Kansas City » Miguel Almonte

Friday Notes

David Lesky — Fri, 06 Apr 2018 12:00:58 +0000

The season has lasted eight full days and the Royals have played four games. That alone makes any kind of significant analysis difficult, and when you add in the abnormally cold weather, it’s hard to come to any real conclusions this soon. The only thing I think I can say definitively is that I still hate watching Brandon Maurer pitch. Otherwise, I’m really excited for the baseball season to really get going, and the Royals now have games scheduled for the next 13 days, so we’ll get to see how they handle things as they get to get into a rhythm. I imagine when that stretch is up, we’ll still see things pretty similarly, with this team being pretty rough, but at least we’ll have some data to back it up.

The Miguel Almonte saga from this past week has me both confused and concerned. I talked about this a little on Twitter, but I’ll go more in depth here. As much as I thought he could have been a nice piece in the 2018 bullpen, losing him isn’t really that big of a deal. Yes he has talent, but until last season, he hadn’t pitched well since 2013. I don’t love getting rid of him in general, but I’m not worked up about that. What I am worked up about is the process, and the fact that Abraham Almonte was the reason they moved on from Miguel. Abraham is not what you’d call good, and on top of it, he was popped for the same steroid in 2016 that Jorge Bonifacio was earlier this spring. Abraham Almonte is a player you add to your roster when you have spots available, but not someone who you get rid of someone for, especially someone who could contribute. The Royals say that Almonte had a shoulder injury and that it’s hard to say when he might pitch again. And I get that, but why not just put him on the 60-day DL? I just really dislike this move for what it represents, more than the move itself and it has me pretty concerned about the decisions they’re going to be making moving forward.
The Royals offense has been horrendous to start the year (again, just four games), but I wanted to look deeper into it and see if maybe it wasn’t as bad as it looked. I was pleasantly surprised that isn’t actually. The team has hit .197/.261/.291 with just the one home run in the first inning of the first game, but it seems as if they’ve underperformed a bit. Based on Statcast data, the Royals expected average is .278, which heading into Thursday’s action was the fourth highest xBA in baseball. Their xSLG was .467, which was 10th in baseball. Their average exit velocity of 88.3 MPH was tied for 16th with the Nationals, Yankees and Brewers, all teams with really good offenses. Obviously the sample is tiny for everyone and especially the Royals, but it’s nice to see that they may not actually be that far off. And the statistic that has me the most confused is that they actually have swung at the lowest percentage of pitches outside the strike zone of any team in all of baseball. Four games or not, this is the Royals we’re talking about, so I think that’s at least worth mentioning.
One really encouraging thing we’ve seen in the early going is Kelvin Herrera has looked outstanding in his first three outings. Yeah, I’m tired of the small sample caveat, but it applies to everything so far. His fastball has looked good and he’s getting swings and misses with five strikeouts out of the seven outs he recorded. Of all the players who are scheduled to become free agents after the season, Herrera is the one who I think is most likely to bring back a big return in a deal in July. You could argue that Mike Moustakas could bring back even more, and I think he could if the right team presented itself, but to have a closer throwing the way Herrera is capable of could really alter a pennant chase down the stretch. I shudder at the thought of who would handle the ninth inning if Herrera is dealt, but it also doesn’t especially matter because the number one goal of the next two or three seasons is to rebuild the farm system, even if it hurts the big league club. But until he’s potentially dealt, I’m going to enjoy the hell out of Herrera looking good again because I really enjoy watching him pitch when he’s going well. Having said that, I probably jinxed him and he’ll probably blow a save tonight, but the nice thing about rebuilding is that wins are fun to watch, but losses have their benefits too, so it’s win-win.
With the focus being shifted more to the minors due to the rebuild, it’s good to see minor league baseball back (and Diamonds in the Rough with it). There were already some positives from the first day of the season with Seuly Matias popping two homers for Lexington, Samir Duenez hitting one for Northwest Arkansas and Hunter Dozier hitting one for Omaha. I was disappointed to see Trevor Oaks struggle in his first start in the Royals organization because I think he has a chance to overtake Eric Skoglund for the fifth spot in the big league rotation relatively soon, but I’m just glad minor league baseball is back too. Make sure you’re following Clint all through the season for the best coverage of the Royals system out there.

Third Annual BP Kansas City Predictions

BP Kansas City Staff — Thu, 29 Mar 2018 12:00:02 +0000

As we do every year at BP Kansas City, we’re here on Opening Day to predict the future. This doesn’t mean that you should skip watching this season, you just know ahead of time how things will turn out. If you’re okay with spoilers, read ahead. In addition to division winners, wild cards and World Series winners, we have our usual array of bold predictions, AKA hot takes, for the Royals in 2018. Some are, well, hotter than others.

Let’s get to the Royals Hot Takes

Craig – Jon Jay, Lucas Duda and Mike Moustakas will all be dealt ahead of the July 31 deadline.

Michael – The rotation will be surprisingly adequate. “Surprisingly adequate” is as hot as it burns for the 2018 team.

Clark – Jake Junis will throw more than 180 innings, and by whatever metric you choose (maybe even pitcher wins, Craig), he will be among the top 40 pitchers in baseball by year’s end.

Jeff – Kelvin Herrera gets off to a hot start and is traded at the deadline.

David – Adalberto Mondesi is the starting shortstop by June 1 after continuing to put up top prospect-type numbers in Omaha while Alcides Escobar, well, doesn’t.

Hunter – The Royals will have four prospects on next year’s Top 100 lists: Seuly Matias, Khalil Lee, Nick Pratto and their top pick in the 2018 draft.

Clint – Mike Moustakas hits 40+ home runs this season, but not all of them are with the Royals.

Darin – By the end of the season, Miguel Almonte will be a key piece of the Royals’ bullpen, perhaps the most reliable reliever on the team. There should be plenty of opportunities for him to earn a spot in this relief corps, and he looked good last year in the minors and this year in spring training. Super-hot bonus take! If Kelvin Herrera gets traded, Almonte might even get a shot at closing some games before the end of the year.

Colby – Alex Gordon is your 2018 AL Comeback Player of the Year.

Spring Training Impressions

David Lesky — Tue, 27 Mar 2018 12:00:49 +0000

The Opening Day roster comes attached with quite a bit of fanfare, but I think the attention placed on it is generally pretty overblown. Sure, those who make it are the ones who get to step forward and wave to the crowd before the first game when their name is announced, but just because a player is on the roster for game one doesn’t mean they’ll be anywhere near it for game 40 or even game 162. Spring training is a time when players who don’t make that Opening Day roster can improve or even make their case for attention later in the season. For the record, it can go the other way too, but for now, we can take a look at the players who improved their stock this spring.

Frank Schwindel

This is the obvious one as Schwindel finished the spring on an absolute tear and tied for the Cactus League lead in home runs. I still don’t really see much of a future with Schwindel, but on a team searching for talent, I guess they could do worse than to see what he can do. On the plus side, he doesn’t strike out much and he has a ton of power, so the fact that he makes a lot of contact helps. This spring, he struck out just twice. He had just a 15.4 percent strikeout rate in the minors last year. Of course, he makes Paulo Orlando look patient. And when you combine that with the fact that he really only plays first base, I just don’t see a long big league future ahead. That said, his spring put him on the radar for call-up if and when one of the first basemen or designated hitters gets traded or hurt in the big leagues.

Ryan O’Hearn

O’Hearn, to me, is a better bet for big league success than Schwindel, but I’m also pretty apathetic about him. A 1.000 SLG in spring training with some serious opposite field power may have re-established some of his prospect prowess. I think there’s too much swing and miss in his game, but he can work a walk and he does flash some big power, so maybe there’s a future there. His ability to play first base and corner outfield could be valuable. Even though I see him more as a Clint Robinson type player if he makes it at all, his spring, like Schwindel’s, put him at the top of mind if an opening arises in Kansas City.

Erick Mejia

The Royals picked up the 23-year old middle infielder as part of the deal that rid them of Joakim Soria’s contract and Scott Alexander. I don’t know if the organization necessarily loved what they saw, but I was impressed by Mejia. He handled the bat well, ran the bases well and looked pretty solid defensively. The profile isn’t that of star and probably not even of a starter, but I expected to see an organizational guy, and I think he could be a quality utility guy. His bat was much quicker than I expected and had a little more thump. For a little guy, he looked like someone who could certainly hold his own in the big leagues and provide some value.

Glenn Sparkman

I wrote about Sparkman when I was in Arizona, and while the 6.2 scoreless innings jump out at you in the stats, he impressed a lot. His fastball sat in the 92-95 range with a changeup that can definitely do some damage against big league hitters. He doesn’t have a closer profile, but he showed in spring that he can get big league hitters out. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Sparkman up in the next wave of relief arms at some point this summer.

Miguel Almonte

There was a time that I thought Almonte had a chance to be a really good starter for the Royals. He has yet to impress in the big leagues, but he still has the big fastball and he still has the changeup that I thought would make him a solid starter. He was fantastic in the minor leagues last season and showed enough in the Cactus League that I was a bit surprised when he got optioned during spring training. A lot of that is roster math because he reinforced to the big league club that he can be an option for them and maybe as soon as there’s an open spot in the big league bullpen.

Those are the five who I think made the best impressions on the front office and coaching staff to help them maybe find a non-Opening Day roster spot on the big league club in the near future. I’m not sure we’ll see Mejia in the big leagues this year with Ryan Goins and Ramon Torres for sure ahead of him as utility options and maybe even Nicky Lopez (though he had a rough go in spring), but it wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see all of the rest, and maybe even before the All-Star break.

2018, A Year to Decide

Clint Scoles — Wed, 28 Feb 2018 16:00:36 +0000

On Sunday, Logan Morrison signed with the Minnesota Twins for a relatively fair value considering his track record and the current market. That move by a local player, who has stated on multiple times this offseason that he would like to sign in Kansas City, made a statement that Royals management isn’t looking to make many, if any, moves in the free agency market. The Royals stand where they do, as a rebuilding club, based on the slow development of their second wave of prospects. Guys like Bubba Starling, Brett Eibner, and Cheslor Cuthbert were to have established themselves in the big leagues by now. Instead, 2018 will stand as a proving ground for many of these players, and likely a season to decide their future in the organization.

The obvious players who will get the opportunity are Cuthbert, Jorge Bonifacio, and Jorge Soler as Ned Yost said those were the players that he was making a priority to get into the lineup. In addition, not pursuing Morrison has seemingly opened the door for Hunter Dozier to grab hold of the first base spot, or even third should Cuthbert not establish himself. That foursome will be given every opportunity to grab hold of their major league roster spots. There remain a few others who will need to prove themselves in the minors or face the possibility of losing their chance in this organization.

Kyle Zimmer – 2018 is likely the make or break season for Zimmer. The 2012 fifth overall selection in the draft has encountered injury after injury since his draft season and is facing his final option season with the Royals this year. At times last season he was hitting 95-97 mph in Omaha, but a loss in feel for his usually reliable and formerly dominant curveball left him vulnerable to right-handed hitters, with them hitting .317 with a .913 OPS versus him. During the season, Zimmer will need to establish that he can get Triple-A hitters out, stay healthy and then prove he’s worthy of a bullpen spot. A tall ask, indeed.

Going for him – The lack of quality arms in what was a usually strong Royals bullpen in that past shouldn’t impede on him should he perform in Omaha.

Going against him – Multiple arms will need to be added to the 40-man roster next winter with Foster Griffin, Scott Blewett, and Josh Staumont all needing protection from the Rule 5 draft.

Miguel Almonte – Much like Zimmer, the 2013 Future Gamer is also facing a career crossroads in 2018 after encountering injury problems again and again, along with troubles with the strike zone. The latter seemed to have been corrected in ’17 with a dominant start at Double-A that was mirrored through nine outings in Omaha before arm troubles after a brief stint in the bigs shut him down. Like Zimmer, these injury problems for Almonte are pretty consistent as the right-hander has thrown fewer innings each season since his 130.2 output in ’13. The stuff for him is there still when he has been healthy, and last season when he was there, it looked better than ever. He still flashes his typical mid to upper 90s fastball, the best breaking ball of his career and his usual changeup. Despite those things going for him, Almonte faces a similar task as Zimmer, forcing him to establish himself in the majors while proving healthy before facing the possibility of getting left behind on the 40-man crunch.

Bubba Starling – With Zimmer and a player who will appear later on this list, GMDM has over $12.69 million invested in first round picks facing a crossroads this season. Like the others before him on this list, Starling is facing his final option this year. Struggles from the start of 2016 through April of last season have to place Starling’s career in a difficult spot. However, an adjustment made with hitting coach Tommy Gregg had him working more of the entire field and the results improved with a 54 game stretch of .290/.327/.435 from May 1st thru July 9th before an injury slowed him down and possibly prevented a September call-up. Even that minor tick in improved results isn’t quite the stuff that would normally earn a player a move to the show, but with the large investment the Royals have made him already, then similar results should give him an opportunity to prove things on the major league roster. A good spring could even earn Starling the starting center field nod altogether.

Going for him – A lack of competition against Starling with likely the biggest hurdle in his way could be Adalberto Mondesi establishing himself at second base and moving Whit Merrifield to center. Going for Starling in this scenario is the fact that Mondesi has two options remaining. Should Bubba perform in spring, the Royals can afford to send the younger middle infielder to Omaha to start the year. In addition, Starling’s defensive prowess makes him the best option for a pitching staff that will likely give up its share of fly balls, which would make him the best option for center field.

Going against him – A track record of less than stellar results leaves Starling vulnerable, but much like the players ahead of him, there are few options knocking on his door. One possible suitor for his roster spot though could be Donnie Dewees, the outfielder acquired in the Cubs trade prior to last season. An addition of Dewees, Anderson Miller or a move to center by Merrifield could push Starling off the 40-man.

Elier Hernandez – Latin players who struggle at any time in their career can make any roster spot a real predicament. While Hernandez has been in the organization for seven years now, he will still play this entire season at 23 years old. The slow development path of recent Royals prospects like Merrifield, Jorge Bonifacio, and Jake Junis show that the Royals shouldn’t give up on Hernandez just yet, and a strong start to ’17 may have positioned him to knock on the door already had Dewees not wiped him out in the outfield and ended his season prematurely. Going unpicked in the Rule 5 draft this winter doesn’t mean he will necessarily be out of the organization shall he struggle this season, but a lack of a move leaves him more vulnerable to players behind him and leaves him even further behind the players already ahead. Much of Hernandez’s success was batted-ball driven in ’17, but with limited minor league data that can be driven by hard contact, his 24% line-drive rate propelled his BABIP to over .400. A small sample size can explain much of this, but a repeat in 2018 will be needed to establish a spot on the Royals 40-man roster for Hernandez.

Going for him – As mentioned, Hernandez’s age is going for him as is a move away from Wilmington. Many of the tools in the outfield remain as does his quick bat and a lack of position players truly knocking on the door.

Going against him – It’s a numbers game in ’18 for all, with three free agents and plenty of players knocking on the door. In addition, an outfield that could feature Jorge Soler and Jorge Bonifacio under control for a number of years could limit the need to add Elier.

Chase Vallot – Is he ready for Double-A? That’s the question for Vallot following a 2017 season that saw him put up an 18% walk rate and his usual better than .200 ISO rate. Still, the defensive questions remain for the backstop with a league-worst 18% caught stealing rate. The front office also sent a signal that they may prefer younger catchers with the addition of Meibrys Viloria to the 40-man and the drafting of uber-athlete M.J. Melendez. Like others ahead of him, Vallot needs to establish the fact that he can stay healthy after averaging just 90 games per season in his three full seasons in the organization. That’s on top of showing a better hit tool and better receiving skills to go with the needed improvements in controlling the run game. He may have done all of this while playing against the best group of pitching that he has faced in his career with the possibility of him advancing to Double-A.

Going for him – Still just 21 years old for much of this season, it seems unlikely that the Royals would leave someone with his type of power vulnerable to the Rule 5 draft. The free agency of Drew Butera with the likely advancement of Cam Gallagher to the 25-man roster will likely open up a spot on the roster for Vallot.

Going against him – Not much is going against him other than things he can’t control, but Chase will face some competition for the 40-man spot from Nick Dini who is coming off a season that saw him hit .310 with a .381 on-base percentage at Double-A in ’17.

Ashe Russell – The Royals likely were hoping that the only revision to the 2015 draft day we would be talking about three years later would’ve been the outfit Ashe Russell wore. Instead, the Indiana prep player’s career is on the precipice of ending before ever reaching full-season ball. Refined mechanics and a workout change led to a loss in velocity which ultimately pushed him to wanting a change and some time away from the game. What is his status now? As they have been for two years now, the Royals are quiet on Russell. It’s not necessarily a pressing year for his future, but another season without competition will likely mean a once hopeful career was missed and the front office whiffed on another draft pick.

Featured Photo via Minda Haas Kuhlmann

For Starters, the Royals Might Be Okay

David Lesky — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 18:00:07 +0000

In one week, Royals pitchers and catchers will report to spring training in Surprise to begin the 2018 season. There are an inordinate number of questions left to be asked and answered, but one area where I think the Royals may be surprisingly sound is in their starting rotation, at least as of this particular moment. By my count, the Royals have nine guys on their 40-man roster who could contribute positively to the rotation in 2018. That’s obviously quite a broad term because I don’t think all nine are likely to be good options, but having that many potential starters is a really nice place to start, no pun intended, for the 2018 team.

Let’s take a look at the options in the order I think they’ll slot in the rotation, with their PECOTA projection highlighted:

Danny Duffy (137 IP, 4.41 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 116 K, 49 BB, 1.2 WARP)
I’ll bet on Duffy to beat that projection. He’s had his share of injury issues in the past, but I think he can get past the innings and he hasn’t had an ERA that high since his rookie season. No, Duffy hasn’t become a true ace yet, though he can look like one for stretches. Over the last four seasons and change, he’s thrown 636.1 innings with a 3.41 ERA and 3.84 FIP. Since re-entering the starting rotation in 2016, he’s thrown 308 innings with a 3.86 ERA, 8.7 SO/9 and 2.3 BB/9 while allowing just 289 hits. Duffy may not be a “true ace” but he’s very good.

Ian Kennedy (180 IP, 5.39 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 153 K, 72 BB, -0.6 WARP)
That’s not a good projection for the guy who probably opens the season as the number two. He’s not exactly a fan favorite and he comes by the projection honestly after his horrific season in 2017, but I don’t think it’s a foregone conclusion he’ll be that bad. Keep in mind that from 2014-2016, he threw 565 innings with a 3.84 ERA and 4.10 FIP while striking out a batter per inning. He’s into his 30s now, so let’s not pretend like he couldn’t have just completely fallen off a cliff, but I think there’s something to the hamstring injury sabotaging his 2017. Kennedy’s potential for continued implosion is a big reason why the depth is so important, but if the rotation is actually going to be good in 2018, the Royals will need Kennedy to be 2016 and April 2017 version.

Jason Hammel (165 IP, 5.07 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 126 K, 59 BB, 0.1 WARP)
Hammel’s season is probably contingent on him getting out of games before he can implode, which given the bullpen options seems risky to bet on that. In 2017, he was a more than serviceable three or four starter the first two times through the order before getting pulverized the third time. If he’s left in consistently to face a lineup a third time, these projections might be about right. I think he’ll start the year as the third starter, but will be the worst starter in the rotation when it’s all said and done. While the projections aren’t great for anyone, Hammel is the one I’m least confident in that he can beat them.

Jake Junis (131 IP, 5.10 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 114 K, 43 BB, 0.1 WARP)
Junis is probably the guy, second to Duffy, who I think is most likely to beat the projection. After getting demoted following a rough start in July, he came back in August and threw 62.1 innings with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP with just nine walks. If he does that over a full season, the Royals are in business. I think I’d expect a little bit worse, but the control is for real and that slider can be downright nasty when he’s on. No, he’s not an ace and he’s likely not a number two even, but a quality number three is worth something, so I wouldn’t be surprised if his ERA is a full run lower than the projection and the counting stats are considerably better as well.

Nate Karns (131 IP, 4.19 ERA, 1.37 WHIP, 130 K, 53 BB, 1.5 WARP)
PECOTA projects Karns as the Royals best starter in 2018, which wouldn’t shock me all that much, I guess. But I’m also a bigger Karns fan than most. Of course, he’s coming back from Thoracic Outlet Syndrome surgery and his health has always been a question. He showed flashes in May before getting hurt of what he’s capable of, throwing 22.1 innings in four starts with a 2.01 ERA, 32 strikeouts and just four walks. If you could guarantee me he’d make 25 starts, I’d say there’s a good bet he’d end up as the Royals best starter, but that’s just not a guarantee you can make with Karns. The strikeout and walk rate seem about right, but I think if he’s good to go, the WHIP will be lower because I think he’s harder to hit than that, so I’d bet on him beating the projections by a bit. Even if he can only give 15-18 starts, the Royals will be better for them, provided he’s recovered sufficiently from the surgery.

Jesse Hahn (73 IP, 4.25 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, 58 K, 30 BB, 0.7 WARP)
Hahn is projected to spend a fair amount of time in the bullpen by PECOTA, and I think he will, but I think he’ll get some starting opportunity if he’s any good, with a lot of question marks in terms of injuries ahead of him. He’s the sixth starter, and it wasn’t long ago that he was looked at as a very solid middle of the rotation piece. Injuries have derailed him, but you have to wonder how good the rotation could be if Hahn was used in tandem with Hammel. The sinker will play for Hahn, and if he’s healthy, I think there’s a good chance he bounces back. If nothing else, the stuff should play up in the bullpen to make him an interesting candidate. I’m not sure why, but I think Hahn either way beats his projection or he’s way worse. The in between wouldn’t be the worst thing, so maybe Royals fans should hope for that.

Trevor Oaks (31 IP, 4.51 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 25 K, 10 BB, 0.2 WARP)
I think Oaks is probably the seventh starter on this team, which is a big improvement over Eric Skoglund from last season. I didn’t mind the trade of Scott Alexander to get him because I like Oaks as a middle to backend starter. His ground ball tendencies should play well, but I worry a bit that he might throw a few too many strikes given that his stuff isn’t elite and big league hitters will be able to do damage against him. I think he spends much more time in the big leagues than the projections, but I’d say the rates are probably about right.

Eric Skoglund (73 IP, 5.11 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 60 K, 25 BB, 0.1 WARP)
Sam Gaviglio (52 IP, 5.32 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 39 K, 19 BB, -0.1 WARP)
Miguel Almonte (61 IP, 4.83 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 59 K, 27 BB, 0.3 WARP)
If these guys are starting a lot of games, the season is off the rails. Of course, they’re already only projected for 66 wins, so how on the rails was it to start? I think if any of them are your eighth or ninth starters, you’re probably fine, but, again, you don’t want to get to them too often.

Kyle Zimmer (25 IP, 5.56 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 25 K, 12 BB, -0.1 WARP)
PECOTA projected Zimmer to get starts. I just found that funny.

And that’s it. The rotation has some depth and has some opportunity to beat projections and, I think, actually be pretty good. Some things need to fall in place for that to happen, so it’s far from a guarantee, but if you’re looking for a strength on a projected 66-96 team, it may possibly be in the rotation.

Diamonds in the Rough 7-24-17

Clint Scoles — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 11:00:18 +0000

Reviewing the Trade – The Royals made a move on Monday, flipping a controllable and injured pitcher in Matt Strahm, struggling lefty Travis Wood and rookie league infielder Esteury Ruiz in exchange for Trevor Cahill, Brandon Maurer, and Ryan Buchter. Checkout what David Lesky wrote about it here.

In my opinion, the loss of Strahm hurts some but the Royals are trading from a point of strength with Scott Alexander and Mike Minor in the majors alongside Eric Stout and Richard Lovelady knocking on the door for the affiliates. The biggest loss here is Ruiz who, with his continued results in the DSL and AZL, might actually be a top-5 bat in this system despite me rating him outside the Top 30 while I waited for the AZL season. Someone in the industry comped him to Alphonso Soriano with that type of strength in the bat. The kid is a quick twitch athlete and will be missed to go alongside the future rookie grouping of Seuly Matias and Sebastian Rivero. That said, if you’re going to give up a minor league player in the complex league for a major leaguer then you do it if it could be the difference between a playoff appearance or not. It’s a loss, but it’s one that can be replaced next year with the addition of draft picks and international money rather quickly.

The affiliates went 1-5 on Monday.

HR Roll Call: Frank Schwindel 2 (16), Mauricio Ramos (8), John Brontsema (4), Logan Gray (2), Brewer Hicklen (3)

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

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Adan Frias 5 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 4-4 GO-FO

El Paso Chihuahuas 14, Omaha Storm Chasers 6

With player movement all over the place, the Storm Chasers were forced to call up a pair of pitchers from Low-A and use their usual position players to get through their game against El Paso. Omaha used Miguel Almonte to start, but the righty didn’t fare well, allowing three runs in his three innings. The game really got away from Justin Camp when he allowed five runs in just two-thirds of an inning.

The offense was in the game until the sixth after Frank Schwindel clubbed a pair of home runs, but Brayan Pena and Dean Anna couldn’t continue to shut the door.