The answer is yes. The pitchers I’ve seen this season and in the last couple seasons have everything a pitcher would need to develop into a competent pro. Whether it’s a two-seam fastball, slider instead of a curve or working with a Driveline-type organization or a long-toss routine the organization is open to development and evolving. There is no reason that a pitcher can’t find success while working in the Royals organization. With that knowledge, the Royals don’t quite have the depth in pitching that they had in the 2010-2011 years, but it’s not far off.

Star of the Show – Yohanse Morel – This is as easy as it gets for me. Tossing on Wednesday against a Mexican League squad, Morel was completely dominant for his two perfect innings of work. The fastball had life in the 92-94 mph range with the arm speed and power that the 18-year-old is likely to gain velocity in the coming years. Next to the four-seam fastball was a two-seam with good late diving movement at 87-88 mph that mirrored with a couple of changeups that he threw at a similar pace that a little arm-side fade. All four pitches Morel threw came with extension in the 6’4 range slightly above his listed height.

For any 18 year old, who doesn’t turn 19 until August those three pitches would be a great introduction and preview a positive future to build from, but I’ve still yet to mention the devastating slider that he was throwing. The slider was an 82-85 mph smoking hot pitch with late sink and sweeping movement. The spin ranged between 2650-2775 RPM which would be in the top 50 of a major league scale. Hitters had no chance and Morel knew it as they flailed prior to him walking off the mound upon release of his final slide piece prior to it landing in the catcher’s mitt as he froze the final hitter he faced. That pitch has the appearance of a 60 pitch to go with an above average future fastball. It was six up, six down versus older more seasoned hitters and the 18-year-old showed dominance, a swagger and an arsenal that surely would have placed him in some teams first round had he done it as an American at the same age prior to the upcoming draft.

Elvis Luciano - He has a strong body that should physically stand up to the longterm role as a starter. On this day, the fastball was 94-95 mph with the ability to drive and repeat it to the bottom of the zone. He flashed a tight, late moving slider in the mid-80s that flashed the better of the two breaking balls that he threw and could become an above average pitch over time. The curveball that he tossed was an upper-70s get over pitch that probably could use a little more shape and less pace to become more of a bat misser. The combination of fastball/slider mixed with a usable curve should present a backend starter should the changeup which wasn’t highlighted on this day present itself as an average offering.

Rylan Kaufman - Kaufman featured a 90-92 mph fastball with lots of arm side run. If he can learn to control it then it’s a plus pitch even at present velocity as it has the movement that allows it to miss bats and difficulty to barrel it. In addition to the fastball, Kaufman tosses a plus future curveball that had 2700-2823 revolutions which is an above average rate. The lefty presented an ability to backdoor the curve with 12-6 shape from his 3/4 arm position.

Anderson Paulino - His velocity sat in the mid to upper 90s and he was able to get to the bottom of the zone with regularity and life. I saw him both Tuesday and Friday and it was the same thing both days, 95-96 mph at the bottom of the zone. Showed a flash of an 85 mph cutter/slider that was a below average pitch. The late movement and plane on the fastball will make for a groundball machine.

Noah Bryant - Bryant showed an easy mid-90s fastball that hit 95-97 mph regularly in both outings. He flashed a usable slider in warmups on Tuesday but was unable to repeat it during live action. On Friday, the slider was showing similar plane to the fastball and short, late motion appearing similar to a cutter. That slider is workable at the lower levels but will need to increase the break at the higher levels.

Marlin Willis - It was a rough season for Willis in Burlington, but he looked interesting on Thursday. Throwing from a lower than 3/4 arm slot, Willis was 88-90 mph with his fastball to go with a sweeping slurvy offering in the mid-70s. Physically Willis should get stronger as he ages but the intriguing part of his game was his elite extension, releasing his pitches at 6’8 to as high as 7’2 in distance. The pitches don’t make for a starter but some refinement and ability to repeat the quality breaking pitch he tossed a couple of times on this day could lead him into a specialty relief role.

Zach Haake - The big rub on the former Wildcats pitcher was his health and he appears to be fully healthy showing a 92-94 mph fastball. It was a bit straight on this day, but he was able to generate some groundball contact with it.

Malcolm Van Buren - He showed lots of power with the fastball on Tuesday working low to mid-90s and little idea where it was going. Came back on Friday working with more a two-seam look that allowed him to stay in the zone at 89-90 mph next to his curveball. There’s a long way to go in terms of command/control.

Heribert Garcia - Garcia flashed an above-average changeup with his 90 mph fastball. That fastball will have to come forward as a 6’0 right-hander but physically he’s sturdy, gets above average extension (6’4) for his height and repeats well. Add some velocity and he has a chance to get deep into the minor leagues. Could be a repeat of Arnaldo Hernandez as a pitcher with good control and feel for three different pitches.

Juan Carlos Negret - The Cuban outfielder acquired in the Braves international mess looks physically like Jose Guillen. In the field, the physical appearance mirrors Guillen’s play as he’s a step slow and will have to remain in right field while the speed down the line matches with 4.5 times down the line. The arm is average and won’t be taking the spot from Matias or Lee should he move there. At the dish, Negret has some pull-side power that can turn a fastball which he did on Wednesday for an absolute bomb and another line drive out to third that was 104 mph off the bat. Hitting fastball velocity shouldn’t be a problem and he appeared to recognize spin. The swing path may need some altering to be able to drive the ball the opposite way as opposed to just his pull approach that he’s working with currently. His effort down the line and in the field seemed to be lacking.

Nick Heath - 80 speed and an improved hitting ability that presents line drive contact defines Heath. He has a feel for running the bases and attacking pitchers. Has a chance to become a similar story to Jarrod Dyson as a late developing speedster/4th outfielder. Much like a younger Dyson, this outfielders glove can wander with his concentration level making mistakes on balls that he gets to. The arm is average and shouldn’t be any problem in center field or left.

Dennicher Carrasco - Carrasco has a good feel for hit with average to a tick above average power. Will have to move to first base where the bat will come into question.

Travis Jones - Jones has long limbs and average bat speed that is long though it stays in the zone. He will continue to struggle to pull pitches that cause damage.

Most position players appear to be worn down after long seasons.

BPKC Hitter of the Day Rubendy Jacquez 4-5 2b, BB, RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Glenn Sparkman 7 IP 6 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 8 K 7-3 GO-FO 88p/62k

Lexington Legends 5 Greenville Drive 4

Starter Marcelo Martinez made his debut for the Legends Friday night and after starting things off rocky he smoothed things out pretty well. The leadoff hitter blasted the second pitch from the lefties hand for a solo home run. From there he settled down tossing five consecutive scoreless frames while striking out nine hitters along the way. With Martinez cruising the bats got rolling in the third inning with a two-run home run by Brewer Hicklen after MJ Melendez scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 Lexington. A rbi single by Kyle Isbel scored another in the sixth before a fielding error made it 5-1 in the seventh inning. The home half of the seventh saw Martinez give up a single and a walk before being lifted for Janser Lara. Much like the first inning Lara was greeted by a home run from the first hitter he faced, closing the gap to 5-4. From there Lara tossed two scoreless innings and handed it off to Tad Ratliff who gave up a couple of baserunners before securing the out that clinched their first playoff appearance since 2006.

Nick Pratto 3-5 2R, SB (22)
Brewer Hicklen 3-4 HR, 3 RBI, SB (29)
Kyle Isbel 2-5 R, 2b, RBI
Marcelo Martinez 6 IP 4 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 9 K 7-1 GO-FO 81p/60k

Tulsa Drillers 8 NW Arkansas Naturals 1

Emilio Ogando’s string of eight consecutive starts of two runs or less ended on Friday night as the lefty gave up five runs on five hits and a pair of walks over just two and two-thirds innings. Those five runs were part of a six-run third inning that put the Naturals in too big of a hole to dig out. The loss effectively ended their season.

Yunior Marte 3 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 3K 3-2 GO-FO 44p/30k
Samir Duenez 2-4 RBI
Xavier Fernandez 2-2 R, 2b, BB

Omaha Storm Chasers 3 New Orleans Baby Cakes 0

Back from the bigs, Glenn Sparkman showed his experience tossing seven shutout innings against the Marlins Triple-A squad. Attacking the zone with 67 strikes on just 88 pitches Sparkman struckout eight against just six hits. The Chasers had staked Sparkman to a 3-0 lead in the first inning with a pair of two-out rbi doubles by Paulo Orlando and Humberto Arteaga. Relievers Josh Staumont and Richard Lovelady finished the job from there with Lovelady working the final inning and one-third to earn his eighth save of the season.

Richard Lovelady 1.1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 3 K 1-0 GO-FO 25p/16k
Humberto Arteaga 2-3 2b, RBI, BB
Ramon Torres 2-4 R

Game 1 Orem Owlz 3 Idaho Falls Chukars 1
Game 2 Idaho Falls Chukars 6 Orem Owlz 1

The Chukars lost a low scoring game in the first of the doubleheader on a late home run. Lefty Rylan Kaufman made his Idaho Falls debut tossing a scoreless first inning before giving up an unearned run in the second inning while striking out three. That Chukars evened the game in the fourth on a Bubba Starling solo home run it the fourth inning. Former Oklahoma State pitcher Jon Heasley worked from the third inning, tossing scoreless ball until the seventh when Angels 2nd round pick Jeremiah Jackson got into one for a two-run home run that decided the contest. In the second game Elvis Luciano was very good in his debut with the club, tossing six innings with just three hits and a pair walks allowed. The right-hander gave up just an unearned run while striking out five batters. A pair of extra-base hits scored three runs in the fourth inning when Julio Gonzalez tripled in three before Rubendy Jacquez doubled in another. The Chukars scored a couple more in the sixth inning before Domingo Pena tossed the final scoreless inning.

Jon Heasley 5 IP 5 H 2 R 2 ER 0 BB 4 K 6-3 GO-FO 71p/57k
Elvis Luciano 6 IP 3 H 1 R 0 ER 2 BB 5 K 8-4 GO-FO 89p/54k
Hunter Strong 1-4 R, 3b, 2BB

Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day Samir Duenez 4-4 R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Elvis Luciano 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 9 K 6-4 GO-FO 89p/61k

Lexington Legends 11 Hagerstown Suns 1

The Legends offense had a big night on Friday to gain a victory over the Nationals Low-A club. Three hitters did much of the heavy lifting with Nick Pratto, Manny Olloque, and Cristian Perez each reaching base four times while combining for 10 of Lexington’s 15 hits. With the game tied 1-1 in the third inning Pratto’s eleventh home run of the season gave Lexington a lead, they wouldn’t relinquish the rest of the night. After MJ Melendez drove in a run an inning later with a groundout Pratto upped the lead to 4-1 with a double. In the fifth, it was a Perez double pushing the advantage to 5-1 before a six-run seventh blew the game wide open. Starter Daniel Lynch worked just three innings due to a limited workload, giving up the first home run of his young career while striking out two. Rule 5 draftee Daniel Duarte was outstanding in replacement of Lynch, tossing three hitless innings with five strikeouts to earn the win.

Daniel Lynch 3 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 2K 4-1 GO-FO 32p/23k
Manny Olloque 4-5 2R, RBI
Cristian Perez 4-5 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8 Salem Red Sox 2

The Rocks broke their losing streak on Friday with a big night at the dish by a few different hitters. The 1-2 hitters in the lineup Blake Perkins and Rudy Martin accounted for three runs apiece with Perkins scoring three, Martin scoring one and driving in a pair. Third baseman Emmanuel Rivera joined those two with four runs driven in with three doubles to help Wilmington score eight runs. Those runs were plenty for Ofreidy Gomez who went seven innings with just a run allowed before turning things to Justin Camp and Tyler Zuber for the win.

Ofreidy Gomez 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 8-4 GO-FO 91p/66k
Emmanuel Rivera 3-5 3-2b, 4 RBI
Rudy Martin 3-4 R, 2-2b, 2 RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 9 Springfield Cardinals 3

The ten players that made it up to bat in this one for NW Arkansas each reached base at least once with Samir Duenez and Xavier Fernandez leading the charge. Fernandez tripled in a run and scored in the second inning before Duenez doubled in a run during the three-run frame. The two each hit home runs in the middle innings with Fernandez connecting on a solo home run in the fourth before Duenez hit a two-run job in the fifth. An inning later Nick Heath tripled in a pair and scored to put NW Arkansas up 9-3 for their eventual winning margin.

Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5
Xavier Fernandez 3-5 3R, HR, 3b, 2 RBI
Foster Griffin 6 IP 11 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 0 K 9-4 Go-FO 86p/59k

Iowa Cubs 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Scott Barlow got roughed up by the ICubs in his first rehab start back, giving up three home runs and eight runs in just an inning and one-third. Those runs were too much to overcome for the Chasers with the team going 4 for 15 with runners in scoring position.

Nicky Lopez 2-3 R, 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Frank Schwindel 2-5
Donnie Dewees 2-5 2b, RBI

Burlington Royals 5 Kingsport Mets 1

The Royals received another solid start from Elvis Luciano as the pitcher the Royals acquired in the Jon Jay deal set new career highs in strikeouts and innings. Working seven innings of one-run ball in this one while striking out nine hitters with 17 swinging strikes on the evening. After allowing a first-inning run the Royals got a run back in the third inning with an Eric Cole single before scoring two more in the fourth. In the seventh, a wild pitch moved the lead to 4-1 prior to Cole singling in another. Reliever Kyle Hinton worked the final two innings scoreless with four strikeouts.

Eric Cole 2-5 2 RBI
Jose Marquez 2-3 2R, 2-3b, 2 BB
Freddy Fermin 3-5 R, 2b

Friday Boxscores

Saturday BPKC Hitter of the Day: MJ Melendez 4-5 HR, 3b, 2 RBI, SB
Sunday BPKC Hitter of the Day: Michael Emodi 3-5 2R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI

Saturday BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Daniel Lynch 5 IP 3 H 1 R 0 ER 1 BB 8 K 5-3 GO-FO 81p/54k
Sunday BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Rito Lugo 6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 11 K 4-3 GO-FO 89p/59k

Saturday Lexington Legends 4 Lakewood BlueClaws 1
Sunday Lexington Legends 3 Lakewood BlueClaws 2

The battery of Daniel Lynch and MJ Melendez led the way to a victory on Saturday night. The catcher connected on his 16th home run of the season as part of his four-hit game. That two-run blast in the third inning by Melendez staked Lynch to a lead after an unearned run scored the inning prior. That would be the only run allowed on this night for the Legends as Lynch gave another good performance with eight strikeouts over five innings before turning it over to Janser Lara and Tad Ratliff to finish the job with three more strikeouts over the final three scoreless innings. The Sunday game was a low scoring affair with Lexington getting a pair of runs in the first on a Manny Olloque single. A Nick Pratto single in the fifth that scored Kyle Isbel pushed the game to 3-0. Starter Yefri Del Rosario struggled with misty air to keep the ball in the strike zone, walking five but he was able to keep Lakewood off the scoreboard for five innings as he limited them to just two hits. With Del Rosario limited to five innings, the bullpen was required to do more work but they were up to the task with Collin Snider allowing a run in two innings, before Danny Hrbek gave up a run in the eighth. Closer Tad Ratliff gave up a leadoff double in the ninth but Cristian Perez cut that runner down two hitters later after a sac bunt with a throw to the plate to preserve the lead and later the win.

MJ Melendez: 5-8 2R, HR, 3b, 2BB, 2SB
Kyle Isbel: 3-10 2R
Yefri Del Rosario: 5 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 5 BB 3 K 4-6 GO-FO 88p/47k

Saturday Winston-Salem Dash 12 Wilmington Blue Rocks 11 F/11 Suspended Game
Sunday Gm 1 Winston-Salem Dash 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3
Sunday Gm 1 Winston-Salem Dash 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

The Rocks resumed a suspended game from July on Saturday but couldn’t stop their current losing streak, dropping the game in extra innings. Twice the Rocks used three-run innings to even the game up getting a game-tying double by Emmanuel Rivera in the seventh to tie things up and a two-run Vance Vizcaino single as part of the three-run tenth. It wouldn’t be enough though as the team went scoreless in the eleventh inning after the Dash brought their free runner around to finish off the loss that put them three and a half games back of first place in the standings. The Blue Rocks couldn’t stop the losing streak in the doubleheader as the bullpen gave up runs late in both losses. Game one featured saw Yermin Mercedes drive in all five runs for Winston-Salem, connecting on a pair of home runs including the deciding three-run blast in the eighth to walk it off on reliever Julio Pinto. Starter Gerson Garabito was lifted after four innings in the second game with the score tied 2-2. Reliever Justin Camp couldn’t keep the dash off the board yielding a run in the sixth to tie things up before putting a pair on in the seventh that eventually yielded the winning run when Mercedes walked it off with a single off Bryan Brickhouse.

Gerson Garabito: 4 IP 4 H 2 R 1 ER 1 BB 6 K 4-1 GO-FO 68p/48k
Gabriel Cancel: 2-6
Meibrys Viloria: 0-1 R, BB

Sunday Gm 1 NW Arkansas Naturals 6 Frisco RoughRiders 3
Sunday Gm 2 Frisco RoughRiders 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 5 F/7

The Naturals Foster Griffin continued his winning ways on Sunday despite giving up a pair of home runs in the first game. The lefty gave up those two home runs in the fourth inning just after the Naturals had hit their two home runs earlier in the inning to keep things tied 3-3. NW Arkansas quickly countered with an RBI single by Alfredo Escalera to take the lead back and Griffin combined with Andres Machado to hold Frisco scoreless the final three innings while tacking on a pair of insurance runs. The nightcap saw Jace Vines give up five runs in just an inning and one-third, turning a 3-1 lead turn into a 6-5 deficit and eventual loss. Starter Scott Barlow started his assignment back with the Naturals after his injury, tossing four innings with three hits allowed with one run while striking out four hitters.

Foster Griffin: 5 IP 7 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 1 K 3-8 GO-FO 89p/61k
Scott Barlow: 4 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 4 K 6-1 GO-FO 50p/37k
Kelvin Gutierrez: 2-8 3b

Saturday Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2
Sunday Colorado Springs Sky Sox 17 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Chasers went into Colorado Springs with a very small opportunity to get into the playoff chase with nine of their next twelve games versus the top two teams in the division. That opportunity seems to have slipped past them now with their second loss in a row against the Brewers farm club. Quality pitching was the order of the day once again in the usually high scoring run environment as Zach Lovvorn matched two Sky Sox pitchers with seven innings of two-run pitching. Omaha’s Jack Lopez had given the team a 2-0 lead after his single in the seventh inning but Lovvorn gave up a pair of two-out hits in the bottom half of the inning including a two-run blast by Richie Shaefer to even the game. An inning later Lopez’s throwing error during Tyler Saladino’s triple allowed him to score the lead and eventual winning run that put Omaha six games behind the Sky Sox for second place. The Sunday game got out of hand as Colorado Springs connected on 17 hits including four home runs to put 17 runs on the board in a blowout. The Chasers hit three home runs themselves with two coming from Brian Goodwin but they could score just five runs with a 2 for 8 effort with runners in scoring position.

Zach Lovvorn: 7 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 1 HR 0 BB 3 K 100p/60k
Nick Lopez: 3-9 HR 2 RBI
Brian Goodwin: 2-3 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB

Saturday Burlington Royals 5 Bristol Pirates 1
Sunday Danville Braves 12 Burlington Royals 7

Burlington’s Elvis Luciano gave them a second solid start in a row with his six innings of shutout ball on Saturday night. The hard-throwing former Diamondbacks farmhand worked around four free passes with six strikeouts. It was a dominating night for Luciano as he picked up 19 swinging strikes among his 54 strikes in 90 pitches. The offense gave him his second win with a pair of RBI singles by Rafael Romero and Matt Morales alongside some poor Pirates defense yielding a couple other runs. Pitchers Josh Dye and Bryar Johnson got knocked around for 11 runs between the two of them during Sunday’s game one of the series with the Braves. Those runs were too much to overcome despite the offense’s 11 hits and seven runs that included Michael Emodi’s big night at the dish that included three hits and three runs driven in.

Jose Marquez: 3-9 3R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI
Juan Carlos Negret: 2-9 R, 2b, BB, K
Elvis Luciano: 6 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 4 BB 6 K 19 swinging strikes 5-4 GO-FO 90p/54k

Saturday Idaho Falls Chukars 6 Great Falls Voyagers 5
Sunday Great Falls Voyagers 8 Idaho Falls Chukars 5

Each team scored in just two innings on Saturday but it was the Chukars six runs between the sixth and seventh innings that earned them the win. Starter Jon Heasley allowed four runs between the second and third innings as extra base hits in each inning helped lead to two runs. The starter did earn three strikeouts and eight groundouts in an efficient five innings that he completed on 74 pitches. The offense got him off the hook for the loss with the four-run seventh frame that included a two-run single by Jose Caraballo, an RBI double by Chase Vallot and a sacrifice fly. Reliever Domingo Pena tossed the final four innings with just a run allowed in the ninth before stranding the tying run in scoring position to secure the win. Lefty Rito Lugo was the story during Sunday’s game as the lefty put together a second consecutive outstanding start for Idaho Falls. After giving up a solo home run in the first inning Lugo found his groove, striking out 11 hitters in six innings while working around four other hits to hold the Voyagers to just that one run. The Chukars had a 4-1 lead after three innings that held up at 4-3 into the ninth when Jose Ramirez blew his first save of the year. During that inning, an error started the action as Great Falls put five runs on the board with the final blow coming with a three-run home run to build a lead for the win.

Nathan Eaton: 4-8 2R, 2b, 2 BB, RBI
Jose Caraballo: 3-10 3R, 2b, 3 RBI
Chase Vallot: 2-6 R, 2b, RBI, 3BB, 4K

Saturday Boxscores
Sunday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Meibrys Viloria 4-5, 2R, HR, 3 RBI, 3 BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Nolan Watson 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 3-7 GO-FO, 77p/48k

Lexington Legends 7, Asheville Tourists 5

The Legends put six runs up in the first frame and then held on for the win. The first four hitters all reached with Kyle Isbel’s leadoff double starting the game off, scoring on a Nick Pratto single before an Asheville error scored a pair and helped the Legends toward the big inning. A pair of errors dented Charlie Neuweiler’s line, with the right-hander yielding two unearned runs on his four-run line after giving up three hits and three walks while striking out four. With a 7-4 lead, Asheville loaded the bases with no outs in the seventh, but Danny Hrbek finagled a way out of the jam with a pop out and a double play. Again in the eighth, the Tourists put a couple in scoring position with no outs before reliever Tad Ratliff struck out two before ending the inning by inducing a groundout before giving up a run in the ninth and securing the win.

Kyle Isbel: 1-5, R, 2b
Seuly Matias: 0-3, R, HBP
Charlie Neuweiler: 5.1 IP, 3 H, 4 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 5-6 GO-FO, 94p/55k

Gm 1 – Wilmington Blue Rocks 8, Frederick Keys 0 – F/7
Gm 2 – Wilmington Blue Rocks 7, Frederick Keys 6 – F/7

Wilmington finished off a 6-1 roadtrip with a doubleheader sweep of the Orioles High-A squad Monday afternoon. The first game featured big days at the plate by Gabriel Cancel and catcher Meibrys Viloria with the duo each hitting a home run and driving in three runs apiece. That was more than enough for Nolan Watson who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning before finishing off the shortened game with his third consecutive seven-inning start. In game two, Dan Tillo lost his way in the third inning, giving up four runs on four singles and three walks, forcing the bullpen to take over. The four runs allowed evened the game after Wilmington had built a 4-0 lead after four singles scored runs in the second. Three more singles in the sixth inning scored a pair before D.J. Burt scored on an errant throw after he stole second base. Reliever Julio Pinto gave up a run in the final inning before securing the win.

Gabriel Cancel: 2-7, HR, 3 RBI, 2K
Brewer Hicklen: 3-8, 3R, K
Emmanuel Rivera: 1-3, 2R, RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 4, Arkansas Travelers 2

Royals lefty Eric Skoglund made his Double-A rehab appearance with NW Arkansas, going four innings with just an unearned run allowed. Working on a limited pitch count, Skoglund tossed 29 strikes on 42 pitches while giving up three hits and striking out two. The offense got on the board in the third inning with a Jecksson Flores RBI double and an RBI groundout by Erick Mejia that scored Khalil Lee. In relief, Scott Blewett gave up a run over three innings to even the game up at 2-2. In the late innings, a pair of doubles helped towards two more runs for NW Arkansas,: Nick Dini’s leadoff double put him in position to score on a Lee single in the seventh, and Kelvin Gutierrez’s double in the eighth brought home Samir Duenez to push the advantage to two runs. Reliever Franco Terrero earned his fourth save of the year with a scoreless ninth inning.

Khalil Lee: 3-4, R, RBI
Kelvin Gutierrez: 2-4, 2-2b, RBI
Eric Skoglund: 4 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 4-6 GO-FO, 42p/29k

Greeneville Reds 5, Burlington Royals 3

The Royals right-hander Elvis Luciano yielded two runs in five innings during the team’s loss. The young starter acquired in the Jon Jay trade gave up five hits including three for extra bases while striking out six against one walk. Strikes weren’t a problem on this night as Luciano tossed 51 strikes on 73 pitches. With the game tied 2-2 after five, the Royals scored just one run in the seventh while the Reds squad scored single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth off relievers Ismael Maldonado and Kyle Hinton.

Jackson Lueck: 2-4, 2b
Eric Cole: 1-4, RBI
Elvis Luciano: 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K, 5-1 GO-FO, 73p/51k

Idaho Falls Chukars 8, Missoula Osprey 3

Another quality start for J.C. Cloney as the lefty worked 6.2 frames with three runs allowed. In typical fashion for the Chukars top starter, he pounded the zone with 67 strikes on 96 pitches while allowing three runs on nine hits. The offense scored eight runs on 14 hits and five walks, with Jose Caraballo hitting a two-run home run and driving in a third run to lead the way for the Idaho Falls offense. Reliever Robert Garcia tossed the final 2.1 innings scoreless to secure the save.

J.C. Cloney: 6.2 IP, 9 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 4-3 GO-FO, 96p/67k
Jose Caraballo: 3-4, HR, 3 RBI
Nate Eaton: 2-4, R, 2b, BB

Monday Boxscores

Tuesday Probables

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Cam Gallagher 2-4 2b, RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Richard Lovelady 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K 3-2 GO-FO 19p/15k

Transaction – Rudy Martin activated back with Wilmington.
Rumor – Looks as though 18th Rd pick R.J. Dabovich will make his signing official soon.

Texas League All-Star Game South 2-2 Final
South Wins on HR Derby Sudden Death
Nicky Lopez: 0-2 RBI
Erick Mejia: 0-2
Elier Hernandez: 0-2 K
Nick Dini: 0-1
Jecksson Flores: 2-2 R, SB
Scott Blewett: 1 IP 2 H 0 R 0 BB 0 K
Zach Lovvorn: 1 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 0 K
Emilio Ogando: 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 1 K
Walker Sheller: 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 K

Lynchburg Hillcats 8 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

A 2-2 game got away from Wilmington in the ninth inning when Carter Hope struggled during his third inning of relief. The right-hander who rejoined the organization last year after being away for over a year created his own problems in the ninth with a fielding error and a wild pitch before giving up four hits to the next five hitters up in the inning. Lefty reliever Justin Camp came in to help clean up the mess but six runs had crossed in the inning to put Wilmington into too large of a hole to dig out of. Royals top prospect Khalil Lee accounted for all three Wilmington runs, driving in two and scoring another in the ninth.

Khalil Lee: 2-2 R, 2 RBI, BB, CS (3)
Jace Vines: 6 IP 4 H 2 R 1 ER 2 BB 6 K 9-2 GO-FO 92p/54k
Gabe Cancel: 1-4

Round Rock Express 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Three runs off left-hander Jake Kalish in the fourth inning were enough to do in the Chasers on Tuesday evening. The game was scoreless until that inning when Top 100 prospect Willie Calhoun connected on a two-run double. One hitter later, former major league infielder Cliff Pennington drove Calhoun home with a single to push the Round Rock advantage to 3-0. The Chasers would be limited to six hits on the night with a solo home run from Ramon Torres in the fifth and an RBI single by Cam Gallagher in the sixth that cut the deficit to 3-2. Following the Gallagher hit in the sixth, the next eight Chasers hitters would be retired until Cam doubled with one out in the ninth but nothing would come of that threat with the next two hitters going down in the loss.

Jorge Bonifacio: 1-3 R, BB
Josh Staumont: 2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 K 3-2 GO-FO 32p/19k
Donnie Dewees: 0-4

Danville Braves 2 Burlington Royals 0

Newly acquired right-hander Elvis Luciano made his second start with the organization, performing better than he did in his first effort. Hitting the zone with 53 strikes on 79 pitches the right-hander walked three hitters, gave up two hits and one run in five innings of work. Unfortunately for Luciano, his solid effort wasn’t rewarded with the offense failing to score with a 0 for 7 effort with runners in scoring position. Local Wichita State product Greyson Jenista hit his second home run of the series in the sixth inning off reliever Luis Alcantara to up the score to 2-0 where it would end after Burlington failed to push multiple runners in scoring position home over the final few innings.

Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4
Isaiah Henry: 1-1 BB
Elvis Luciano: 5 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 3 BB 5 K 5-1 GO-FO 79p/53k

Grand Junction Rockies 4 Idaho Falls Chukars 2

The Chukars grabbed an early lead, but a seventh-inning defensive error helped them find themselves in a two-run hole. The Royals 13th round draft pick Jon Heasley made his second start, working four innings with just one run allowed. It was an efficient outing for him with 37 strikes thrown on his 51 pitches while he kept the ball on the ground with six groundouts created out of seven and four of the five singles allowed also coming via the groundball. Along with the groundball contact being created, Heasley still put away four hitters with strikeouts before reaching his pitch limit. The Chukars had a 2-1 lead through six innings after a pair of run-scoring outs but a solo home run in the seventh prior to an error that opened the door to two more runs to put Idaho Falls down 4-2. The Chukars threatened in the ninth with the tying runs in scoring position but Offerman Collado struckout to end the game.

Kyle Isbel: 0-3 BB, 2 GIDP
Jon Heasley: 4 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 4 K 6-1 GO-FO 51p/37k
Offerman Collado: 3-5

Tuesday Boxscores

Wednesday Probables
Omaha – Glenn Sparkman 7-2 3.48 ERA 1.24 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 2-5 4.12 ERA 1.66 WHIP
Lexington – TBD
Idaho Falls – TBD

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Kyle Isbel 3-5 3-2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Adrian Alcantara 5 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 7 K 4-1 GO-FO

Idaho Falls Chukars 7 Grand Junction Rockies 4

The Chukars offense pounded out 14 hits on the way to a road win that evened their series with Grand Junction. Third-round draft pick Kyle Isbel connected on three doubles in five at-bats, driving in a pair of runs. In addition to Isbel’s offensive exploits, he also made an impressive diving catch in the field to record an out in the eighth inning. Starting pitcher Jon Heasley worked three scoreless innings while working around three hits and a walk during his first start in the Royals organization. Dominican right-hander Domingo Pena worked five innings with just one run allowed in earning the winning decision.

Jon Heasley: 3 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 1 K 5-2 GO-FO 42p/23k
Rudy Martin: 1-4 R, RBI
Tyler James: 2-5 2R, SB

Elizabethton Twins 15 Burlington Royals 3

The Royals didn’t have much luck getting Twins hitters out in a lopsided loss. Newly acquired right-hander Elvis Luciano made his first start as a member of the Royals organization, giving up six hits in three and two-thirds innings which allowed the Twins to score three runs. The right-hander struck out two hitters, hit the zone with 43 of his 59 pitches, and induced four groundouts before leaving with one run allowed against. Unfortunately for Luciano, he left with two runners on base and those two quickly came across when reliever Luis Alcantara struggled, allowing three hits in that frame, which allowed four runs to cross total. His struggles continued over the next two innings as well with the right-handed reliever giving up eight hits and eight runs in total during a game that got away from the Royals.

Elvis Luciano: 3.2 IP 6 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 2 K 4-0 GO-FO 59p/43k
Angel Medina: 2-4 R, RBI
Juan Carlos Negret: 2-4 2b, 2 RBI

Wednesday Boxscores

Thursday Probables
Omaha – TBD
NW Arkansas – Jake Kalish 3-3 4.63 ERA 1.43 WHIP
Wilmington – TBD
Lexington – TBD
Idaho Falls – TBD
Burlington – Randy Acevedo

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Jecksson Flores 1-3 R, 2b, RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yunior Marte 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 2 K 2-1 GO-FO 32p/19k

Notes from J.J. Picollo 

On the Jon Jay Trade – Elvis Luciano has a big arm; our scouts like him as an amateur. We have noticed his improvements in velocity, command, and quality of pitches. We have great reports on his makeup and feel even better about it once we got to be with him for a couple of days. We feel really good about his chances to be a quality starter.  Gabe Speier – Been traded a few times but they were legitimate trades. Has a three-pitch mix with command. His reports read like a starter but he’s a reliever likely in the middle relief mold to 7th inning type. Arizona pursued Jon Jay which is the reason this deal came together now, they had a need and they were willing to give up something that we value.

On promoting Khalil Lee – There are people who think we need to be looking at it. He’s trending the way we want him to trend, appears to be making some adjustments to the league which gives you a good reason to talk about it. I don’t think we’re there quite yet if he continues to go the way he’s going then we can look at it towards the end of the year. You don’t want to go on such a small sample from High-A to Double-A because in a lot of people’s opinion that is one of the largest jumps a player can make. Obviously, it’s going to come at some point either this year or next. We just want to be sure it’s the right time.

On Lee in centerfield – To be candid, I was one of the ones who questioned it early but the more I watch him play, the more you see him move, the more you believe he is going to play there. Before I was one that said he was going to be a gold glove rightfielder but the more I’ve watched him play the more I think he’s an everyday centerfielder. He’s won me over.

Lexington Legends 2 Columbia Fireflies 1

The Legends won last night when the rain washed away the game in the eighth but on this night it wouldn’t even get that far, getting a rain washed win after five. Outfielder Seuly Matias led off the second with a double and scored in the second inning to take a early 1-0 lead. After Columbia scored on an infield single in the third the Legends countered with a Cal Jones walk and a run on an error to take the lead that would eventually prove to be the deciding factor in the game. Shortstop Cristian Perez extended his hitting streak to 13 games in the win.

Cristian Perez: 1-2
Seuly Matias: 1-2 R, 2b, K
Nick Pratto: 0-2 SB (8)

Game 1 Down East Wood Ducks 6 Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 F/7
Game 2 Down East Wood Ducks 8 Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 F/7

In both games of the doubleheader, Wilmington fell behind by significant margins only to claw back in the game before falling. In game one starter Dan Tillo struggled with the zone, walking four in five innings while allowing five runs due in part to a pair of home runs allowed. The lefty was off the hook for the loss after Gabe Cancel answered the 5-1 deficit with a grand slam to tie the game but an error on his part in the sixth helped yield the eventual winning run, In game two starter Jace Vines was knocked around for eleven hits in just three and two-thirds innings, giving up six runs in the process to put his club behind. Four defensive errors behind the pitching helped in the pitching struggles including a pair of unearned runs against Justin Camp. The offense did their part with five runs on the board with eight hits and four walks but may have left too much on the bases with a 3 for 11 effor with runners in scoring position.

Khalil Lee: 2-7 3R, BB, 2K
Meibrys Viloria: 3-7 2 RBI, BB, 3 K
Gabe Cancel: 2-8 HR, 5 RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 7 Arkansas Travelers 4

Three errors by the Mariners Double-A squad opened the door for a series victory that gave the Naturals a share of first place with a little more than a week to play. Starter Zach Lovvorn struggled in his third inning, giving up five hits and four runs that put NW Arkansas behind. The offense countered with their typical pressure, scoring a pair in the fifth on a Donnie Dewees hit and a passed ball that scored him. An inning later the Naturals tied the game with a double by Jecksson Flores and a bases-loaded walk by Alex Liddi that brought Flores home as five consecutive hitters reached. With two down a pair of fielding errors helped lead to three more runs to give the Naturals a 7-4 lead. Three relievers would follow Lovvorn with shutout work to finish off the game and earn that tie for first place.

Elier Hernandez: 1-5 R
Nick Dini: 2-3 R, 2b, BB
Donnie Dewees: 1-5 R, RBI

Tuesday Boxscores
Wednesday Probables
Omaha – TBD
NW Arkansas – Scott Blewett 3-4 5.21 ERA 1.62 WHIP
Wilmington – Anthony Bender 3-2 5.17 ERA 1.57 WHIP
Lexington – Andres Sotillet 5-2 2.82 ERA 1.32 WHIP

The prospect that we are more likely to see the soonest is left-handed reliever Speier, currently at Double-A Jackson.

Via 2080 Baseball – Not a guy with real big stuff, Speier has a pitch-to-contact profile who will get some swing and miss, but more relies on efficiency and high ground ball rates. As he has climbed, he has done a very good job adjusting to the level and maintaining the production, a 2.18 GO:AO ratio across four levels in 2016.

Despite that report, it seems Speier has started to take the next step in his development, creating groundballs at a higher rate than before (60.5%); while he hasn’t fixed the walk rate yet, he’s started to get more strikeouts. The upside here is a groundball inducing LOOGY.

The prospect that made this deal happen is right along the lines of what the Royals have signed on their own in the past in international signee Luciano. Signed for just $85k in 2016, this 18-year-old is already exhibiting a feel for multiple pitches from his lean 6’2 184 lbs frame. The right-hander is up to 95 mph with his fastball, while getting downward movement with the pitch that settles in the mid-90’s. In addition to the fastball, he has a feel for the changeup and curveball with the change ahead at the current time. The body looks strong in the upper half and should be able to add some muscle in the lower half, meaning it’s very likely he’ll be able to stick as a starter should he refine the breaking ball further.

There is some upside here reminiscent of recently acquired Yefri Del Rosario, the prospect the Royals acquired after the Braves were forced to let him become a free agent, but Luciano may have a better feel for pitching. His thicker frame likely means he has a better opportunity to stay in the rotation longterm in comparison to Del Rosario. This right-hander could be ready to show his stuff at Low-A Lexington rather soon with the ceiling of a middle of the rotation starter.

Analysis – This is a nice return for the Royals in exchange for Jay, a limited player with limited upside and fringe centerfielder. Getting back an upside starter who likely fits among their Top 25-30 prospects and a fringy LOOGY is the best possible return they could have hoped for.

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