AFL Comes to a Close

The Fall League has come to a close, and it is now time for us all to relax for just a little bit.  Over all the Arizona Fall League was a great experience.  I met some great people from other organizations, and got to work on my craft for an extra couple months.  My Congratulations goes out to former college teammate Thad Weber and the Peoria Javelinas on their Fall League Championship. 
 
I would like to thank Jonathan Mayo on giving me the opportunity to do this blog.  Also thanks to the readers and people who left comments.  
This offseason I plan on taking about a week off of doing nothing and then getting back to the gym.  The giants have a couple offseason conditioning camps, one in December and one in January, and I will attend one of those. I look to get my body in the best shape possible and come into spring training as healthy as can be.  I do have a couple trips planned that I will enjoy with my girlfriend and some of our close friends.  It is a wierd feeling not having to wake up in the morning and head to the ballpark.  As a ballplayer you feel like a robot for 9 months out of the year, and then all of a sudden you shut it down just like that.  During the season basically every minute of everyday is consumed by this game we play.  So having some free time is definitely an awkward feeling, however very enjoyable.   
As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” so i will leave you with some action shots from the fall league.
Thanks to Joseph Pun for the photos.  Check out his website @ www.AZGIANTS.com. He is at every fall league game and has great coverage for giants fans not able to attend games in AZ. 

tumblr_kta5ylzhgB1qa433v.jpgProfessortumblr_kt33jmvZhu1qa433v.jpgJoeytumblr_ktdze25JKy1qa433v.jpgTurptumblr_kt892fgeB81qa433v.jpgBustertumblr_kt895hKDNW1qa433v.jpgEdlefsentumblr_ktdzieIptA1qa433v.jpgThomas

2 weeks left

Hey AFL fans and Giants fans of course!! This is Thomas Neal and I’m taking over this for week for Mr. Steve Edlefsen. Im sure he is at home relaxing next to the fireplace using all the bats that he has broken so far in the AFL while watching the brand new season of The Real Housewives of Orange County.
 First off, I would like to say its an honor and a blessing to be out here in AZ being able to play in the AFL. As many of you know it has been a long season for all of us. I think I speak for all of my teammates when I say, when your asked to play a little bit longer after your regular season your 1st reaction is “your joking right”… Then you soak it in and realize that your going to play in a league that is made up of every teams top prospects and tired goes out of the window. The way I see it, not only are you being given the chance to get better and play against the best players but your getting yourself ready …. So If you do make it to the big leagues and your ball club makes the playoffs, you have already been through an extra long season and mentally you will be ready for the challenge.
  
It’s been an awesome few weeks down here in the AZ. I’ve learned a lot, It’s really neat to watch other players that you don’t really know and you get to see how they go about their business, how they prepare themselves for games, ask other hitters what their approach at the plate is or ask pitchers what they are trying to do to different types of hitters. 
Here is a little background about myself. I was born in Inglewood, California but I was raised in San Diego, CA. I went to Poway High School Home of the Titans… I was drafted out of High School in the 36th round in 2005 but didn’t sign .. I chose to attend Riverside Community College for 1 year where I played for Dennis Rogers hands down one of the best baseball minds in ALL of baseball. I signed with the Giants a week after my season ended. I went and play short season in Salem where I tore my labrum in the middle of the season… I had surgery and missed all of 2007 basically … came back in 2008 played in Augusta but the shoulder was still not 100% and 2009 it was finally healthy 
 
Sfgyrosfan –  Im really not concentrating to much right now on hitting for power out here in the AFL because I know that will come if i have a good game plan and swing at good pitches.. Im really focused on having good At bats and not giving any ab’s away and just having a good approach and sticking to that appoach and in reality thats all I have control because once I hit it its out of my control. 
Rpitman2222-  Prior to this season I really worked on getting my body into shape so that i was able to stay healthy and strong throughout the entire season.. I’ve always known what I was capable of doing but in-order to prove that I had to stay healthy and getting into better shape was my main focus. Like i said in the comment before i’m really focused on having good ab’s and also showing the giants and everyone else that I can play with the best and show what im capable of doing against older guys… with the younger guys I do give them advice when they ask but I really just try and be and example by going out and working hard everyday and playing the game the way it should be played because actions speak louder than words 
thanks for the question I have to go but if you have any more questions for myself or any of the other giants ask them this is your chance talk to You guys later

First Week In The Books

Whats going on AFL fans! It has been a little over a week since my last entry and a lot has happened here in Scottsdale since.  The Scorpions sit at 5-4 just one game out of first place.  It has been a great week, getting to know my new teammates better and feeling out the competition.  

We had our first off day in the fall league and a few of us decided to try our luck on the links.  We headed to North Scottsdale to play Troon North, which just might be the nicest course i’ve played.  Myself, Danny Moskos, Brian Friday, and Tuffy “Tiger Woods” Gosewisch had a good time, mostly all of us admiring Tuffy’s annoyingly good golf game…Tuffy isn’t allowed to play with us anymore!
In the past week I have also had two more outings, one being very good, the other being very bad.  I have also gotten to see my teammate’s abilities even more and what they bring to the table.  There is some very good talent here but i will tell you about a few who have impressed me the most:
Domonic Brown – If you were to mold an outfielder on a video game, I’m sure it would appear eerily similar to this guy.   When scouts talk about 5-tool players, Browny is exactly what they mean. 
Brandon Crawford – Even though we are in the same organization, and we swapped cars for the summer after being moved, I still hadn’t seen Brandon play much.  Folks, if you come out to an AFL game, make sure to get there early enough to see him take groundballs during pregame.  The guy turns BP into an all out And 1 Mixtape tour event on the infield…just call him the Professor.  I dont know if i’ve ever seen anyone field like this guy.
Donnie Veal – You can see why the Pirates snagged him in the rule 5 draft and hung on to him all year.  He throws one of the heavier fastballs from the left side i’ve seen.  Once polished, he has front of the rotation type stuff to pitch in this game a long time.
Thank you to everyone who left comments and questions.  
Trauts – I am a relief pitcher, I have been a closer at times during my professional career, but our big league team has one of the best in Brian Wilson.  I will be willing to help the big league club in any capacity whenever I do get that call.

Jim and Ruth – Thanks for the suppport! This fall league I look to focus on working on my weaknesses.  The main thing just being able to command my sinker, and to get ahead of hitters.  My strength has been my ability to get ground balls with my sinker.
Katy – To answer your question, not many pitchers arms or bodies feel great at this point of the year.  The fall league does present a good opportunity to build arm strength and see how your arm will react to playing over 162 games.  You learn about yourself as a pitcher when you have to get good hitters out and you don’t have your best stuff.
Mike – Great question, I would say the most important thing I have learned has been mental.  Just trusting my stuff and realizing I dont need to make my pitches better than they already are.  Early on I would try to do too much and that lead to control issues.
Tom- Great to hear from you, I hope Troy is doing well.  Thank you for the kind words, San Jose has been a great place to play, and its fans like you that make it that way! Tell everyone hello for me!
Thomas Neal should be here next week, so any questions you have for him, this is your chance…

AFL INTRO… Scorpions 2-0

Hello from Scottsdale, AZ! I’m Steven Edlefsen and I am excited to have been asked to give a little perspective on the Giants’ side of the Arizona Fall League. Hang with me, this is my first blogging experience. Ill try and keep it as interesting as possible. First off, and I think I speak for all of my teammates, I feel honored and blessed to be participating in this prestigious league. So many household names have participated in the AFL in it’s short history. Even though we are only two games into the season, I can tell you many of the players I have seen will be as well in the coming years.   The reality that many of us are exhausted from a long season and ready for a break to hunt, fish, golf or just plain relax almost goes completely away. It is so refreshing to see new faces, and the talents they bring to the table. With all of the major league uniforms mixed in, it almost does feel like an all star game everyday. 

I’ll start with a little background of myself.  I am originally from Bloomington, MN (yes we play baseball up there.) I spent the majority of my collegiate career as a shortstop.  I attended Barton County Community College in Kansas and played for the great Mike “Skip” Warren.  I was drafted after my freshman season by the Boston Red Sox but did not sign.  I had Tommy John Surgery my sophomore year and redshirted, then transferred to THE University of Nebraska.  I spent my first season there in the infield before also adding pitching my junior year.  The Giants then drafted me as a young and somewhat immature pitcher.  The last 2 1/2 seasons has been a learning experience spending time at nearly every stop in the Giants system.  I have learned a great deal during my short professional career, this last season being the most significant.  I look at this fall season as an opportunity to improve and learn even more while playing against the best competition the minor leagues’ has to offer.
So far the league has been a breath of fresh air, a relaxed atmosphere with guys looking to show they are ready for the big leagues. I’m writing this the morning after an extra inning win for the Scorpions, and we now sit at 2-0.  I got my first outing out of the way, snaking out a win, by throwing a scoreless 9th as we scored 2 in the 10th for a 3-1 victory.  
In the coming weeks I will try to have some of the other Giants here, giving their perspective on their experiences as well.  Send any questions you have for me or the other Giants and I will do my best to answer all of them.  
Talk Soon,
Steven