HR Roll Call: Balbino Fuenmayor 2 (6), Corey Toups (6), Chris DeVito (6) 

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Balbino Fuenmayor 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Jon Dziedzic 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 0-9 GO-FO, 93p/54k

Omaha Storm Chasers 8 Las Vegas 51s 2

Following a four hit game Tuesday, Balbino Fuenmayor told me his leg is getting stronger. Wednesday night, he proved that looks to be true as the first baseman hit two home runs in the Chasers eight run effort. In addition to Balbino’s two home runs, Hunter Dozier doubled in a run and scored one more while starter Jon Dziedzic and Brooks Pounders worked seven innings of two-run ball before turning things over to Malcom Culver. Culver worked the final two innings for his second Triple-A save.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 2-4, R, 2b, RBI
Jorge Bonifacio 1-4, R, 2 RBI, SB (5)
Bubba Starling 1-3, R, BB

Tulsa Drillers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The Naturals dropped their third game in a row to Tulsa despite outhitting them in this one. A 1 for 10 effort with runners in scoring position combined with an error and walks allowed cost NW Arkansas. Leading 3-2 following a Corey Toups two-run home run in the eighth inning, reliever Matt Strahm came back for a second relief inning. After striking out the first hitter, Strahm walked the second prior to a Logan Moon error. Manager Vance Wilson would pull Strahm in favor of Aroni Nina but things didn’t get better as Nina walked the bases loaded prior to allowing a double to Lars Anderson that plated all three runners. NW Arkansas would score a run in the ninth before getting two in scoring position with one down in the inning, but a Toups strikeout and a groundout by Schwindel on a difficult play ended the rally and sent the Naturals 1.5 games back of the Drillers in the standings.

Boxscore Link

Corey Toups 1-5, HR, 2 RBI
Terrance Gore 2-3, 2 SB (27)
Matt Strahm 1.1 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 0-3 GO-FO, 23p/12k

Rome Braves 11 Lexington Legends 2

A pair of Lexington pitchers struggled in their first game of the series in Rome. Royals first pick of the 2016 draft, A.J. Puckett, took a defeat after giving up eight hits and five runs over five innings. The Pepperdine product fell victim to plenty of groundball singles early as hits in the first and fourth innings lead to the first three runs. In the fifth inning however, Rome lined a double and hit a home run to center that helped end Puckett’s night. Reliever Matt Ditman didn’t fair much better as the Rice product allowed six runs on six hits in two innings to put the Legends in a 11-2 hole that was too great to dig out from. Catching prospect Chase Vallot played in his first game for Lexington since being hit in the face on June 14th, he was plunked in the fifth but stayed in the game.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 0-3, R, HBP
A.J. Puckett 5 IP, 8 H, 5 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 3-3 GO-FO, 60p/43k
D.J. Burt 0-3, R, BB, SB (27)

Princeton Rays 7 Burlington Royals 5

The Rays defeated the Royals for the fourth time in five tries to put the Burlington squad 1.5 games back in the first half of the Appy League season. A pair of former SEC starters couldn’t slow down the Princeton offense as Alabama alum Geoffrey Bramblett and former Auburn lefty Vance Tatum gave up seven runs in the first five innings to put Burlington in a 7-1 hole. The offense made a rally late, getting two runs in the eighth and two more in the ninth but couldn’t complete the rally.

Boxscore Link

Chris DeVito 1-5, HR
Nicky Lopez 2-5, R
Nathan Esposito 3-4, R, 2b, RBI

AZL Royals 10 AZL Brewers 5

The Royals piled on early, scoring eight runs in the first three innings of the game on the way to win. Outfielder Khalil Lee failed to get a hit but walked three times and scored three runs with corner infielders John Brontsema and Robby Rinn each collecting a pair of hits and a two RBI each. Missouri native and ’16 draftee Grant Gavin gave up a run for the first time after starting his career with 19.1 innings scoreless, the run was unearned and came on a Lee error.

Boxscore Link

Jeison Guzman 2-3 R, 2 BB
Cal Jones 3-5 R, 2 RBI, BB
John Brontsema 2-2 R, 2b, RBI, 2 BB

DSL Royals 5 DSL Dodgers2 1

The DSL Royals continue to spin and win. The team won their 10th consecutive game on Wednesday, holding the Dodgers2 team to one run on just four hits. In all ten games during the streak the Royals have held opponents to three runs or less. The Royals offense scored single runs in five of their eight innings, collecting 13 hits including three from catcher Freddy Fermin who drove in a pair of runs.

Boxscore Link

Freddy Fermin 3-4, 2b, 2 RBI
Raymond Lopez 2-5, R, 2b
Janser Lara 3.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K, 3-0 GO-FO

HR Roll Call: Hunter Dozier (13), Frank Schwindel 2 (9), Samir Duenez (4), Jecksson Flores (1) 

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Jorge Bonifacio 5-7, 2-2b, 3b, R

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Eric Skoglund 6 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 9-3 GO-FO, 83p/62k

The Royals called up Reymond Fuentes and Peter Moylan while optioning Dillon Gee to Omaha and placing Brett Eibner on the DL. In addition, Matt Ditman was optioned to Idaho Falls and Gabe Cramer was activated to Lexington in his place.

Game 1
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Chasers built an early lead only to watch the Sky Sox come from behind and slug their way to a victory. The middle of the Chasers order did their job as Jorge Bonifacio, Hunter Dozier and Balbino Fuenmayor combined for seven hits in twelve at bats with three doubles, a triple and a home run. Reliever Malcom Culver couldn’t survive the thin air of Colorado Springs, giving up three runs in 2.1 innings on five hits.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 2-4, 2b, HR
Christian Colon 1-4, R
Balbino Fuenmayor 2-4, 2b, 2 RBI

Game 2
Colorado Springs Sky Sox 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 0

In game two, the Chasers offense stayed dormant from the late innings from the previous game while the Sox continued their roll. The Brewers affiliate pounded out 11 hits in just seven innings, including three from big name prospect Orlando Arcia. Only three Chasers would collect a hit in the game while three different pitchers gave up runs in the seven inning contest.

Boxscore Link

Ramon Torres 3-3
Hunter Dozier 1-3
Jorge Bonifacio 2-3, 2b

NW Arkansas Naturals 7 San Antonio Missions 5

After a span of eleven games when the Naturals offense couldn’t get much done, suddenly the offense has awakened, and the club has cashed in with four consecutive wins. Starter Eric Skoglund gave the Naturals a quality start, working six innings of two run ball before giving way to the bullpen. Four different hitters in the lineup had multi-hit games as part of the 13 hit night including newcomer Carlos Diaz who went 3 for 4 in his first Double-A game. Designated hitter Frank Schwindel left the yard twice with a solo home run in the 4th and another in the 6th, both off Missions starter Bryce Morrow. Pitcher Pedro Fernandez made his first appearance since May 15, working 1.1 scoreless innings while striking out a pair.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 2-3, 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Frank Schwindel 2-4, 2 HR
Corey Toups 2-5, 2b, 2R

Wilmington Blue Rocks 9 Lynchburg Hillcats 6

The Rocks jumped out to a big first inning lead only to watch the Hillcats catch them. However, a nice recovery in the late innings lead to a game one win to open the series. Lynchburg starter Antonio Romero was discombobulated from the get-go in this one, acting as if he wasn’t ready for his fill-in start. The Rocks jumped all over him scoring five runs in the first inning. The righty walked three in the first and gave up four hits as part of that frame before finding a groove that saw him retire ten of the last eleven that he faced. The Rocks would give up the lead in the fifth as part of a four-run Lynchburg inning but the offense would bounce right back, scoring three in the bottom half and adding an insurance run in the sixth. Shortstop Humberto Arteaga helped paced the offensive effort with three hits. He also scored twice.

Boxscore Link

Humberto Arteaga 3-5, 2 R
Robert Pehl 2-2, R, 2-2b, RBI, 2BB
Brandon Downes 1-3, 2R, RBI, BB

Lexington Legends 8 Greensboro Grasshoppers 5

The Legends knocked around the Grasshoppers starter in salvaging the final game of their three game set with Greensboro on Wednesday afternoon. A four run fourth inning, highlighted by Jecksson Flores’s first home run of the season, gave the Legends a lead they would not relinquish. Samir Duenez would add a solo home run in the fifth and Mike Hill’s second double of the game in that inning would push the lead to 7-5. Reliever Nik Stephenson worked the final 2.1 innings scoreless to earn the save for reliever Mark McCoy. Catcher Chase Vallot left the game early after a collision at home plate, the severity of the injury was not known at the time of publication.

Boxscore Link

Mike Hill 2-3, 2R, 2-2b, 2 RBI
Xavier Fernandez 2-3, 2b, 2R
Jecksson Flores 2-4, HR, 3 RBI

With these in mind, the wife and I spent our Memorial Day weekend in Omaha. I won’t bore you with tales of our trip or make you watch our vacation slides, but we did take in two Storm Chasers games and I will share my impressions of some of the players we saw.

Ironically, as I joked during our trip, if we wanted to see the Storm Chasers, we could have stayed in Kansas City. With all the injuries the Royals have suffered, the Omaha roster has been depleted somewhat. Just a couple days before our trip, the Royals signed a free agent infielder (Steve Tolleson) and promoted Ramon Torres and Orlando Calixte to Omaha from Northwest Arkansas mainly to fill out the roster.

Still, Omaha was hanging in there, with a 25-21 record going into games two and three of a four-game series against the El Paso Chihuahuas, the Class AAA affiliate of the San Diego Padres. This was a fun opponent to watch; the Chihuahuas are in first place in their division and feature four players in Baseball Prospectus’ top 10 Padres prospects.

Here are my (admittedly amateur) scouting impressions of selected Storm Chasers:

Christian Binford: The right-handed pitcher was making just his third start at this level after being promoted from the Naturals earlier this year. Binford has often been found on the periphery of Royals’ top prospect lists, especially after some nice seasons in the low minors. He’s struggled some at Northwest Arkansas, though; of course, that is not the greatest place to pitch. Anyway, Binford pitched reasonably well on this night before weakening in the eighth inning. He allowed just two runs on five hits in the first seven innings; two of the hits were solo home runs. However, he had just two strikeouts in those seven innings. I never saw him hit 90 on the stadium radar gun, and that could be a problem for him going forward. Still, there’s something to be said for throwing strikes, which Binford did well on this night. I can’t imagine a right-handed pitcher who doesn’t throw 90 having much of a major-league future unless he has great movement, though. There just weren’t a lot of swings and misses. Perhaps he can carve out a future as a long reliever/spot starter.

Balbino Fuenmayor: Last year’s minor-league sensation at Northwest Arkansas has been a lot quieter this year. He got off to a fast start but slumped badly, losing almost 140 points off his batting average from mid-April to mid-May. He’s recovered somewhat but still has only two home runs this year. In a hitters’ ballpark, that’s concerning. In his first at-bat, he rocketed one over the center fielder’s head for an RBI double. But he went 0-6 with a walk the rest of the time, although one out was a scorching line drive right at the shortstop. After missing the last six or seven weeks of 2015 with a knee injury, it could be that his timing is off. That’s the hope, but I’m not sure I buy it.

Ramon Torres: As I mentioned above, Torres was recently promoted from Northwest Arkansas, mainly because the Storm Chasers needed more players. A look at Torres’ .268/.339/.329 there isn’t encouraging, but watching him play defense is. Torres covered a lot of ground at shortstop in both games, and looked really good. As an aside, I saw Omaha shift a lot in these two games, which certainly helped the defenders look better, but also shows how analytics are permeating the game. Still, credit goes to Torres for making the plays and making them look easy. He probably won’t hit much, but the glove could certainly get Torres a utility infielder role at some point.

Hunter Dozier: A former top prospect who many of the minor league gurus had written off, Dozier started this year on fire at Northwest Arkansas. Skeptics like myself pointed to it being his third year at that level. But he apparently has reworked his swing, so there is some hope that this is actually what we can expect from Dozier. The third baseman got off to a good start when he was promoted but has been slumping a bit lately. The good news is he is still a patient hitter; the bad news is that he is still strikeout-prone. Dozier struck out four times in eight at-bats over the two games. I’m still a little skeptical, but keep in mind that Dozier is still just 24. He’ll need to adjust to Class AAA quickly, though.

Jorge Bonifacio: Given Brett Eibner’s injury last night, Bonifacio could be the next Storm Chaser suiting up for the Royals. It seems like Bonifacio has been in the system forever, but he’s still just 22 (he turns 23 on Saturday). The outfielder showed impressive speed and power on his first at-bat Sunday night, lacing a triple to left-center. The El Paso pitcher was Colin Rea, who has been in the majors and started the year as one of the Padres’ top prospects, so the competition was good. Bonifacio showed good bat speed and smarts on the play, taking advantage of a brief bobble to stretch a double into a triple. That was much better than Saturday night, when he struck out four times. Bonifacio is having a very nice year for Omaha (.308/.371/.557) but he has struck out 52 times in 185 at-bats. So if and when he makes the majors, expect a lot of swings and misses. But when he connects, he will hit the ball hard. Defensively, he handled himself well in left field. Nothing spectacular but also nothing to make me think he can’t play it in the majors right now.

HR Roll Call: Amalani Fukofuka (3)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Samir Duenez 2 games, 4-7, 3R, 2-2b, RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Scott Blewett 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 11-3 GO-FO, 82p/53k

— Kansas City sent down Brian Flynn with Chris Young coming off the 15 day DL.
— Third baseman Brian Bien, 2015 31st rd pick, was assigned to Wilmington from Arizona.

El Paso Chihuahuas 7 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

A game got away from starter Christian Binford and the Omaha Storm Chasers Saturday night in their second consecutive loss to El Paso. The Omaha starter was looking to give his team a sixth consecutive quality start and a seventh start of two or less runs. Things were looking good as he started the eighth at two runs allowed on a pair of solo home runs. Things got away quickly with a pair of walks allowed and a triple that plated those two. A fifth run came across against Binford when reliever Clayton Mortensen gave up a double to Alex Dickerson. Soon after Hunter Renfroe plated the Chihuahaus another run in the inning on a mammoth home run to left-center. The Chasers wouldn’t threaten rest of the way, going down in quick fashion to drop to 0-2 in the series and lose their third consecutive game.

Boxscore

Christian Binford 7 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 2 K, 3-9 GO-FO, 101p/63k
Jorge Bonifacio 0-4, 4k
Balbino Fuenmayor 1-3, 2b, RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 6 Corpus Christi 5 F/12 

Starter Matt Strahm handled the Corpus Christi offense for all but one inning in his six innings of work in game two of their series Saturday. The lefty tossed 100 pitches, 65 for strikes, giving up a run in only the third inning. It was that third inning that may have cost the lefty the win as he gave up four hits, three for extra bases, including a two run home run from J.D. Davis. Overall, the lefty gave up seven hits with one walk while striking out six hitters. The Naturals used three singles and a Hooks error to score three in the fourth before adding single runs in the sixth and seventh to briefly take the lead. The game went to extras after Yender Caramo gave up a run in the bottom half of the seventh and stayed that way until the 12th inning when a Frank Swindle seeing-eye single up the middle narrowly evaded the diving Alex Bregman to give NW Arkansas a 6-5 lead. Lefty reliever Eric Stout would close things out in the 12th to finish off an impressive run, that along with Kevin McCarthy, saw the two combine for four innings of scoreless relief.

Boxscore Link

Matt Strahm 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 3-4 GO-FO, 100p/65k
Kevin McCarthy 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 32p/24k
Carlos Garcia 2-5, 2 R, 2b, BB

Game 1
Lexington Legends 8 Hagerstown Suns 1

Starter Scott Blewett had struggled with his control for most of the season heading into his start in game one of the doubleheader. That would not be the case in this one, as the big 6’6 righty pitched as efficient game as he ever has in his pro career. Tossing just 82 pitches over seven inning, Blewett bombed the zone with 53 strikes, earning 11 groundouts in the process while also striking out five hitters. Entering the game Blewett had walked 25 hitters in just 43.2 innings with no fewer than two in any game until today, when he avoided a single free baserunner. The offense rewarded Blewett’s one run shortened complete game with eight runs of their own as the 3-4-5 hitters combined for six hits and six rbi that included a three run home run by Amalani Fukofuka, his fourth of the season.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 2-3, R, 2b, RBI, BB
Roman Collins 1-4, 2b, R, RBI
Samir Duenez 3-4, 3R, 2-2b, RBI

Game 2
Hagerstown Suns 5 Lexington Legends 0

Righty Gerson Garabito’s start in the second game wasn’t quite as effective as Blewett’s, with the young 20 year old unable to get through four innings. The Suns connected for three doubles and a home run in that time to plate four runs over 3.1 innings off Gerson. The loss would be his to claim as the Legends couldn’t get their offense rolling, collecting just five hits in the seven inning shortened game. Reliever Nik Stephenson had one of his better outings of the season in replacement of the starter with 2.2 innings of one hit ball.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 1-3
Gerson Garabito 3.1 IP, 6 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 2-3 GO-FO, 71p/36k
Nik Stephenson 2.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K

HR Roll Call Jorge Bonifacio (9)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Balbino Fuenmayor 4-4 3-2b

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Jon Dziedzic 7 IP 5 H 2 ER 2 BB 3 K 7-7 GO-FO 109p/67k

El Paso Chihuahuas 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2 

The Chasers got another lengthy start from one of their regular starters on Friday night. Lefty Jonathan Dziedzic gave the Chasers seven innings of two run ball, the fourth consecutive start that the normal Omaha rotation has given the club seven or more innings of work. The only hiccup in the Dziedzic’s start came courtesy of a two-run home run off the bat of Hunter Renfroe. The Chasers would trail by that 2-0 score all the way until the bottom of the 8th when Jorge Bonifacio’s ninth Werner Park home run knotted the game at 2 apiece. Unfortunately for the Chasers, they couldn’t shake the Chihuahuas or Renfroe as a single from the Padres #3 prospect was misplayed by left-fielder Travis Snider allowing Alex Dickerson to score all the way from first base in 9th. The Chasers wouldn’t mount much of a threat in the bottom half of the inning to drop the first of this four-game set.

Boxscore Link

Christian Colon 3-3 R, 2b, BB
Andrew Edwards 2 IP 2 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K 2-1 GO-FO 45p/26k
Jorge Bonifacio 1-4 HR, 2 RBI

Corpus Christi Hooks 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 2 

The Naturals and Alec Mills got their first look at the talented Corpus Christi roster in game one of their three-game series last night. It was a challenge to say the least for the Royals right-hander as Mills had to navigate around nine hits and a pair of walks in his six innings on the hill, working around plenty of base runners. Tossing 94 pitches in that time he was able to hit the zone 62 times, but he put away just three via the strikeout and took the loss as the offense continued their woeful run. Another two run game for the offense in the loss with the Naturals going 2 for 9 with runners in scoring position.

Boxscore Link

Alec Mills 6 IP 9 H 3 ER 2 BB 3 K 4-7 GO-FO 94p/62k
Ryan O’Hearn 1-4
Corey Toups 1-3 BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Myrtle Beach Pelicans 1 

Reliever Derek Gordon got Josh Staumont out of 6th inning jam that helped the Rocks take game 1 in their series with Myrtle Beach. Wilmington scored a single run in the 1st on the legs of Cody Jones when he advanced to 2nd on a sacrifice bunt and then scored on a ground out after stealing 3rd. Three singles in the 2nd added a run and a throwing error and RBI single from Robert Pehl cashed their 3rd run in the 4th inning. Starter Josh Staumont flashed his usual erratic control, walking five in his five plus innings but allowing just one run thanks to Gordon getting out of a 2 on nobody out jam in the 6th after Josh had walked a pair. Gordon tossed a scoreless 7th before turning things over to Luis Rico who finished off the job with a scoreless 8th and 9th for his 1st save of the season.

Boxscore Link

Josh Staumont 5 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 5 Bb 3 K 6-3 GO-FO 86p/43k
Luis Rico 2 IP 0 H 0 R 2 BB 2 K 1-1 GO-FO 28p/17k
Austin Bailey 1-3 2R, BB

HR Log Xavier Fernandez (1)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Ryan O’Hearn 2-3 2b, 2BB, R

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Brooks Pounders 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 Bb 2k

Omaha Storm Chasers 6 New Orleans Zephyrs 1

Once again Omaha used solid pitching and timely hitting to earn a win over New Orleans, extending their win streak to four games in the process. Starter Brooks Pounders gave the Chasers five innings of one run ball as he spread out six hits and one walk to earn his second win. The Chasers offense came through in the 1st with an RBI double from Cheslor Cuthbert and a sac fly by Balbino Fuenmayor. Another sac fly from Whit Merrifield in the 2nd made it 3-1 Omaha, a score that would remain that way until the 8th. In that 8th and ultimately deciding inning an error on a Cuthbert force out would open the door to a three run rally that featured a Balbino rbi single and a run scoring double from Jorge Bonifacio prior to a wild pitch that would cap the scoring for Omaha. Reliever Mark Peterson would toss the final three innings of the night to secure his first Triple-A save.

Boxscore Link

Jarrod Dyson 1-4 BB,R, SB (3)
Whit Merrifield 0-4 RBI 20 gm hitting streak snapped
Brett Eibner 1-3 2 R, BB
Cheslor Cuthbert 1-3 2b (2), RBI team leading 11th

Frisco Rough Riders 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

The Frisco Rough Riders are one of the most talented teams at the Double-A level currently and their defeat of the Naturals showed why on this night. Combining speed that made impressive plays in center and right field, the Rough Riders dodged possible rallies while using a big fly to take a commanding lead and eventual win. The Naturals starter Jake Junis was maneuvering through the talented lineup well until the 5th, when a pair of hit by pitches sandwiched around a double loaded the bases for the talented top of the Frisco lineup. A pop out by leadoff man gave Junis an out but a missed location on a 2-2 pitch to Ryan Cordell was drilled deep into the night for a 5-1 lead and eventual exit inning and loss by Junis. The offense for the Naturals wouldn’t mount much of a fight as the 6-8 hitters went 6-11 but the rest of the lineup would combine to go 0 for 23 in defeat.

Boxscore Link

Raul Mondesi 0-3 2 BB
Jake Junis 4.2 IP 5 h 5 ER 0 BB 3 K 2 HR
Mauricio Ramos 3-4 hitting .278

Potomac Nationals 14 Wilmington Blue Rocks 6

The Blue Rocks got into an offensive dogfight during the third game of their four game series with Potomac Saturday night, and as one would expect, things didn’t go their way. Starter Ashton Goudeau was the victim to most of the Nationals damage, giving up a bases loaded triple for a four run second inning and then another four spot in the fourth inning, two of the runs courtesy of a Jose Marmolejos-Diaz home run. The Rocks tried to keep pace with three in the 3rd to tie the game and a pair in the 5th to draw within two runs but the Nationals wouldn’t stop scoring off Rocks reliever Ian Tompkins and Mark McCoy, each surrendering three runs in the loss.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 2-3 2b (4) 2 BB, R
Brandon Downes 2-5 2b (4), R, RBI
Austin Bailey 3-4 R, RBI hitting .450 in 6 games

West Virginia Power 7 Lexington Legends 2

This series hasn’t gone like the Legends had hope through three games, dropping all three to the Pirates affiliate with two coming in rather easy fashion. The Legends couldn’t muster much of anything against Power starter Mitch Keller, going scoreless in five innings. Lefty Julio Pinto matched him for three frames but couldn’t keep it going in the 4th when West Virginia’s Carlos Munoz hit a two run homer off to break the tie. The Power weren’t finished there, adding two more in the inning on a double and a pair of singles. Pushing Pinto out of the game after four wouldn’t slow down that prodigious Power offense as they tacked on a pair in the 6th off reliever Torey Deshazier and another in the 9th courtesy of Niklas Stephenson. Things didn’t get much better for Lexington in Keller’s absense, scoring on just a solo home run for Xavier Fernandez in the 7th and an RBI double by Samir Duenez an inning prior in dropping their fourth consecutive game. In addition to the struggles on offense, second baseman DJ Burt had his sixty-eight game on-base streak snapped with a 0 for 5 day at the dish.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 1-3 BB
Samir Duenez 2-4 2b, RBI
Marten Gasparini 1-4 R, SB (3) hitting .156

Yesterday, we took a look at some prospects to keep an eye on in the lower levels of the Royals’ farm system. Now it’s time to move on to the upper levels. Many of the organization’s top prospects will see some time in Omaha this year, which makes this Omaha resident extremely happy. But before we get to that roster, let’s check out the Double-A squad.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals

Raul Mondesi (SS): As the team’s number one prospect, Mondesi may not be in Springdale for long. If he starts to put things together, he’ll soon find himself in Omaha, or even Kansas City this summer.

Bubba Starling (OF): The Gardner native is another guy who could be moved up a level early on, if he can build upon his successful 2015 campaign. His home park(s) this summer could be a nice setting for his power numbers to get even better.

Matt Strahm (LHP): Easily the biggest breakout prospect from last season, Strahm will be getting his first taste above A-ball. The lanky lefty struck out approximately all the batters in 2015, and he just struck you out while you read that. Go back to the bench and think about what you’ve done.

Alec Mills (RHP): In his first full season following Tommy John surgery, Mills mowed down hitters in the Carolina League. The Texas League should present more of a challenge for this 24-year old strike-thrower.

Jorge Bonifacio (OF): Emilio’s younger brother appeared to slim down some during the offseason, and after a great showing this spring (1.085 OPS), hopefully the 17-home run power from last year sticks around.

Ramon Torres (SS/2B): He isn’t going to wow anyone with his tools, but Torres is just a solid player all around. He also makes a ton of contact, which is fun to watch.

Ryan O’Hearn (1B): He doesn’t make nearly as much contact as Torres, but when O’Hearn does make contact, that too, is fun to watch. Because the ball tends to fly a very long way.

Hunter Dozier (3B): After back-to-back disappointing showings at Double-A, this seems like a pivotal year in Dozier’s development. He’ll need to fix some issues with his approach and swing, but there’s still potential in there somewhere. Maybe.

Omaha Storm Chasers

Kyle Zimmer (RHP): He’s the best pitching prospect in the system, with overpowering stuff and good command, and here’s the part where I’m contractually obligated to insert the phrase “if he can stay on the mound” before mentioning Zimmer has ace upside.

Miguel Almonte (RHP): I feel like the Almonte bandwagon dwindled after a rough big-league debut, but I’m still buckled in for the ride. He’s got a 91 mph changeup, for goodness sake.

Brett Eibner (OF): Questions still remain about his durability, but in 2015 Eibner flashed the performance his athleticism has hinted at for years. If you’re watching a Chasers’ game, it’s impossible to miss Eibner. The tools are still loud, and the hair is still fantastic.

Terrance Gore (OF): He might start the year in Kansas City, but I’d expect to see more of him in Omaha this summer. I don’t think you can truly appreciate Gore’s speed from watching video. It’s something you need to experience first-hand, with the palpable anticipation any time he’s on the bases. It’s remarkable.

Jose Martinez (OF): He hit .384 last year, and still the most impressive thing I saw Martinez do in 2015 was play second base. He’s 6’7″. It was like Terrance Gore standing on Jose Altuve’s shoulders, trying to field grounders.

Balbino Fuenmayor (1B): Maybe my favorite story of the 2015 season was cut short when Fuenmayor injured his knee last July, but thanks to a strong rehab, he’s back in position to try and push his way onto a major-league roster for the first time in his career.

Cheslor Cuthbert (3B): His swing and defense looked better in 2015 than any time I had seen him play prior to that, and at 23 years old, there could be the potential for even more.

Miguel Almonte – After a jump to Triple-A Almonte got his first taste of major league ball last season with some less than stellar results (4 HR in 8.2 IP), still the pitches are there with an average or better fastball, plus change and a curveball that is flashing good results this spring (.200 batting average allowed). At just 23-years old and repeating a level for the first time in his career, Almonte is a great selection to have a breakout performance.

Craig Goldstein BP – Long a favorite of mine, Almonte’s change is less the 70-grade offering it once it hinted at, but is a plus pitch often enough that it’s still a weapon. He’ll run his fastball up into the mid-90s, most often 92-95 with some sink. The breaking ball is the slow-comer, but if he can sharpen it, he’ll have the opportunity to take advantage, as the KC rotation doesn’t have a ton of depth beyond the starting five. He could perform admirably as a mid-rotation option if called upon.

Matt Strahm – It looks as though Strahm is building on his excellent ’15 campaign, more than holding his own in his brief stint of big league camp. The arm angle combined with the fastball/slider combination should continue to lead to dominating results versus lefties at the Double-A level (.382 OPS against him in ’15) while he continues to work on his change up at the higher level. His pace combined with his angle and a slight cross body delivery should give him enough deception to lead to a strong 2016 performance and maybe even a September call-up to the Royals bullpen.

Foster Griffin – Besides the spring stats, another indicator to a possible breakout performance is if a player finished his prior season with a strong performance. One player who struggled for much of ’15 but could be ready for a breakout after a solid August is former 1st round pick Foster Griffin who will likely have the good fortune of pitching in Wilmington’s spacious Frawley Field.

Jim Callis MLB Pipeline – polished lefty with the chance for three solid pitches, like the way he finished strong in 2015, kept battling and threw strikes even when he was struggling early.

Brandon Downes – The experts both agreed that Downes was a player they liked quite a bit, and when one watches him it’s easy to see why. He’s a natural athlete with enough speed and arm strength to play a quality center field while possessing the bat speed to do work on the offensive end.

Craig Goldstein – I know, I know, he’s old for his level and doesn’t make a ton of contact. Maybe I can’t get over the fact that I watched Downes homer off Jeff Hoffman in an ECU/UVA game a couple years ago. He’s got a good glove in the outfield and enough power to matter even if he’s going to swing and miss a bunch, due to his long swing. He’s a good athlete and he dropped in the draft after a rough year due to a hand injury, and hasn’t really gotten back on track. This isn’t a breakout prediction in terms of finding the next star, but I think he’s a useful player who could see an accelerated pace this year if he can start off well.

Jim Callis - Downes needs to show better discipline but has the ability to play CF with average to solid tools across the board.

Playing at spacious Frawley Field in Wilmington will be a big test for Downes who will need to adjust his aggressive approach and try to hit gap to gap instead of looking to take the ball deep.

Besides spring and strong finishes, a good place to look for a breakout is history and the Royals scouting staff’s ability to find a hidden gem from another organization has been impressive over the last few years. One after another, the Royals have been able to find Ryan Madson, Jamie Romak, Balbino Fuenmayor and Matt Fields that contribute at the major or minor league level after most in baseball have given up on them.

One such player that could do that this season and beyond is Jon Denney, a catcher out of the Red Sox organization who ran into legal troubles in ’13 and ’14 and was released this past year. A 2013 3rd round pick Denney had a 1st round profile earlier in the draft process that the Royals were rumored to be coveting prior to the Red Sox selection one pick in front of them. Nearly two and a half years later with possibly his last shot in baseball, Denney should be interested in converting his plus power and catching skills into actual on-field performance.

Chase Vallot – After checking in with the experts, history and spring results, the final choices will be made by my good old gut. At just 18, Vallot held his own at Low-A last year despite being on average 4 years younger than the competition. A repeat of Single A should lead to better overall hitting numbers with less strikeouts while he continues to fine tune the defense and leave the yard plenty. A SALLY league home run title could definitely be in the cards for Vallot after finishing 13th in the league despite playing just 80 games.

Yunior Marte – Athletic with arm speed that generates a plus four seam fastball that can run in the upper 90s as well as a two seam with movement in the high 80s to low 90s should be enough to excel with a repeat at Low-A Lexington or more than hold his own in spacious Frawley Field in Wilmington. Adding strength while refining the change and curveball could set this pitcher off to a new level.

The Royals strength in the farm system lies in Raul Mondesi, Kyle Zimmer and Almonte at the top with some decent depth despite a lack of stars following the big three. A number of players could come forth to push themselves into the Royals Top 10 prior to the end of the 2016 campaign with these names above as just a few that myself and others think as possibilities.

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Feature photo: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports