Brady Afthim and Jacob Humphrey were glad they had the opportunity to experience several firsts in their first months as professional baseball players, including being called up to Class A and playing in meaningful games.
Afthim, a right-handed relief pitcher from Windham High and the University of Connecticut, was a 13th-round draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in the Major League Baseball draft in July. Humphrey, an outfielder from Standish (Bonny Eagle High) and Vanderbilt, signed a free-agent contract with the Colorado Rockies the morning after the draft ended.
Both were assigned to Arizona Complex League teams. The ACL season had already concluded when they arrived. Their first month of professional baseball consisted of practices and intra-squad games, without any clear knowledge of whether they would stay in Arizona or get a promotion to Class A.
Humphrey was promoted to the Fresno Grizzlies of the California League on Aug. 28. He appeared in 11 regular-season games and one playoff game, going 8 for 30 with eight walks and eight runs scored, and played all three outfield positions.
“That was cool to kind of get my feet wet and get some experience before doing it for an entire year,” Humphrey said.
Humphrey was in the lineup when the Grizzlies clinched a playoff spot (they lost their best-of-three series).
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“We did the whole on-field celebration on the field, had some fireworks, so that was fun to be a part of,” Humphrey said.
Afthim was also promoted on Aug. 28, going to the Daytona Tortugas of the Florida Gulf Coast League. He made two relief appearances in the regular season, allowing three hits and one run over three innings, with two strikeouts.
“I knew I wasn’t going to come here and get a ton of innings or go nuts,” Afthim said. “The biggest thing was getting the first few things as a pro out of the way, going through the process of getting called up, joining a new team, getting the pro debut out of the way, the travel schedule, just to know what it feels like.”
Afthim entered in the eighth inning of Daytona’s first playoff game, with the Tortugas trailing 4-2. He did his job in the eventual loss, pitching a scoreless inning.
“My goal since I’ve been here has just been to contribute to winning,” Afthim said. “I’m not trying to show up and get to the big leagues in two weeks.”
Both Humphrey and Afthim are back in Arizona for additional instructional work until early October. After that, they’ll be on their own for workouts, rest and preparation before reporting for spring training.
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“It’s been a really great experience to play every day. It’s technically a job, but it doesn’t feel like I have to go to work,” Humphrey said.
Around the minors
FORMER THORNTON ACADEMY star Cody Bowker of Bowdoinham continues to train at the Philadelphia Phillies’ Florida Complex League site. Bowker was drafted in the third round (100th overall) out of Vanderbilt. A starting pitcher, Bowker threw 72 innings at Vanderbilt. He said he’ll remain in Florida “working on things I’m not as good at,” until Nov. 20. It is not uncommon for college starters to not pitch in games until the year after they’re drafted.
THAT WAS THE case for Hunter Owen of South Portland after he was taken with the 106th pick by the Kansas City Royals in the 2023 draft. Owen, a 6-foot-6 left-hander, spent his second full season of pro ball in the Double-A Texas League with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. He went 5-5 with a 3.80 ERA and struck out 107 batters over 94 2/3 innings, making 19 starts and appearing in 22 games overall. Ranked No. 26 on the Royals’ MLB Pipeline prospect list, Owen has been assigned to the Surprise Saguaros of the Arizona Fall League, which runs from Oct. 6 to Nov. 15 and features top prospects across the minor leagues.