Mets prospects Daniel Murphy and Shawn Bowman are doing very well in the Arizona Fall League. Murphy is currently batting .571, third best in the league having gone 8 for 14 in four games. Bowman is sixth in the league with an average of .438 with a slugging percentage of .938. Bowman has two homers and Murphy has one.

Pitcher Tobi Stoner is 1-0 with an ERA of 1.93 in 4.2 innings pitched. Jason Vargas missed the entire 2008 campaign due to hip surgery. He’s pitching pretty well having given up no runs in four innings pitched.

Mets players in the AFL are with the Peoria Saguaros. The Saguaros are 6-0 going into tonight’s action.

Hawaiian League Mets players are doing pretty well too. Shortstop Ruben Tejada is batting .324 for the Honolulu Sharks. Tejada has batted in eight runs. Second baseman Greg Volez is batting .317.

Josh Stinson has an ERA of 0.87 in 10 innings pitched. His record is 2-0.

The Sharks are 10-3 leading the Northern Division having won five in a row.

In yesterday’s Peoria Saguaros’ season opener of the Arizona Fall League, Daniel Murphy played second base and went 2 for 4 with a run scored. He also batted in a run with a sacrifice fly while batting second in the Saguaros’ lineup. The Saguaros defeated Scottsdale by a score of 9-3.

Another Mets prospect, third baseman Shawn Bowman, went 2 for 3 with a walk also scoring a run. Mets pitcher, lefty Jason Vargas, gave up three hits but no runs scored in an inning of work. Jason picked off a runner at first to help get out of trouble.

Right hander Tobi Stoner gave up an earned run but struck out two in two innings pitched. Potential closer Eddie Kunz pitched the final inning allowing a hit and a walk but struck out two to secure the win. It was not a save situation.

Box Score

The Arizona Fall League kicks off their season tomorrow. This winter league, that was created to give premier prospects an outlet to continue their development, has been run for several years now and includes alumni such as Mike Piazza. The league is made up of six teams that play all within the Phoenix area.

Each team is made up of prospects from multiple teams. This season, the Mets will send their prospects to the Peoria Saguaros. The players the Mets are sending include Daniel Murphy (1B), Mets; Jason Vargas (LHP), New Orleans; Tobi Stoner (RHP), Binghamton; Bobby Parnell (RHP), Mets; Shawn Bowman (3B), Binghamton; Josh Thole (C), St. Lucie; and Eddie Kunz (RHP), Mets.

Each team plays 38 games in a season that ends a week before Thanksgiving. There is an all star game and a single championship game. The Mets want Daniel Murphy to get experience at second base as a possible replacement for Luis Castillo. However, Murphy is listed on the roster as a first baseman.

Believe it or not, some of these games are actually broadcast (audio only) on MLB.com, a virtual paradise for the true baseball diehard as the weather turns cold. For schedules, rosters, and stats for the AFL, visit the MLB Arizona Fall League Site.