• AFL notes: Jeremy Jeffress hits 101 mph

  • By Jason Grey | November 8, 2010 8:10:32 AM PST
The story of the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars game might not have been the walk-off homer that ended it, or that New York Yankees starter Manny Banuelos was touching 95 mph in a short stint, the best velocity he has shown in the AFL (he'll typically throw 90-92 and touch 93 mph as a starter, but it's nice to know a little extra is in there). Rather, it was Milwaukee Brewers prospect Jeremy Jeffress, whose name I've mentioned a lot recently, hitting 101 mph on the stadium gun, multiple scouts' guns and Pitch F/X, as well. It might have been Jeffress' coming-out party to show he's ready to compete for an opening day role in the Brewers' bullpen next season after showing his best stuff across consecutive outings, and it's not hard to see him showing off that stuff in the ninth inning for the Brewers, not the eighth.With that, here are a few notes, live from the AFL:• After writing about relievers last week, I was asked about a couple of Washington Nationals pitchers here at the AFL, Brad Peacock and Cole Kimball.The 22-year-old Peacock has been a pretty nondescript starter in the minor leagues since being drafted in the 41st round in 2006 out of a Miami, Fla., high school. But he appears to have taken well to his first time pitching out of the bullpen here, and I wouldn't be surprised if that was the right-hander's role going forward. Peacock has been sitting at 94-95 mph on the gun with an 83-84 mph slider that he throws strikes with, even if it breaks a little too early at times. He also has a changeup, but I haven't seen him throw it except in warm-ups.Kimball was picked in the 12th round in the same draft as Peacock, and is finishing his second year since being converted to relief work. Kimball, a 25-year-old right-hander with some interesting stuff, has been sitting at 92-94 mph with a good breaking ball, a 78-81 mph curve with a three-quarters break that he appears to have a feel for and can throw for strikes. He also features a high-80s split that isn't anything more than a chase pitch, but does what it's supposed to do in diving out of the zone to give hitters a different look. Ultimately, he's probably a middle-inning guy who can give you some length out of the 'pen, rather than a late-inning consideration.While both are interesting pitchers with chances at big league careers (particularly Kimball), I don't see either profiling as a threat to Drew Storen as the future closer.• I was also asked about Texas Rangers reliever Fabio Castillo, who "really came into his own this season," according to one scout I talked to who follows the Rangers' system extensively. Castillo has been between 94 and 96 mph and touched 97 multiple times here at the Fall League, and the 21-year-old righty struck out 65 in 51 2/3 innings, walking just 26 and allowing just two homers, in a tough pitching environment in the Class A Cal League this past season. Castillo's fastball has good late movement, running in on right-handed hitters. I've heard he calls his breaking ball a hard curve, but it looks more like an 86-88 mph slider that projects to be a solid-average pitch. He also throws an 86-88 mph straight changeup that he will occasionally tip by slowing his arm speed, though he does throw strikes with it. The negatives are that Castillo has below-average command of his fastball right now, and his delivery is scary, flying open as he whips the ball toward the plate with a huge amount of recoil and a ton of stress on his arm. It's intriguing raw ability, and he profiles as a potential setup man for fantasy purposes, but it's hard to see his arm staying healthy over the long haul with those mechanics.• The Rising Stars game ended when 28-year-old Cuban defector Leslie Anderson of the Tampa Bay Rays took a 1-0 pitch from Colorado Rockies reliever Bruce Billings deep to break a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the ninth. What was interesting about it was that Billings has spent the entire AFL throwing almost nothing but fastballs. He has both a slider and a changeup but has rarely used them here. He hits 94 mph routinely, and unlike a lot of the pitchers out here, he has some semblance of fastball command. But he picked a bad time to throw a poorly located 85 mph changeup. Just like the Nationals, the Rockies have sent some interesting relievers to pitch here, but the bottom line for fantasy players is neither Billings nor Adam Jorgenson projects to be a future big league late-inning guy like Rex Brothers does.Coming up later this week: Profiles of San Francisco Giants second-base prospect Charlie Culberson, and Kansas City Royals first-base prospect Eric Hosmer.

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