Rising Stars ~ Planetary and Personal Observations of Arizona's Fall League ~ 20 October 2006

World Series Notes for 2006

We're lucky in Arizona. Not only do we have over 300 days of sunshine a year, we have the most baseball of any state in the United States. Players perenially arrive each spring in February, soon commencing play in the Cactus League - our version of Spring Training. Then we have the Diamondbacks. This National League franchise commenced play in 1998, went to the play offs its second year and won the World Series against the New York Yankees in 2001. Each year we watch them play; this next year with new uniforms in the color "Sedona Red." Whatever. After the season concludes major league teams send their upcoming farm propsects to Arizona. Here, six teams play through October and November allowing Arizonans previews of players like Derek Jeter, Mike Piazza, Nomar Garciaparra and Michael Jordan (yep, he played a year with the Scottsdale Scorpions). Each team is made up of minor leaguers from five teams. The Grand Canyon Rafters come from the Royals, Rockies, Rangers, Pirates and Orioles. Peoria's Javelinas take players from the Mariners, Brewers, Marlins, Indians and Red Sox. Also from Peoria, the Saguaros combine newbies from the Padres, Phillies, Yankees, Cardinals and Nationals. The Mesa Solar Sox mix players from the Cubs, Dodgers, Twins, Astros and Mets. The Phoenix Desert Dogs pack together baseball hopefuls from the A's, Reds, Blue Jays, Tigers and Devil Rays. Finally, my home Fall League team, the Scottsdale Scorpions collect stinging bats and pitching arms from the Diamondbacks, Angels, Giants, White Sox and Brewers. Speaking of stinging bats, the Scorpions have two of the Fall League's best hitters. These are Ryan Braun, of the Milwaukee Brewers and Mark Reynolds of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Mark Reynolds from the Arizona Diamondbacks spanks a baseball like few can. Despite his Leo nature, he goes about his business without flaunting his wares, applying the sensibility and modesty of two planets in Virgo. He acts like he's done it before. This boy can hit. In the chilly Arizona evenings (I'm not kidding) he effortlessly drives balls past opposing fielders. His contact is rock solid, making a crack of the bat sound usually reserved for major leagues power hitters. With his head on the ball, he has the best swing in the Fall League (okay, as of today I've not seen all the candidates, but out of three of the teams I've seen that's true).

Right after Fall League concludes on November 19th, Jupiter enters Sagittarius (the 25th of November). Then, scouts and coaches pour over stats and plan and plot as to which players should show up for Spring Training. During the time of those assessments, Reynolds enjoys a Jupiter return - also widely involving the bringer of the unexpected, Uranus, and which later squares his Virgo planets. While the considerations are intensely competitive, expect that an invite will be extended to Reynolds as Jupiter inches toward Uranus just before the holidays, giving him a present to remember. His skill is enough to make the team. The problems for Reynolds appears in Eric Byrnes, Carlos Quentin and Chris Young, all of whom appear to have set places in Arizona's outfield. Barring injury, he'd have to content himself with rotating and possibly sharing the role with Scott Hairston. But come the 2008 season, Jupiter picks up his south node and Neptune, rewarding hard work, a solid work ethic and visions of playing in the big league. An astrologer might go so far as to call it karmic reward.

Make no mistake, Reynolds will become a fantastic outfielder/infielder in Phoenix or (oh, I hope not) a trading chip for the Arizona organization, currently obsessing with payroll reduction and a cheaper, more youthful movement to secure its next series of coveted pennants. Reynolds' skill set tops the list. His bat speed and concentration during his swing assure super stardom. When Reynolds raps the ball, it might make it to the Moon or stars.

The Milwaukee Brewers have their own prospect destined to ride Jupiter's ticket to the Big Leagues. Third baseman Ryan Braun's fielding is impeccable.When it comes to spherically shaped horsehide, he's a vacuum cleaner. His Scorpionic alertness seems to properly position his body with uncanny prognosticative skill such that he grabs the baseball rockets hit his way with ease. His instinct increases his four planet in Sagittarius range beyond what one would expect possible. Braun's inspired chatter issued to team mates stirs attention during defensively demoralizing walks by pitchers, queues positioning and keeps everyone's head in the game.

But his hitting is what it's really about. He bats with a "sweet" swing. His rip at the ball seems effortless and balanced. In fact, his Venus in Libra gives him a dancer's grace even during his most ferocious swings. Line drips jump off his bat as if ordered to drop on the grass right where the players ain't. That's certainly what they do. His Mars in Virgo produces a situational awareness and Venus in Libra renders him a team player as well. When other runners are on base, or the team behind, his entire strategy for the current at bat takes all that into account.

During Fall League, he's got an incredible dose of concentration rallied in his corner of the infield. Is it the fact that Jupiter approaches his Sun in Scorpio while Saturn squares it in Leo? Absolutely. He's aware of the fact that probably half the people attending any given Fall League game are baseball people. You can hear them on the field chatting up players, talking trades and who needs a kick in the behind if expecting to make the bigs. He knows what's at stake and he's not missing any of it.

Come the off season and during the wrap of the year, Braun's Mercury and Uranus come under Jupiter's influence. His ability to evidently be everywhere and those soft fielding hands attract as much interest as his bat. Next year, Braun's Jupiter return and the benefacting planet's south nodal contact assure a role at the major league level. His first year looks great on astrological stat paper. We'll see if this Scorpio learned the secret please, yes, thank you and here I go reaction curve required for successful response to Jupiter.

When he arrives in Milwaukee, act like Jupiter. Cheer your fool heads off.

Now a very interesting astrological factor starts to appear. The two players discussed have Jupiter returns given their approximate twenty four years of life on Earth. Many players in the minor leagues do as well. But this crop of players, according to the media guide, mostly incarnated during the early 80's. Many have a karmically influenced south node-Jupiter contact. Woe be unto egotistical super stars thinking their Plutonian refuse holds no oder and fantasizing of their immortality in the major leagues. Here comes a hard working group of kids ready to fill your cleats and run many miles in them... and for a lot less money... at least for now.

If Arizona Diamondback team executives propitiated to the heavens, they'd mostly lament for strong, solid releif pitching. In the field, Arizona's not that bad. Hitting is adequate and with good pitching, they'd be a contender, espeically in the wild National League West.

Fall League games run long. It reminds me of coaching little league. A lot of pitches outside the strike zone occur. At bats last a long time. Patient batters seem to stand in forever. Then Mike Schultz takes the mound. A Sagittarian with the Sun square both Mars and Jupiter, he's a precision power pitcher. He throws hard and he throws strikes. His first Fall League inning, he struck out the side. It wasn't even fair. All the balls he threw sailed over the plate with blurring velocity. Quick, efficient work the kind that can only come from having Venus aligned with the fastest known spinning pulsar in space. He has that, but he's also got the Sagittarian optimism such that he believes in his stuff. He knows when he throws the ball close to where he intends to, no one can touch it. It shows. His body posture is the best of Fall League. He stands on the mound, looks in, evidently ignores the batter and throws the ball as if no one opposed him.

Another Fall League player influenced by Jupiter in Sag during the off season who enjoys a good solid ride of Jupiter to his Neptune next year, Schultz is oldest player in Fall League, giving him a slight Sag experience/wisdom edge over the pack. Next year when he makes it to the Show, and oh, he most certainly will, Jupiter to Neptune will make him a bit of an enigma. With Mercury and Uranus conjunct as well, when batters come to anticipate his speed, he'll do the unexpected, throwing something nearly out of left field. In fact, he'll quickly become one of the best mind messing pitchers out there. As a player from a dugout taunted an opposing batter during a Fall League contest, "He's in your head."

Next year, he'll be on your score sheet. As a fan of the D'Backs and having spent Jupiter in my sign amazed by how far opposing players could hit the ball off our relievers, I'm ready for a change. I'm ready for Mike Schultz to migrate from Tucson to Phoenix and show the rest of the League what we've been watching at Fall League. When I mentioned that to him as he graciously signed a ball for me, he laughed.

Note to management, when pushing for the pennant, consider this guy instead of picking waiver wires clean.

Rising Stars (#2) ~ Arizona Fall League ~ 24 Oct 2006

If any of you happen to be in Arizona in the fall, how would you like to go to a professional baseball game for $6?? How cool is that?
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