I have seen Stryker Trahan play in one game since being drafted by Arizona. He homered in that game and I still don’t think the ball has landed. Many folks around the baseball world might not have heard the name Stryker Trahan before, but you will. The crop of young catchers that is working it’s way up the ranks in baseball is awesome to see and Trahan is one of the guys that is leading the pack. I understand that the statistics are not going to stop you in your tracks, but Trahan hit .281 with five bombs and an OPS that is almost off the charts. Let’s all remember something, the guy is 18-years-old, so a lot of work is still to be done. But, for a high school aged kid, he has the potential to play a big role down the road for this organization.

Trahan is set to learn from some of the best in the business as he continues his journey to the show.

Some have said that Trahan will not last as a major-league catcher due to being somewhat lackluster defensively and that he fits better in a corner of the outfield. To that I say, we will see. The development a catcher goes through is so vast that Stryker may be a great backstop, but only time will tell. As far as speed goes, Trahan has above average wheels for a catcher. Watching Stryker  offensively is going to be fun over the next few years because this 18-year-old certainly has the power and talent to be great. A young, strong, possibly converted catcher turned onto majorleague all-star. Ring any bells? It’s early, but we may have another Bryce Harper on our hands.

Pitchers and catchers report in 19 days.

AFL pitcher of the week Chase Anderson was most impressive in his Rising Stars appearance Saturday night.

On the heals of receiving the AFL pitcher of the week leading up to the Rising Stars game, the 24 year old Chase Anderson (AA Mobile) put together the most impressive pitching outing of the evening throwing a pair of shutout innings while collecting four strikeouts. After retiring the first batter in the fourth, the right hander surrendered back-to-back singles before fanning the next two hitters to stomp out any chance of a rally. All of Anderson’s pitches seemed to have movement and his breaking ball was down-right dirty with nobody touching it on this evening.

“I was hoping for an opportunity to play in this league this year,” said Anderson, who missed most of 2011 with an injury, but jumped back on the map with a strong 2012. “I wanted to do this at the beginning of the year.”

Chris Owings (AA Mobile) got the start at shortstop and collected a hit, stole a base and scored a run before being replaced at the start of the fifth inning.

The show was [quite literally] stolen by Reds prospect Billy Hamilton however who showcased once again just how much of a nuisance the switch hitter can be on the base paths. He led off the game with a walk and quickly swiped second base before using a delayed steal to find his way on third base. He would score easily on a double later in the at bat. The fifth inning offered another example of how dangerous he can be as he laid down a drag bunt up the first baseline and as first baseman Jonathon Singleton hurried his throw he sailed it into right field allowing the speedster to advance all the way to third with a run scoring.

Watching Hamilton in person for the first time was a treat and really opened my eyes to just how electric this player can be. He is the type of guy that has enough energy to play doubleheaders daily and still go out for a night on the town. “I’m always energized,” Hamilton said. “I never get tired. When I feel tired, I tell myself to get up.” That’s the truth. As he led off third in the fifth (bouncing up and down) it was as if his natural energy sent him nearly three quarters of the way towards home before retreating as the pitcher stepped off. Perhaps he was about to steal home or perhaps he didn’t realize just how far he was- either way, the crowd took notice and got a little chuckle out of Hamilton’s big smile. That’s my game,” Hamilton said. “I like to bring fun, a little excitement. I bring a lot of energy.”

One other notable prospect was the East’s leadoff hitter, Brian Goodwin of the Washington Nationals (AA Harrisburg) as he smacked a leadoff the game homerun and added another run and a pair of RBI’s to his line. He nearly had one more double but [recently turned] shortstop-turned-centerfielder Billy Hamilton ran out to the warning track to make a diving catch saving at least one run and rob Goodwin of an extra base.

“This was more fun than I thought it would be,” said Goodwin, the No. 67 prospect in the league. “I met some new guys, we played the game we love and we came out with a win. What else are you playing for?”

This was definitely the vibe during a perfect evening in Scottsdale with an AFL record 5,713 people. Offense was aplenty and in a game that historically 72.6% of participants will see the major leagues in some regard, us as fans got a glimpse of the bright future of professional baseball. Not to mention, as an added bonus for attending this game we were given free tickets to the AFL Championship game coming up on November 17th.

Follow me on Twitter at @ndougherty313 and our team at @venomstrikes.

On Monday, the Blue Jays were granted permission to speak with Matt Williams about the managerial opening north of the border. Should we be worried? No. I don’t see Matty taking a job in Toronto. That being said, the fact that the Colorado Rockies have spoken to Matt concerns me a bit. Williams is currently managing many young players for the Rockies in the AFL. Maybe this is just the selfish side of me speaking but I don’t want to see Matt Williams leave, and I certainly don’t want to see him in another NL West teams uniform. Matty was there from the start in 1998 when the “BOB” was the hot spot in Phoenix. He was there in 2001, and we all know what happened that year! I’m interested to see this situation play out but I think I speak for most D’Backs fans when I say i don’t  want to see Williams gone.

In news that isn’t causing me to lose sleep, the team has declined options on catcher, Henry Blanco and relief pitcher, Matt Lindstrom. Hmmm, maybe we could have another Chris Snyder sighting in the desert? I don’t think so. However, the Astros declined the option on Snyder on Tuesday, making him a free agent. The decision to decline Blanco’s option shouldn’t really come as a surprise as the 41 year-old hit .188 in very limited action last year and chose not to sign my D’Backs poster at spring training (I know, i know, that’s beside the point!) As far as Lindstrom goes, the violent throwing right-hander can play a role in any bullpen in the league, except for ours I guess. The D’Backs bought out the 32 year old for $200,000. I see Lindstrom getting signed by somebody for a short-term fix and based on the fact that Matt has pitched for 4 teams in 2 years, my thoughts aren’t too far fetched.  Ever since Ryan Roberts left, it seems like the team is just trying to free up tattoo space in the clubhouse.

Is it too early to start the countdown until pitchers and catchers report? No? Okay! 110 days.