AFL Report: Diaz, Wisdom, and More

After swinging a hot bat the second half of the season, Aledmys Diaz is continuing to lead the St. Louis Cardinals prospects in the Arizona Fall League. The shortstop is batting .294 (5-17) with a home run in the six games he’s played in for the Surprise Saguaros.

Besides Diaz, Patrick Wisdom has also seen significant time in the Fall League. The third baseman has 12 total bases (.269, 7-26) in the seven games he’s played in for the Saguaros.

“The tools are there,” said MLB.com’s Jim Callis, who is covering the games in Arizona and would like to see more consistency from the third baseman. “Wisdom’s got the tools–he’s got a cannon arm. He has a chance to be a very good defender at third. He’s got some power. I thought he turned the corner this year, actually at mid-season his numbers looked very good and then kind of really slumped in the second half–particularly in August.”

Wisom’s averaged peaked at .284 on July 17th and he finished at .237 for Springfield.

“In an ideal he world, he maybe hits .250 with 15-20 homers and plays really good defense at third base,” said Callis.

Callis had not yet had a chance to see catcher Michael Ohlman, who has appeared in three games. He has a pair of hits–one being a home run.

Outfielder Charlie Tilson has only played in a pair of games (1-8) but does have a stolen base.

“There’s some guys who are only active on Wednesdays and Sunday,” explained Callis, who has watched the steady progress from Tilson from the centerfielder’s high school days. “He’s gotten to Double-A, he’s hit for average. He continues to run well–speed’s his best tool. It’ll be interesting. Ultimately…he’s never going to be a power hitter, but his ability to drive the ball on at least a sporadic basis, I think that will determine whether he’s an everyday player in the long run or a useful fourth outfielder who can really run.”

An in-depth look at the St. Louis Cardinals pitching prospects in the Arizona Fall League is also now posted.

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