NewsMarlins' Petersen productive in Mesa
Outfield prospect plates four in latest offensive outburst
By Paige Schector / MLB.com
11/10/09 6:22 PM EST
Bryan Petersen went into the 2009 season wanting to be more consistent. And judging by his performance with Southern League-champion Jacksonville and in the Arizona Fall League, he's reached that goal.Petersen has hit safely in 15 of 16 games he's played in for Mesa and boosted his average to .419 by going 3-for-4 with four RBIs in the Solar Sox's 6-4 win over the Surprise Rafters on Tuesday afternoon.
The Marlins outfield prospect, who is second only to the Peoria Saguaros' Matt McBride (Indians) in batting, finished a triple short of the cycle. He's scored 16 runs and plated 11 more during his AFL stint.
"I saw some pitches early and got to work some good counts," Petersen said. "We're all pretty tired out here. You have to work on trying to stay mentally focused in these long games."
The AFL season, complete with an appearance in last Saturday's Rising Stars Showcase, is capping off a big year for Petersen. The 2007 fourth-rounder hit .297 with seven homers and 49 RBIs over 121 games with Double-A Jacksonville.
"I've just been blessed that the Marlins put me here," Petersen said. "The regular season was a lot of fun, probably the most fun I had in a long time, just being in the trenches with those guys and winning a championship.
"It kind of snowballed into this. [The AFL] has been a good experience. There are a lot of good players here, pitchers and hitters. I think it's a good measurement of where you're at as a player."
And reaching his goal of more consistency is icing on the cake for Petersen.
"Earlier in my career, I would have a good game followed up by a bad game," he said. "Going into this year, I wanted to not get too high or too low in emotion. I wanted to play like Little League and just have a lot of fun."
Mesa (11-12) has been following Petersen's example, winning five straight games. Ryan Mount (Angels) contributed an RBI and a run and Michael Brenly (Cubs) added two hits and a run Tuesday.
"We're just trying to keep it going," Petersen said.
Red Sox right-hander Randor Bierd (3-1) picked up the win after allowing two runs on six hits with a strikeout and a walk over four frames. James Russell (Cubs) got four consecutive outs and Richard Lentz (Red Sox) threw a perfect frame before Alex Burnett (Twins) closed the door with two shutout innings for his second save.
Colin Curtis (Yankees) picked up three hits, including a double, an RBI and a run and Daniel Descalso (Cardinals) added a double, a single and scored once for Surprise.
Cardinals righty prospect Mike Parisi (2-2) was tagged for six runs -- five earned -- on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings. Rafters relievers Blake Wood (Royals), Scott Gorgen (Cardinals), Grant Duff (Yankees) and Adam Reifer (Cardinals) combined to allow just one walk the rest of the way.
Paige Schector is an editor for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
