Allen, Rivas, Deichmann, Feigl & Gossett Headline A’s AFL Squad

by Bill Moriarity / A’s Farm Editor

While most baseball fans are focused on the drama of major league pennant races and postseason play in the fall, it’s also an important time for some of the minor leagues’ top prospects. And starting on Wednesday, some of the A’s most promising young prospects will begin play in the Arizona Fall League.

2019 marks the 28th season of the Arizona Fall League. This year, the league schedule runs for five and a half weeks from mid-September through late October. There are six teams in the AFL, with each team comprised of prospects from five different organizations. A’s prospects will be playing for the Mesa Solar Sox again this year, where they’ll be joined by players from the Angels, Tigers, Indians and Cubs.

Attendance at AFL games typically hovers in the 200s, with crowds comprised largely of scouts, agents and various professional baseball personnel. Organizations primarily use the AFL as an opportunity to get some of their top prospects a little more live game action and hopefully help advance their development.

Some of the A’s most interesting young hitting prospects like shortstop Nick Allen, outfielder Greg Deichmann and first baseman Alfonso Rivas will be seeing action in Arizona this year, while the A’s AFL pitching contingent will be comprised of promising young pitchers like Brady Feigl, Jesus Zambrano and Jhenderson Hurtado as well as righty Daniel Gossett, who’s making his way back from Tommy John surgery.

 

–A’s Prospects in the AFL in 2019–

 

Greg Deichmann

Outfielder

Age: 24

Midland RockHounds (AA)

340 PA / 11 HR / 34 BB / 103 K / .219 AVG / .300 OBP / .375 SLG / .675 OPS

After serving as one of the top sluggers at LSU, the A’s made Deichmann their 2^nd-round pick in the 2017 draft. He got off to a good start at Vermont in 2017, but injuries have since caused him to miss significant time and have slowed his progress. The left-handed hitter missed over three months of the season at Stockton in 2018 and ended up hitting .199 in just 47 games for the Ports. He managed to make it into 80 games for Midland this year, hitting 11 home runs and showing surprising speed by swiping 19 bases for the RockHounds. But Deichmann did ring up 103 strikeouts in just 301 at-bats this season. Now that he’s healthy again, he’ll have the chance in the AFL to work on refining his approach at the plate so that he can hopefully tap into his full power potential.

 

Alfonso Rivas

First Baseman

Age: 23

Stockton Ports (A+) / Las Vegas Aviators (AAA)

543 PA / 9 HR / 68 BB / 120 K / .292 AVG / .387 OBP / .423 SLG / .810 OPS

Taken by the A’s with their 4^th-round pick in last year’s draft, the organization had the first baseman skip Beloit and sent him straight to Stockton for his first full-season assignment, and the left-handed hitter didn’t disappoint. Rivas, who was known for his plate discipline in college, led Stockton with 122 hits and a .383 on-base percentage in 2019. When Seth Brown was promoted to Oakland in late August, Rivas got the opportunity to finish the season with Triple-A Las Vegas, where all he did was slash .406/.441/.625 in 8 regular-season games for the Aviators. And with his first full-season in the A’s system a clear success, Rivas will look to bolster his reputation further in the AFL this fall.

 

Nick Allen

Shortstop

Age: 20

Stockton Ports (A+)

328 PA / 3 HR / 28 BB / 52 K / .292 AVG / .363 OBP / .434 SLG / .797 OPS

Always known for his slick work in the field, Allen solidified his reputation as a defense-first shortstop at Beloit in 2018, when he slashed .239/.301/.302 for the Snappers in his first full-season stint. But 2017’s 3^rd-round draft pick for the A’s seemed to add a little muscle in the offseason and started hitting the ball with a lot more authority this spring in Arizona. And he immediately met with plenty of success at the plate as soon as the season got started. Allen put up an impressive slash line of .292/.363/.434 over 72 games for Stockton in 2019. On a team with guys like Austin Beck and Lazaro Armenteros on the roster, the 5-foot-9 infielder was leading the squad in extra-base hits when he landed on the injured list with an ankle injury at the end of June. And Allen will now have the opportunity to see if he can pick up where he left off in the AFL.

 

Daniel Gossett

Right-Handed Pitcher

Age: 26

DID NOT PLAY IN 2019

After making a combined 23 starts for the A’s in 2017 and 2018, Gossett has been sidelined ever since undergoing Tommy John surgery in the summer of 2018. The former 2^nd-round draft pick for the A’s in 2014 compiled a 2.87 ERA in 23 career appearances at Triple-A while putting up an ERA of 5.91 during his time in the majors. Gossett has thrown batting practice and bullpen sessions but has yet to participate in actual games, so he’ll have the chance to get back into live-game action in the AFL for the first time since his surgery.

 

Brady Feigl

Right-Handed Pitcher

Age: 23

Stockton Ports (A+)

134.1 IP / 148 H / 66 ER / 35 BB / 119 K / 4.42 ERA / 1.36 WHIP

Last year’s 5^th-round draft pick for the A’s has already made plenty of progress since joining the A’s system last season. Skipping right over Beloit this year, Feigl finished the season as one of Stockton’s top starters. The righty was one of the best starting pitchers in the California League in the first half, putting up an ERA of just 3.03 over his first 13 starts. He hit a bit of a road bump in the second half though, when he endured a number of rocky outings, but Feigl still finished the season with the seventh-best ERA among qualified starters in the hitter-friendly Cal League. He’ll have the opportunity to get back on track and try to replicate his strong first-half performance in the AFL this fall.

 

Jesus Zambrano

Right-Handed Pitcher

Age: 23

Midland RockHounds (AA) / Stockton Ports (A+)

73.1 IP / 60 H / 12 ER / 21 BB / 63 K / 1.47 ERA / 1.10 WHIP

The 23-year-old Venezuelan righty was one of the best relievers in the A’s system this season. After spending all of last year with Beloit, Zambrano started out this season in Stockton, where he notched 31 strikeouts in 28 2/3 innings of work. His performance with the Ports earned him a promotion to Midland in late May, where he put up an ERA of just 1.21 while posting 7 saves in 28 relief appearances for the RockHounds. And Zambrano will have the chance to continue his recent run of bullpen dominance in the AFL this fall.

 

Jhenderson Hurtado

Left-Handed Pitcher

Age: 23

Beloit Snappers (A) / Vermont Lake Monsters (A) / Midland RockHounds (AA) / Stockton Ports (A+)

59.1 IP / 39 H / 15 ER / 27 BB / 77 K / 2.28 ERA / 1.11 WHIP

The 23-year-old Venezuelan lefty bounced all around the A’s system this season, but he performed well almost everywhere he landed. While Hurtado began pitching in the Dominican League in 2014 at the age of 18 and made his U.S. debut in 2017, he’s yet to throw more than a handful of innings above A-ball. The southpaw saw most of his action this season at Beloit, where he notched 38 strikeouts in 31 innings while posting an ERA of 2.61 for the Snappers. And he’ll get the chance to try to open some eyes in the AFL this fall.

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