A's outfield prospect Desme wins Arizona Fall League MVP honors

Grant Desme, an Oakland A's outfield prospect, led the Arizona Fall League with 11 homers this year, and for these efforts at the plate, he was named Most Valuable Player for the professional short season in the Southwest.

Playing for the Phoenix Desert Dogs, Desme also led the AFL with 72 total bases while tallying 27 RBI (second in the league) and scoring 30 runs (also second).

"This is a great honor, and it means a lot to me, to be so acknowledged with all the outstanding talent in this league," Desme told MLB.com after winning the award.

After being presented with the award prior to the AFL championship game on Saturday, November 21, Desme proceeded to smash a game-tying HR in the fourth inning. Phoenix eventually lost the title game to the Peoria Javelinas, however.

Desme was the only player in the 2009 minor leagues to reach a statistical milestone: 30 HRs and 40 SBs. He accomplished this while splitting time between Class A Kane County (69 games in the Midwest League) and High-A Stockton (62 games in the California League).

In fact, Desme saw his batting average rise from .274 with Kane County to .304 in Stockton. All his offensive numbers jumped with the promotion, although his SB success dropped from a perfect 24-of-24 in Kane County to a mere 16-for-21 in Stockton.

According to MLB.com, major league franchises hold a position draft every August to determine the players who will go to Arizona. Most are Double-A and Triple-A players. Each club can opt to send one player considered a Class A player.

And, just for reference, the 2006 MLB All-Star Game in Pittsburgh featured 25 AFL alums.

"It's been a lot of fun," Desme said. "This was a good opportunity to get better. Now I'm going to have a chance to relax a little bit, but it will be a quick turnaround. Next year will be here soon."

Even though the above numbers are just minor league statistics, the Oakland A's franchise could use an outfielder with such a rare power-speed combination. Drafted by the A's in the second round of the 2007 June draft, Desme probably isn't ready to jump to the major leagues yet, but this is certainly a good sign for his -- and the team's -- future.

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