BPKC Hitter of the Day: Ismaldo Rodriguez 2-4 2 HR

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Jackson Kowar 3 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 6 K 0-3 GO-FO 41p/26k 

Hagerstown Suns 3 Lexington Legends 2

Royals 1st round pick Jackson Kowar had his most impressive outing yet even in an abbreviated appearance. The former Florida Gator pitcher worked three perfect innings on 41 pitches, striking out six of the nine hitters he faced. Five of the six strikeouts were swinging as Kowar earned eight swinging strikes among his 26 strikes thrown before handing things off to Garrett Davila. The two teams exchanged one run with the Legends scoring in the fourth inning on a Manny Olloque double before Hagerstown answered with a two-out rbi single in the fifth inning. The Suns broke that tie in the eighth inning with three consecutive hits off Davila which led to a pair of runs. The Legends threatened in the bottom of the ninth pulling within one but Cristian Perez would get put out at the plate for the second out before Kyle Isbel stranded the tying run in scoring position with a groundout to end the game.

MJ Melendez: 2-4 2b
Nick Pratto: 1-3 BB
Brewer Hicklen: 1-4 R, 2 SB

Springfield Cardinals 4 NW Arkansas Naturals 3 F/11

The Naturals entered Thursday with a small opening to make the playoffs, trailing first-place Tulsa by 4.5 games with 13 left to play including a five-game series with the Drillers. With little margin for error, each game would prove to be extremely important. With that small margin, the Naturals send Scott Blewett to the mound a start after being named Texas League Pitcher of the Week. The big right-hander wasn’t as efficient as last time out, but none the less managed to work around a bases-loaded threat in the third inning to give the Naturals five scoreless innings before yielding to the bullpen. Scoreless until the seventh inning when Grant Gavin gave up a solo home run to Chris Chinea. The Naturals answered that 1-0 deficit with two runs in the eighth with Alex Liddi’s RBI double and Alfredo Escalera’s sac fly that brought Liddi home. That lead held up until the ninth when a one out walk issued by Franco Terrero came around in the ninth to even the score. In extras the two teams exchanged free runners scoring in the tenth and again in the eleventh the Cardinals scored. In the Naturals half though the Naturals were unable to push their free runner along, letting a winnable game get away. The Naturals missed an opportunity to get a game closer in the standings after Tulsa lost again.

Alex Liddi: 2-5 R, 2b, RBI
Scott Blewett: 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 3 K 6-4 GO-FO 83p/56k
Kelvin Gutierrez: 0-4 R, BB

Oklahoma City Dodgers 3 Omaha Storm Chasers 2 

The Chasers couldn’t muster enough offense to help out Trevor Oaks despite another quality start from the right-hander. The Dodgers plated a run in each of the first three innings against Oaks as they piled up eight hits in six innings against him. The Dodgers scored via a wild pitch in the first, a gift of outfielder Brian Goodwin’s error in the second and three singles in the third to take a 3-1 lead after three innings. Shortstop Nicky Lopez countered with a solo home run in the fourth inning to pull within a run. From there the two teams were held scoreless and the Chasers only true threat in the seventh with Donnie Dewees on second fizzled out with with a pair of outs to put away the threat and ultimately the game for Omaha.

Nicky Lopez: 1-4 HR
Josh Staumont: 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K 1-1 GO-FO 15p/8k
Richard Lovelady: 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 0 BB 2 K 15p/11k

Johnson City Cardinals 10 Burlington Royals 8

After piling up 39 hits in the last two games, but the Royals added on 15 more on Thursday night against the Cardinals. It wasn’t enough. Three first two pitchers the Royals sent to the mound gave up 10 runs through the first seven innings, putting the Cardinals up 10-5. The Royals didn’t threaten in the ninth, plating three runs before dropping the game.

Juan Carlos Negret: 3-5 2R, 2b
Rafael Romero: 3-5 3 RBI
Jose Marquez: 2-5

Idaho Falls 2 Billings Mustangs 1

The Chukars and Mustangs were limited to just three runs in this one as the two starters held up their end of the bargain. Billings starter Ricky Salinas limited Idaho Falls to just two hits in six and one-third innings. One of those hits accounted for a run for Idaho Falls as Reed Rohlman connected on his sixth home run in the second inning to give the home squad a 1-0 lead. After Connor Mayes gave the Chukars six scoreless innings, reliever Jaret Hellinger gave up a run to even the score in the eighth inning. Fortunately, the Chukars quickly answered with a double by Hunter Strong that scored Nick Hutchins in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead back. With the slim lead closer, Daniel James answered the bell in the ninth with a scoreless inning to secure the save.

Connor Mayes: 6 IP 7 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 5 K 3-6 GO-FO 85p/60k
Reed Rohlman: 1-3 HR, BB
Hunter Strong: 1-3 2b, RBI

Thursday Boxscores

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BPKC Hitter of the Day: Reed Rohlman 3-5 2R, 3b, HR, 7 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Julio Pinto 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K 15p/11k

Wilmington Blue Rocks 8 Frederick Keys 3

Outfielder Nick Heath opened the game with a solo home run off Baltimore’s Chris Tillman to start the game and, from there, the runs kept coming. The Rocks scored six runs off the major league starter, getting four runs in the second inning with the aid of a pair of walks, a hit by pitch, ane error and a Vance Vizcaino single. Starter Nolan Watson was the beneficiary of the runs, working around 10 hits in seven innings while getting by with just three runs allowed to earn his second High-A win.

D.J. Burt: 2-4 RBI
Vance Vizcaino: 2-4 2R, RBI
Rudy Martin: 1-3 R, RBI

Danville Braves 10 Burlington Royals 5

Starter Randy Acevedo struggled in his start, giving up 11 hits and a pair of walks while allowing six runs in five innings. The offense got within 7-5 thanks to a big night at the plate by Freddy Fermin who had two doubles and a home run while scoring two runs and driving in three more. Unfortunately, reliever Emmanuel Estevez gave up three runs to put the game out of reach of the offense.

Rhett Aplin: 2-4 RBI
Juan Carlos Negret: 1-4 R, 2b, CS
Freddy Fermin: 3-4 2-2b, HR

Idaho Falls Chukars 15 Helena Brewers 8

One of those Pioneer League high scoring affairs broke out on Tuesday night in Idaho Falls with the two teams combining for 23 runs. The Chukars outslugged the Brewers connecting on 17 hits, walking six times and scoring 15 runs. The 2-5 hitters combined for 13 of the hits and 11 of the runs scored including seven runs driven in by Reed Rohlman who finished a double shy of the cycle. Starter J.C. Cloney improved to 5-0 despite giving up five runs while allowing a pair of home runs. The win kept the Chukars one game back of Ogden in the division race.

Kyle Isbel: 3-4 4R, SB (12)
Nathan Eaton: 4-4 3R, 3b, 3 RBI, BB, SB
Angel Medina: 3-5 2R, 2b, RBI

Tuesday Boxscores

Wednesday Probables
NW Arkansas – Arnaldo Hernandez 0-0 3.84 ERA 1.53 WHIP
Wilmington – Dan Tillo 3-2 3.93 ERA 1.31 WHIP
Lexington – TBD
Burlington – Bryar Johnson 1-1 10.38 ERA 2.08 WHIP
Idaho Falls – TBD

BPKC Hitter of the Day Reed Rohlman 4-5 3R, 2-2b, HR, 5 RBI, 2 BB

BPKC Pitcher of the Day Marcelo Martinez 6 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 0 BB 4 K 7-6 GO-FO 81p/57k

The Future Game’s rosters were released on Friday with minor league home run leader Seuly Matias being named the Royals only selection.

Game 1 Lexington Legends 7 West Virginia Power 6
Game 2 West Virginia Power 8 Lexington Legends 7 F/10

The Legends outscored the Power 4-3 after resuming their 3-3 suspended game. First baseman Nick Pratto drove in a pair of runs on two hits while Matt Morales homered. Reliever Jacob Condra-Bogan tossed the final inning and one-third with two strikeouts to earn the save.

The Legends starter Charlie Neuweiler yielded four runs (3 ER) in the first two innings before righting the ship over his final three innings. The Legends offense countered with a run-scoring double by Cal Jones in the second inning, a rbi single in the third frame before Seuly Matias connected on his 25th home run to tie the game. The two teams exchanged runs in extra innings with Cal Jones picking up his second rbi of the game with a single in the ninth but an Oneil Cruz single in the tenth gave West Virginia a walkoff win.

Nick Pratto 4-9 R, 2 RBI BB
Cal Jones 2-6 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Charlie Neuweiler 5 IP 6 H 4 R 3 ER 1 BB 5 K 7-2 GO-FO 84p/51k

NW Arkansas Naturals 3 San Antonio Mission 2

Outfielder Elier Hernandez doubled in a pair in the first inning before scoring on a groundout by Kelvin Gutierrez to give the Naturals a 3-0 lead. Starter Emilio Ogando tossed five shutout innings to start before getting touched up for a solo home run in the sixth inning. Reliever Gabe Speier gave up a run in the seventh to cut the lead to just one run but reliever Yunior Marte finished off with two scoreless innings to secure the win.

Emilio Ogando 6 IP 7 H 1 R 1 ER 3 Bb 5 K 6-3 GO-FO 97p/62k
Elier Hernandez 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Jecksson Flores 1-4 R, 2b, 2K – hits in 32 of 33 games

Memphis Redbirds 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 2 

Needing a bullpen start after movement up to Kansas City the Chasers combo of Eric Stout and Luis Vazquez gave up four runs through seven innings. The only run by the Chasers came via a Cam Gallagher single to drive in Paulo Orlando after his single and stolen base in the second inning. The Redbirds countered with three hits in the second to score two runs off Stout before adding a third the next inning with two more hits. A solo home run off Luiz Vazquez moved the score to 4-1 which would be more than enough after Omaha added just a solo home run in the ninth by Ramon Torres.

Nicky Lopez 0-3 BB
Cam Gallagher 1-3 RBI
Ramon Torres 1-4 HR

Princeton Rays 5 Burlington Royals 2 F/10

Starter Marcelo Martinez gave Burlington a quality start with six innings of one-run ball for the lefty, allowing five hits against four strikeouts. The six innings with no walks push the lefties total to just two walks in 21 innings against 28 strikeouts. A two-run triple from Jose Marquez gave Burlington a 2-0 lead, a lead that bullpen would quickly lose in the seventh with Martinez out of the game. The game stayed tied until the tenth inning when the Rays Carlos Vargas connected on a three-run home run to put the game away for Princeton. It was the seventh consecutive loss for Burlington, their third straight extra innings loss.

Jeison Guzman 3-5 2-SB
Rhett Aplin 2-4 R
Juan Carlos Negret 0-5 2K

Idaho Falls Chukars 22 Orem Owlz 3

The Chukars offense exploded early against Orem and local boy Cole Duensing, scoring six off Duensing in the first two innings before seven additional runs to push the score to 13-0. The offense didn’t stop there, scoring nine more runs in the final four innings of the game while pounding out 25 hits. All nine hitters in the lineup had at least one hit with only Brady Cox missing out on a multi-hit game though he did reach base with two walks in addition to his double. Leading the way for the Chukars was Reed Rohlman with three extra base hits including his first home run of the season during a four hit day.

Tyler James 4-5 4 R, RBI, 2 BB, 3 SB
Kyle Isbel 4-7 2R, 2b, 3 RBI
Nathan Eaton 4-7 3R, 2-2b, 3b, 4 RBI

Friday Boxscores

Saturday Probables
Omaha – Jake Kalish 5-4 4.16 ERA 1.34 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Scott Blewett 4-4 5.38 ERA 1.60 WHIP
Wilmington – Jace Vines 2-8 5.25 ERA 1.62 WHIP
Lexington – Andres Sotillet 5-5 4.37 ERA 1.41 WHIP
Burlington – Malcolm Van Buren 0-1 23.63 ERA 4.50 WHIP
Idaho Falls – Jonathan Bowlan 0-0 2.45 ERA 1.18 WHIP

Check out previous draft analyses:

Rounds 1-4
Rounds 5-10
Rounds 11-20
Interview with Lonnie Goldberg

21. Isaiah Smith OF 6’3 190 lbs Battle Ground HS Battle Ground, WA 6/19/99

This prep player impressed in the Area Code games last year, tying Garrett Mitchell for the most hits in the event, proving that despite his relatively unknown status, he has the ability to hit upper-level competition. From the sounds of it, he has quite a bit of interest in starting his pro career and the Royals chances of adding him to the organization are better than average.

Perfect Game – An above-average athlete with good raw skills in the outfield; some scouts see Smith as a potential plus defender in the outfield; though it is possible that as he continues to fill out and mature that he moves to a corner outfield spot. His offensive game is a bit unrefined right now, as is the case with the vast majority of prep bats, but Smith shows the bat speed, feel for the barrel, and power potential necessary to entice scouts this spring. 

Analysis – A strong add to the organization that has shown he can hit upper-level high school competition.

Josh Mitchell – Alemy.com

22. Josh Mitchell LHP 6’2 220 lbs Pittsburgh 9/8/94 Signed no bonus listed

A thick built Mitchell was pushed into a Friday night role for the Panthers after a pair of injuries this season. The lefty, who had been unspectacular in his college career to that point, held his own thanks to a new pitch that was offered up to him.

The pitch that the Panthers staff introduced to Mitchell was a cutter to go alongside his other three offerings. That cutter works in the 83-86 mph range according to Coach Oakes and gives him a difference-making pitch as he’s able to work it in on right-handed hitters. Combining that pitch with his 88-91 four-seam fastball that tops out at 94 mph in short bursts, gives him enough stuff to compete.

Coach Oakes believes that Mitchell could drop his arm angle from his over the top delivery to give him more deception, liking what he saw from his sidearm view that he offered from previous to this year. The fastball/cutter combo is the prime two pitches for the lefty but he does also offer up a low-70s curveball and a change in the 77-79 mph range.

Analysis - A lefty organizational reliever with the body to offer up more innings.

23. Matt Morales SS 6′ 180 lbs Palm Beach CC 11/26/96

This shortstop from the junior college ranks likely profiles as a utility type in the pro game, where his hands and strong arm work better at second and third base than the range does at shortstop. Despite good bat to ball skills, he has a limited power profile leaving him as a likely minor league utility option.

Analysis – A Minor League organizational infielder.

24. Connor Mayes RHP 6’2 205 lbs University of Texas 5/23/96 – Signed $100k

A mid-week starter and reliever for Texas, Mayes had a rough season after an impressive Summer League season in the California League. With a starting repertoire of fastball, curveball, and changeup, Mayes has the stuff to get outs when he’s controlling it, but that’s something he struggling mightily at Texas.

Perfect Game – The stuff is very good but not over the top with a slightly downhill fastball at 90-93 mph and a 1-to-7 breaking ball in the upper-70s.  Mayes’ aggressive mentality is his separator and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 42-to-6 this summer clearly indicates that he is back to that mindset.  Mayes will be a critical piece of what should be an excellent Texas pitching staff in 2017.

Analysis – Solid repertoire that you hope you can refine and give you solid organizational innings.

25. Tyler James CF 5’10 162 lbs William Carey U. 9/14/96

James is an NAIA small college product with speed in center and on the bases as his calling card. He stole 46 bases in 54 attempts this past season while hitting .276 for his school.

“Just continue to do what I do,” James said. “Run fast, hit the ball on the ground, get on base and steal some bags. Just because you got drafted doesn’t mean you don’t have to work. Still have to work. The same mentality I did in college: Play hard, play fast.” Via MS News Now

Analysis – A little speedster with a little pop in the bat.

26. Garrett Suchey RHP 6’2 215 lbs University of Alabama 11/25/94

Despite his average stuff, Suchey was the most dependable pitcher on the team’s staff from the bullpen. The righty worked a Bama high 73.2 innings this season, despite the majority of his work coming from the bullpen.

Primarily a two-pitch pitcher, Suchey works 88-90 mph with his fastball while pairing it with his slider. That breaking pitch is the money pitch for him, accounting for the majority of his 70 strikeouts in 73 innings.

Analysis – An organizational innings eater.

27. Nick Hutchins C 6’2 215 lbs Southern Illinois 11/17/95

Hutchins is a catch and throw catcher who hasn’t hit much in the college ranks.

Analysis – Organizational catcher.

28. Tylor Fischer RHP 6’3 170 lbs Langham Creek HS Houston, TX 8/1/98

Fischer is a big time arm from a tall, thin frame with upside. He works his fastball up to 94 mph with a severe downhill plane. The arm speed is fast, but the long arm motion leads to extremely erratic control. The breaking ball he features in the high 70s to low 80s profiles as a plus pitch down the line.

Texags.com – “Tylor has that quick of an arm and he will throw the ball hard. He is going to spin the ball well. He is a 6.6-runner. He plays centerfield for his high school team and is an incredible athlete. I think the opportunity to work with Coach McMillan (strength coach) and Coach Childress means the sky is the limit once he gets here and once he gets into a consistent routine and repeats his delivery on a day-in and day-out basis. He has really special ability.”

Analysis – The upside is extremely intriguing, but it seems like a longshot that he’ll end up in the organization instead of in College Station.

29. Travis Jones OF 6’4 220 lbs Univ. of Texas 9/29/95

The athletic and big outfielder has shown an advanced approach in last two seasons at Texas, carrying a near .400 on-base percentage during both seasons. Unfortunately, the power hasn’t come through as of yet for the big bodied utility ballplayer, who can play both infield and outfield.

Baseball America – Jones is an average runner who can play all three outfield spots as well as the infield corners. He has at least average arm strength and raw power, though, with his long levers and fringy feel for hitting, he doesn’t get to it consistently.

Analysis – Some positive tools to build from with a smart approach.

30. Adam Bainbridge LHP 6’3 200 lbs Old Dominion 9/1/94

A control type lefty, Bainbridge isn’t going to overpower hitters with his high-80s fastball, but he’ll look to outsmart them. The three-pitch mix of the fastball, average changeup and an average breaking ball is enough to get over on young hitters.

This lefty will have to tick up at least one pitch to survive against more talented hitters than he faced in his conference.

Analysis – Intelligent lefty with a three pitch average mix could eat up some minor league innings at lower levels.

31. Justin Vought C 6’2 195 lbs Wyoming Valley West HS Plymouth, PA 10/9/98

A regular on the showcase circuit, Vought is a big-bodied catcher who should only add strength onto his already good size frame. Also a pitcher in high school, Vought has the arm strength to play the catcher position and once the strength is added, he could be a formidable power option with average abilities behind the dish.

Prep Baseball Report – Right-handed hitter uses a short, leg-hand stride from a square stance to initiate his swing.  Has shown power to all fields with a short stroke and the ability to hit for average.  Above average size for a catcher with solid arm strength.  Has displayed consistent pop times in the 1.95-2.05 range. 

Analysis – He likely makes his way to Maryland.

32. Andrew Beckwith RHP 6’0 180 lbs Coastal Carolina 3/22/95

After a stellar season last year that led Coastal Carolina to a surprising run through the college baseball world, Beckwith struggled in 2017.

The righty gets by with average stuff thanks to movement and varied arm angles. From upper angles, Beckwith’s fastball is in the 88 mph range, but drops as his angle goes to side arm to below side angle. As the angle drops the groundballs rise for this future reliever.

Along with the fastball, Beckwith features multiple other offerings, working a curveball and slider both in the low 70s with differing movement dependent on the angle.

The control profile combined with the slot and movement makes him a difficult matchup, especially for right-handed hitters.

Analysis – A fun pick that could turn into a future ROOGY.

33. Damon Olds RHP 6’4 190 lbs Indiana State 10/17/94

Nearly 50/50 arm motion that’s a long motion while throwing in the low 90’s with a hard breaking ball. In his final season at Indiana State K’d over a hitter per inning while allowing just a .222 average against. That arm motion could be very difficult for right-handed hitters to pickup.

34. Jack Klein RHP 6’2 190 lbs Stanford 7/13/94 

Klein played center field at Standford, but failed to hit much until this past season. That followed a summer in the Cape in which he hit sub .200. As a center fielder, he showed solid athleticism and has been clocked at 94 mph from the outfield in high school and upper 80s off the mound in high school.

Analysis – Betting on the strong arm and athleticism to come through. Pure athleticism player here.

35. Reed Rohlman OF 6’1 210 lbs Clemson 1/5/95

A corner outfielder, Rohlman showed decent hitting ability with hard contact at Clemson and solid on-base skills. Those on-base skills included running into more than a few pitches (22 HBP in 2 years) to get on in any way he can for his team.

To this point, he hasn’t focused on hitting the ball out of the park, but to improve his chances at a career going forward that will have to become a larger part of his game.

Analysis – He has a solid approach, but will need the power to come forward to get to the bigs.

36. Brady Cox C 6’0 210 lbs Texas at Arlington 10/24/94

Cox didn’t hit much at Arlington besides a BABIP-built junior year. Catch and throw org type.

Analysis – An organizational catcher.

37. Trevor Hauver SS 6’0 180 lbs Perry HS-Gilbert, AZ 11/20/98

Hauver is a talented high school middle infielder who the Royals took here with a very very slim chance to bring into the fold with his Arizona State commitment. The swing and approach are advanced for a high school hitter which shouldn’t shock anyone considering his high profile on the showcase circuit. He likely profiles as a second baseman with pop in the future.

Analysis – It’s unlikely that he signs.

38. Montae Bradshaw OF 5’10 170 lbs Patrick Henry CC 4/29/96

His father is the Royals minor league hitting coordinator.

Baseball America – Montae Bradshaw is one of the fastest runners in this year’s draft. His 6.5 speed in the 60-yard dash plays well in the outfield. Bradshaw stole 27 bags in 29 tries this year while hitting .322/.377/.437.

Analysis – A late round relative pick with above average speed as the major tool.

39. Justin Mitchell C 6’0 200 lbs Platte County HS Platte County, MO 10/13/98

A dual sport athlete who played quarterback in high school, Mitchell shows good athleticism for a catcher with some decent power projection for the future. He shows good movement behind the plate with an average arm, and has registered pop times in the sub 1.9 range.

At the dish, he’s flashed some power with the wood bat and his strong frame indicates he could have big future power with the athleticism to be a good receiver.

Analysis – Likely sticks with his Oklahoma commitment.
Editor’s Note: According to Ross Martin, publisher and managing editor of the Platte County Citizen, Mitchell is indeed sticking with his commitment to Oklahoma.

40. Yaniel Ramos SS 5’11 147 lbs Carlos Beltran Academy Puerto Rico 1/12/99

Another relative pick here, Ramos showed hard contact during the PG Puerto Rican showcases despite a small frame and weight that suggest slap hitter. Has a solid average arm in the infield but below average speed.

Analysis – An organizational infielder who might have to move to second base.