Coming off of a high school career that saw him make the All-District, All-Area, and All-State teams for Lawton High School in 2013, Capps began his collegiate career with Redlands Community College in El Reno, OK, before joining UNC-Charlotte. He then transferred to Central Oklahoma to pitch his senior year in 2017. Capps started for the Bronchos, and while he walked nearly one batter every two innings (39 in 90 1/3 IP), he also struck out 85 batters in going 8-4 over 15 appearances (6 innings/start). Base-runners were only 6 of 13 in steals against him.

Joining the Royals’ organization in 2017, Capps spent time with both the AZL Royals and the Idaho Falls Chukars in the Pioneer League. He pitched only 12 innings in the Arizona League over four appearances (two starts), striking out eleven and walking four. With the Chukars, Capps made nine starts (41 innings), striking out 34 and walking 15 while posting a 5.49 ERA for the season. Keep in mind, however, that the league’s average ERA was 5.65, so while he didn’t set the world on fire, he also dealt with his first run at an offense-heavy league fairly well.

Capps came to the Lexington Legends to begin the 2018 season, and his numbers have improved across the board. Over 22 appearances (four starts, 60 2/3 IP), he’s struck out 65 batters while walking only 10 (1.5 BB/9; 9.6 K/9; 6.5 K/BB ratio). Especially of note was his seven strikeouts over four innings vs. the Columbia Fireflies on July 1^st (one hit allowed, zero walks); six Ks over 3 innings vs. the Greenville Drive on July 16^th (one walk, two hits allowed, zero runs); and seven Ks vs. the Augusta GreenJackets over a 3 1/3-inning no-decision (two runs on five hits, one HR allowed, no walks) on April 12^th. Ten of Capps’ appearances have been scoreless, a total of 29 2/3 innings (non-consecutive, but seemed worth mentioning).

After a rough April, which he finished with a 4.73 ERA due mainly to three HR allowed over 13 1/3 innings, Capps followed it up with a 1.15 ERA in May (8 R, 2 ER over 15 2/3 IP, 13 K, 2 BB), and a 2.87 ERA in June (5 ER over 15 2/3 IP, 10 K, 4 BB). July has been a revelation; thus far, Capps has set down 25 batters on strikes over 16 innings (five appearances), walking only three in the process.

Capps doesn’t waste time on the mound nibbling at the corners; he goes on the attack with a fastball that sits around 91-92 mph, throwing both two-seamers and four-seamers, and cutting it on occasion. He also throws two different breaking pitches; one is a slider that comes in anywhere from 80-84 mph and has good downward movement, the other with a tighter spin that has more lateral movement and a shorter, later break. The latter sometimes looks like more like a cutter than anything else. Capps will mix in a change-up at 81-82 mph, and though it still appears to be his third-best pitch, it shows signs of becoming at least a solid-average pitch.

Capps is a ground-ball pitcher, inducing grounders at a 54.3 percent clip so far in 2018 (2.38 GB/FB ratio), and has handled lefties and righties nearly equally well (.257 BA vs. RHB; .267 BA vs. LHB; .710 OPS vs. RHB; .690 OPS vs. LHB).

He has made only four starts this year, but certainly has the stamina to continue in that role if the Royals choose to keep him in the rotation. Capps topped 75 pitches five times in 2017, and went over 100 while with Central Oklahoma at least half a dozen starts. There is some projection remaining in his 6’2”, 180-pound frame, so it’s possible that he could add a MPH or two to his heater.

With some refinement of his change-up, Capps could become a back-of-the-rotation starter in the bigs. At the least, he presents the profile of a three-pitch reliever who can handle multiple innings and little reason to worry over match-ups vs. right-handed batters. Currently 23 years old, Capps could find himself in High-A Wilmington by early August if he continues to mow down batters.

HR Roll Call: Bubba Starling (6), Anderson Miller (8), Zach Walters (1), Joe Dudek (4), Sebastian Rivero (2), Vance Vizcaino (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Sebastian Rivero 2-4, 2R, 2b, HR, 2 RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: David McKay 7.2 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, HBP, 7-5 GO-FO

New Orleans Baby Cakes 3, Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Back from Kansas City, starter Jake Junis gave his squad a quality start, but it wasn’t enough in another loss by the Chasers.

Omaha received 6.2 innings from Junis with just two runs allowed. The Baby Cakes Peter Mooney tripled off Junis with two outs in the second inning to put New Orleans ahead 1-0. After a Christian Colon single in the fourth inning, Junis retired eight in a row before Colon walked and scored off Junis before Brian Flynn could get him out of the inning with two outs in the seventh.

Outfielder Terrance Gore would drive in a run in the eighth and Bubba Starling would hit a solo home run in the ninth, but an additional run by the Baby Cakes ahead of that in the eighth would be enough insurance for a New Orleans win.

Boxscore Link

Bubba Starling 2-4, HR
Raul Mondesi 0-4
Jake Junis 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 7 K, 5-6 GO-FO, 99p/67k

NW Arkansas Naturals 6, San Antonio Missions 3

Emilio Ogando did what he usually does, which is to give his team a shot at the win with a solid effort.

The lefty worked around eight hits in 5.2 innings with eight groundouts – including two double plays – while allowing just two runs during his time on the mound. The control was solid for Ogando despite the two walks, hitting the zone 66 times on 96 pitches while pushing his overall record to 6-5 this year.

The offense staked Ogando to a lead in the second inning when Alfredo Escalera drove in three runs with a bases-loaded triple. Shortstop Humberto Arteaga pushed the lead to 4-0 in the third with a run-scoring single and Anderson Miller and Zach Walters answered San Antonio’s runs with a pair of solo home runs to secure the win.

Boxscore Link

Anderson Miller 1-3, 2R, HR, BB
Zach Walters 3-4, 3R, HR
Emilio Ogando 5.2 IP, 8 H, 2R, 2ER, 2 BB, 3 K, 8-1 GO-FO, 96p/66k

Lynchburg Hillcats 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

The Rocks ran into a pitching prospect buzzsaw on July 4th and it didn’t go too well.

The Indians Triston McKenzie dominated Wilmington’s lineup for seven innings, allowing just three hits and an unearned run. The right-handed starter struck out 11 Rocks while dominating the zone with 73 strikes on just 91 pitches. The Rocks must have been in swing mode as they didn’t fare any better versus the Hillcats reliever as he struck out the side in the eighth before the rains came and washed out the game.

Starter Cristian Castillo took the loss when he gave up two runs in his five innings, allowing eight hits and two walks. Reliever Grant Gavin let the game get out of reach for the Rocks, allowing five runs in an inning and one-third.

Boxscore Link

Cristian Castillo 5 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4K, 4-2 GO-FO, 90p/54k
Brandon Downes 0-3, 3K
Chase Vallot 0-3, 3K

Lexington Legends 9, West Virginia Power 5

The Legends took advantage of some rough control by West Virginia pitching to win the first game of the series.

A four-run seventh inning by Lexington moved a 5-5 game into a comfortable advantage. Two of the runs came via errors while one was via a bases-loaded walk and another on a sacrifice fly. The bases loaded walk was one of nine issued by the West Virginia pitching staff which helped Lexington to plate nine runs despite a 2 for 13 effort with runners in scoring position.

Boxscore Link

Rudy Martin 0-3, 2R, 2 BB, 3 SB (25)
Gabe Cancel 1-3, R, 2b, 2RBI
Emmanuel Rivera 1-2, 2R, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 7, Ogden Raptors 4 

The Chukars received an excellent start from lefty David McKay to take down the Raptors.

The 2016 draftee went a career-high 7.2 innings while allowing just one run. Generating seven groundouts, McKay also struck out six hitters against no walks to help take the pressure off the bullpen. The Chukars offense backed up McKay quite well with seven runs, scoring two in three different innings. Outfielder Vance Vizcaino had a big day at the plate with two hits and three driven in including his first professional home run to help Idaho Falls even up their record at 8-8.

Boxscore Link

Jon McCray 2-4, R, 2b
Robby Rinn 2-3, 2R, 2 RBI, BB
Amalani Fukofuka 2-4, R, 2b, RBI

Bluefield Blue Jays 9, Burlington Royals 6

The Royals fell behind early as starter Michael Messier got roughed up over his 4.2 innings, allowing 12 hits and nine runs (8 ER) while giving up a pair of home runs and putting his team down 7-0 at one point.

The offense got the team back in the game with a rally, pulling to within 9-6, as the top four hitters in the lineup all drove in a run and catcher Sebastian Rivero connected on his second home run. Unfortunately the team could get no closer to fall to 3-9.

Boxscore Link

Michael Gigliotti 0-3, R, RBI, 2BB
Cal Jones 1-5, R
Tyler Zuber 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 51p/35k, 4-1 GO-FO

AZL Rangers 15, AZL Royals 7

A pair of pitchers coming back from injuries struggled in the first inning and dug the team a hole they couldn’t escape.

Coming back from Tommy John surgery, the Royals Malcolm Van Buren committed an error, walked a hitter, hit a batter and gave up four hits while recording just two outs. The Royals turned to Nolan Watson who is on a rehab stint from an injury sustained in Lexington but that didn’t do much as the former first round pick gave up four singles and a double to help the Rangers take an 11-0 lead after just one inning.

The Royals would score seven runs in the game, but fell short with four more runs off relief pitchers. The Royals first round pick Nick Pratto got hit in the wrist during the game but completed a couple of innings following the HBP before leaving in the seventh.

Boxscore Link

MJ Melendez 0-1, 2BB
Travis Jones 2-4, 2RBI
Cristian Perez 1-4, R, 2b, RBI

DSL Dodgers 8, DSL Royals 1

The Royals went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position and one of their relievers got touched up in a big loss to the Dodgers Dominican squad.

Starter Delvin Capellan lost his second decision of the season, giving up a pair of runs in his five innings while allowing seven hits. In addition to the hits ,the battery of Capellan and Familia was victim to four of the Dodgers six stolen bases in the game.

Trailing 2-0, reliever Brian Abreu got knocked around for five runs over the sixth and seventh innings to push the game well out of reach.

Boxscore Link

Delvin Capellan 5 IP, 7 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 3-3 GO-FO
Ismaldo Rodriguez 2-3
Warling Vicente 1-2, 2b, BB

Omaha Storm Chasers 9 Colorado Springs Sky Sox 6 Boxscore HR Ryan O’Hearn 2 (13)
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 11 Omaha Storm Chasers 0 Boxscore HR None

The Chasers split their weekend games with Colorado Springs, getting a walk-off home run from Ryan O’Hearn on Saturday night. The win for Omaha snapped a six-game losing streak to Colorado Springs. The Sunday game was a lopsided shutout as Christian Binford was forced to go six innings despite allowing five home runs with a depleted bullpen.

NW Arkansas Naturals 6 Corpus Christi Hooks 3 Boxscore HR None
San Antonio Mission 1 NW Arkansas Naturals 0 Boxscore HR None

The Naturals received good starting pitching in both Saturday and Sunday’s games, beating the Hooks and losing a close one to San Antonio on Sunday. The Naturals Foster Griffin set a career high with 10 strikeouts over six innings while giving up just five hits and two runs. The offense connected on 11 hits in the game versus the Astros farm club, scoring six runs in the process. Lefty Jake Kalish took a hard luck loss on Sunday despite giving up just one run in six innings. The Naturals were held at bay with 11 strikeouts in this one, keeping zeros on the board despite seven hits.

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8 Salem Red Sox 3 Boxscore HR Chris DeVito (16)
Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 Salem Red Sox 0 Boxscore HR Brandon Downes 2 (8)

The Rocks won their two games this weekend with possibly the two best pitching performances they have seen in the last 15 seasons. In Saturday’s game, Andres Machado put down 14 Salem hitters with strikeouts, getting 20 swings and misses in seven innings to set a Wilmington Blue Rocks record for strikeouts by a starter pitcher. It was a well balanced offensive effort, too, with the team connecting on 12 hits, walking seven times and scoring eight runs with Chris DeVito driving in four runs. The Sunday game featured more spectacular pitching with Scott Blewett pitching the Rocks first complete game shutout in nearly 15 years, outdueling a Salem starter who gave up just two Brandon Downes solo home runs during the game. For Downes, it was his seventh and eighth home runs of the year in just 19 games played.

Greenville Drive 5 Lexington Legends 2 Boxscore HR Joe Dudek (3)
Lexington Legends 8 Greenville Drive 4 Boxscore HR Gabe Cancel (8)

The Legends banged out 14 hits and eight runs with a pair of walks on Sunday to secure at least a split series in Greenville. Seven different hitters reached base two times or more with Gabe Cancel scoring three times, hitting his eighth home run of the year in the process. Starter Jace Vines lost his second straight decision, walking four while earning just one strikeout in his Saturday start. The Legends offense had plenty of baserunners with nine hits but went just 2 for 10 with runners in scoring position in the loss.

Princeton Rays 5 Burlington Royals 4 Boxscore HR Dennicher Carrasco (3), Seuly Matias (1)
Burlington Royals 11 Princeton Rays 7 Boxscore HR Sebastian Rivero (1)

The Royals split a pair of games with the Rays rookie squad. In Saturday’s game, Seuly Matias homered and the club took a lead in the 10th inning only to have their bullpen give up a pair of runs to drop the game. There was no blown save in the Sunday game when the offense blew open a 7-7 game with four runs in the ninth with five singles and an error by the Princeton defense. Catcher Sebastian Rivero hit his first professional home run in the win for the Royals.

Idaho Falls Chukars 7 Ogden Raptors 0 Boxscore HR Chris Hudgins (1)
Ogden Raptors 6 Idaho Falls Chukars 5 Boxscore HR None

A mix of pitching over the weekend for the Chukars led to their 1-1 record. In Saturday’s starter, Janser Lara was spectacular in his first start of the season, striking out eight hitters while working around four singles and a pair of walks in his six innings. The Dominican righty who can reach 99 mph hit the zone with 61 of 95 pitches while eliciting four groundouts, earning the win with 12 hits and seven runs by the offense including a home run in Chris Hudgins second game as a member of the organization. The Sunday game wasn’t quite as good with starter Andres Sotillet getting knocked around for 11 hits and six runs in just two and two-third innings. The Chukars got a pair of doubles in a three-run ninth to pull within a run but the tying run was left stranded at second in the loss.

AZL Royals 3 AZL D-Back 2 Boxscore HR Esteury Ruiz (2)
AZL Royals 12 AZL Mariners 9 Boxscore HR None 

The Royals got good pitching on Saturday with four different pitchers tossing scoreless innings and a ninth inning run. The Royals run came without a hit, getting a walk from Brady Cox, pushing him to third with a sacrifice bunt and a rbi groundout by Cristian Perez. In Sunday’s game, starter Josh Mitchell was knocked around in his two innings for nine runs (8 ER) on 10 hits in just two innings, putting the Royals into a 9-3 hole. The bullpen put the M’s on ice for the last seven innings and the lineup mounted a huge comeback. The first two draft picks in the class, MJ Melendez and Nick Pratto each had multi-hit games while Esteury Ruiz continued with his hot bat with a pair of hits and a couple RBI in the win.

HR Roll Call – Chris DeVito (8), Gabriel Cancel (4)
BP Kansas City Hitter of the Day – Chris DeVito: 2-3, HR, BB, 3 R, 2 RBI
BP Kansas City Pitcher of the Day – Randy Acevedo: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

Nashville Sounds 12 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Jason Vargas moved up to Triple-A to continue his rehab assignment, and the Sounds welcomed him to the park by racking up five hits and three runs off of him in three innings of work. Andrew Edwards entered the game after Vargas, but didn’t fare any better, giving up five runs in less than one inning. Dillon Overton stymied Chasers’ bats for six innings, and Whit Merrifield was the only man to get an extra-base hit all night. Merrifield also was caught stealing for just the second time this season. The loss eliminated the Storm Chasers from postseason contention.

Boxscore Link

Orlando Calixte: 3-5, RBI
Dusty Coleman: 2-3, BB, R
Andrew Edwards: 0.2 IP, 3 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

   Hagerstown Suns 3 Lexington Legends 1

Gerson Garabito matched Suns starter Taylor Guilbeau in allowing just one run over six innings, but unlike the Suns, the Legends bullpen could not keep the opponent off the board. Mark McCoy allowed eight baserunners in his 2.2 innings, with two of them scoring. The Legends offense simply could not muster anything after their one-run first inning, collecting just four hits while striking out 15 times. Chase Vallot did hit his 17th double, and a pair of walks bumped his on-base percentage up to .351 on the year.

Boxscore Link

Gerson Garabito: 6 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
Roman Collins: 1-4, R
Chase Vallot: 1-2, 2B, 2 BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 4 Grand Junction Rockies 5

A four-run seventh inning made it appear the Chukars would be able to pull out a victory, but a two-run home run in the eighth from Hunter Melton gave the Rockies the lead for good. Meibrys Viloria picked up his 22nd double of the year, driving in two. Unfortunately, he couldn’t get quite enough help from the rest of the lineup, as they went 2-10 with men in scoring position. Andres Machado delivered five innings, allowing three runs (one earned), and Alex Luna struck out three in two innings of work.

Boxscore Link

Nick Dini: 2-4, R
Meibrys Viloria: 1-2, 2B, BB, 2RBI
Andres Machado: 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K

Greeneville Astros 3 Burlington Royals 7

Three Royals pitchers combined to strike out 16 Astros on the night, and a big night from 2016 draftee Chris DeVito was enough to power the offense to another victory. DeVito hit a two-run dinger, his eighth of the summer, while also scoring three runs. Nathan Esposito chipped in a pair of singles and two RBIs, while Nicky Lopez stole his 23rd base of the year as well. That’s 23 stolen bases in 53 games for the Creighton product. Alex Close picked up six strikeouts in 2.1 innings en route to picking up the win.

Boxscore Link

Gabriel Cancel: 1-4, HR, R, RBI
Alex Close: 2.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
Nathan Esposito: 2-4, R, 2 RBI (batting .344)

AZL Brewers 11 AZL Royals 10

The Royals were running wild on Brewers pitchers, swiping eight bags in this crazy affair. Most of the Royals runs were produced by the 9-1-2 portion of the batting order, with Jose Marquez, Jeison Guzman, and Cal Jones combining to go 10-15 with seven runs and sixRBIs. And they needed every bit of that offense, because Grant Gavin only went three innings, giving up seven hits and digging his team into a five-run hole. The Royals broke through in the middle innings to move ahead but, it wasn’t enough. Staked to a three-run eighth inning lead, Nathan Webb and Gustavo Tejada couldn’t hold the Brewers as they coughed up five runs in the frame.

Boxscore Link

Cal Jones: 4-4, 3 runs, 1 RBI, 3 SB
Jose Marquez: 4-5, 3 runs, 2 RBI, 2B, 3B, 2 SB
Jeison Guzman: 2-6, 1 run, 3 RBI

DSL Dodgers 3 DSL Royals 2 (11)

A strong performance from Randy Acevedo was not enough to extend the Royals win streak to six games, and a strange play allowed the Dodgers to take the game in the eleventh. It’s not often you see a strikeout, a wild pitch, and an errant throw by the first baseman, all on the same play, but that’s what it took to put the Dodgers in front. Four Royals had two hits on the day, however a 1-11 line with runners in scoring position kept them from doing more damage.

Boxscore Link

Juan Peguero: 2-3, 2B, RBI
Randy Acevedo: 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K (1.15 ERA this season)
Ismaldo Rodriguez: 2-3