Final Arizona Fall League #'s For Washington Nationals' Prospects. PLUS...More Teixeira Talk.

(MEANDERING) FINAL AFL UPDATE...

The Peoria Saguaros, and the Washington Nationals' prospects on their roster, completed the Arizona Fall League season today with a 4-3 win over the Surprise Rafters to tie the Mesa Solar Sox, (who lost their last game), atop the AFL's American Division with identical 26-12 records, though the tiebreaker and the chance to play for the Fall League's title goes to the Solar Sox, who claimed the season series between the teams four games to three with their win over Peoria this past Wednesday night breaking a tie...

In the final game of the Fall for the Saguaros, DC infielder Ian Desmond did the most damage, going 2 for 4 with a double, a HR and an RBI to end his AFL campaign with a .267 AVG, 6 doubles, 4 HR's and 17 RBI's. Leonard Davis, (one of a couple players drafted as a third baseman and forced to find other positions in the DC organization after the Nationals' '05 Draft),  was fit into the Saguaros' lineup at third, and went 0 for 3 with a run scored a walk, a K and a .325 AVG to show for his Fall, along with 6 doubles, 2 triples, 4 HR's and 15 RBI's in 22 games and 80 at bats. (Zechry Zinicola also earned his second save with 1.0 scoreless frame in which he allowed a hit and struck out two batters to close out the win and lower his fall ERA to 6.89)

Both Desmond and Davis were drafted in the last Montreal Expos' Class, in 2004, with Desmond taken in the 3rd Round, 84th overall, a round before Collin Balester, and four rounds before Leonard Davis, who was selected with the 234th pick in the 8th Round. 

The Nationals added the two, Desmond and Davis, to the 40-Man roster back on 11/10/08, (along with former Atlanta Braves' 1st Round pick pitcher Luis Atilano, who was acquired by DC in exchange for Daryle "D." Ward in post-deadline deal in August of '06), though Washington Post writer Chico Harlan noted at the time, in a Nationals Journal post entitled simply, "Three Added To Roster", that, "...all three of these players would have been eligible for the Rule 5 Draft had they not been added to the 40-man roster."

-- Desmond, who's been around so long it's hard to believe he's only 22, hit .251 with 14 doubles, 12 HR's, 44 RBI's and 12 steals in 93 games in 2008 with the Nationals' affiliate in Double-A Harrisburg. Before the season, Desmond was listed as the "Best Defensive Infielder" and was said to have the "Best Infield Arm" according to Baseball America's Aaron Fitt's "Top 10 Prospects: Washington Nationals" report, in spite of having committed 32 errors in 127 games at short for the Class-A Potomac Nationals in the 2007 season. 

-- Leonard Davis was nowhere to be found in Mr. Fitt's report after the 2007 season, in which the then-23-year-old outfielder hit a combined .285 with 33 doubles, 4 triples, 20 HR's and 66 RBI's at three levels of the Nationals' system, but after his 2008 campaign, Davis' name appeared in the Washington organizational report by MiLB.com writer Kevin T. Czerwinski entitled, "Nationals' farm hurt by injury bug", in which Mr. Czerwinski wrote:

"Davis was a largely nondescript player through four Minor League seasons before bursting onto the scene this year. He hit .332 in 217 at-bats with Potomac and then hit .488 in 41 at-bats at Harrisburg. He tailed off a bit at Columbus (.239 in 180 at-bats), but still had a marvelous season."

In an official Washington Nationals' Press Release on September 23rd of '08, Leonard Davis was named the Nationals' Minor League Player of the Year. 

FINAL AFL STATS...

Peoria Saguaros' Fielders...

Ian Desmond - SS - 28 G, 27 for 101, .267 AVG, 6 2B, 4 3B, 4 HR's, 17 RBI's, 4 SB, .364 OBP, .525 SLG, .888 OPS. 

Bill Rhinehart - 1B - 23 G, 30 for 92, .326 AVG, 11 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR's, 28 RBI's, 1 CS, .392 OBP, .598 SLG, .990 OPS.

Leonard Davis - OF - 22 G, 26 for 80, .325 AVG, 6 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR's, 15 RBI's, 2 SB, .415 OBP, .600 SLG, 1.015 OPS. 

Peoria Saguaros' Pitchers...

Adam Carr - RP - (0-1), 3.65 ERA, 2 SV, 12 G, 12.1 IP, 11 H, 5 ER, 0 HR, 3 BB, 8 K's.

Ross Detwiler - RP - (0-0), 4.63 ERA, 9 G, 11.2 IP, 16 H, 6 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 7 K's. 

Cory VanAllen - SP/RP - (2-1), 5.84 ERA, 8 G, 7 GS, 24.2 IP, 34 H, 16 ER, 3 HR, 6 BB, 30 K's. 

Zechry Zinicola - RP - (2-0), 6.89 ERA, 14 G, 2 SV, 15.2 IP, 21 H, 12 ER, 2 HR, 4 BB, 11 SO. 

TEIXEIRA TALK...

According to MLB.com's Bill Ladson and an anonymous "person familiar with (Mark) Teixeira" who is quoted in Mr. Ladson's article entitled, "Teixeira interested in playing for Nats", free agent first baseman Mark Teixeira is, "...from Maryland and is thinking about the possibility of playing in Washington." Mr. Ladson was unable to speak to Teixeira's agent Scott "Maximum" Boras, and the DC Brass no-commented, but Washington Post writer Chico Harlan was able to track down Mr. Boras, who is quoted in Mr. Harlan's Nationals Journal post entitled, "The Suitors Line Up", stating the obvious fact, "...that the interest in Mark Teixeira is widespread, and it's something we'll have to narrow here as we work through the process." (ed. note - "Oh this Boras guy is good...") FoxSports' writer Ken Rosenthal's article entitled, "Where will Teixeira mark his turf?", recognizes the Nationals as, "a major player" in the pursuit of Teixeira, but Mr. Rosenthal insults as he provides hope, writing, "It still appears doubtful that Teixeira will choose the Nationals...(but)...another Boras client, Alex Rodriguez, stunned the baseball world by joining the then-lowly Rangers."...and finally, e. chigliak at federalbaseball.com reports that he still has his doubts about all this...