The Phillies 2022 AFL group opened action today as part of the Surprise Saguaros - they played against the Salt River Rafters in an 11 to 6 win. Pitchers Francisco Morales, Cristian Hernandez, Brett Schulze & Taylor Lehman along with outfielders Johan Rojas & Jhailyn Ortiz and first baseman Carlos De La Cruz are on the club. Jake Elmore is serving as the team’s hitting coach. The Phillies are part of a Saguaros roster that includes players & coaches from the Pirates, Rangers, Royals and Astros.
In today’s action center fielder Johan Rojas shined - he went 3 for 4 at the plate with a walk, RBI and stolen base. The mercurial Rojas also excelled on defense as he made a diving catch and hit a sprint speed of 29 FT/second on the grab when he ranged from an initial spot in straight away center to the right center field gap ! Here’s a link to video of the catch - https://twitter.com/mlbpipeline/status/1577058274398318592?s=21&t=MyUiYqsf51iGJSjyvSAncQ
Francisco Morales was the only other Phillies player to get into the game today, the hard throwing right hander pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings allowing just one hit and striking out two of the five batters he faced. Rojas’s catch was in support of Francisco and was the first out of the 8th inning.
Good start for the Saguaros !
File photo taken by Casey Burns