BPKC Hitter of the Day Chris Hudgins 3-4 3R, 2b, 2-HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Jackson Kowar 4 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K 5-0 GO-FO 58p/38k

Lexington Legends 15 Hagerstown Suns 3

The Legends bats erupted in a blowout win over Hagerstown on Friday night. All nine starters had at least one hit with all but Ricky Aracena connecting on two hits as the squad put together 18 hits. Outfielder Brewer Hicklen connected on a two-run home run in the first before Kyle Isbel’s seventh home run in the third made it 3-0. The score was 6-0 after five when the Legends really blew it open in the sixth inning with an eight-run frame that featured a Marten Gasparini three-run blast. That lead was plenty for Lexington with starter Jackson Kowar on the mound and Garrett Davila backing him up. The 1st round pick from Florida had his best outing yet, striking out five hitters in four innings while allowing just three hits against no walks. It wasn’t Davila’s best outing, allowing three runs with six hits and a pair of walks allowed in three innings before Garrett Suchey toss the final two innings to secure the win.

Nick Pratto 2-4 2R, 3b, 3 RBI, BB, SB
Kyle Isbel 2-5 2R, HR
MJ Melendez 2-6 R, 2-2b

Winston-Salem Dash 4 Wilmington Blue Rocks 3

It couldn’t have been a worse time for Wilmington to hit a losing streak but that’s the case as the Rocks dropped their fourth game in a row on Friday. The offense jumped out of the gate against struggling Alec Hansen for two runs in the first inning with a rbi single by Gabriel Cancel and a rbi triple by Emmanuel Rivera. That lead wouldn’t last long though with starter Andres Sotillet giving up a run in the first and a two-run bomb as part of a three-run second inning to fall behind 4-2. From the two pitching staff’s stood firm until the ninth when Wilmington put the first two runners on with a walk and a single that moved Vance Vizcaino to third. Catcher Meibrys Viloria would score Vizcaino with a sacrifice fly but Jackson Lueck would hit into a double play to end the threat and the game.

Blake Perkins 2-4 R, 2b
Gabriel Cancel 2-4 R, RBI
Emmanuel Rivera 1-4 3b, RBI, 2K

NW Arkansas Naturals 8 Frisco RoughRiders 2 

Starter Scott Blewett backed up a complete game outing last time out with seven innings of quality pitcher. The right-hander allowed just four hits and a pair of walks while giving up just two runs with five strikeouts. After four shutout innings, the offense came alive in the fifth inning with an Alfredo Escalera two-run home run. That offense kickstarted the offense, getting a run in the sixth inning prior to five runs over the final two innings to blow the game open as two relievers tossed the final two innings scoreless.

Samir Duenez 2-5 2R, 2b
Kelvin Gutierrez 2-5 R
Scott Blewett 7 IP 4 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 5 K 6-6 GO-FO 89p/56k

Colorado Springs Sky Sox 8 Omaha Storm Chasers 5

The Chasers received a quality start from Trevor Oaks as the right-hander tossed two-run ball over six innings but the bullpen struggled in a loss. His replacement, Josh Staumont, struggled mightily while on the hill giving up a single, a pair of walks and a double. A pair of wild pitches and a throwing error would score three of those runners before Staumont’s replacement, Eric Stout would give up a two-run home run to put the Chasers down 7-2. Omaha would attempt a rally in the ninth, scoring three runs with four walks and a Frank Schwindel single but the seventh inning damage had put them too far down to complete the comeback.

Frank Schwindel 1-4 2 RBI, BB
Trevor Oaks 6 IP 7 H 2 R 1 ER 0 BB 2 K HR 8-8 GO-FO 99p/63k
Nicky Lopez 1-4 RBI, BB

Bristol Pirates 14 Burlington Royals 9

The Burlington pitching staff couldn’t hold off the Pirates for the second straight night as their rookie squad piled up 14 runs on 13 hits and 14 free passes handed out by Royals pitching. All four Burlington pitchers walked at least two with lefty Marlin Willis getting touched up for the most damage, allowing six runs on five hits and five walks. The Royals did plenty of damage on their own with nine runs on 10 hits including three home runs. First baseman Chris Hudgins did much of the heavy lifting on that side with a pair of home runs and a double but it wasn’t enough in the loss.

Austin Cox 2 IP 1 H 2R 1 ER 3 BB 4 K 1-1 46p/25k
Jose Marquez 1-4 HR, BB
Juan Carlos Negret 0-5 5K

Great Falls Voyagers 3 Idaho Falls Chukars 2 F/10

The Chukars lost a pitching duel Friday night when their defense let them down in extra innings. Three Idaho Falls pitchers combined to allow just one earned run in the ten inning affair with starter Connor Mayes giving up a second-inning solo home run that tied the game after a Jose Caraballo triple gave Idaho Falls the lead in the first. The game was tied until the tenth when the Chukars defense committed back to back one out throwing errors, the second by pitcher Jordan Floyd which allowed two Great Falls runs to score. The Chukars answered by scoring their free runner in the tenth and placing the tying run at second but back to back strikeouts of Nathan Eaton and Reed Rohlman ended it.

Connor Mayes 5 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 6 K 6-2 GO-FO 89p/56k
Nathan Eaton 1-5 R, 2b, 3 K
Jose Caraballo 1-4 3b, RBI

Friday Boxscores

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Kyle Isbel 4-5 3R, 2b, 2 HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Holden Capps 3 IP 2 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 6 K 3-0 GO-FO 43p/32k

Lexington Legends 7 Greenville Drive 5

Starter Charlie Neuweiler had a rough second inning due to some rough defense behind him but settled himself down and gave his squad time to make a comeback. After Ricky Aracena singled in a run in the second inning, Greenville scored five runs (2 ER) in the home half, getting four hits and a pair of errors from the Lexington defense to put the five runs on the board. The fourth inning saw Marten Gasparini get his big offensive night jump started with an RBI single. After the second, Neuweiler found a groove, working around a leadoff error in the third inning to retire the final nine hitters he would face. In the sixth, the offense would bail him out of the loss with a rbi triple by Manny Olloque to cut the lead to two before Gasparini went deep to tie things up at 5-5. Lefty reliever Holden Capps tossed three consecutive shutout innings to keep the game tied and Gasparini would be back at it, doubling to lead off the ninth to help set up a two-run inning that would complete the comeback and ultimately give the Legends the win.

Marten Gasparini: 3-3 2R, 2b, HR, 3 RBI, BB
Cristian Perez: 2-5 RBI
MJ Melendez: 0-4 BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Salem Red Sox 2

Starting pitcher Nolan Watson had one of his best outings of the season in leading the way for a Wilmington win Monday night. The former 1st round pick worked seven innings for the second consecutive start, working efficiently with 59 strikes on 89 pitches with his High-A high seven strikeouts. The Red Sox used sacrifice flies in both the second and third innings to plate runs versus Watson but could do more against him or the bullpen. The Rocks trailed 2-1 through five but took the lead back with a pair of runs in the sixth, scoring on a wild pitch and a single by Nick Heath. An eighth inning RBI single by D.J. Burt and a run-scoring double by Gabe Cancel added a pair of insurance runs which were more than enough with reliever Tyler Zuber tossing a scoreless ninth frame.

Gabe Cancel: 1-4 2b, RBI
Nick Heath: 1-4 R, 2 RBI, SB (29)
D.J. Burt: 2-4 R, RBI, SB (23)

Springfield Cardinals 10 NW Arkansas Naturals 6 F/10

The two teams exchanged five runs in the first six innings to push the game into extra innings after a pair of scoreless innings by Walker Sheller. The Naturals took the lead in the tenth with a two-out single by Nick Dini to score their free baserunner but that lead wouldn’t last long. Struggling reliever Bryan Brickhouse got two outs in the tenth but tossed a pair of wild pitches that allowed the Cardinals free baserunner to score before Victor Roache connected on his second home run of the game to walk things off, giving Brickhouse his fourth loss in just eight Double-A appearances.

Jecksson Flores: 3-5 2b, 2 RBI, SB (14)
Nick Dini: 2-4 R, RBI
Jace Vines: 4.2 IP 6 H 4 R 4 ER 5 BB 3 K 2 HR HBP 5-2 GO-FO 104p/53k

Nashville Sounds 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 4 F/11

The Sounds overcame the Storm Chasers scoring their free baserunner in both the tenth and eleventh innings before walking the game off in the eleventh. In a spot start, Arnaldo Hernandez struggled with his control, walking five against five strikeouts. The right-hander worked five innings, giving up a pair of runs with three hits allowed leaving the game with runners on that scored to tie it up with Richard Lovelady on the mound. The game stayed knotted at 2-2 until the tenth when Nicky Lopez walked with the bases loaded to give Omaha the lead. The Sounds tied it up in the bottom half with no outs and then connected with a pair of singles in the eleventh to tie the game up and take the win home against reliever Kevin Lenik.

Nicky Lopez: 1-3 BB, CS
Ryan O’Hearn: 1-5 R, 2b
Arnaldo Hernandez: 5 IP 3 H 2 R 2 ER 5 BB 5 K 4-4 GO-FO 99p/56k

Burlington Royals 6 Johnson City Cardinals 5

A four-run ninth led to a walk-off win for Burlington over the Cardinals rookie squad. The Johnson City lineup plated a pair of runs on four hits against rehabbing right-hander Janser Lara despite four strikeouts from him in his two innings of work. Catcher Freddy Fermin homered to cut the lead in half in the second but after the two teams exchanged runs in the next two innings the Cards tacked on a pair in the seventh. With things looking gloom for the home team the Royals got off to a quick start with a leadoff walk to Fermin and a double by Brhet Bewley to put a pair of runners in scoring position. A pair of groundouts would put the game on the edge but a Jeison Guzman two-run single kept things alive while putting the tying run on base. That tying run would come on home when second baseman Jose Marquez blasted a 1-0 pitch out to right for a walk-off home run to win things for the Royals.

Jose Marquez: 2-5 HR 2 RBI
Freddy Fermin: 1-3 2R, HR, 2 RBI, BB
Juan Carlos Negret: 1-3 R, BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 9 Missoula Osprey 0

After Missoula shut down the Chukars offense for two games in a row, the Idaho Falls pitching staff returned the favor on Monday night. Starter J.C. Cloney spun six innings of shutout ball with just four hits allowed before turning things to the pen which kept the shutout going until the end. While the pitching staff kept things quiet, the offense did the opposite, connecting on 18 hits with a pair of hitters collecting four apiece. 2018 draftee Kyle Isbel led the way driving four runs in with a double and two home runs as the offense scored nine runs in the convincing win.

Reed Rohlman: 4-5 R
Tyler James: 1-3 R, 2b
Angel Medina: 3-4 R, CS

Monday Boxscores

Tuesday Probables
Omaha – Zach Lovvorn 5-5 5.10 ERA 1.46 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Emilio Ogando 5-6 7.15 ERA 2.22 WHIP
Lexington – Jackson Kowar

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.    

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Travis Jones 2-5, R, 2b, 3 RBI, SB (3) 

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Julio Pinto 2.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 0-2, GO-FO 27p/18k

Lexington Legends 9, Greenville Drive 6

The Legends countered a five-run inning by Greenville with one of their own on Wednesday to finish off a three-game sweep of the Red Sox farm club and a 6-1 homestand. Reliever Dillon Drabble came in for Garrett Davila in the sixth with a runner on and struggled mightily. He hit the first two batters he faced before walking in a run and giving up an inside-the-park home run on a ball that eluded Michael Gigliotti’s grasp. The 2016 draftee plunked one more hitter before being lifted for Julio Pinto who promptly ended the five-run frame and would go on to retire all seven hitters he would face on the afternoon. Trailing 6-1 with two outs in the seventh inning, Lexington would take advantage of a run-scoring error that allowed their inning to keep going. With the extra out and the bases loaded, Travis Jones doubled to bring in all three baserunners and quickly pull the squad within a run. A triple by MJ Melendez, his second of the day, would bring Jones in to even the score. An inning later, the Legends would put the game out of reach with a sac fly by Oliver Nunez and a two-run home run from Marten Gasparini to push the advantage to three runs, more than enough for Tyler Zuber to finish off the win.

Seuly Matias: 0-1, 2R, BB
MJ Melendez: 2-4, R, 2-3b, RBI
Travis Jones: 2-5, R, 2b, 3 RBI, SB (3)

Salem Red Sox 7, Wilmington Blue Rocks  

Coming into Wednesday’s game with Salem, the Rocks hitters were 1 for 20 with runners in scoring position. Things didn’t get much better, but a mammoth 3-run blast by Chase Vallot in the top of the fifth inning provided Wilmington a 4-2 lead. Up to that point, 11 of the 14 balls that Salem had made contact with had come on the ground, resulting either in hits or outs against starter Jace Vines. In the fifth, he couldn’t duplicate those results, giving up a pair of line drive hits sandwiched around a walk and another groundball single that helped generate three runs for Salem. Trailing 5-4, the woes with runners in scoring position continued with the Rocks missing out on two more opportunities to finish off the three-game sweep. They ended the series going an abysmal 3 for 29 with runners in scoring position.

Chase Vallot: 1-4, HR, 3 RBI, 3 K
Meibrys Viloria: 1-2, BB, 2-3 CS-Att on defense
Bryan Brickhouse: 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 1-0 GO-FO, 19p/10k

Memphis Redbirds 3, Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The Chasers offense continued their scoring struggles in another loss to Memphis Wednesday afternoon. With just five runs scored in five games this season, the Chasers plated just a pair in the fifth on a double by Ryan O’Hearn. That would be their only hit with runners in scoring position. Those two runs pulled them within a run following a three-run third inning against starter Trevor Oaks that included a pair of run-scoring doubles by Tyler O’Neill and Adolis Garcia. Those runs would prove to be enough for the win despite a quality start from Oaks and shutout relief work by Richard Lovelady and Mike Broadway.

Ryan O’Hearn: 2-4, 2b, 2 RBI
Hunter Dozier: 1-4, R, 2K
Ramon Torres: 2-4, R, 2b, BB

HR Roll Call: Dennicher Carrasco (5)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Cristian Perez 5-5 2R, 2b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Emilio Ogando 5 IP 7 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 6 K 2-5 GO-FO 91p/57k

AZL Royals 8 AZL Brewers 6

At BPKC, I have praised Esteury Ruiz over and over again from putting him on the Preseason Top 30 list, including him in the next wave piece I wrote about and writing about his last season in Diamonds plenty. Still, it should be noted how well this young middle infielder continues to hit. Over his past 40 games between the AZL and DSL Ruiz has put up a .405/.436/.712 line with 30 extra base hits. This young middle infielder has shown at least at the complex level that his bat is elite at just 18 years old and could be one of the top prospects in the system.

The Royals pushed their winning streak to three games in their comeback win over the Brewers. The middle infielders led the way with Esteury Ruiz’s double tying the game and pushing shortstop Cristian Perez to third base where he would score the winning run on Nick Pratto’s sac fly. Starting pitcher Dan Tillo, after struggling in his first appearance of the year, was perfect in his two innings, striking out three and earning three groundouts.

Boxscore Link

Dan Tillo 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 3 K
Charlie Neuweiler 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K
Christian Perez 5-5 2R 2b 2 RBI
Esteury Ruiz 2-5 2R, 2b, RBI
MJ Melendez 2-5 2 RBI
Isaiah Henry 2-4 R, 3b

Lexington Legends 7 Delmarva Shorebirds 6 F/21

The Legends made quick work of Delmarva in their resumption of their 20 innings suspended game when Marten Gasparini hit his eighth home run of the season to give them the eventual win.

The Italian the Royals paid $1.3 million in 2013 is starting to hit his stride in Lexington during his 19/20 year old season. The now outfielder has seen his batting average improve every month, digging out from a rough April that saw him hit just .191 to his current .260/.313/.416 line. That doesn’t say the as Gasparini has really shined from the left side, hitting .293/.350/.505 as he continues to refine things from the right side as a switch hitter. The outfield defense needs some work but there are plenty of positive signs in Gasparini’s game as he is playing well in Lexington at basically the same age as most college sophomores.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 1-9 BB, 8K (record)
Marten Gasparini 3-6 2R, HR, 2 BB, SB (13)
Angelo Castellano 1-10 HR
Emmanuel Rivera 4-8 R

Walk off wins

The Naturals, Chasers and Blue Rocks all walked off with wins on Friday night. In Omaha, the Chasers walked off after an errant throw by Nashville pitcher Simon Castro allowed Logan Moon and Billy Burns to race home.

The Naturals got a sacrifice fly by Samir Duenez to score Cody Jones to give the home squad a 2-1 win in 12 innings.

The Blue Rocks truly walked off winners after Brandon Downes was walked with the bases loaded to give Wilmington a 5-4 win.

Omaha Storm Chasers 4 Nashville Sounds 3

Boxscore Link

Cam Gallagher 4-4 RBI
Ryan O’Hearn 0-3 BB
Luke Farrell 6 IP 5 H 3R 3 ER 2 BB 10 K 1-5 Go-FO 105p/70

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Tulsa Drillers 1 F/12

Boxscore Link

Nicky Lopez 3-5 R, 3b, BB, SB (4)
Samir Duenez 1-5 2 RBI, SB (9)
Donnie Dewees 2-4 BB
Richard Lovelady 0.2 IP 1 H 0 R 1 BB 1 K
Yunior Marte 2.1 IP 4 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 3 K

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Lynchburg Hillcats 4

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 2-4 2b, 2 RBI, BB
Chase Vallot 2-3 2R, 2b, BB
Nick Heath 1-4 2R, BB, SB (6)
Chris DeVito 0-4
Walker Sheller 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K 19p/13k

Idaho Falls Chukars 7 Helena Brewers 5

A pair of three run innings paced the Chukars to another win over Helena. Starter Janser Lara pitched for the first time since July 1st, going two innings and 39 pitches while avoiding a run allowed despite three hits and a pair of walks allowed.

Boxscore Link

Janser Lara 2 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 3 K 39p/19k 2-0 GO-FO
Cristhian Vasquez 2-4

Burlington Royals 5 Elizabethton Twins 3

The Royals came on late, scoring three runs in the eighth to beat the Twins. The Latin players in the lineup came up big with Dennicher Carrasco connecting on a two run home run to give the team the lead and the eventual win.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 1-4 R, 2b
Jeison Guzman 1-3 BB
Michael Gigliotti 1-4
Dennicher Carrasco 2-4 2R, 3b, HR, 2 RBI
Sal Biasi 5 IP 1 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 2 K 78p/49k 3-7 GO-FO

DSL Braves 8 DSL Royals 1

The DSL squad got knocked around in their game against the Braves, giving up seven runs over the second and third innings.

Boxscore Link

Ismaldo Rodriguez 2-3 2b

HR Roll Call: Marten Gasparini (2), John Brontsema (1)

BPKC Hitter of the Day: Marten Gasparini 2-4, 2R, HR, 3b, 2 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Tim Hill 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 4-1 GO-FO, 46p/30k

Asheville Tourists 12, Lexington Legends 5

The Legends couldn’t close out their opportunity to sweep in Asheville after a rough night of pitching.

Starter Garrett Davila was roughed up for nine runs in4.1 innings, allowing eight hits that included a pair of doubles, a triple and a home run. The lefty couldn’t get out of the fifth with eight of his nine runs allowed getting attached to him in that inning.

The Legends had a 2-1 lead entering the home fifth after a Marten Gasparini two-run home run but couldn’t overcome the big inning by the Rockies Low-A affiliate.

Boxscore Link

Khalil Lee 2-4, 2-2b, 2 RBI, CS (8)
John Brontsema 2-4, HR, SB (2)
Gabe Cancel 2-4

Winston-Salem Dash 5, Wilmington Blue Rocks 2

The Rocks dropped their first game of the series in Winston-Salem after struggling with runners in scoring position.

Facing off against a highly ranked White Sox prospect, the Blue Rocks went just 1-7 with runners in scoring position. Starter Dane Dunning navigated nine hits while holding the top of the Rocks lineup 0-9, before the rains secured the home win.

Fill-in starter Andres Machado gave up five runs in 4.2 innings, allowing three doubles and a home run amongst the seven hits allowed. The rain came in the sixth and washed out the rest of the game, ending Nicky Lopez’s chance at extending his 28 game on-base streak.

Boxscore Link

Chris DeVito 1-3, R, 2b
Wander Franco 3-3, RBI, SB (4)
Brandon Downes 1-3, CS (2)

Frisco Rough Riders 13, NW Arkansas Naturals 2

The Rough Riders roughed up the Naturals first two pitchers they faced on way to an easy win.

Starter Ashton Goudeau and reliever Jared Ruxer were tagged for six runs each in just three innings. Frisco touched up Goudeau for eight hits with a three-run home run mixed in over two innings. That home run must have got the home bats heated up because they really went with the longball off Ruxer, crushing three in his one inning to account for all six runs.

The Naturals two runs came in the fourth when they pieced three hits together to start the inning. The two teams will play the rubber game of their three-game series tonight.

Boxscore Link

Samir Duenez 2-4, RBI, SB (3)
Elier Hernandez 1-4, R, 2b
Nick Dini 2-3, 2b

A top two of Zimmer, who is currently assigned to NW Arkansas, and Staumont would give Omaha their best twosome since June of 2013 when Danny Duffy and Yordano Ventura were fronting a rotation that would eventually win a PCL title.

Race Back On – Despite Raul Mondesi’s outstanding spring, his lingering back problems have re-opened the door open for the second base competition. With that opening, Christian Colon took advantage, going 5 for 9 through Saturday with a home run and a double. That home run was the first spring home run of his career which seems amazing considering the light air that Surprise and other Arizona sites offer. Should Christian or Whit the second base job the Royals could keep Raul in Omaha for much of the year, gaming service time should he stay through July while also helping him refine his pitch recognition and plate approach.

Peter Moylan Photo credit: Denny Medley, USA Today Sports

Final Bullpen Spot – After learning he had diabetes, Scott Alexander has adjusted his diet and turned back into the pitcher that I thought he could be a year ago. A lefty with a good slider and fastball, Alexander is giving Peter Moylan, a very reliable pitcher a year ago, one heck of a battle for that final bullpen spot. With a lack of a 40 man spot opening up unless the Royals make a trade it could prove difficult for Moylan to earn a spot on the Royals opening day squad. With an opt-out date of March 28th available what may decide Moylan’s fate is the battle for the fifth rotation spot as much as his personal battle with Alexander. The Royals bullpen as it stands would be lefty heavy should Nathan Karns secure the fifth starter spot, leaving a possible bullpen of Herrera, Strahm, Soria, Wood, Young, Minor and Alexander. Having a heavily lefty weighted pen versus the Indians would be nice but against teams like the Twins, Tigers and White Sox it could leave the Royals at a disadvantage considering the majority of those team’s power hitters dig in the right-handed batter’s box. Finding a spot for Moylan and his .583 career OPS versus RHH is something the Royals most certainly should be seeking.

Khalil’in it – We are starting to see more and more buzz about Royals 3rd round draft pick Khalil Lee with tweets like these from BA writers J.J. Cooper and Bill Mitchell.

We here at BPKC have been driving the Khalil Lee fan bus since his selection with the 103rd pick last year. More and more of the national writers are starting to come around now and a likely assignment to Lexington, a good hitting environment, while still not even 19 years old should do nothing to temper expectations. There are a couple of intriguing questions to look for in regards to Lee should he break with the Legends.

Do the Royals widen his stance? This is something the Royals have done with a few prospects and while it leads to a more balanced swing, I believe it also saps the explosiveness. If Lee maintains his current patient approach then I see no need to make any changes in his swing until proven different.

How often does he play center? The Royals have moved Marten Gasparini to center field, a spot better suited to his athletic ability and limited baseball background. Will this limit Lee’s playing time in the more premium defensive spot?

Center of Attention – Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star tweeted out some good information on Donnie Dewees chances to play center field the other day. While a seemingly innocent comment to some, Dewees ability to play center would be a revelation to the organization that lacks playable depth at the premium position beyond Paulo Orlando in 2018. When the Royals made the trade for Dewees, most reports said the speedster with plus speed that lacked the arm to play the position, leaving him as a corner outfielder that lacked pop. If Dewees can handle center then his career prospects take a major step up.

Lacking in Locals – A year removed from a stellar local prep class, the ’17 version is lacking in MLB prospects. At this point, it is extremely doubtful we see a local prepster in the Top 150 picks of this year’s draft. The top “local” selections appear to be college talent in Missouri’s Tanner Houck, local guy via LSU, Alex Lange, and big slugging Jake Burger of Missouri State. The Royals aren’t a favorite to select Burger with the 14th pick, but that doesn’t mean he can’t swing it, hitting .351/.444/.784 entering Sunday’s game with 9 home runs.

Not quite a local guy is Iowa Western’s talented lefty Dan Tillo. A former Iowa Mr. Basketball who works in the 91-93 mph range with his fastball while tossing a low 80s slider that earns plenty of swings and misses (32 in 20.1 IP) at the JUCO level. Lefties that register in at 6’5 235 lbs. with athleticism aren’t everywhere in this game and should intrigue the Royals with a possible buyout of his Arkansas commitment.

Transactions – The Royals traded Brandon Dulin to the White Sox for a player to be named later or cash consideration. The first baseman from a Kansas City JUCO and Lee’s Summit North high school, Dulin hit .258 with 8 home runs in 2016 between Lexington and Idaho Falls after being selected in the 12th round of the 2013 draft.

Reliever Brandon League was released from his minor league contract on Sunday by the Royals. Along with the bullpen crunch at the major league level, the Royals will face critical decisions between the quality of pitchers they have at Triple-A and Double-A. Do they keep multiple minor league signees and push a pitcher or two back to High-A when they deserve a spot on the NW Arkansas roster? How does that affect his development in the future? These are the decisions that organizations are faced with prior to and during the season.

For Royals minor league and draft coverage follow me on Twitter @ClintScoles

Featured Photo – Credit: © Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

HR Roll Call: Brett Eibner (11), Irving Falu (2), Ryan O’Hearn (11), Alfredo Escalera (1), Marten Gasparini (5)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Marten Gasparini 3-4, HR, CS (5)

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Alec Mills 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 11 K, 9-1 GO-FO, 90p/62k

Oklahoma City Dodgers 9 Omaha Storm Chasers 3

Starter Miguel Almonte had one of those ugly starts that he tosses out every now and then, working 38 pitches, giving up four hits, two walks and lasting just 0.1 of an inning. Reliever Clayton Mortensen stepped in and saved the bullpen some with 4.1 innings of one-run ball but the Dodgers Triple-A affiliate was quiet for only a short time, tacking on four more runs in the their last three innings to separate easily from Omaha. Outfielder Brett Eibner homered for the first time in his rehab stint and added a double as well. Omaha went 0 for 8 with runners in scoring position, scoring their only runs courtesy of the Eibner solo home run and a Irving Falu two-run dinger in the 3rd.

Boxscore Link

Irving Falu 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Brett Eibner 2-4, HR, 2b
Jorge Bonifacio 0-4, 3K

Arkansas Travelers 3 NW Arkansas Naturals 2

Starter Alec Mills had one of his best nights in the minor leagues Monday, but it still wasn’t enough to earn the Naturals a win. The righthander outclassed the Travelers offense for seven innings, allowing just a meaningless single and a no-damage double in his time on the hill. Mills was more than pounding the zone, collecting 62 strikes on 90 pitches while he earning 22 swing and misses in the process. With the swing and misses and the called strikes Alec would set a new career high, striking out 11 while also earning nine groundouts to just one flyout. A solo home run from Ryan O’Hearn in the fourth and a RBI single by Mauricio Ramos in the fifth would give the Naturals a 2-0 lead that they would take to the eighth inning. With Mills out, the Naturals turned to closer Kevin McCarthy to try to get a two inning save. The Travelers would win that battle, scoring a run off McCarthy in the eighth before using a pair of doubles, a single and a fielder’s choice to put two across in the ninth for the walkoff win.

Boxscore Link

Corey Toups 1-4, BB, SB (11)
Logan Moon 2-5, R, 2b
Ryan O’Hearn 2-4, HR

Wilmington Blue Rocks 3 Winton-Salem Dash 1

When Josh Staumont is on and in the zone he can dominate. That’s exactly what the Rocks got on Monday night.

The righty K’d 12, walked three and allowed three singles over five innings. He used 96 pitches, 56 of them for strikes. When Staumont can hammer the zone with that type of frequency he can be very difficult for hitters to connect on. Likely he is a reliever over time, but I like the fact that the Royals are taking a patient approach and not rushing him to the bullpen just in case they can iron out the mechanics and make him a starter. With Staumont pitching well, the Rocks offense gave him enough support with a RBI single by Elier Hernandez in the first and a two-run home run for Alfredo Escalera in the third. For Escalera, it was his first home run of the season. The two teams wouldn’t score after the fifth inning, with Jake Newberry continuing his stellar relief work by tossing four scoreless with just one hit allowed in that time.

Boxscore Link

Josh Staumont 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 12 K, 2 HBP, 3-0 GO-FO, 96p/56k
Alfredo Escalera 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Cody Jones 1-3, R, BB, SB (17)

West Virginia Power 5 Lexington Legends 3

The Legends staged a late rally to tie this one versus West Virginia just to watch the pen give it back and hang them with a loss. Starter Scott Blewett got touched up for three runs in the second inning, but was able to toss up zeroes in his other four innings of work. The Legends offense would spare Blewett the loss with a pair of runs in the eighth to pull the score even. Shortstop Marten Gasparini did the heavy lifting with a solo home run that tied the game. The Power would flex their own offense soon after, doubling, walking and stealing in front of a single to score twice in the ninth. Lexington wouldn’t threaten in their half of the frame to drop the first game of the series.

Boxscore Link

Scott Blewett 5 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 7-3 GO-FO, 92p/56k
Samir Duenez 2-3, BB
Ben Johnson 1-3, R

DSL Astros 1 DSL Royals 0

Just one hit as the DSL Royals dropped their third game in a row.

Boxscore Link

Paul Mondesi 1-2
Jeison Guzman 0-3, BB
Janser Lara 3.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 5-1 GO-FO

HR Roll Call: Ryan O’Hearn (10)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Mike Hill 3-5, 2-2b, 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Corey Ray 6.2 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 8-2 GO-FO, 88p/56k

New Orleans Zephyrs 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 1

The Chasers offense has gone on a trip. Unfortunately, it’s not on the same trip that Omaha is on currently. The offense mustered just four hits Saturday, scoring a first inning run prior to getting blanked for the final eight. For the Chasers it was the fourth time in the last five games they have scored two runs or fewer while seeing their losing streak extend to five games. Starter John Lannan missed a quality start by 1/3 of a inning with three runs allowed and falling to 5-5 with the loss. Jorge Bonifacio knocked in Omaha’s only run with a single in the first.

Boxscore Link

Irving Falu 1-4, 2b, R
Jorge Bonifacio 1-4, RBI
Joe Beimel 1 IP, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K

Arkansas Travelers 5 NW Arkansas Naturals 4

The Naturals built a three run lead in the first on the back of a two-run home run by Ryan O’Hearn, only to watch the pitching staff give it up over the course of the game. Pedro Fernandez made his first start in nearly a month, working 3.2 innings while allowing a pair of runs before giving way to the pen. Reliever Matt Alvarez surrendered a pair of runs on three hits in his first Double-A outing, giving up the lead in the fourth inning. The game stayed there until the ninth when a single by Jack Lopez drove in Bubba Starling to tie it up. The Travelers quickly ended it in the bottom half on a one-out bases-loaded single.

Boxscore Link

Ryan O’Hearn 1-4, HR, 2 RBI
Carlos Garcia 1-4, R, BB
Pedro Fernandez 3.2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 1 K, 5-5 GO-FO, 67p/36k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 2 Salem Red Sox 1

The Rocks were no-hit for 4.2 innings before a Brandon Downes broken bat single gave the team a heartbeat. With the pitching staff limiting the potent Red Sox lineup to just one run, it gave the offense enough time to mount a rally. That came in the seventh, when a two out rally took place with a pair of singles sandwiched around a walk, the second single off the bat of Nick Dini drove in Downes to knot the game up. One hitter later, Rocks newcomer Brian Bien drove in Josh Banuelos to give Wilmington the lead. Lefty Colin Rodgers who had entered the previous inning, worked the final two innings scoreless to give Wilmington the win and a 2-1 series lead.

Boxscore Link

Brandon Downes 2-4, R, SB (7)
Nick Dini 1-3, RBI
Colin Rodgers 2.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 1 K

Lexington Legends 8 Hagertown Nationals 5

The Legends offense woke up after a long slumber to snap their seven game losing streak. Every hitter in the lineup had at least one hit on the night. Struggling shortstop Marten Gasparini led the charge by reaching base four times, scoring a run and driving in another. Third baseman Mike Hill has been one of the bright spots in the lineup, hitting .375 since May 1, and he continued his hot hitting with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Starter Nolan Watson was the beneficiary of the  scoring for Lexington, earning his second win despite four runs (3 ER) allowed over five innings of work.

Boxscore Link

Marten Gasparini 2-3, R, 2BB, 2SB (7), RBI
Nolan Watson 5 IP, 5 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, HBP, 6-4 GO-FO, 69p/50k
Samir Duenez 2-5, R, 2b, 3 RBI

DSL Astros 2 DSL Royals 1

A pair of runs late gave the Royals their second consecutive loss.

Boxscore Link 

Christopher Marte 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 5-5 GO-FO
Freddy Fermin 2-3, 2b
Andres Martin 1-4, RBI

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