But now things are different. Escobar is no longer the shortstop. That title belongs to Adalberto Mondesi, who hit .276/.306/.498 last season. With the Royals, Escobar topped that average twice, that OBP twice and got within 100 points of that slugging percentage exactly zero times. So aside from being a considerably better option, he’s also less durable. And that’s not a bad thing necessarily, but I believe the Royals will treat Mondesi the way they treated Lorenzo Cain for most of his tenure. Sure, they’d love to get 150 games out of him, but I think they’ll be happy with 135-140 in order to keep him and, in Mondesi’s case, his back healthy from the beginning of spring to hopefully the end of October.

And what that means is an increased need for a backup shortstop on the roster. With Escobar, he wasn’t coming out unless he was hurt in the middle of a game, which meant someone would play out of position for four innings and then they’d call someone up from Omaha. You just can’t do that if you’re planning to give multiple days off to your shortstop. Even if it’s once a week, you want to have someone there who isn’t drastically out of position and hurts the defense regularly.

There are a few names out there they can pursue. You know one of them. You’re not going to like one of them. I don’t like it either. I’ll get to him last just because I don’t want to get to him.

The Free Agents

MLB Trade Rumors lists 12 players as free agents under the shortstop umbrella. I count another two or three who are non-tender candidates. Of those, maybe Tyler Saladino would be a bit, though it sort of depends on how the Brewers handle their free agents and Jonathan Schoop. Of the free agents, there isn’t really a great option that jumps out to me other than the one I’m not going to mention for now. Asdrubal Cabrera, Freddy Galvis, Marwin Gonzalez, Jose Iglesias and Manny Machado all are obviously looking for starting jobs. Dixon Machado isn’t very good. Neither is Gregorio Petit or Eric Sogard. Jose Reyes is scummy, so he’s probably out. That leaves a couple players. Adeiny Hechavarria would fit as a strong defensive backup who would remind you a lot of that guy we’re not mentioning. And I’ve mentioned Jordy Mercer before if he’s willing to sign as a backup and for not too much money, though I think his market may be slightly more robust than I thought a few weeks ago.

Trade Targets

This is always much tougher to gauge because it’s just hard to say what a team is willing to do. For example, the Red Sox have three shortstops on their 40-man roster, so maybe they’d be willing to part with a player who doesn’t have much of a path to playing time. That doesn’t mean they’d just give up someone like Tzu-Wei Lin easily because he’s shown way too much promise to just dump because there’s a roster crunch. Maybe Ronald Torreyes could be had in a deal. He’s been a backup for the Yankees for the last three years. As of now, he’s very important with Didi Gregorious out for awhile to start the season, but if they go get Machado and don’t move anyone, he becomes moveable. Another name to watch could be Charlie Culberson, though I don’t know how keen the Braves would be to trade him at all after seeing him hit .270/.326/.466 for them in 322 plate appearances last season. But if they sign a third baseman or a shortstop and keep Dansby Swanson, the roster is getting awfully crowded.

An outside the box thought would require the Astros to re-sign Marwin Gonzalez and then turn around a flip Aledmys Diaz, who they just acquired from the Blue Jays. That would all depend on how they act and react in free agency, so it’s just really tough to say there. Again, trade speculation is so tough that I hesitate to even name any additional names here just because it’s so early in the offseason. But just know the possibility to go this route is out there.

Rule 5

Unless I’ve missed someone, there isn’t really much out there in the Rule 5 at shortstop that would get me excited for the Royals to have to carry all season long. There is one player who I could see maybe possibly worth a shot and that’s Drew Jackson from the Dodgers. He might not fit perfectly at shortstop, but I think he can handle the position well enough to play there once or twice a week. He hit .251/.356/.447 with an 11 percent walk rate and 22.7 percent strikeout rate that gives a bit of concern. He can really run. If he’s left unprotected, I believe the Royals could do far worse than him as a backup infielder, and I think he can play the Rosell Herrera role well.

Internal

Okay, here we go. The Royals could bring back Escobar. While the fans were ready to move on after 2017, it sure seemed like everyone was ready after 2018, but he hit .326/.367/.442 the last two months of the season after he really became a backup player and even posted a walk rate of 6.3 percent. I’m not saying I like the idea. I’m saying these are the ways the organization would justify it and spin it. I mentioned Rosell Herrera, and I do believe that if he’s going to stick on this 40-man, it’ll have to be because he plays shortstop. He played 1.2 innings there in AAA last year, six innings there in 2015 and 346 in 2014, which is his last significant action at the position. He also hasn’t played there in winter ball at all, spending most of his time in the outfield. I’m not saying he can’t play short. I’m just saying he probably can’t. Humberto Arteaga is a defensive wizard and he’s coming off his best year with the bat and continuing to hit well in the Venezuelan Winter League. I don’t think he’s an especially strong possibility, but the organization really likes him. They could also add Jecksson Flores, who broke out in AA this season. He’s really more of a second baseman, but a nice season could get him a shot on the 40-man and a crack at the big league roster.

And that leaves us with the one guy who could make this whole discussion moot. If Nicky Lopez breaks camp with the big club out of spring training, he’s the guy. I imagine if he’s up in the big leagues, he’s there to play mostly every day and I would guess he’ll play second and third and fill in at shortstop for Mondesi when he needs a rest. Lopez hit just .236/.314/.341 over the final two months of the season, so there is definitely no harm in letting him cook a little more in AAA to start the 2019 season. I believe the direction they go with regard to the backup shortstop position over the next couple months will tell us a lot about their thoughts on Lopez.

I know what you’re thinking. That’s a lot of words about a backup shortstop on a likely 90+ loss team, but hey, it’s early in the offseason and with so much attention likely to be focused on the pitching staff, this is the one spot where they might look to be active with position players.

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Jose Marquez 4-5 5R, 2b, RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Yunior Marte 2.2 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 4-2 GO-FO 32-21

Gm1 Down East Wood Ducks 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 0
Gm 2 Down East Wood Ducks 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

Wilmington’s losing ways continued in the first game on Wednesday as they got shut out in resuming the suspended game from Tuesday. They trailed 4-0 after four innings and couldn’t muster much on offense with just four hits in the shutout loss. The second game was more of the same with the offense scoring just two runs on eight hits while their starter couldn’t keep a slim lead. Starter Andres Sotillet has struggled to miss bats since the promotion (3.35 per 9) and this game was no different, striking out just one hitter in his five innings. After three shutout innings, Down East got to him in the fourth inning with a leadoff triple, sac fly and a single before Alex Kowalczyk homered to take a 3-1 lead and hung on for the win.

Meibrys Viloria: 2-4
Emmanuel Rivera: 2-6
Travis Jones: 1-5 RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 3 Springfield Cardinals 2

The Naturals got a late win to pull within a half of a game of .500. New starter Jon Perrin gave up a couple runs in five innings. Those second of two runs evened up the game after the Naturals plated a pair in the fourth with a pair of doubles from Alex Liddi and Alfredo Escalera. Reliever Yunior Marte kept it even with two and two-third innings of shutout work with just a hit allowed. Those three innings kept it scoreless while Samir Duenez led off the eighth with a double before Kelvin Gutierrez’s single moved him to third. A double play off Alex Liddi’s bat gave the Naturals a 3-2 lead before Andres Machado tossed a scoreless ninth inning despite a couple of singles allowed.

Kelvin Gutierrez: 1-2 R, BB, HBP
Alfredo Escalera: 1-4 2b, RBI
Jon Perrin: 5 IP 6 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 5 K 80p/49k 4-2 GO-FO

Oklahoma City Dodgers 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

Starter Jake Kalish gave the Chasers a quality start but it wasn’t enough in this one as the offense was limited to just two runs. The lefty gave up a two-run home run in the second before getting to the seventh inning. In the seventh inning, Kalish opened the frame with a hit by pitch before Jason Adam gave up a double to Travis Taijeron. A fielding error by Nicky Lopez plated a pair. The offense didn’t threaten much over the final two innings in taking the loss.

Cam Gallagher: 2-4 R
Humberto Arteaga: 2-3 HR, 2 RBI
Jake Kalish: 6 IP 3 H 3 R 3 ER 0 BB 5 K 4-7 GO-FO 97p/68k

Burlington Royals 18 Johnson City Cardinals 8

All nine Burlington hitters had at least one hit as the offense dominated for a second straight night. One night after connecting on 17 hits and 13 runs the Royals upped their game with 22 hits and 18 runs. Infielder Jose Marquez one night after scoring four runs, tallied five times in this one with his four hits while driving in a run. Outfield thumper Juan Carlos Negret doubled and hit his ninth home run while driving in six runs. Reliever Ismael Maldonado tossed three scoreless innings to earn the win.

Juan Carlos Negret: 2-6 2b, HR, 6 RBI
Isaiah Henry: 2-6 3R, 2K
Matt Morales: 3-6 2R, 2b, 3 RBI, K

Idaho Falls Chukars 5 Billings Mustangs 3

The Chukars plated three runs in the fifth inning to tie the game 3-3 after the fifth inning. An inning later Kyle Kasser and Jose Caraballo each singled in a pair to give C.J. Eldred a lead after his six innings of three-run ball (2 ER). Reliever Ted Cillis tossed the final three innings scoreless to secure his first save in his first appearance with the club, striking out three with a pair of walks.

Ted Cillis: 3 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 3 K 6-0 GO-FO 45p/25k
Kyle Kasser: 2-3 R, 2 RBI, BB
Jose Caraballo: 2-4 R, RBI

Wednesday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day Frank Schwindel 3-4 3R, HR, 3 RBI, BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Josh Staumont 4.2 IP 5 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 5 K 4-2 GO-FO 75p/48k

Game 1 Lexington Legends 4 Asheville Tourists 3
Game 2 Asheville Tourists 2 Lexington Legends 1

In game one the Legends shortstop Cristian Perez singled in a pair in the fourth inning as part of a three-run frame to take a 3-0 advantage. The nineteenth home run of the season by Seuly Matias came two innings later to go up 4-0 before a couple unearned runs came across on Andres Sotillet cut the lead in half. Closer Tyler Zuber gave up a run but held on for the win to snap Lexington’s three-game losing streak.

In the second game the player the Royals acquired after the Braves international cheating scandal, Yefri Del Rosario took the mound for his first time with the organization. The hard-throwing Latin product was on his game early, throwing four scoreless with six strikeouts in that time before yielding back to back solo home runs in the fifth to fall behind 2-0. The Legends offense was put on ice until the seventh and last inning when Perez doubled and scored before Matias struckout to end the game.

Seuly Matias 1-5 2R, HR, 4K, BB
Yefri Del Rosario 5 Ip 5 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 6 K 4-2 GO-FO 70p/47k
Cristian Perez 3-6 R, 2b, 2 RBI, CS (3)

Frederick Keys 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Keys stopped Wilmington’s six-game win streak after limiting them to a 1 for 8 effort with runners in scoring position on Friday night. The Orioles High-A squad got after starter Ofreidy Gomez for three runs in the first three innings, collecting six hits off Gomez in that time. The right-hander was able to navigate his final four innings without allowing another run to give Wilmington a quality start. Wilmington’s only two runs came in the seventh on back to back doubles by Xavier Fernandez and Chase Vallot but the squad could muster nothing else in the loss.

Khalil Lee 1-4 E (4)
DJ Burt 1-4 SB (16)
Ofreidy Gomez 7 IP 9 H 3 ER 3 BB 3 K 10-3 GO-FO 98p/58k

NW Arkansas Naturals 7 Springfield Cardinals 6

The Naturals Scott Blewett gave up plenty of hits, ten, in his time on the hill but the offense backed him up to take a win against Springfield. The big right-hander fell behind in the first inning when he allowed four hits to the first five batters, allowing two Cardinals runs in the frame. The lead stood at 3-1 into the sixth when the NW Arkansas offense got a jolt from Jecksson Flores rbi double. A Nick Dini single tied it up and John Brontsema’s second home run of the season quickly gave the Naturals their first lead of the game. Infield Nicky Lopez drove in another run in the inning after Donnie Dewees had triple to push the lead to 6-3. After Blewett tossed a scoreless seventh prior to his battery partner, Luis Villegas homering to add to the lead before Blewett gave up a home run after starting the eighth with a pair of outs. Reliever Sam Selman failed to get an out against the three batters he faced which cut the advantage to two but closer Jake Newberry got out of the jam and finished the game without allowing the Cardinals to tie it despite giving up a run on three hits in the ninth.

Nicky Lopez 2-4 2 RBI
Donnie Dewees 3-5 R, 3b
Scott Blewett 7.2 IP 10 H 4 R 4 ER 0 BB 5 K 9-5 GO-FO 95p/69k

Omaha Storm Chasers 16 Albuquerque Isotopes 5

The Chasers used nine free passes to have a big scoring night in Omaha. In the early going it was Frank Schwindel pacing the offense, scoring Adalberto Mondesi with an infield single in the first before hitting a two-run home run in the third to help Omaha build a 5-0 lead. Later in the game infielder, Humberto Arteaga was doing the damage with a rbi double in the seventh and a three-run home run in the eighth inning as the Chasers put together four different multiple run innings in the sixteen run explosion. Starter Josh Staumont, still stretching out, gave the Chasers four and two-thirds innings of scoreless ball while he navigated five hits with five strikeouts and just one free pass.

Adalberto Mondesi 0-3 2R, 2 SB, 2 BB
Humberto Arteaga 2-4 R, HR, 2b, 4 RBI
Ryan O’Hearn 1-2 2R, 3 RBI, 2 BB

Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Dennicher Carrasco 3-6 2R, HR, 3 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Collin Snider 5 IP 3 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 4 K 5-4 GO-FO 64p/42k

Gm 1 Lexington Legends 5 Asheville Tourists 4
Gm 2 Lexington Legends 5 Asheville Tourists 3

Starter Nolan Watson fell behind during Sunday’s start but the Legends offense bailed him out in the middle innings for a win. The two teams exchanged sac flies in the first two innings before Asheville connected on a pair of doubles in the third to push ahead 3-1. The score stood there until the fourth inning when Dennicher Carrasco drove in Nick Pratto following his double. With Carrasco standing on first Seuly Matias connected on his 13th home run of the season to grab the lead in the seven-inning affair. An inning later MJ Melendez drove in a run with a single and Watson turned the final two innings over to Tyler Zuber who worked around a run in the seventh to secure the save with five strikeouts in two innings.

In the second game, spot starter Collin Snider gave the Legends five quality innings to help them establish an early lead. Attacking the zone with 42 strikes on 64 pitches Snider limited Asheville to just three hits and one walk to limit them to just one run. A first inning two-run home run by Carrasco gave him a 2-0 lead and MJ Melendez drove in another run in third with a groundout. After Snider had completed five innings of work it was Melendez padding the lead with a two-run double to push Lexington’s advantage to 5-1. Those runs came in handy as Andrew Beckwith gave up a couple in the bottom of the sixth before completing the final six outs to complete the doubleheader sweep.

MJ Melendez: 2-7 2b, 4 RBI
Seuly Matias: 1-3 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K
Travis Jones: 3-6 4R, 2b, 2 BB, SB (13)

Salem Red Sox 7 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks offense was stalled in this one, limited to just four hits while the defense made an equal number of errors in defeat. Starter Jace Vines got ran over by the singles train in the second inning when Salem got on board with four of them while also reaching with a walk and a hit by pitch in the inning to score four times. The Rocks countered with a pair of runs in that inning but struggled the rest of the way, going scoreless over the final seven innings. Unfortunately for Vines he was tagged for a pair of unearned runs in the fourth and seventh innings after the leadoff hitter reached base on shortstop Angelo Castellanos errors in both innings. Wilmington which leads the Carolina League in walks drawn did draw six of them on the day but were unable to cash in with a 2 for 11 effort with runners in scoring position.

Kort Peterson: 1-3 2b, BB
Jace Vines: 7 IP 9 H 6 R 4 ER 1 BB 2 K 7-9 GO-FO 95p/68k
Vance Vizcaino: 2-4 R, 2b, RBI

Midland RockHounds 6 NW Arkansas Naturals 5

The Naturals fell behind by a large margin early before battling back late against Midland in search of their sixth consecutive series win. Starter Scott Blewett struggled early, giving up five runs in the first three innings of this one. In the first frame, it was Eli White jumping on a 3-1 pitch to put Midland up 2-0 on Blewett’s fourth home run allowed of the season. Two innings later a pair of doubles followed a White sac fly to give Midland a 5-1 lead, a deficit that would get increased to 6-1 on an RBI single in the sixth. Despite the five-run deficit, the Naturals would make a game of it, scoring two runs in the fifth on an Elier Hernandez single and then two more an inning later with a double by Donnie Dewees. Trailing by a run the Naturals would get the tying run to second in each of the final three innings but in all three they would fail to advance them any further, dropping the game and ending their series win streak at five.

Nicky Lopez: 3-5 R, SB (8), CS (3)
Elier Hernandez: 2-4 RBI, BB
Donnie Dewees: 2-5 R, 2b, 2 RBI, 2 OF Assist

Round Rock Express 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Heath Fillmyer didn’t have it going in this one, giving up twelve hits and seven runs in just five innings for Omaha. The right-hander acquired in a deal with Oakland this offseason saw his ERA spike back up to 5.58 with the loss that saw him give up a home run to big leaguer Tommy Joseph in the first before surrendering five more runs over the next two innings. A three-run second inning by Omaha briefly tied the game off former All-Star Yovani Gallardo before he settled in, retiring the last eight that he faced while striking out nine Chasers in six innings of work. The Chasers didn’t get much going against the bullpen also, getting just one hit off the final three pitchers in defeat.

Richard Lovelady: 2 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 2 K 4-0 GO-FO 35p/26k
Adalberto Mondesi: 1-4 2b, K
Humberto Arteaga: 2-4 R hitting .615 over last 7 games

Sunday Boxscores

Monday Probables
Omaha – Scott Barlow 1-1 3.94 ERA 1.41 WHIP
Wilmington – Anthony Bender 1-2 6.00 ERA 1.83 WHIP
Lexington – Carlos Hernandez 2-2 2.33 ERA 0.83 WHIP

Follow me on Twitter @ClintScoles

HR Roll Call: Jorge Soler (2), Frank Schwindel (2), Humberto Arteaga (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Frank Schwindel 2-4, HR, 2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Miguel Almonte 5.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K, 2-2 GO-FO, 87p/53

Omaha Storm Chasers 7, New Orleans Baby Cakes 5

The Chasers used three multi-run innings to earn a split in New Orleans, while securing a winning road trip. Trailing 2-1 at the start of the fourth, Ramon Torres tripled to drive in Peter O’Brien before scoring on a Corey Toups sac fly to take a 3-2 Omaha lead. That lead would get pushed to 5-2 in the sixth when catcher Parker Morin doubled in Ryan O’Hearn and Bubba Starling. The Baby Cakes would close the gap to one run, but a Toups two-run single to bring in Torres and Starling in the eighth would push enough runs across to earn the win.

Rehabbing Jorge Soler hit his second home run with the club in the first inning while Raul Mondesi’s struggles continued with a 0-4 day with four strikeouts.

Boxscore Link

Jorge Soler 1-4, HR, BB
Ramon Torres 3-5, 2R, 3b, RBI
Corey Toups 1-2, 3 RBI, BB

NW Arkansas Naturals 4, Springfield Cardinals 1

Starter Miguel Almonte had to work a bit Tuesday night, but still managed to put up zeroes on the board over his 5.2 innings. The hard-throwing righty was up to 97 mph per Levi Payton while striking out seven and allowing just three singles. The game was knotted up until the seventh inning when Frank Schwindel and Humberto Arteaga both homered to give the Naturals a 3-0 lead. The two teams would exchange runs in the eighth before Reid Redman averted some trouble in the ninth to close things out.

Boxscore Link

Terrance Gore 2-3, R, SB (2)
Humberto Arteaga 2-3, HR
Reid Redman 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 13p/9k

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks 6

The Rocks and Pelicans exchanged big eighth innings with the Blue Rocks coming up on the short end of the stick Tuesday night. Trailing 3-2, Wilmington mounted a two-out rally with four consecutive singles to plate three runs and take a 5-3 lead. Reliever Franco Terrero put the tying runs on with two outs in the bottom of the frame before striking out a hitter on a pitch that eluded Chase Vallot and brought in a run. The reliever couldn’t prevent any more damage, allowing a triple and a single to the next two hitters which allowed Myrtle Beach to take the lead.

The Blue Rocks would threaten in the ninth, pulling within a run but ultimately falling short.

Nicky Lopez 4-6, 2R, 3b, SB (6)
Emilio Ogando 5.1 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 7-3 GO-FO, 74p/48k
D.J. Burt 2-5, R, 2b, 3 RBI

Augusta GreenJackets 9 Lexington Legends 0 

This was a perfect game on just 85 pitches with nine strikeouts for Giants prospect Domenic Mazza. The Legends have one hit in just 19 innings so far in this series. All this while South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Week Andre Davis got knocked around for seven hits and five runs in just three innings of work.

Boxscore Link

Andre Davis 3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
Khalil Lee 0-3, 3 K
Nick Dini ejected in the 8th inning.

HR Roll Call Jorge Bonifacio (19), Brandon Dulin 2 (8)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Brandon Dulin 2 gms 3-6 3R, 2b, 2 HR, 4 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Garrett Davila 6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 4 K 5-5 GO-FO

Round Rock Express 7 Omaha Storm Chasers 3 

Lefty John Lannan was knocked around in his relief inning of Jake Junis to stretch a 2-1 deficit into a 7-1 hole during the Chasers loss. A solo home run by Jorge Bonifacio provided Omaha their only run through eight innings before landing a pair of runs in the ninth. Starter Jake Junis tossed five innings, giving up a two run home run to Matt Duffy, getting the loss.

Boxscore Link

Jorge Bonifacio 2-3 HR, BB
Daniel Nava 1-3 R, 2b, BB
Jake Junis 5 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 1 BB 3 K 6-4 GO-FO 67p/41k

NW Arkansas Naturals 5 Tulsa Drillers 4 F/11

The Naturals and Drillers exchanged runs until extras in game two of their series. The Naturals answered a three-run fourth with a three-run inning of their own, getting three consecutive singles to plate one and a two-run double from Humberto Arteaga to tie the game up. A single by Alfredo Escalera in the sixth gave NW Arkansas a short-lived lead after Tulsa tied it in the eighth. The game would head to the eleventh inning where a bases loaded single by Frank Schwindel would walk it off for the Naturals to tie things up in the division race with Arkansas.

Boxscore Link

Josh Staumont 6 Ip 6 H 3 R 3 ER 2 BB 8 K 4-3 GO-FO 90p/56k
Samir Duenez 3-5 R, 2b, RBI, SB (25)
Alfredo Escalera 2-6 R, RBI, SB (10)

Carolina Mudcats 3 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 

The Rocks offense had trouble making contact in their loss Wednesday. Over nine innings, the offense collected seven hits and a pair of walks, scoring both of their runs in the seventh inning. The offense struggled to plate those two runs due, in part, to 15 strikeouts as the starter for Carolina, Matt Withrow, put away 11 Rocks in six innings. The lack of run support gave Wilmington starter Matt Tenuta his tenth loss after giving up three runs in six innings.

Boxscore Link

Matt Tenuta 6 IP 8 H 3 R 3 ER 1 BB 1 K 3-8 GO-FO 89p/60k
Robert Pehl 2-3 RBI, BB
Chad Johnson 2-4 R, 3b

Game 1
Augusta GreenJackets 4 Lexington Legends 3

A game went the GreenJackets way when they outscored the Legends and shut down a rally in the seventh inning Wednesday. Each teams starting pitchers were solid in their six innings, both working around five base runners to get through six innings with the game knotted at 2-2 after both teams plated a pair in the fourth inning. Reliever Matt Ditman entered in the seventh frame, and things didn’t go well, allowing a solo home run to the leadoff hitter before giving up a single, a steal and a sac fly to put Lexington behind 4-2. The Legends would threaten with a pair of doubles and plate a run, but strikeout would leave the tying runner at second.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Dulin 2-3 2R, HR, 2b, 2 RBI
Xavier Fernandez 1-3 R
Emilio Ogando 6 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 8 K 3-7 GO-FO 96p/66k

Game 2
Lexington Legends 4 Augusta GreenJackets 3

In game two, Scott Blewett worked four scoreless to help the Legends out to a 2-0 lead. After giving up a run in the fifth inning, the Legends first baseman Brandon Dulin blasted a two run home run to build the lead to 4-1. The game would get to the seventh at 4-1 where Blewett would give up a home run and a double before turning things over to the bullpen. That double would come across to score with Franco Terrero on the hill by way of a pair of singles, but the righty reliever would finish of the game with a pair of ground outs.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Dulin 1-3 HR, 2 RBI
David Edwards 2-3 R, 3b
Scott Blewett 6 IP 5 H 3 R 2 ER 3 BB 6 K 11-0 GO-FO 85p/56k

Ogden Raptors 9 Idaho Falls Chukars 5

The Chukars fell into a big deficit and fell short despite a comeback in the third game versus Ogden. Idaho Falls Alex Luna was knocked around in his 4.2 innings, giving up nine runs on 10 hits including a pair of two run home runs to put his team behind 9-1 before he left. From there, Idaho Falls received shutout baseball by reliever Reinaldo Cepin over 4.1 innings, but the offense couldn’t close the eight run gap entirely, coming up four runs short with their two run ninth frame.

Boxscore Link

Luke Willis 3-5 2R, RBI
Yeison Melo 3-5 R, 2b
Joe Dudek 2-3 2b, 2 RBI, 2 BB

Burlington Royals 4 Danville Braves 0

The Royals kept their winning ways, improving to 42-25 with their win in Danville. Nine hits and two walks lead to four Burlington runs while the pitching staff spun another shutout. Lefty Garrett Davila improved to 7-0 with six scoreless innings, striking out four against four singles and a pair of walks. A bullpen of Alex Massey and Michael Silva finished off three innings with just a walk allowed while striking out three hitters to earn Burlington’s eleventh shutout of the year.

Boxscore Link

Michael Silva 2 IP 0 H 0 R 1 BB 2 K
Kort Peterson 2-4 3 RBI, BB, SB (7)
Garrett Davila 6 IP 4 H 0 R 0 BB 2 BB 4 K 5-5 GO-FO

Playoffs

AZL Angels 5 AZL Royals 0

The Royals stay in the AZL playoffs didn’t last long, getting shutout Wednesday in a 5-0 defeat. Local product Cole Duensing combined with five other Angels pitchers to keep the Royals bats silent over nine innings, allowing just four hits and three walks while the group of six pitchers earned 14 strikeouts. A pair of second inning errors by Khalil Lee and Wander Franco lead to two unearned Angels runs off starter Anthony Bender that stood up until the ninth inning. In the ninth, the Angels put the game away with three runs to expand their eventual winning margin to 5-0. Despite the loss the Arizona Royals had a solid season finishing 31-25.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 1-4
Jeison Guzman 1-2 2b, 2BB
Anthony Bender 6 IP 3 H 2 R 0 ER 1 BB 5 K 8-3 GO-FO

HR Roll Call: Orlando Calixte (4), Humberto Arteaga (2)

BP KC Hitter of the Day Orlando Calixte 2-3, 2R, HR, 3b, 2BB, SB (15), 5 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day Gerson Garabito 6.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 7-4 GO-FO, 77p/51k

The Burlington Royals announced their opening day roster. Some of the intriguing names include Garrett Davila (2015 4th Rd Pick), Travis Eckert (2016 Pick), Vance Vizcaino and Logan Gray.

Omaha Storm Chasers 11 Colorado Springs Sky Sox 3

Alec Mills made his Triple-A debut for the Chasers Sunday, holding his own for five innings while being backed by an offensive explosion. The Chasers had started this roadtrip with the bats struggling, but a visit to Colorado Springs has done wonders to wake them up. On this day they would pound out 19 hits and 11 runs with every hitter in the lineup getting at least one hit. Centerfielder Orlando Calixte paced the offense with a triple and a grand slam to drive in five runs while scoring twice. Mills created his own trouble in the first with a throwing error that helped the Sky Sox score, then gave up solo home runs in the second and third before tossing two scoreless innings to earn the win.

Boxscore Link

Jorge Bonifacio 3-6, 2R, RBI
Hunter Dozier 4-6, R, 2b, 2 RBI
Alec Mills 5 IP, 6 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 8-1 GO/FO, 95p/64k

Arkansas Travelers 8 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The Naturals missed on a few scoring opportunities while the Travelers took advantage of the bullpen. NW Arkansas evened the Travelers with their 11 hits but the bullpen’s six walks on top of starter Ashton Goudeau’s pair gave them were the difference. Alex Gordon made his first rehab appearance, connecting on a first inning double while going 1 for 3 on the day. Goudeau gave up two runs over five innings but the bullpen couldn’t slow down the Arkansas offense, giving up six additional runs over the next three innings.

Boxscore Link

Corey Toups 1-4, R, 2b, BB, RBI
Ryan O’Hearn 2-4, 2b, 2 RBI
Ashton Goudeau 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 5 K, 2-4 GO/FO, 77p/46k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4 Carolina Mudcats 3

Wilmington used a three run fifth inning to taking the six game series at Carolina. Starter Foster Griffin gave up three runs over the first two frames to put the Rocks in small hole. The offense cut that lead to two with a Humberto Arteaga home run in the third. Three consecutive singles started off the inning and quickly trimmed the lead to one. An error tied it before an Elier Hernandez sac fly allowed Arteaga to score and give Wilmington the lead. From the third, the Rocks four pitchers tossed nothing but scoreless innings to shutdown the offense to give Wilmington the win.

Boxscore Link

Jake Newberry 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 2 K, 1-2 GO/FO, 41p/23k
Humberto Arteaga 4-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, SB (13)
Cody Jones 1-4, R, BB, RBI

Lexington Legends 2 Augusta GreenJackets 1 F/10

20 year old starter Gerson Garabito gave Lexington his best start of the season as he spun 6.2 innings of one run ball. Using just 77 pitches in that time, Garabito gave up just a first inning run on a pair of doubles. He then retired 18 of 19 hitters. The 1-0 deficit held up for Augusta until the ninth when Marten Gasparini connected on a one-out double to score Anderson Miller to tie the game and send it to extras. In the 10th, Lexington would quickly take the lead with three consecutive singles, the last from Miller which would drive in D.J. Burt to give the Legends their first lead of the game and the eventual win.

Boxscore Link

Anderson Miller 3-4, R, 2b, BB, RBI
D.J. Burt 2-5, R
Marten Gasparini 1-4, 2b, RBI

HR Roll Call None

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Humberto Arteaga 5-6 3b, 2R, RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Matt Strahm 6 IP 6 H 2 ER 1 BB 2 K 4-7 GO-FO 82p/52k

Colorado Sky Sox 6 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

The Storm Chasers are probably ready to get out of Colorado after being being swept in their four games series. Not much offense to speak of for the Chasers in this one as the team was unable to connect on an extra base hit. With a lack of offense the defense needed to help out and they failed to do that for a second straight not, committing two errors up the middle including Ramon Torres who committed his fourth error since joining the Omaha squad. Starter Christian Binford couldn’t slow down the Brewers affiliate in his six innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs along with the two unearned the defense helped out with to drop his second straight start. Third baseman Hunter Dozier had two more hits to complete a short roadtrip 7 for 15 with a home run.

Boxscore Link

Hunter Dozier 2-4 R
Ramon Torres 1-4 E (4)
Balbino Fuenmayor 2-4 R

Corpus Christi Hooks 3 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

Lefty starter Matt Strahm was showing some big velocity Friday, hitting as high as 96 mph on the gun according to the Naturals broadcaster but the lefty was wasn’t missing many bats in his six innings of work. Collecting just two strikeouts Strahm had to maneuver around five singles, a walk and a solo home run but was good enough to keep a potent lineup to just two runs allowed. The offense couldn’t do much to back up their pitcher after having a good run versus San Antonio, scoring just two runs while going 3 for 12 with runners in scoring position. The biggest mistake of the evening might have came from Vance Wilson when he waved home Mauricio Ramos around third on a no out double only to watch him get gunned down at the plate. With the next two hitters grounding out the Naturals had burned their own rally and a chance to tie the game and perhaps even take a lead. Down just one run in the ninth Terrance Gore would be gunned down trying to steal 2nd to end the game.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 1-4 2b
Cam Gallagher 3-4 2b, RBI CS 1-3
Mauricio Ramos 1-4 R, RBI

Lynchburg Hillcats 16 Wilmington Blue Rocks 11 F/10

A battle with plenty of body blows brokeout at Frawley field in the second game of the Rocks-Hillcats series as the two teams used every part of the spacious outfield to litter 29 hits enroute to scoring 27 runs. The two teams starters got touched up for 14 runs with Royals former 1st round pick Foster Griffin losing control of the zone in his one and one-third innings with five walks as part of his six runs allowed. The leads changed hands several times until the top of the 10th when Lynchburg delivered the final haymaker, scoring six runs in the inning before the Rocks finally tossed in the towel and let infielder Brian Bien collect the final two outs. Shorstop Humberto Arteaga continued his hot offensive run with five hits in six chances on the day.

Boxscore Link

Foster Griffin 1.1 IP 3 H 6 ER 5 BB 2 K 0-1 GO-FO 48p/22k
Wander Franco 3-5 2b, R, 2 RBI
Alfredo Escalera 3-5 2R, RBI

Game 1
Rome Braves 7 Lexington Legends 0

The Braves Low-A squad got after starter Scott Blewett during their 2nd and 3rd times through the order, chasing the big righty with five innings in the fourth and fifth innings of the game. Things were going smoothly with two down in the 4th and an 0-2 count Lucas Herbert when he unloaded on a ball to rightfield, an opposite field home run that opened the gates on Blewett and helped the Braves to an easy win. Outfielder Amalani Fukofuka got out of an 0-17 funk with a pair of doubles in his three at bats.

Boxscore Link

DJ Burt 1-3 2b
Amalani Fukofuka 2-3 2-2b
Scott Blewett 4.1 IP 8 H 6 R 5 ER 4 BB 6 K 5-3 GO-FO 88p/52k

Game 2
Rome Braves 6 Lexington Legends 2

The Legends tacked onto the seven scoreless from the first game an additional six scoreless in game 2 to fall in both ends of the doubleheader. Former first round pick, Max Fried was the one shutting the Legends down for five innings, striking out eight in that time while allowing just three hits and working around his own four walks allowed. The Legends latin connection of Gerson Garabito and Yunior Marte struggled with the zone to an even greater extent than Fried, walking eight in seven innings but unable to avoid trouble with a pair of earned runs each allowed.

Boxscore Link

Amalani Fukofuka 2-3
Nick Dini 1-3 R
Marten Gasparini 0-1 2 BB

HR Roll Call: Humberto Arteaga (1)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Humberto Arteaga 2-4, HR, 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Nolan Watson 5 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, HBP, 6-4 GO-FO, 75p/51k

El Paso Chihuahuas 12 Omaha Storm Chasers 0 

Omaha starter Mike Minor, making his third rehab start for the Omaha Storm Chasers and fifth overall, had a rough time getting through the talented portion of the El Paso lineup. The left-hander was sharp with his control, working 83 pitches with 56 strikes but the home run, two doubles and a triple that the top five guys in that Chihuahua lineup provided dented the lefty for four runs and six of the seven hits allowed. Working mostly in the 88-90 mph range, Minor walked just one hitter while striking out four. While Minor was struggling to get through the top of the El Paso order, 2015 PCL pitcher of the year Carlos Pimentel was cruising through the entire Storm Chasers lineup allowing four hits, only one of which reached the outfield, in his six innings of shutout work. El Paso’s relievers would follow with three quality innings of relief while Omaha reliever Andrew Edwards had his worst outing of the year as part of a eight-run Chihuahua explosion. San Diego’s #1 prospect Manuel Margot had a big day at the plate, reaching four times with three hits and three runs scored while teammate Ryan Schimpf homered twice. The first of Schimpf’s two home runs went 447 feet and was recorded at over 107 mph off the bat. Right-hander Miguel Almonte will throw a bullpen while on the road in Colorado Springs to see if his shoulder is feeling back to normal.

Boxscore Link

Travis Snider 2-4 – opt out date June 1st, no decision yet
Mike Minor 6 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K, 7-2 GO-FO, 83p/56k
Reymond Fuentes 1-3, BB

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks were searching for the first sweep of a season series this year, but fell short on the road in Myrtle Beach. Things were looking good early after Humberto Arteaga’s first home run of the season scored he and Cody Jones to give the Rocks a 2-0 lead. The Pelicans big name prospect Gleyber Torres would quickly cut that lead in half with a home run of his own in the bottom of 1st inning off starter Corey Ray. The former A&M starter was looking to build on his winning first start from his debut with the Rocks, but it was not to be when he gave up single runs in the 4th and 5th to fall behind. Wilmington would get plenty of chances, collecting nine hits and a walk on the afternoon but a 0 for 7 performance with runners in scoring position prevented them from denting that scoreboard after the 1st inning.

Boxscore Link

Humberto Arteaga 2-4, HR, 2 RBI
Cody Jones 2-5, R
Luis Rico 0.2 IP, 1 K

Greensboro Grasshoppers 3 Lexington Legends 2 F/10

The Royals are starting to see some positive starts from last year’s 1st round pick Nolan Watson as he exhibited in his latest start. Working over five innings, Watson ran into trouble in the just the 3rd inning while giving up just two hits and a walk and controlling the zone over 75 pitches. In that 3rd frame, a Watson leadoff walk followed by singles and a walk loaded the bases and scored a run when the righty induced a ground out. It appeared as if Watson would wiggle out of the jam when the Grasshoppers ran into an out at home on a double steal, but one hitter later DJ Burt missed a pickoff throw from Watson at second and the speedy Anfernee Seymour raced home from second. The Legends used a pair of walks and two run single from Samir Duenez to tie the game in the 5th. In the 9th Greensboro broke the tie only to have Torey Deshazier rescue Lexington from a bases loaded one out jam to keep the deficit at just one run. A Marten Gasparini home run in ninth quickly tied things up and sent the game to extra innings. In the 10th, it appeared Torey had quickly put down the Grasshoppers but a strike three third out eluded the catcher and put a hitter on first with two down. A walk pushed that runner into scoring position where a single from Israel Soto cashed in the run and gave Greensboro the lead and the win after the Legends couldn’t mount a threat in the bottom of the 10th.

Boxscore Link

Chase Vallot 1-5, 3K
Amalani Fukofuka 0-5, 4K
Samir Duenez 2-4, RBI

Besides Terrance Gore’s 80 grade speed what are some of the other impressive tools in the Royals system? Bringing the wood to the field are Ryan O’Hearn and Chase Vallot (60-65 power) who carry the biggest power sticks in the system. Following the power off the bat, there is power on the mound, and no pitchers have more power coming out of their hands than Josh Staumont and Aroni Nina who both bring 80 grade fastballs off the hill. The Royals continue to love their speed and plenty of prospects besides Gore take it to the diamond everyday with them. One of the fastest players in the system includes international signee Marten Gasparini, Bubba Starling can still pick them up and put’em down as can Don Andre Clark.

Smooth Operators

Tools are fun to watch, but nothing quite beats taking in a player who has the ability to get somewhere quickly without rushing. A few of the most entertaining players and smooth players in the field to watch in the organization are Ramon Torres, Humberto Arteaga and Brandon Downes. All three have decent speed but mostly they get to balls with a combination of instincts and speed that allow them to glide to the ball instead of rush.

On the offensive side, it’s entertaining to watch a big mammoth home run fly 400 feet or farther, but to me I get just as entertained by watching a nice swing from a player who understands his hands. One of the best in the system at that is the Royals third base prospect Wander Franco, who despite having a pretty slight frame has one of the smoothest swings in the organization.

Greatest Farm System Ever?

Many laughed it off at that time, but now five years later the Royals system that was named #1 by pretty much every baseball service around isn’t looking too bad. And it’s not just the back-to-back World Series appearances and a World Championship that state that but the sheer number of players that they have put in the bigs is evidence that it actually may have been the best system ever.

1. Eric Hosmer – WS Champ
2. Wil Myers – SD Padres
3. Mike Moustakas – WS Champ
4. John Lamb – Cin Reds
5. Mike Montgomery – Seattle M’s
6. Christian Colon – WS Champ
7. Danny Duffy – WS Champ
8. Chris Dwyer – 2013 debut
9. Aaron Crow – Miami Marlins
10. Brett Eibner
11. Jason Adam
12. Yordano Ventura – WS Champ
13. Tim Collins – WS Champ
14. Tim Melville – Cin Reds
15. Cheslor Cuthbert – WS Champ
16. Robinson Yambati
17. Sal Perez – WS MVP
18. Johnny Giavotella – Anaheim Angels
19. Louis Coleman – 2011 debut
20. Jarrod Dyson – WS Champ
21. Jeff Bianchi – 2012 debut
22. Patrick Keating
23. Humberto Arteaga
24. Orlando Calixte – 2015 debut
25. David Lough – 2012 debut
26. Derrick Robinson – 2013 debut
27. Henry Barrera
28. Clint Robinson – Washington Nationals
29. Elisaul Pimentel
30. Kelvin Herera – WS Champ
Members but not included due to the trade not being in place
Jake Odorizzi – Tampa Bay Rays
Jeremy Jeffress – Milwaukee Brewers

Depending on how the chips fall for a few players, that 2011 class could have as many as 18 current major league players on different team’s rosters this season. The Reds move to add Tim Melville to their rotation has given the Royals scouting staff and front office a total of 25 players in this group to make the major leagues at some point in their career. The only thing really missing is a superstar among the group but there is still time for Yordano Ventura, Eric Hosmer or Salvador Perez to become mega stars.

Every team has scouts, but what we’ve learned over the past couple of seasons with the World Series appearances, the championship, the resurrection of Ryan Madson’s career and maybe Chien-Ming Wang this season is that the Royals scouts may be the best.

Give me a follow on Twitter @ClintScoles

Cover Photo – Rick Osentoski USA Today Sports