The Arizona Fall League wrapped up its season earlier this month, as the Phoenix Desert Dogs claimed the title over the Surprise Scorpions by a score of 9-3. The Dogs were led by a four-hit, two-home run performance by Dodgers prospect Matt Kemp en route to their second straight championship. In fact, the leadoff hitter had the team’s only two hits through the first five innings.

Kemp finished the season with an impressive 17-game hitting streak, but his home run was definitely the turning point in the game, and the season. "I was just looking for a ball to hit," Kemp told MinorLeagueBaseball.com. "They were calling a lot of balls down low, so I went down and got one."

While playing for Double-A Vero Beach this season, Kemp hit .306 (128-for-418) with 27 home runs, 90 RBI and 23 stolen bases. A clutch five-tool talent like that could find a spot on the Dodgers roster as early as next season. With Jose Cruz, Ricky Ledee and Jayson Werth currently manning the position, Kemp is worth taking a chance on in the late-rounds of your keeper league.

The Desert Dogs had seven players on their roster that made the Arizona Fall League All-Star game, including Kemp. The others included outfielders Andre Ethier (.366, 21 RBI) and Jarred Ball (.321, 13 RBI), catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia (.288), shortstop Stephen Drew (.337, six HR, 17 RBI), right-handed pitcher Jamie Shields (2-1, 1.74) and closer Casey Daigle (2-0, five saves). Other notables included 1B Kendry Morales (.380, 18 RBI), 1B Garrett Jones (nine HR, 30 RBI), 2B Howie Kendrick (.380, five HR, 17 RBI), Brandon Wood (14 HR, 32 RBI – both tops in the league) and Eric Duncan (.362, eight HR, 27 RBI).

Major News Around the Diamond

Rumors continue to swirl that the Red Sox will acquire Josh Beckett and Mike Lowell from the Marlins for prospects Hanley Ramirez, Anibal Sanchez and a player to be named later. We all know what Beckett and Lowell will bring to the table, but what about these other guys?

Ramirez is a 21-year-old shortstop that batted .271 (126-for-465) with six home runs, 52 RBI and 26 stolen bases. He’s a five-tool player with good range a strong arm. In fact, he’s been the number one prospect in the organization for a few years now, after signing at the tender age of 16. Assuming he heads to Florida, it’s just a matter of time before he takes over Alex Gonzalez’s job.

Sanchez features a mid-90s fastball, a decent curveball and a nasty changeup. What’s not to love about a 21-year-old pitcher that strikes out more than ten hitters per nine innings. He went 6-1 with 95 strikeouts and just 24 walks in 78.2 innings for Class A+ Wilmington. Presently, he’s the most anonymous player involved in the blockbuster, but actually could be the steal of the deal down the road. Fans thought the Marlins brass was idiotic when they dealt Antonio Alfonseca and Matt Clement to the Cubs in exchange for an unknown hurler named Dontrelle – that turned out pretty good.

Overall, the move makes a lot of sense for both clubs; with Boston’s deep pockets, they’ll bolster their pitching staff with a reliable flame-thrower in Beckett, who’ll make a great compliment to Curt Schilling. Beckett made $2.4 million last year, but will be in store for a hefty raise after his 15-win, 166-strikeout 2005 campaign. The Marlins made sure to include Lowell in the deal because the veteran is commanding a $9 million salary each of the next two seasons. His departure will help the Fish make a run at going after a more affordable, and more dependable option at the hot corner – as well as retaining Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera for long-term deals. Lowell’s coming off a miserable season in which he batted just .236 with eight home runs in 500 at-bats. Carlos Delgado, who will make $9.5 million next season, could be the next player moved on the Marlins roster.

Offseason Plans

Now that the baseball season is officially through, Minor League Spotlight will focus on a different phenom in the junior ranks each week. Players report to spring training in about four months, so we should be able to showcase seven or eight of the premiere prospects in the game to help you with your keeper league drafts.

Have a great Thanksgiving everybody!