The first week of the Arizona Fall League is complete and there have been quite a few stars already. The first development has been the mandatory usage of the Rawlings S100 helmet. This helmet will be required in Minor League Baseball in 2010, but is getting a head start in the AFL. The Minor Leagues and the AFL will again be the guinea pig for Major League Baseball so as to phase in the helmet, so the next generation of players will be familiar with the S100 and be more likely to continue to wear the helmet in the big leagues. A few MLB players wore the helmet at the end of the 2009 season and the biggest complaint was its size and how uncomfortable they are. Many of the AFL players were all for the extra protection as long as it wasn’t too enormous. Many mentioned that the helmets were too big, a little heavy, and didn’t look great, but stated that the extra protection should be good once they got used to them. Brandon Allen of the Arizona Diamondbacks believed the padding inside was a little too think and “it kind of gets your head claustrophobic a little bit…”

After the first week, Surprise Rafters infielder Brandon Laird (Yankees) shared Player of the Week honors while leading the AFL in hitting (.625). In Laird’s first two games, he was 9-for-11. He also had 7 RBIs for the week. On Opening Day, another Surprise player, first baseman Ike Davis (Mets), hit a grand slam and finished the game 4-for-6 with 6 RBIs. Davis is tied for the league lead in RBIs after the first week. It took the Surprise Rafters, made up of minor leaguers from the KC Royals, NY Yankees, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, and NY Mets, until Saturday to lose their first game. Peoria Javelinas infielder Scott Sizemore (Tigers) has also been making an impression, as he has crushed 3 homeruns (league leader) and now nine RBIs. Sizemore is being looked at as taking over the starting second baseman’s job for the Tigers in 2010. Domonic Brown (Phillies) of the Scottsdale Scorpions is one of only 3 players who has played in all of the games in the first week, while also leading the league in at-bats. Four of Brown’s six hits have come for extra-bases (3 doubles and 1 HR).

In his professional debut, Phoenix Desert Dogs starting pitcher, and number one overall pick, Stephen Strasburg (Nationals) tossed 3.1 scoreless innings, giving up just 2 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts. It is hard to dictate who will be the pitcher to watch in the AFL because starters don’t usually go deep into games (especially early on) and an example would be the Rafters Mike Parisi (Cardinals) as the only starting pitcher to throw five innings in the first week. Mesa Solar Sox reliever Dustin Richardson (Red Sox), who was a late season call-up to the Boston Red Sox this season, has struck out five while allowing just 2 base runners in his 3.1 innings of work. The Solar Sox pitchers have struck out a league-high 51 batters in the first week of the season.

If anyone reading this happens to be in Arizona and the Scottsdale area on Friday 10/23, I suggest going to Scottsdale Stadium and checking out the Scottsdale Scorpions game against the Peoria Javelinas. 10/23 is the third annual Pat Tillman Foundation Benefit Night, with ½ the gate receipts going to the Pat Tillman Foundation along with the proceeds from a sports memorabilia auction before and during the game. Eric Byrnes of the Arizona Diamondbacks will be honored for his fundraising efforts on behalf of the Tillman Foundation. Plus you’ll get to see great baseball between some of the game’s brightest up-and-coming stars. After the September 11th attacks, Pat Tillman put his NFL career with the Arizona Cardinals on hold to serve his country. The Foundation was formed in 2004, following Tillman’s death while serving with the 75th Ranger Regiment in Afghanistan.