San Francisco Giants News & Notes: Roster Expansion, AFL Roster
Arizona Fall League Rosters
Feb 23, 2014; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Clayton Blackbur (68) poses for a photo during photo day at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
On Tuesday, the Giants also announced the six players they would be sending to the Arizona Fall League, as part of the Scottsdale Scorpions.
Arizona Fall League rosters out: #sfgiants: Ps Clayton Blackburn, Ray Black, Adalberto Mejia, Dan Slania. IF Arroyo, Slater, OF Williamson.
— Henry Schulman BLUE CHECK MARK (@hankschulman) September 1, 2015
The Giants are sending three pitchers (righties Clayton Blackburn and Daniel Slania, and lefty Adalberto Mejia), two infielders (Christian Arroyo and Austin Slater) and an outfielder (Mac Williamson).
Blackburn has enjoyed an outstanding second half with Triple-A Sacramento. In 11 starts over July and August, Blackburn is 7-1 with a 2.15 ERA and 1.224 WHIP, along with 52 strikeouts compared to just 16 walks. He’s also shown that he can hit a little bit. On July 29th, he held the Las Vegas 51’s scoreless over seven innings, and hit a solo home run, and on August 31st, in a 1-0 victory, his RBI single was the game’s lone run. Very Bumgarner-esque.
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Slania has had a solid season with High-A San Jose, with a 3.56 ERA, 1.185 WHIP, and 16 saves in 56 games. Mejia started the year by serving a 50-game suspension, but was very good upon his return. He was 5-2 in nine starts, posting a very nice 2.58 ERA and 1.125 WHIP. He would miss about a month with a cranky shoulder, but recently returned with a relief appearance of two scoreless innings, striking out four.
Arroyo, the Giants’ 2013 first-round pick, has been very good for High-A San Jose, as evidenced by his .308/.348/.471 slash-line, 27 doubles, nine home runs, and 41 RBI. He’s missed time here and there with various injuries, however. Slater, 2014’s eighth-round pick, has moved quickly through the farm system, and has already moved up to Double-A Richmond. In 52 games with the Flying Squirrels, Slater has hit .304 with 11 doubles, 13 RBI, and 21 runs scored.
Williamson is the Giants’ big hitting prospect, and after missing most of 2014 following Tommy John surgery, he has bounced back with a nice 2015 with both Richmond and Sacramento. Combined, Williamson has batted .281/.371/.427, and has racked up 28 doubles, 10 home runs, 68 RBI, and 73 runs.