Lynch has seemingly cruised through his short stint here in Class-A. Lynch’s arsenal is centered around a fastball that sits comfortably around 90-92 and dials up to 94 from time to time. He gets a bit of tail and sink on it, and it will dive a bit, complimenting his change of pace, especially against right-handed batters.

He also deals a curve in the high-70s that’s offset by a slider around 80-83 and a change-up at 83-84, and he spots all of these fairly easily. The change may be his X-factor, as it is at times his best secondary offering. The curve has good downward movement at its best, and he’s not averse to bringing it inside against righties.

As noted previously, his mechanics are quite sound for a pitcher of his height, and his windup and delivery quite consistent. He often has a bit of a cross-body delivery that seems to add life to both his fastball and change, as one might expect, but it doesn’t appear to significantly affect his location or command.

Lynch displays a cool confidence on the mound and doesn’t seem to get rattled.

Possibly-notable are these hitters who have knocked around lefties, this season; Jake Scheiner had a .969 OPS vs. LHP in 169 PA; Matt Vierling batted .397 (.907 OPS), albeit over a short span (75 PA); Jose Antequera batted .328 over 79 PA, though with virtually no power; and Madison Stokes set a hot pace at .389 (1.005 OPS) in 78 PA. Lynch has only nine appearances under his belt in Class-A but has recorded a sterling 1.91 ERA vs. RHH, as well as a 1.08 ERA in five road appearances.

It will be an interesting matchup to watch. Game time is 7:05 PM tomorrow night at FirstEnergy Park.

We saw another dominant performance by a Legends starter, this time RHP Jackson Kowar (5 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K), who followed up his Sept 5^th win vs. the visiting Rome Braves in the first round of the playoffs (5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 5 K) with another excellent showing. Kowar landed 67% of his pitches for strikes (69 pitches, 46 strikes), sat 94-95 mph with his fastball and touched 96 several times throughout the night. He made it look effortless.

Following Kowar, LHP Marcelo Martinez put the hammer down with a fastball that seemed anything but. Sitting at 87-89 mph and pairing it with a breaking ball at 75-77, he seemed to mystify Lakewood batters over two scoreless innings (1 H, 0 BB, 4 K). After giving up a lead-off single to Simon Muzziotti, Jake Scheiner struck out swinging on a pitch near the heart of the plate, Rodolfo Duran popped out to Nick Pratto, And Jhailyn Ortiz flew out to CF Kyle Isbel. All three batters made outs on pitches that cut well into the outer third of the strike zone and just about belt-level.

Martinez continued to live on the outer third of the plate in the seventh, breezing through Madison Stokes, Dalton Guthrie, and Jose Antequera, and all in or very close to the same part of the strike zone in which he set up residence in the sixth.

Janser Lara hit a speed bump in the eighth, giving up a lead-off single to Matt Vierling on an 0-2 pitch that caught an awful lot of the plate. Muzziotti grounded out to Cristian Perez on a waist-high pitch but moved Vierling up to second. After Scheiner flew out to center on a pitch right down Broadway, Duran turned hard on a middle-in pitch and dropped it over the left-field wall and cut Lexington’s lead to three.

Visions of Monday night danced in our heads.

The Legends’ batters went down in order in the bottom of the eighth. The top of the ninth brought Tad Ratliff (whom I am tempted to nickname “Bulldog”) to the bump. Ratliff came right at lead-off batter Maton, who swung at a (seemingly) fat pitch, but only managed to ground out to Aracena. Stokes was next, and he went down easily on three swinging strikes (all outer-third). Guthrie started his own brief two-out rally, singling past Perez, but Antequera lost a six-pitch battle to the Lexington closer to close out the victory for the Legends.

On the offensive side, Lexington started off with MJ Melendez‘s first-pitch homer to opposite field off of Lakewood lefty Kyle Young. Pratto walked and swiped second after several pick-off attempts, then Brewer Hicklen walked behind him. Third baseman Manny Olloque grounded into a 6-4-3 double play, ending the threat.

Beyond a hard-hit single by C Sebastian Rivero in the bottom of the second, the Legends had nothing going in the inning. However, the third had Isbel singling to center and moving to third on a Pratto double to right, an inside pitch that wasn’t inside quite enough. When Hicklen grounded to Maton at short, he reached first when Maton went for the easy out at third. Pratto was erased, but Isbel scored on the play, making it 2-0, Lexington.

The fourth inning was a quiet one, and other than an Aracena base knock to left, there was no action of which to speak. Isbel grounded out to move Aracena into scoring position, but Melendez struck out on a 1-2 pitch that just nicked the low-outside corner, and Pratto flew out to center on a 2-2 outside pitch.

It was all outs for the Legends in the sixth, with Hicklen, Olloque, and Perez going down in order. The (lucky) seventh was another story.

Cal Jones led it off with an 0-2 worm-burner right through the middle of the infield, and after Rivero and Aracena both flew out, Isbel continued what became a two-out rally when he sent a base hit on the same path through the infield and into center, moving Jones to second. Melendez followed suit with his own single, this on a two-strike count, and Jones scored. When Muzziotti tried for Jones at home and Duran couldn’t corral the throw, both runners moved into scoring position. Lakewood reliever Julian Garcia let one fly and Duran couldn’t get to it, allowing Isbel to score. Pratto tacked on a run when he scored Melendez on a right-field single, and that would be it for Garcia. RHP James McArthur (1 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 BB, 2 K) took over and put out the fire when he struck out Hicklen looking.

By now, it was 5-2, Lexington, and the last home game of the season at Whitaker Bank Ball Park would end that way.

With the series tied at one, the Legends hit the road for Lakewood, NJ, to play Game Three of the Championship tomorrow at 7 PM in the BlueClaw’s First Energy Stadium. LHP Daniel Lynch faces RHP Andrew Brown (6-3, 2.10 ERA, 14 appearances, 68 2/3 IP, 49 H, 2 HRA, 16 BB, 58 K).

Making their second appearance in the South Atlantic League Championship, as they were declared co-champions while holding a 2-0 lead in their inaugural season with the Asheville Tourists when the September 11^th attacks occurred, the Lexington Legends got off to a very good start Monday. They had dominant pitching, inning after inning. Their defense was firing on all cylinders. Everything was going smoothly.

And then, it wasn’t. The Legends went down to defeat against the Lakewood BlueClaws in eleven innings, 6-5.

Starting righty Yefri Del Rosario did his level best over six innings, striking out seven and walking two while giving up a single hit in the process. Lakewood had to wait until the fifth inning for that one-base knock from SS Nick Maton, which ultimately went for naught. After walking lead-off batter Matt Vierling, he got Simon Muzziotti on a high, bounding one-hopper to 1B Nick Pratto, then set down Jake Scheiner and Rodolpho Duran on swinging strikes.

Lexington got on the board first when Pratto walked and Brewer Hicklen crushed a 2-2 pitch over the right-field wall. Del Rosario gave up a walk to Madison Stokes, but induced a couple of fly-outs to left and a pop-up to Ricky Aracena to strand the Lakewood runner.

Cal Jones singled on a fastball on the outer third of the plate, a hard liner to left off of Lakewood starter Damon Jones. Sebastian Rivero went down on strikes and Aracena popped up to his counterpart at second, Dalton Guthrie, but Kyle Isbel reached on a bad throw by Maton and Jones advanced to third. The threat was ended when C MJ Melendez flew out on a 2-0 pitch to Muzziotti in center.

It was two more strikeouts for Del Rosario in the top of the third, when 3B Jose Antequera went down looking, Vierling flew out to Jones, and Muzziotti whiffed on a fastball right down the heart of the plate.

Pratto started the bottom of the third with a shot over the right-field deck that he hit off of an inside fastball, down 0-2 in the count, giving the Legends a 3-0 lead. Hicklen and 3B Manny Olloque grounded out to Antequera, SS Cristian Perez drew the walk but was stranded when Jones swung on a third strike in the dirt and was tossed out at first by Duran.

The top of the 4^th was uneventful, as Scheiner grounded out to Perez, while Duran and Jhailyn Ortiz added to Del Rosario’s “K” collection. The bottom of the fourth saw Lexington tack on another run when Isbel doubled on a 1-2 inside pitch and Melendez brought him home on a short drive to center, extending Lexington’s lead to 4-0.

After Maton finally gave Lakewood their first base hit of the night in the top of the fifth, Stokes was called out on strikes after an eight-pitch battle and Guthrie grounded into a 6-4-3 double play. Lexington faced off against righty reliever Gustavo Armas and got nothing out of him beyond a seven-pitch Hicklen walk. Hicklen was cut down at second on a steal attempt with Jones batting after Olloque popped up and Perez did the same to Scheiner.

Lakewood had nothing going in the top of the sixth, but Jones led off the bottom of the inning a hard-hit single, deep to left, that was cut off quickly by Vierling. Rivero dropped a nice sac bunt to move Jones to second, but only after Armas tried twice in vain to pick him off. Aracena struck out swinging, but Isbel once again came through, driving in Jones to make it 5-0, Lexington. Isbel would be nailed at second on a steal attempt.

As RHP Janser Lara entered the game in the seventh, he got Scheiner on a ground-out to Aracena, walked Duran on four somewhat controversial pitches (at least two could have been strikes), Ortiz struck out swinging. Lara walked Maton, but Stokes struck out on a 2-2 pitch and stranded two runners in the process.

The bottom of the seventh saw walks to Melendez and Hicklen, but little else, as Pratto and Olloque struck out swinging and Perez lined out to Scheiner on what sounded like a much harder-hit ball than it actually was.

The eighth inning was a routine one for both sides. The ninth, however, was not.

With RHP Daniel Duarte on the mound for his second inning of work, Josh Stephen singled on a 3-2 pitch that caught the heart of the plate. Scheiner was first-pitch swinging, swatting a hard-hit grounder to right. Duran followed this with the first of three straight homers for Lakewood. Ortiz hit a solo shot to right, and that would be it for Duarte as he gave way to RHP Tad Ratliff with Lakewood down by one.

Maton chased Ortiz’s homer with his own solo shot to right, and the BlueClaws had tied the game. This all happened before Lexington could get a single out.

Isbel, Melendez, and Pratto went down in order, and it was extra-inning time.

Ratliff retired Vierling, Stephen, and Scheiner in order to start the tenth inning. After Hicklen struck out looking, Olloque shot a laser beam to the center-field wall for a one-out double. SS Jeison Guzman entered to pinch-run for him, and new pitcher Connor Brogdon entered the game for Lakewood. He began by putting Perez on intentionally, but Jones and Rivero couldn’t get the winning run home.

With Garrett Suchey entering the game in the eleventh inning, Duran singled and move to second on Ortiz’s sacrifice bunt. After Maton grounded out to Perez, Duran moved to third. Stokes drove in what would be the winning run on a single to center after Such threw three straight pitches in the same zone and Stokes caught onto it.

Lakewood’s Zach Warren closed it out in the bottom of the inning, striking out Aracena, getting Isbel on a fly-out to right, and walking but stranding Melendez after Pratto ended the game striking out on a pitch in the dirt.

A tough loss for the home team, to be sure, but Game Two will see Jackson Kowar on the hill for the Legends facing LHP Kyle Young. The 6’10” Young has compiled a 13-5 record over four minor-league seasons, with a 2.74 ERA and 26 walks against 141 strikeouts in 151 1/3 innings. He recorded a .230 BAA in 59 1/3 innings this season across three leagues, with the vast majority of his innings at Lakewood. He gave up 9 walks in that span. He has never faced Lexington in his career.

Game Two of the South Atlantic League Championship is Tuesday at Whitaker Bank Ball Park at 6:05 PM.

The Virginia starter signed for $1,697,500 as the 34th-overall pick in this year’s draft, immediately after Kowar, having compiled what were unremarkable career numbers over his first two years with the school. A spike in strikeouts (105 in 88 2/3 IP), along with a continuing drop in opponents’ OBP (.265, down from .281 in 2017 and .317 in 2016), were promising signs for the 6’6” lefty, who brings with him a four-pitch arsenal and strong command.

After a very short stint at rookie-league Burlington (1.59 ERA in 3 starts, 11 1/3 IP, 9 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 14 K), Lynch was promoted to Low-A Lexington, where he has picked up momentum (1.55 ERA in 6 starts, 29 IP, 5 ER, 5 BB, 31 K).

With especially-tall pitchers, extra attention is sometimes paid to mechanics. Lynch is reasonably compact in his windup, and repeats his motion with ease. After a high leg kick, he consistently keeps his lead shoulder closed until he’s planted, then there’s a bit of cross-body action as he follows through. He will plant heel-first, at times, and fall slightly toward third, but it doesn’t seem to affect his command.

His height and relatively-high arm slot and release point give him excellent leverage, and it’s a release that is consistent with all four pitches. His fastball sits 90-92, with slight run at times, and he spots it well vs. both lefties and righties. He throws two distinct breaking pitches: an 11-5 curve anywhere from 76-80, and a slider at 80-83 that he spots on the corner vs. righties and starts mid-to-outer-third of the zone vs. lefties. As strange as it may sound, the two are sometimes hard to differentiate; there is little separation in speed, and their movement sometimes appears similar. His changeup, coming in around 83-84, could potentially become his best off-speed offering, as it has good late tail and sink, and his arm speed disguises it well.

It’s doubtful that Lynch will spend much time lingering in Low-A, since he enters pro ball with a broad selection of pitches in comparison to many pitchers at this level, and exercises consistent command over all of them. There is a great deal of projection remaining in his frame, and with it the possibility of a bump in velocity. Lynch is definitely a high-floor type of prospect, and appears to be ready-made for a 3-4 spot in KC’s rotation. A full-season ETA of 2021 is probable.

After becoming one of only 64 prep-level players selected in the first ten rounds in last year’s draft, Neuweiler made his first pro start for the rookie-level Burlington Royals in the Appalachian League on June 19^th of last year. He went five solid innings vs. the Elizabethton Twins in an away game (4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 K). His follow-up to that was a game to forget vs. the Danville Braves, as he gave up nine hits and five runs in his first home start for Burlington. Of note: he also struck out eight batters, nearly 1/3 of what he faced (25 total).

That would be it for Neuweiler in the Appy League, as the Royals bumped him up to the Lexington Legends in the South Atlantic League. He would make his first Class-A start at home vs. the Asheville Tourists, going another five strong innings, giving up no runs (3 H), walking three, and striking out four. Following this were four fairly-solid starts on the road in which he went a total of 21 1/3 innings, giving up eight earned runs (14 total), walking eight and striking out seventeen batters. He picked up his first professional win on July 23^rd at Asheville, where he gave up only three hits and two earned runs (4 total) while walking three and striking out four. His 2nd career win came right after that, as he went 5 2/3 vs. Rome at Lexington, giving up one run on four hits, walking three and striking out six.

After making his first pro appearance in June, Neuweiler has yet to throw fewer than 80 pitches in a game, and hasn’t yet recorded an appearance under five innings; worth noting, given his age (he turned 19 years old this past February).

On a roster that currently boasts 10 of Kansas City’s top 30 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline (11, counting the injured Michael Gigliotti), a player like Neuweiler can get lost in the shuffle. However, don’t let those “Top 30” lists deceive you; Neuweiler demonstrates poise beyond his years, with an arsenal that matches up well against the Sally League batters.

Neuweiler starts with a fastball that sits around 91-92, touching 93 on occasion, and he throws both two-seam and four-seam varieties. He also deals a low-80s slider with tight spin and very good two-plane break. At its best, it is almost unrecognizable in its spin, and breaks about 6-8 feet in front of the batter. When last I saw him, he dealt at least two sliders in the 84-85 range. He will occasionally mix in a change-up at 80-83 with slightly more fade than sink that has potential to become at least ML-average.

His mechanics are simple and easily repeatable. He has bouts of inconsistency with his release point, as any young pitcher might. It seems to happen more so with off-speed pitches, but so far it seems to be a rare occurrence.

At 6’1”, 205, Neuweiler’s projection lies in refining his current arsenal and working to add a bit of velocity. He appears to be a sound #3 or #4 starter in the making, at the moment, but a move to the ‘pen could see a tick or two added to his fastball. That could make him a three-pitch reliever with a mid-90’s fastball and, possibly, a wipe-out slider, to go with a change that shows definite promise. Personally, I’d like to see him continue to develop in the rotation; he has good size and a foundation on which to build. I can see him adding 2 MPH on his fastball, as a starter, as he appears to have relatively low-stress mechanics, as well as youth and stamina on his side.

Give him a little time, and you’re likely to be hearing more of his name in the Legends recaps and Royals websites. Neuweiler’s classic starter profile gives him a good shot at climbing the rankings for Kansas City. Barring major setbacks, he could find himself in High-A Wilmington before the end of 2019. If not, a year or two at Lexington isn’t going to hurt his progress, in the long run.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

However, fans are starting to become very aware of him, as he has steadily built a reputation for pinpoint control and versatility.

Sotillet began his pro career in 2016 with the DSL Royals, finishing second in innings pitched (65), first in fewest walks allowed among starters (a minuscule eight), and second in strikeouts (41). Over 13 starts, he recorded a 7-2 record with a 1.52 ERA as a 19-year old. The next season was disastrous, as he finished the year with a 6.67 ERA over 13 appearances (12 starts), split among all three stateside rookie-level Royals affiliates. Of note was his walk rate and K/BB ratio (2.1/9 IP and 3.23, respectively), a continuing sign of things to come.

Sotillet turned 21 in March, just a few weeks before he made his Class-A debut. April went very well for him, as he struck out 21 in 19 innings while walking only four, posting a 3.32 ERA. May was even better, as he recorded a 2.70 ERA over 30 innings (5 appearances, 4 starts), and walked only two batters while sending 27 down on strikes. Of some concern was his OPS against (.779), which was 137 points higher than April. Still, he showed an ability to limit damage with runners on (.257 BAA overall, .619 OPS).

June was an aberration, in terms of his previous results this year; a disastrous start at home vs. the Charleston RiverDogs severely inflated his numbers for the month (4 2/3 IP, 9 R, 8 ER, 11 H, 1 BB, 2 K). Take away that outlier, and his ERA for the month is 3.98, much closer to his norm.

While the Asheville Tourists touched him up for five runs on seven hits in four innings on July 2^nd, Sotillet made a statement in his next start when he went the full nine vs. Greensboro at Lexington (7 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K). Despite the base hits, he was never once rattled; when Manager Scott Thorman approached the mound to speak with him in the 9^th inning as the bullpen was ready to take over, Sotillet spoke with him for about five seconds before he repeatedly shook his head “no”, as his infielders simply smiled. The game was over, only moments later.

Sotillet threw 113 pitches, that night, 79 for strikes (23 looking, 15 swinging), and gave up only one XBH as he faced 32 batters. It was only his second career complete game in 38 starts, the first since 2016.

As a starter, Sotillet generally sits around 92-93 with his fastball, spotting and commanding it well, and he compliments it with a mid-high 70s curve with 11-5 break and a change-up at 82-84. Sotillet generally commands all three pitches well, and when he’s on top of his game he carves up the strike zone, attacking hitters and keeping his defense in the game.

As a reliever, Sotillet’s fastball ramps up to 95-96 and the curve touches 82 with sharp break. He does get up in the zone with the curve, sometimes, but it seems to happen more often when he’s front-dooring it to a right-hander (as far as what I’ve seen, myself). I’d like to see the change refined a bit, with perhaps a bit more tail and/or sink; such a change would make Sotillet a lock to remain in the rotation as he climbs the ladder.

Sotillet’s mechanics are simple and he repeats his motion easily. He drives to the plate and squares up to it in his follow-through, but he also spins off toward first pretty often. This doesn’t seem to cost him in terms of control, however. He maintains a three-quarter arm slot that sometimes gets slightly low, but he seems to remain on top of the ball consistently. Sotillet has great ratios, so far (8.46 K/9, 1.31 BB/9, 6.46 K/BB ratio), and though his BAA is at .294, this is largely due to a .369 BABIP, and I would assume it is unlikely to remain so high.

I asked Sotillet about what he’s been focusing on, and what he’d like to improve. “Well, I’ve been working on lowering my chest more in order to finish with better angles/command on my throws,” he said.

He’s a ground-ball pitcher, for sure (52.4 percent, 1.96 GB/FB ratio), and has given up only 6 homers in his 16 appearances. One could make an argument that he’s around the heart of the zone too often (107 H in 89 1/3 IP, 69.8 percent strike pct.), but he makes it work.

Sotillet has the profile of a back-end starter, and if he’s moved to the pen, he’s a multi-inning option with mid-90s velo and three solid pitches. His star is on the rise, but his future role (starter or reliever) will likely determine his advancement up the ladder as much as anything else. As I finish this article, Sotillet is finishing his first day at High-A Wilmington (how dare he leave before I finish writing this!), due in part to the arrival of LHP Daniel Lynch and RHP Jackson Kowar. However, he said that he thoroughly enjoyed playing in Lexington. “I thought (Lexington) was very nice. I liked it a lot,” he related to me.

The list of prospects in Lexington just keeps on growing.

Garrett Davila, LHP

3-4, 4.08 ERA in 15 starts, 64 IP, 23 BB, 46 K, 15 HRA

I’ve seen a lot of Davila, both this season and in 2017, and the more I see of him, the more he intrigues me. There are a few reasons for that.

First off, Davila was a 4th-round pick out of South Point HS (Belmont, NC) in 2015, and at the time he was ranked 20^th nationally among lefties and 3^rd in North Carolina by Perfect Game. He was then working with an upper-80s fastball, a slurvy breaking ball, and a changeup that showed good fade and sink. Davila now sits around 90-92, working in a curve at 76-79 with two-plane movement, and a circle-change at 83-84 that shows potential as a plus pitch. He demonstrates excellent arm speed and feel for the change, and has been able to lean on it as a secondary offering if his curve abandons him.

Second, it’s important to note that six of those 15 homers allowed came in a two-game span (June 24^th at home vs. Columbia; June 30^th at home vs. Asheville), in which he allowed three homers in each game. Take those away, and his ERA drops around half a point. Also, while those homers drove up his OPS over the last month (.879 in previous four starts), he’s allowed only a .191 BA against in that same span.

Oddly enough, his OBP vs. LHB is 84 points higher than vs. righties (.370 vs. LHB; .286 vs. RHB).  He’s put up some of his best numbers with runners on base (.186 BA, .605 OPS w/runners on).

Third, while he has shown fly-ball tendencies this season, he has the tools to induce grounders when he’s at his best. In the four games in which he’s allowed 10 or more fly-balls, he has given up two or fewer runs (24 total IP, 7 runs allowed, 4 HRA), so even when opposing batters are putting the ball in the air with regularity, he’s mitigated the damage. A refined curve and more consistency with his change-up, and he could turn the corner. Yes, the HR/FB% is exceedingly high (19.5%), but again, much of that is due to a homer-happy June (8 HRA in 17 1/3 IP). He sometimes drops his arm a bit/dips his left shoulder in his drive to the plate, and that could leave him up in the zone from time to time.

When asked about what has helped him the most, this year, Davila was emphatic that concentrating on location and command with his fastball has done a great deal for his progress:

“Just improving my fastball command has helped me the most. I’m able to locate the fastball, and it just makes it that much tougher for the hitters.”

Davila has time on his side; he’s only 21 years old, and it’s understandable that a high-school pitcher might have a bit of a learning curve going into pro ball without the benefit of college experience. He has handled himself well on the mound, and typically seems to be unfazed by bad games. Long-term, I could see him becoming a 4^th or 5^th starter, and his floor would likely be as an effective middle reliever and potential spot starter, assuming he maintains his three-pitch arsenal into the high levels of the minors. Davila was reported to be throwing in the mid-nineties during his senior year, before the Royals gave him the summer off to work out and give his arm a rest.

There’s reason to believe that he may yet add 1-2 MPH to his avg fastball. If he can do so, then at his peak KC might have a lefty who sits around 93 and deals a curve and change that are both at least ML-average.

Photo Credit: Clinton Riddle

Brewer Hicklen, OF

2018: .320/.380/.525 in 137 PA, 151 wRC+, 8.0% BB, 35.0% K

A personal favorite coming into the 2018 season, Hicklen has shown himself to be virtually what I expected. A plus defender in the field with outstanding speed and present gap power, Hicklen lost some time to football in both high school and at college, and still has some untapped potential. He’s more than a slash-and-dash hitter, since he does have some raw power that he has yet to show in games on a regular basis, but that should come along as the season progresses. He’s a fast-twitch athlete with quick hands and a level swing geared toward line drives, at the moment, and should generate more loft as he learns to be more selective at the plate. His BABIP is impossibly high (.486), but is somewhat reflective of previous limited appearances in rookie-level ball. He will certainly need to start utilizing the whole field, if he’s going to reach his offensive potential; he’s gone to left field 61.8% of the time in 2018, perhaps swinging for the fences, but his bat is far more valuable if he learns to go with the pitch and spray the ball around.

Travis Jones, LF-3B

2018: .296/.384/.432 in 245 PA, 136 wRC+, 6.9% BB, 20.4% K

Looking like he could eventually be seen as a late-round steal, Travis Jones is cut from similar cloth as Hicklen: an athletic, solid all-round player, with some room for growth. At 6’4”, 210, Jones is very quick for his size, demonstrating both the range to play left field and the quick-twitch reactions to handle third base. Coming out of the 29^th round of the 2017 draft, Jones was seen as being a bit raw with an average tool set across the board. What helps him is his advanced base-running sense, and ability to make use of high-percentage steal opportunities. While most Royals-focused sites tend to talk a lot about Matias et al, Jones currently leads the team in hits (63), doubles (12), runs scored (40), walks (17), HBP (14!), and steals (also 14), while holding second place in RBI (31) and sixth in fewest strikeouts (50). Jones has a quick swing and typically a short swing path, especially on the back end, but can get a little long vs. advanced off-speed pitches (like a lot of Class-A batters). He is quick out of the box and isn’t afraid to take that extra base. He can certainly drive the ball deep into the gap, and I feel like he will demonstrate at least 12-15 HR pop this season, with the potential for average in-game home-run power as he advances. He’s a ground-ball hitter, at the moment (1.77 GB/FB ratio, 49.7 GB%), but with his size and bat speed he could become a legitimate power source if he can learn to put some loft on the ball.

Defensively, his better position at the moment is probably left field, though he has the versatility to handle all four corner positions. He is quick on his transfers and throws, enough to make what is considered average arm strength play up. In the outfield, he runs efficient routes and his straight-line speed appears to me to be slightly above advertised (also considered “average”). He is roughly age-appropriate for this league, though the Royals may push him if he continues to handle Class-A pitching as well as he has, so far.

Ricky Aracena, 2B-SS

2018: .243/.292/.350 in 119 PA, 82 wRC+, 5.9% BB, 14.3% K

Set aside the numbers, for a moment, and recall that when Aracena was signed in 2014 as an international free agent, his game and style of playing was compared favorably to Rafael Furcal. There’s good reason for this. Indeed, Aracena’s nickname is “Furcalito” (“little Furcal”), so it stands to reason that he would have some things in common with the former ML shortstop. Aracena has more than enough arm to play short, though he has spent much of the year at second with Jeison Guzman (we’ll get to him) and now Cristian Perez (ditto). He also covers plenty of ground and pairs that range with plus speed and quickness. Don’t let his size fool you into thinking that he can’t hit, either. He is stronger than his generously-listed 5’8”, 160-pound frame would suggest. Aracena has slowly been adding gap doubles power to his repertoire, and since he came into the season at age 20, he certainly has time to work on his offense.

One would like to see his line-drive percentage climb, considerably (18.3%), but I expect that to happen over the coming months. He can drive the ball to left or right, but has struggled vs. RHP in an admittedly-small sample size of AB (.209 in 78 PA, .333 vs LHP in 38 PA). While April was awful (.400 OPS in 36 PA), he managed a .765 OPS in May over 46 PA, and has thus far in June batted .367 with a .764 OPS in 34 PA.

Aracena has the speed to swipe 20-25 bags, easily, with more frequent appearances on base, and possibly more. As mentioned, like so many other players on this 2018 Legends team, he is young for the level (he turns 21 on October 2^nd), and has time to improve his offense.

At the risk of stating the obvious, simply making more frequent, hard contact will do wonders for him, as his speed and quickness (see a recurring theme, here?) make him a nuisance on the bases.

Marten Gasparini, OF

2018: .231/.272/.331 in 185 PA, 71 wRC+, 4.3% BB, 29.7% K

Gasparini has now spent 280 games in full-season Low-A ball, starting with 111 games in Lexington back in 2016. Of course, he played shortstop back then, and that experiment was a dismal failure (48 errors in 107 games, 31 of those fielding errors). Certainly not “the second coming of Derek Jeter”, as he was called after being signed in 2013.

However, since being moved to the outfield in 2017, Gasparini has taken to the switch very well. He has worked at improving his routes and consistently makes strong throws back to the infield, and has always covered more than enough ground to play either left or center. Splitting time between left and center in 2017, Gasparini is now almost exclusively a center-fielder, where he has made several highlight-reel plays in only 42 appearances at the position, thus far.

Gasparini has always had the tools defensively to be a regular, and the minor-league rolls are littered with players who failed at short, only to excel in the outfield. An above-average arm, coupled with plus defensive skill and speed (in the outfield, of course), make him a valuable prospect despite the poor offensive showing over the past 2+ seasons. He was always young for A-ball, coming to Lexington in 2016 at age 19 and having only turned 21 as of May 24^th of this year. He was also a very raw talent, growing up in Italy before being noticed by international scouts and moving to the Italian Baseball Academy at age 14 to begin working out in earnest. At the time, he was considered the finest European prospect since Max Kepler signed with the Twins in 2009.

Gasparini’s swing is still timing-based, but he is slowly beginning to show the ability to drive the ball, especially in a hitter’s count. Strangely enough, his splits at home vs. road are very far apart (.295 BA, .762 OPS in 24 home games; .141 BA, .398 OPS in 23 road games), and he continues to struggle vs. RHP (.204 BA vs. RHP in 123 PA, .259 BA vs LHP in 59 PA). The splits regarding hitting vs. lefties have always been higher for him, leading one to wonder how much better off he might be if he stuck to batting right-handed.

As mentioned earlier, Gasparini has easy-plus speed, and could be a 30+ steal guy if he could get on base with even average frequency. He is still very raw at the plate, especially when it comes to reading counts and pitch selection. At times, he looks overwhelmed and his swings will reflect that, but he’s starting to assert himself more often and drive the ball with confidence, an element that has been missing up to this point in his career.

I’ve been following Gasparini closely since he came to Lexington two years ago, and I still believe that he could put it all together. Defensively, he could progress to the higher rungs of the minor-league ladder, but his floor would be much lower without even modestly-improved offense. There’s enough potential remaining to make him a deep sleeper-type of prospect, but he’s likely going to be passed over by the likes of Michael Gigglioti and Vance Vizcaino, not to mention Travis Jones and Seuly Matias, so he’ll need to step up his game fairly soon.    

Scott Blewett (Photo Credit Jen Nevius)

Best Rotation – NW Arkansas Naturals

The Naturals threesome of Foster Griffin (4), Scott Blewett (19), and Glenn Sparkman (14) stands out among all the organizational rotations. The bump to Double-A is a big jump for Blewett, who many believe is one of the Royals top pitching prospects. In addition, Griffin was the Royals minor league pitcher of the year last season and Sparkman had an outstanding spring season for the major league club in Arizona. Filling out the rotation will be Emilio Ogando (46) who went 10-10 with a 3.45 ERA in 23 starts for the Naturals last season and Corey Ray who struggled last season but still features a fastball he can run into the upper 90s.

Best Bullpen – Omaha Storm Chasers

This one is an easy call when you consider it might even be better than the current major league pen. One of the Royals top prospects, Richard Lovelady (9), will help front this pen that will also feature fireballing Josh Staumont (17), who finally makes the move that should help accelerate any chance he may have in making it to Kansas City. Coming back to Omaha will be Kevin Lenik (28), Kevin McCarthy, Eric Stout (21) and Seth Maness. Rounding out the bullpen is Mike Broadway, who is coming off an impressive spring with the major league club, and Wily Peralta after clearing waivers.

Best Infield – Wilmington Blue Rocks

The Rocks infield is talented at both corners with top third base prospect Emmanuel Rivera (10) at third and big power threat Chris DeVito (45) across the diamond at first. In the middle of the infield is Gabriel Cancel (16) and the 46 extra base hits he collected for Lexington last season in 103 games. Alongside him is shortstop Angelo Castellano. The Venezuelan shortstop stabilized the position for Lexington last year after Ricky Aracena’s early struggles. He’s mostly a defensive shortstop, but will show some pop from time to time. The Rocks infield will also include DJ Burt, a speedy option with good on-base skills.

Best Catcher Group – Lexington Legends

It’s a two-team race with Wilmington’s combo of Chase Vallot (13) and Meibrys Viloria (18), versus Lexington’s MJ Melendez (2) and Sebastian Rivero (25) tandem, but I’ve got to give the edge to Lexington and Melendez. For everything I’m hearing about Melendez, he is advanced defensively, brings some good potential power and has the advanced skill to know to cut down on his swing with two strikes to reach base. The ball explodes off his bat as evidenced by some of the best exit velocities among the draft class last year, and he is beyond his years in controlling the run game. Next to Melendez will be another young and advanced defensive catcher in Rivero who is still just 19 years of age and receives similar raves and reviews that fellow countryman Salvador Perez did at the same age.

Best Outfield – NW Arkansas Naturals

This is close and definitely the one I had to think about the most. The Lexington outfield featuring defensive dynamo Michael Gigliotti (6) running next to powerful Seuly Matias (8) in right should be a fun watch. They should get a nice contribution from Vance Vizcaino and the hitting skill he showed with a .325 batting average over his final 54 games last season. The top Royals prospect plays in Wilmington, as Khalil Lee (1) will be attempting to power up at Frawley Stadium and attempting show that he’s a Top 100 prospect. Running alongside Lee will be speedster Rudy Martin (40) who showed his ridiculous speed after stealing 26 bases in just 37 Lexington games. That’s not all that he brings to the table as the 5-7 outfielder also has a little thump in his game despite his size. While that tandem could be special, I think the best overall outfield at least to start the season will be in Arkansas with the Naturals foursome that all have tools in the shed. The top outfielder, Donnie Dewees (15), earned Texas League Player of the Month during June to carry the club to a first half playoff berth. Next to him will be Elier Hernandez (24) after his possible breakout season was cut short last year (19 XBH in 46 games) by injury, and Anderson Miller (38) who has adapted in his second go-around at every level. It’s the depth of the group that gives them the lead, as their bench outfielders Brandon Downes (53) has plenty of tools with a strong arm and some power to do some damage in the Texas League this season; Alfredo Escalera has shown good bat to ball skills in the past.

Overview

In looking at the complete rosters I would expect the two upper-level squads to have the best team records due to their stronger pitching staffs. A return to the playoffs could be in the cards for the Storm Chasers should Hunter Dozier, Ryan O’Hearn and Frank Schwindel hit enough to carry the offense. The Naturals have 20 players that have played at Double-A prior, which should help them make another appearance in the playoffs. The lower levels will be led by offenses and some pitching staffs. Wilmington last made the playoffs in 2015 as part of the Royals organization, while Lexington has never made the playoffs as an affiliate of the club.