AFL All-Star Break: check-in

Before we get to the AFL All-Star Game wrap, here is a brief update on where all the White Sox are at in Arizona.

Luis Robert

Robert is hitting .341/.400/.439 in his 10 games. He did miss time for injury — typical Robert — but came back swinging like usual. He is 2-for-2 on stolen base attempts, with one home run, Robert’s first of 2018. Other than his homer, Robert has only one other extra-base hit, a double.

Luis Basabe

Basabe has not done well of late, and actually has played in fewer games than Robert. He is slashing .192/.353.192 so far in the AFL. Though Basabe is not showing much with his bat, his approach is at least something to note. His OBP has improved to .340, which is a good sign even in the small sample size. Basabe also has shown his speed, with two stolen bases, and got a stellar scouting report from 2080 Baseball.

Zack Burdi

Not so great news on Burdi. There were reports from Arizona this fall of his velocity not improving from the regular season, with a fastball hovering around 95 mph fastball. After only 4 ²⁄₃ innings pitched in the AFL, Burdi was shut down due to fatigue. Burdi was able to achieve good results, but arm fatigue is much more important than AFL stats.

Laz Rivera

Though Rivera is not playing at his mid-2018 season level, he still has flashed some positives. He currently owns a .255/.294/.321 slash line, mostly playing second base, with just one error. Rivera has come up with multiple timely hits, and even had a four-hit game. The climb up the White Sox prospect ranks should continue on to 2019.

Tanner Banks

After a sneaky-good season with Winston-Salem and Birmingham that featured a 3.13 FIP with the Dash and 3.87 FIP as a Baron, Banks has kept his success going. In 15 ²⁄₃ AFL innings, Banks has a 2.87 ERA, with seven strikeouts and just two walks. However, a 1.34 WHIP indicates he has gotten himself into jams too often. The results continue to be there for Banks, but with a Rule-5 draft question coming soon, Banks is pitching to force himself onto a team’s 40-man roster.

Zach Thompson

Thompson started out well, but had a bad game on Friday, the last before the All-Star Game. In 8 ²⁄₃ innings, Thompson has a 4.15 ERA, with 12 strikeouts and three walks. However, the ERA could be worse, as Thompson gave up a three-run homer that was counted as unearned runs due to an error with two outs. He has been the chosen closer for the Desert Dogs, with a team lead of two saves, so he still has put together clean innings.

Danny Dopico

Dopico was a late addition to the AFL roster, but has turned in a good showing from the bullpen. Dopico was great in Winston-Salem, with a 2.62 FIP in 2018, but has not shown much in terms of pitching arsenal. It has been more of the same for Dopico in the AFL, with a 2.79 ERA. The walks are a bit high (five in 9 ²⁄₃ innings), but he does have 12 strikeouts. Yep: Just another Sox prospect doing well in the AFL.

AFL West 7, AFL East 6

Luis Robert (DH): 0-for-2, 0 BB, 0 K

Robert represented the AFL West in this matchup.

and he received a decent review from a scout.

In Robert’s first at-bat, he came out swinging but could not find a hole.

Since Robert is a DH in this All-Star Game, the only videos available are from his four at-bats. Unfortunately, he didn’t get on base in the game.

Robert struck out in his third and fourth plate appearance. It was not a great day at the plate for him, but people were excited about his bat speed on Twitter, which is an upside if you think about it.

While Robert did not help the cause, the West was able to win the game in walk-off fashion in the ninth, 7-6.