New York Yankees prospect Greg Bird was named the winner of the Joe Black MVP Award in the Arizona Fall League. Bird led the AFL with six homers and 21 runs scored, while finishing second in hits (31), RBI (21) and total bases (55). He batted .313 and had a .556 slugging percentage, and opened the season with a 16-game hitting streak. Bird was also the MVP of the Fall Stars Game, where he blasted a 450-foot home run.
Jim Callis highlighted the Best Performer and Best Prospect for all 30 MLB contingents in Arizona and chose the following two players for the Mets:
Best Performance: The son of former All-Star Lee Mazzilli, L.J. Mazzilli hit .306/.433/.469. He’s an offensive-minded second baseman with gap power and a sound approach.
Best Prospect: Outfielder Brandon Nimmo has average or better tools across the board, but they didn’t shine through in Arizona. He hit .202/.306/.238 and didn’t resolve the questions about his power — tallying three extra-base hits (all doubles) in 84 at-bats.
Mazzilli put together a very similar .301/.361/.440 slash line in his first full professional season, splitting his time between Single-A Savannah and Advanced-A St. Lucie.
“He’s a really good hitter,” batting coach Val Pascucci told columnist Ken Davidoff. “He’s got great hands when he doesn’t try to do too much. When he stays within himself, he’s got a good approach to the plate. He doesn’t give away at-bats. He goes up and he battles, especially with two strikes. He lays off some close pitches. So he knows the strike zone pretty well.
“He’s got a little more pop I think than people really think he does. When he turns those hard line drives, they get some backspin and end up as home runs.”
Marc Carig of Newsday writes that during his stint in the Arizona Fall League, Matt Reynolds surprised some scouts with his ability to handle the defensive rigors of shortstop. One talent evaluator came away impressed with Reynolds’ instincts at the position.
“I wasn’t buying in during the year,” the scout said. “But the more I stacked him up with some other guys in the AFL, the more I’m convinced he can be a steady all-around player.”
Reynolds said his experience on the lightning-quick infield at Triple-A Las Vegas accelerated his growth at shortstop.
“I’ve gotten a lot better with my hands and being able to read the hops and everything,” Reynolds said. “That all comes from repetition and just playing in games, taking ground balls.”
