Arizona Fall League Summary: 10/14

Peoria faced off against the Glendale Desert Dogs on Monday, and they lost 5-1 falling to 2-3 on the season. This was a quiet game from an Astros perspective. Nolan Fontana was the only Houston player to appear in the game.

Fontana batted second and played shortstop for the Javelinas. In four at bats, Fontana went 0-4 with two strikeouts, and saw his average fall to .182 thus far this fall.

For a player like Fontana, the Arizona Fall League is an interesting endeavor. So far in his minor league career, the highest level Fontana has played at is High-A where he spent all of 2013. The shortstop did have success in Lancaster, but it also must be noted that he was playing in a hitter friendly park and league. However, since he is not a power hitter, and the concern with Fontana is more about getting on base via line drives, that is not too much of an issue to me in evaluating him.

However, to me the bigger issue for Fontana, is competing against a higher level of competition than he is used to this fall. For example, Alex Meyer the starter yesterday for Glendale is a consensus Top 50 prospect and pitched in AA last season and will likely be in the majors next season. There will be some adjustments for Fontana in addition to what he needs to work on this offseason.

Nolan Fontana (photo by Nora Wall)