 11 runs scored during streak ... season-high three hits, Oct. 10 and Oct. 15 ... six multi-hit games.Second BasemenJoe Panik, Scottsdale Scorpions (San Francisco Giants)Hit safely in 18 of his final 21 games ... five multi-hit games over seven-game stretch, Nov. 1-11 ... 10 strikeouts in 104 plate appearances (fourth in AFL) ... second in the AFL in November average, hitting .439 (18-for-41) with 5 doubles, 1 triple, 1 home run, 8 RBI and 3 runs in 12 games ... extra-base hit in five straight games, Nov. 11-16 ... AFL Rising Star ... 4-for-5 with a double Nov. 3.Brian Dozier, Mesa Solar Sox (Minnesota Twins)Tied for third with 27 runs scored and tied for sixth with eight doubles and 22 RBI ... has four multi-hit games in his last nine ... solo homer in the AFL Rising Stars Game Nov. 5 ... RBI in 10 of 12 games, Oct. 13-31 ... 10 multi-hit games, six multi-RBI games and seven multi-run games ... 3-for-5 with 2 doubles, 1 home run, 2 RBI and 3 runs scored Nov. 4 ... 3-for-5 with AFL shared season-high four runs scored Oct. 15 ... season-high four hits, going 4-for-4 with 1 homer, 3 RBI and 3 runs, Oct. 6.First BasemenJoe Terdoslavich, Surprise Saguaros (Atlanta Braves)Led the league in hitting through Oct. 28 (.404) ... began the season with five straight multi-hit games and multi-hit efforts in eight of his first 10 games ... 10 multi-hit efforts overall ... 3-for-3 with 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBI, 2 runs scored and 1 walk in the AFL Rising Stars Game ... 2-for-4 with 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored and 2 walks Nov. 4 ... 2-for-4 with 1 double, 1 triple and a season-high 4 RBI Oct. 12.Matt Adams, Peoria Javelinas (St. Louis Cardinals)Led the league in sacrifice flies (6) ... RBI in seven of eight games, Oct. 18-30, including five straight (14 RBI during stretch) ... six multi-hit games ... AFL Rising Star but did not participate due to injury ... double, home run and seasonhigh five RBI, Oct. 31 ... 3-for-5 with 1 double, 3 RBI and a season-high 3 runs scored on Opening Day, Oct. 4.CatchersChristian Bethancourt, Surprise Saguaros (Atlanta Braves)Hit .306 with 3 doubles, 5 home runs, 13 RBI, .324 on-base percentage and .556 slugging percentage in 19 games ... ranked fourth with 1 home run every 14.40 at-bats ... homered in three consecutive games, Oct. 28-Nov. 1 ... hit safely in 15 of 18 games with a plate appearance ... 19 games behind the plate tied for most among AFL catchers ... 154 putouts, most among AFL catchers ... 1-for-3 with 1 RBI and 1 run scored in AFL Rising Stars Game ... season-high three runs scored Nov. 11 ... 2-for-4 with 1 double, 1 home run and 3 RBI Oct. 28 ... 2-for-5 with 1 double, 3 RBI and 2 runs Oct. 11.Derek Norris, Scottsdale Scorpions (Washington Nationals)Owned a 17-game on-base streak, Oct. 7-Nov. 9, during which he hit .339 (21-for-62) and had a .434 on-base percentage with 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 11 RBI, 13 runs scored and 11 walks ... hit safely in 15 of those 17 games ... led AFL with eight runners caught stealing and .471 caught-stealing percentage (8-for-17) ... run scored in 12 of 14 games, Oct. 8-Nov. 4 ... 12 walks over 12 games, Oct. 12-Nov. 4 ... 4-for-4 on the basepaths ... AFL Rising Star ... 2-for-2 with 1 double, 1 homer, 2 RBI, 2 runs and 1 walk Oct. 24 ... 3-for-4 with 1 homer, 2 RBI and 1 stolen base Oct. 19 ... added to Twins' 40-man roster.Designated HittersJedd Gyorko, Peoria Javelinas (San Diego Padres)AFL batting champion at .437, the second-highest in league history (fifth AFL batting champion from Peoria Javelinas in last six years) ... led league in on-base percentage (.500) and OPS (1.204) and second in slugging percentage (.704) ... third with 1 home run every 14.20 at-bats ... 10 multi-hit games and six multi-RBI games in just 18 games ... five multi-hit games in final six games ... reached safely via hit or walk in 17 of 18 games ... AFL Rising Star ... 3-for-4 with 1 double, 1 home run, 3 RBI, 3 runs scored and 1 walk Oct. 31 ... AFL shared single-game-high 5-for-5 Oct. 20 ... 3-for-5 with 2 home runs, 4 RBI, 4 runs and 1 walk, Oct. 14 ... hit .500 (13-for-26) against left-handed pitching.Josh Vitters, Mesa Solar Sox (Chicago Cubs)Seventh in average (.360) ... 10 strikeouts in 107 plate appearances (third in AFL) ... hit safely in 21 of 24 games ... five games of three or more hits among eight multi-hit games ... 3-for-4 with 1 homer, 2 runs scored and 1 steal Nov. 9 ... season-high four hits Oct. 14 ... two home runs and five RBI on Opening Day, Oct. 4 ... hit .378 (17-for-45) with 3 doubles, 5 RBI, 4 runs and 4 walks during an 11-game hitting streak, Oct. 6-25 ... added to Cubs' 40-man roster.Starting PitchersDanny Hultzen, Peoria Javelinas (Seattle Mariners)Third in league ERA (1.40) ... fifth among starters in opponents average (.225) ... 18:5 K:BB in 19.1 IP ... one run or fewer in all six starts, including three scoreless ... one earned run on seven hits and three walks with 16 strikeouts in 14.1 innings over final four starts ... season-high six strikeouts over 2.2 scoreless frames Nov. 12 ... two hits and five strikeouts in four scoreless innings to earn only win, Oct. 31 ... no hits over four scoreless innings, Oct. 19 ... struck out the side in the first inning and did not allow a hit over two scoreless frames in earning the win in the AFL Rising Stars Game ... held lefties to a .118 (2-for-17) batting average.Terry Doyle, Mesa Solar Sox (Chicago White Sox)Led the league in WHIP (0.62) and opponents average (.135), second in wins (4) sixth in ERA (1.98) ... fifth among starters in walk rate (1.65 BB/9) ... won four straight starts, Oct. 11-28 ... week three pitcher-of-the-week after going 2-0 with a 1.00 ERA, 2 hits, 3 walks and 8 strikeouts in two starts ... four perfect innings Oct. 11 ... five of six runs allowed scored on four home runs ... one or fewer hits and three or more innings in five of eight starts ... 22:5 K:BB ... scoreless fourth inning in AFL Rising Stars Game.Relief PitchersBrad Boxberger, Phoenix Desert Dogs (Cincinnati Reds)Tied for second in saves (3) and ranked second in games finished (10) ... led relievers in K/9 (14.85) ... 22:6 K:BB in 13.1 innings over 11 appearances ... eight of 11 appearances were scoreless ... first seven outs of the season and 11 of his first 17 recorded via strikeout ... three or more strikeouts in four appearances of 1.2 innings or fewer ... scoreless eighth inning and one strikeout in AFL Rising Stars Game.Jacob Diekman, Scottsdale Scorpions (Philadelphia Phillies)Second among relievers with .079 opponents average (3-for-38) ... 0.79 WHIP ... began the season with 7.1 hitless, scoreless innings ... two saves, three hits and one earned run in 11.1 innings overall ... held lefties to .000 average (0- for-8) and righties to .100 mark (3-for-30) ... AFL Rising Star ... added to Phillies' 40-man roster.