2023 Storm Chasers Season Summary

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FOLLOW THE LEADER

2023 was manager Mike Jirschele's 15th season managing the Triple-A Omaha franchise and his first since 2013 ... over the past two seasons, he had served as a bench coach in the Minor Leagues, where he worked with several of this year's Storm Chasers.

• 25 of Omaha's 76 players this year were with "Jirsch" either on the 2021 Quad Cities River Bandits, 2022 Northwest Arkansas Naturals ... 15 players have played for Jirsch for each of the last three seasons: pitchers Christian Chamberlain, Jonah Dipoto, Drew Parrish, Will Klein, Emilio Marquez, Anthony Veneziano and Angel Zerpa, as well as hitters Tucker Bradley, Nate Eaton, Maikel Garcia, Tyler Gentry, Michael Massey, Nick Loftin, Logan Porter, and John Rave.
• 3 of Omaha's players this season spent time with Jirsch in Kansas City when he was the Royals' third base coach: INF Nicky Lopez, RHP Brad Keller and RHP Josh Staumont.

MONEY MIKE

After managing the Triple-A Omaha franchise from 1995 to 1997 and 2003 to 2013, Mike Jirschele returned in 2023 to manage the Storm Chasers, his 15th season at the helm in Omaha and reached an incredible milestone on Saturday, April 8th.

• Omaha's 13-8 win over Toledo on April 8th was the 1,000th of Jirsch's career managing the Triple-A Omaha franchise.
• At the conclusion of the 2023 season, Jirsch has a 1,063-1,095 (.493 winning %) record over 2,158 games with Omaha ... he has had a record of .500 or better in 7 of 15 seasons managing at the Triple-A level.
• When factoring in three seasons managing lower-level Royals affiliates between 1992 and 1994, Jirsch has managed 2,487 games with a 1,276-1,211 all-time managerial record (.513 winning %).

THAT'S WHAT SPEED DO

The Chasers had 223 steals in 145 games (average 1.54 SB/game) and were caught 53 times for a success rate of 80.80% ... this was a franchise record for steals in a season.

• Omaha's 223 steals were the most in Triple-A & 10th in Minor League Baseball.
• Edward Olivares' steal of 2nd base in the bottom of the first inning on August 29th was Omaha's 193th of the season, breaking the club's single-season record of 192, set in 1986.
• The Chasers stole at least one base in 93 of 145 games (64%).
• There were 9 Omaha players in 2023 with double-digit steals: Dairon Blanco (47), Samad Taylor (43), Nate Eaton (22), Clay Dungan (16), Brewer Hicklen (15), Tyler Gentry (14), Angelo Castellano (12), Bubba Thompson (11) and Tucker Bradley (10) ... the Storm Chasers had the most players with 10+ steals of any Triple-A team.
• Omaha stole 135 bases over the first 63 games of the season (2.14 SB/G)... with team stolen base leaders Dairon Blanco (47) and Samad Taylor (38) both called up to Kansas City in mid-June ... the Chasers had just 88 steals in 83 games after Taylor was first recalled on June 16 (1.07 SB/G).

TWO TICKETS TO PARADISE

This season, it was apparent that holding the opponent to two runs or less appeared to be a key to success for the Storm Chasers.

• Omaha was 26-0 when holding the opponent to 2 runs or fewer this season, representing 38% of their victories ... the Chasers have a pair of shutout wins, with 10 games of 1 run allowed and 14 games with 2 runs allowed.
• The Chasers were 42-77 when allowing more than 2 runs, including 16-52 when allowing 6 runs or more.

COMEBACK KIDS

Of Omaha's 67 wins in 2023, 33 of them (49%) are "comeback wins," where the team trailed at some point during the game and went on to win.

• 6 of the comeback wins came against the Toledo Mud Hens and 6 against the Indianapolis Indians, including 5 of Omaha's 8 wins at Victory Field in Indy.
• The team came back from a deficit as large as 6 runs on May 6 vs. Louisville or 5 runs Opening Night in Indianapolis, with 8 total comebacks of 3+ runs.
• Omaha had 9 wins when trailing after the 6th inning this season and 5 when trailing after the 8th inning.

IT'S SHOW TIME!

Across the nearly six months of the 2023 season, the Omaha Storm Chasers saw 10 players called up to Kansas City to make their Major League debuts, the second straight year of double-digit debuts.

• LHP Austin Cox was the 1st to be called up to the Major Leagues, as he was scratched from his Omaha start May 3 and his contract was selected by Kansas City the next day, making his MLB debut May 4 vs. Baltimore.
• INF/OF Samad Taylor was Omaha's 2nd big league call-up in 2023, recalled June 15, on the heels of reaching base in a span of 14 of 18 plate appearances with Omaha, he made his MLB debut June 17 vs. Los Angeles (AL).
• RHP James McArthur was the 3rd 2023 Storm Chaser to reach the big leagues, recalled June 24 to eventually make his MLB debut on June 28 vs. Cleveland, after 10.1 scoreless innings for Omaha in June.
• RHP Alec Marsh was Omaha's 4th 2023 MLB debut and after just three starts for the Chasers, he was recalled June 30 for a start that day against the Dodgers and he finished the year with the Royals, not returning to Triple-A.
• RHP Steven Cruz was the 5th Omaha player in 2023 to reach the big leagues, as his contract was selected August 29 after 5 straight scoreless outings, he debuted vs. Pittsburgh that day and finished the year with the Royals.
• INF Nick Loftin was the 6th 2023 debutant, as his contract was selected by Kansas City on September 1 and he debuted that night against Boston and finished the year with the Royals, playing 19 games in the Major Leagues.
• C Logan Porter was the 7th Omaha player to make an MLB debut in 2023, called up on September 11 to then debut on September 12 vs. Chicago (AL), playing 11 games down the stretch with Kansas City.
• C Tyler Cropley was the 8th in 2023 to go up for the first time, he was called up from Double-A NW Arkansas but didn't get in a game, then was sent to Omaha for 2 games and finally debuted with KC September 19 vs. Cleveland.
• LHP Anthony Veneziano was the 9th 2023 Storm Chaser to reach The Show, called up on September 19 but he had to wait a week before getting in his first of eventually two games, on September 26 @ Detroit.
• RHP Jonathan Bowlan was the 10th Omaha player in 2023 to debut in the big leagues, he was called up with Veneziano on September 19th and started the day after Veneziano debuted, on September 27 @ Detroit.

DAZZLING DEBUTS

17 of the 76 players that appeared in a game for the Storm Chasers in 2023 were making their Triple-A debuts in their first game with Omaha.

• Of the 17, 10 pitchers combined to go 1-1 with a 9.95 ERA (21 ER in 19.0 IP), with 17 walks and 22 strikeouts ... only two of the outings were scoreless, highlighted by 2.0 shutout frames from Will Klein on 6/14 vs. COL with 5 strikeouts ... Jonathan Bowlan's 5.0 innings on 6/22 @ ROC marked the most by a debuting pitcher for Omaha in 2023, and the righty allowed 4 runs on 7 hits to earn the win, the only pitcher that earned a win in their Triple-A debut this year.
• 2 of those 10 pitchers that made their Triple-A debut this season previously had time in big leagues – they skipped over AAA when selected in MLB's Rule 5 Draft ... Brad Keller (6/28 vs. IOW Omaha debut) pitched 148 games for the Royals between 2018 and 2023, he was a Rule 5 Draft pick by the Royals in December 2017, after pitching that season with the Double-A Jackson Generals ... Brett de Geus (8/10 vs. IOW Omaha debut) was also a previous Rule 5 Draft Pick, selected by the Rangers in December 2020 and pitched 41 games between Texas and Arizona after splitting 2019 between Low-A Great Lakes and High-A Rancho Cucamonga in the Dodgers organization.
• 7 hitters combined to go 10-for-22 (.455) in their Triple-A debuts, with 3 doubles, 3 runs batted in and 5 walks ... 3 of the 7 made their Triple-A debuts on Opening Day, March 31 @ Indianapolis – CJ Alexander went 3-for-5 with a double, while Tucker Bradley went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI and walk, and Tyler Gentry went 1-for-5 with a walk.

CHALLENGING THE SYSTEM

With the ABS Challenge System in effect on Friday to Sunday games in 2023, the Storm Chasers as a club went 81-for-191 on ABS challenges, a 42.4% success rate.

• Catchers made the most challenges, 86 (36% successful), while hitters made 81 challenges (51% successful) and pitchers made 24 (38% successful).
• Over 60 games where the ABS Challenge System was in affect, the team had 26 games where they've had multiple calls overturned ... they also have 12 games where they've made multiple challenges without a successful one.
• A 0-0 count was the most likely count for Omaha challenges this year, with 44 coming on the first pitch of a plate appearance (15 successful challenges, 34% overturned) ... 22 challenges have come in the 8th inning with 12 over those overturned (43%).
• Catcher Logan Porter had the most successful challenges of any player this season, overturning 16 of 42 pitches (38%) challenged, between catching and hitting ... fellow backstop Jakson Reetz was not far behind him, with 14 successful challenges in 35 tries (40% overturned), 13 of them as a catcher.
• 14 of 81 (17.3%) successfully challenged pitches for Omaha have immediately changed the outcome of a plate appearance in favor of the Storm Chasers ... 5 batters have successfully challenged a strike that was overturned to ball 4, while on 9 occasions, the catcher or pitcher has challenged a ball that was overturned to strike 3.
• There were two games where the Storm Chasers had 5+ calls overturned, 5/21 vs. TOL (7-for-9 in challenge attempts) and 9/1 vs. Louisville (6-for-7 in challenge attempts).

GOING STREAKING

From June 6 to June 18, the Storm Chasers rattled off an 11-game winning streak, tying a franchise record for the longest winning streak that had stood for 30 years.

• Omaha's 2023 streak ties the 11 straight games the Omaha Royals won from May 1 to May 11, 1993 that had previously set the franchise record.
• An 11-game winning streak is the longest in the Storm Chasers era (2011-present), topping a 10-game winning streak between June 5 and June 16, 2012.
• Over the span of the 11-game streak that began on June 5, Omaha outscored its opponents 82 to 40 and hit .307 (111-for-362) with a .919 OPS, along with a 3.64 ERA (40 ER in 99.0 IP) the 3rd-best batting average and 2nd-best ERA in that span.
• Omaha's winning streak was the 2nd-longest in the International League this season, trailing only a 12-game streak from Memphis between April 9 and 22.
• The Storm Chasers led for 70 of 99 innings during the win streak, including 45 of the last 47 innings, from the 8th inning on June 13 through the final inning on June 18.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Of Omaha's 76 players this season, 19 of them (25%) made their Royals organization debut when playing their first game with the Storm Chasers.

• The Storm Chasers' Opening Day roster featured 7 players making their debuts in the Kansas City system ... pitchers Evan Sisk and Josh Taylor had been acquired in January trades with Minnesota and Boston respectfully, while infielder Samad Taylor had been acquired in an August 2022 trade with Toronto, but at the time was injured ... pitchers Brooks Kriske, Mike Mayers and Nick Wittgren were all signed as Minor League free agents in the offseason and assigned to Omaha to open the 2023 season.
• 5 players signed to Minor League free agent deals were added to Omaha's roster over the course of the first half ... after signing a free agent deal in January, infielder Johan Camargo opened the season on Omaha's 7-Day Injured List and was activated May 16 ... released by the Braves during Spring Training, infielder Greyson Jenista was signed as a free agent in mid-May and joined Omaha on May 23 ... infielder Jermaine Palacios opened the season with the Toledo Mud Hens but was released by Detroit in early June and soon signed with Kansas City, joining Omaha on June 13 ... infielder Matt Beaty was with the Royals in Spring Training, but traded to San Francisco just before Opening Day, then was released by the Giants in early June, signed with the Royals in mid-June and joined the Storm Chasers June 13 ... after opening the year in independent baseball with the Long Island Ducks, infielder Adeiny Hechavarria signed with Kansas City in mid-June, joining Omaha on June 16 ... like Camargo, pitcher Cody Poteet signed a free agent deal with Omaha in January, but opened the season on the 60-Day Injured List and was activated by the Storm Chasers on September 21.
• A pair of trades were made in the first half of the season that created 2 additions to Omaha's roster ... after being designated for assignment by the Phillies, RHP James McArthur was traded to the Royals on May 8 for OF Junior Marin and cash and optioned to Triple-A ... on June 30, the Royals acquired LHP Cole Ragans from Texas in exchange for LHP Aroldis Chapman and optioned him to Omaha.
• Several moves by the Royals at the Trade Deadline also brought 3 new faces to the Storm Chasers ... LHP Taylor Hearn was acquired from the Braves in exchange for INF Nicky Lopez on July 30 ... OF Nelson Velázquez was acquired from the Cubs in exchange for RHP Jose Cuas on July 31 ... INF/OF Devin Mann was acquired from the Dodgers as part of the package for LHP Ryan Yarbrough on August 1.
• After the trade deadline, the Royals added 2 more to the Storm Chasers' roster via wavers ... Kansas City selected RHP Joe Barlow off waivers from the Rangers on August 4 and optioned him to Triple-A ... the Royals claimed OF Bubba Thompson off waivers from Texas as well, one week later on August 11, and optioned him to Triple-A too.

QUALITY CONTROL

Over the course of 145 games in the 2023 season, the Storm Chasers received 24 quality starts, for an average of one every 6.04 games.

• 24 quality starts tops the 22 the Storm Chasers threw in 2022, after just 13 in 2021 ... this is the most in a season since the staff had 29 in 2019.
• Max Castillo led the Storm Chasers with 6 quality starts this year, while Anthony Veneziano wasn't far behind him with 5 and Jonathan Bowlan had 3 in his last 4 starts ... Drew Parrish had 4 QS in 2023, but just 1 with Omaha (3 with Double-A Northwest Arkansas).
• There were 7 quality starts thrown in Omaha's last 24 games (August 30 to September 24), after just 3 in the previous 42 games (July 5-August 29).

KICKSTART MY GAME

The 2023 Omaha Storm Chasers used 23 different starting pitchers (of 41 total pitchers) ... this is the most unique starters used by Omaha in a single season in modern history (since 2005).

• Omaha only used 17 different starting pitchers in 2022 and used 18 starters in 2021 ... the last time Omaha used 20+ pitchers in a season was the 2006 Omaha Royals, who used 21 different starters.
• Across 145 games, the Storm Chasers used an opener in 19 games, either ahead of a "bulk" pitcher or for a bullpen game ... only 5 openers were used in the 1st half, compared to 14 in the 2nd half.
• 8 different pitchers that made starts only were used as an opener when starting, with Evan Sisk opening three times, while Brad Keller and James McArthur each opened twice.
• 6 different pitchers made only one start each: Jackson Kowar (4/6 vs. Toledo), Marcelo Martinez (5/3 vs. Louisville) Joe Barlow (8/12 vs. Iowa), Will Klein (8/16 @ Toledo), Walter Pennington (8/25 vs. St. Paul) and Cody Poteet (9/23 @ Columbus) ... Martinez made the longest start of those 6 with 5.0 innings in a 7-4 loss to the Bats.

I KNOW WHO I WANT TO TAKE ME HOME

The Storm Chasers had a revolving door of closers in 2023, with four different pitchers that served as the team's "closer" getting called up.

• Josh Staumont opened the year as Omaha's closer ... all 4 of his appearances came in the 9th inning and he secured the team's only save during his tenure with the club, on March 31 @ Indianapolis.
• Nick Wittgren inherited the role as closer after Staumont's call-up to Kansas City on April 14 ... 5 of the next 7 saves recorded by Omaha pitchers were awarded to Wittgren and 11.0 of his last 15.0 innings pitched with the Chasers were in the 9th inning.
• Brooks Kriske took over as Omaha's closer after Wittgren's contract was selected on May 23 and recorded 5 of the team's next 6 saves, including each of his last 3 appearances ... 5.0 of the 8.1 innings he pitched came in the 9th inning.
• Collin Snider stepped in as the closer after Kriske's contract was selected on June 18 and recorded both saves the team was awarded through the end of the first half of the season.
• Through the second half and after Snider was recalled on July 1, 13 saves were awarded to 7 different pitchers ... Will Klein earned 3 saves, in consecutive outings from July 23 to 28, but was also charged with 3 blown saves ... Taylor Hearn was awarded the final 2 saves of the season, on September 20 and 24 in Columbus ... Dylan Coleman pitched in the 9th inning most frequently in the 2nd half, as he threw 9.1 innings in the 9th inning from June 28 through September 24 but only recorded 1 save in 3 tries and took 3 losses.

WALK-OFF WOES

While they had 4 walk-off wins in 2023, the Storm Chasers suffered 12 walk-off losses in road games this season, representing 1/3 of their 36 losses away from Werner Park.

• 12 walk-off losses over 71 road games tops the 8 the team had last year in 75.
• The Storm Chasers fell in walk-off fashion to 7 different teams, with four teams collecting multiple walk-off wins over Omaha ... Louisville walked off on the Chasers 3 times between August 1 and 6, but Omaha also lost on the final pitch of the game to Nashville (2x), Scranton/WB (2x), Columbus (2x), St. Paul (1x), Rochester (1x) and Gwinnett (1x) ... Omaha did not lose on a walk-off in Indianapolis or St. Paul.
• This season, Omaha has lost on 6 walk-off singles (including the last 3), 2 homers, 1 double, 1 wild pitch, 1 throwing error and 1 hit batter.

GOTTA CATCH 'EM ALL

Omaha catchers Logan Porter, Jakson Reetz, Jose Briceño, Freddy Fermin, Tyler Cropley and Kale Emshoff combined to catch 43 baserunners stealing in 184 tries (23.37% caught stealing).

• Porter (662.2 INN) caught the 2nd-most innings of any International League backstop in 2023 and also had the 2nd-most steal attempts on him (99) ... he caught 19 of 99 attempted basestealers, the 9th-most of any I.L. catcher ... Porter caught just 2 of the first 15 basestealers that tried to run on him, but rattled off a stretch of 6 straight games between May 3 and 11 with runners caught stealing, where he went 6-for-11 in catching runners stealing ... he also had two caught stealings on August 19 @ Toledo.
• Briceño (269.2 INN) caught 14 of 42 attempted basestealers (33.33%), the 2nd-highest percentage of runners caught stealing among International League catchers with at least 25 attempts against them ... after opening his Triple-A season 1-for-8, Briceño had a stretch of 11 games between the plate between July 9 and August 24, where he caught 10 of 15 attempted basestealers ... he followed that up with an 0-for-12 stretch in trying to catch runners stealing, but he nabbed 3 of his last 6 ... he also caught two runners stealing on August 6 @ Louisville.
• Reetz (204.1 INN) had 29 baserunners attempt to steal off of him, and he caught 5, with 3 coming in consecutive starts: 5/20 vs. Toledo, 5/21 vs. Toledo and 5/24 @ St. Paul,
• Fermin (103.0 INN) had 10 attempted steals against him with 3 runners successfully caught stealing, including back-to-back games he caught, 4/18 vs. Gwinnett and 4/20 vs. Gwinnett.
• Emshoff (17.2 INN) had two runners try and steal in games he caught, however both runners successfully stole against him, both on 9/21 @ Columbus ... he was one of 10 International League catchers that had multiple steal attempts against him without a runner caught stealing.
• Cropley (17.0 INN) also had just two baserunners try to steal on him and he caught them both, on 9/15 vs. Indianapolis ... among 104 International League catchers this season that had multiple runners try and steal, he was the only one with a 100% caught stealing rate.

FIRST PITCH FLIERS

The first pitch was where Nate Eaton thrived in 2023, as he hit .422 with a .956 slugging percentage in 0-0 counts and a team-best 7 home runs on the first pitch of his plate appearances.

• 7 first pitch home runs represent nearly half (47%) of his 15 this season, also tied for the 3rd-most in the International League ... Nick Loftin is 2nd on the team with 5.
• No Storm Chaser has had as many first pitch homers as Eaton since Frank Schwindel hit 8 in 2018 (of his 24 that season).
• Omaha has 36 homers in a 0-0 count, their most long balls in any count this year by a fair bit, the next closest is a 2-2 count where the team has 21 home runs this year.
• Eaton's .422 average and .956 slugging percentage were also tops on the team among players with at least 40 plate appearances where the appearance ended on the first pitch.

TWICE AS NICE

Three time this season for Omaha, left-hander Anthony Veneziano started the first and last game of a six-game series and he has historically thrived when pitching that second time in a week.

• Since the 6-game series were implemented in 2021, Veneziano has pitched twice in one series 10 times, including 4 times in 2023 (once with Double-A Northwest Arkansas),
• On April 30 @ San Antonio, Veneziano held the Missions (Padres Double-A) to 14 runs on four hits over 6.0 innings ... on June 4 vs. Memphis, Veneziano held the Redbirds (Cardinals Triple-A) to 1 run on 5 hits over 5.0 innings ... on July 23 vs. St. Paul, Veneziano held the Saints (Twins Triple-A) to 1 run on 4 hits over 6.0 innings ... on September 3, Veneziano held the Bats (Reds Triple-A) to 1 unearned run over 6.0 innings.
• Of the 10 times where he started for a 2nd time in a week against the same team, 6 have been quality starts, with 4 of the 10 scoreless starts.
• In these 10 starts combined, he has a 0.98 ERA (6 ER in 56.0 IP), a 0.93 WHIP (38 H + 14 BB in 58.0 IP), a .191 opponents' average (38-for-199) and a 9.32 K/9 (58 K in 56.0 IP).
• Only once has Veneziano allowed multiple runs his second time facing a team in a series and it was his second time doing so, on July 18, 2021 @ Beloit (Marlins High-A) ... outside of this start, he's never allowed more than 1 run ... only once has he allowed more than 5 hits.

BIG LEAGUE BUSINESS

Omaha had 13 separate rehab assignments in 2023, including a pair of players that had two rehab assignments.

• 13 games were started by pitchers on rehab assignments this season, including 5 starts over two stints from LHP Daniel Lynch IV ... in his first rehab assignment, Lynch went 2-0 and allowed 7 ER in 18.0 IP (3.50 ERA), while recording 13 strikeouts.
• Six hitters over seven rehab stints with Omaha combined to hit .271 (45-for-166) with 7 home runs and 23 runs batted in ... OF Drew Waters saw the most time with the club at the plate while on rehab, as he hit .327 (17-for-52) with a 1.032 OPS over 13 games from May 9 to 24.
• There were several occasions where Omaha had multiple rehabbers on the club at one time, including May 16-20, where Lynch, Waters and Nicky Lopez were all with the club ... between June 30 and July 3, the team had Michael Massey in the lineup, with pitchers Ryan Yarbrough, Brad Keller and Angel Zerpa on the roster.

RUSHING WATERS

While outfielder Drew Waters got off to a slow start on his rehab assignment in May, his stretch with the Storm Chasers ended on a high note.

• Rehabbing a left oblique strain, Waters joined the Chasers on May 9 and went 1-for-22 over his first 6 games, with a double, walk and 7 strikeouts.
• From May 17 to 23, over the final 7 games of his rehab assignment, Waters slashed .533/.600/1.033 (16-for-30) with 9 extra-base hits (2 homers), 6 runs batted in and 7 walks, with 12 runs scored as well.
• Waters produced 4-hit games on 5/17 vs. TOL, 5/21 vs. TOL and 5/23 vs. STP, with the latter two being back-to-back games ... he came just a single shy of the cycle on May 21, producing 13 total bases in a 4-for-5 effort with a double, triple and two homers ... 13 total bases in that Sunday game were the most by an individual Storm Chaser in a single game this season.

DANG DANIEL, BACK AT IT AGAIN

Left-handed starting pitcher Daniel Lynch IV contributed 5 starts to the Storm Chasers in 2023, including one of the most dominant starts of the season by an Omaha pitcher, earning him Pitcher of the Week honors.

• Lynch was the only Omaha player in 2023 to claim a Minor League award when he named the International League Pitcher of the Week for his performance the week of May 22nd through May 28th ... while he was on Major League rehab assignment with Omaha, Lynch was eligible because he had not yet pitched in the Major Leagues at the time of his most recent Triple-A outing.
• On Tuesday May 23rd in St. Paul, Lynch fired 6.0 shutout innings against the Saints on just 61 pitches, holding St. Paul to three hits and no walks, while striking out five ... it was Omaha's 7th of eventually 24 quality starts in 2023, the only one thrown by a rehabber ... 47 of his 61 pitches were thrown for strikes (77.05%), while he averaged just 10.17 pitches per inning, both of which were the best for an individual Storm Chaser start in 2023.

TRIPLE DOUBLE TROUBLE

The Omaha Storm Chasers both turned a triple play and hit into a double play in 2023, the only team in Minor League Baseball to be involved in a triple play on both sides of the ball.

• The Storm Chasers turned a bizarre triple play on May 13 @ Scranton/WB, the 4th of the year in the Minor Leagues ... with Austin Cox on the mound, the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the 5th inning, RailRiders catcher Ben Rortvedt grounded out into a 6-4-3-5 triple play... Omaha shortstop Angelo Castellano got Estevan Florial out at 2nd base on a throw to second baseman Samad Taylor ... Rortvedt was safe on Taylor's threw to first baseman CJ Alexander, but Alexander got Wilmer Difo out at 3rd base on a throw to third baseman Nick Loftin ... while Jamie Westbrook scored on the play, Rortvedt was tagged out at 2nd by Loftin to end the inning.
• Omaha's triple play was the first turned by the club in over 30 years ... the last was turned on June 3, 1992 at Mile High Stadium in Denver, when in the first inning, Jim Tatum of the Denver Zephyrs bounced into a 5-4-3 triple play, from Omaha’s Sean Berry to Stu Cole to Jeff Conine.
• Less than two months after Omaha turned a triple play, Storm Chasers shortstop Adeiny Hechavarria grounded into a more conventional triple play on July 8 @ Gwinnett ... with a run already home, runners on 1st and 2nd base and nobody out, Hechavarria chopped a ball to third baseman Daniel Robertson, who stepped on the base to force out Tucker Bradley, then threw to second baseman Vaughn Grissom to get Tyler Gentry out ... Grissom fired a throw to first baseman Joe Dunand to beat Hechavarria and turn the 14th double play in MiLB in 2023.
• The triple play Hechavarria hit into was the first hit into by an Omaha batter in over 8 years ... on April 17, 2015, against the New Orleans Zephyrs, Storm Chasers shortstop Cheslor Cuthbert hit into a 5-3-4-6-5-3 triple play (Fielders: Derek Dietrich to Justin Bour to Scott Sizemore to Miguel Rojas to Dietrich to Bour to end the bottom of the 1st inning.

YOU'VE GOT A FRIEND IN ME

Outfielder Nate Eaton recorded a team-best 7 outfield assists in 2023 and was responsible for another outfield assist last night, his team-leading 7th of the season ... 5 of his 6 throws that have registered a speed have come in at 90mph +.

• Eaton recorded the first 5 outfield assists in the 2nd half of the season but did not record one over the final seven weeks of the season, with just 1 outfield assist in the last two months.
• As a team, Omaha's 33 outfield assists in 2023 are tied 6th in the International League and tied 6th among all Triple-A teams.
• The hardest throw on an outfield assist this season WAS July 2 vs. Iowa, when Eaton unleashed a 99.9mph throw from CF to GET Edwin Rios out at 2nd base trying to stretch a single into a double.

IT'S GONNA BE MAY

Nick Loftin's month of May at the plate might have been the best single-month performance of any Storm Chaser in 2023, but Tyer Gentry and Samad Taylor each had good months as well.

• Loftin slashed .341/.410/.582 (31-for-91) over 23 games in May ... his 53 total bases and 27 runs batted in that month were both the highest for any Storm Chaser in a single month in 2023 ... his 31 hits were tied for the second most.
• Gentry's 8 doubles in May were the most of any Storm Chaser in a month, while Taylor's 20 runs scored marked an individual best as well.

VICTORY FIELD SCREETCH

The Omaha Storm Chasers played eight games across two series at Victory Field in Indianapolis in 2023 and went a perfect 8-0 on the road against the Indianapolis Indians.

• Omaha had three sweeps in 2023, two came against Indy at Victory Field – March 31 to April 2 and June 6 to 10 (rained out on June 11).
• The last time Omaha played multiple series at the same ballpark in a season and won every game was in 2005, when the Omaha Royals went 8-0 against the New Orleans Zephyrs at Zephyr Field, June 21-24 and August 16-19.

POWER OUTAGE

While the offense had its stretches of loud production, there were also periods of time where the hitting slumped.

• The Storm Chasers are one of four International League teams that went more than 5 games without a home run, as they did not leave the yard between July 21 and 27 ... it was the only stretch of time where Omaha went more than 3 straight games without hitting a homer.
• In a series at Louisville between August 1 and 6 (a series where Omaha was swept), the Storm Chasers were limited to 50 total bases and 8 extra-base hits ... both of those are season-lows for a single series, even factoring in a pair of 3-game weekend sets ... only once all season did the Chasers record 0 extra-base hits in back-to-back games, August 2 and 3 ... August 1 to 3 was also the only stretch in 2023 where Omaha was held to less than 10 total bases over more than two straight games, as they totaled 16 over 3 games.
• These two periods of time combined for a stretch between July 21 and August 5 where the team homered in just 4 of 14 games.

AUGUST ANGST

Omaha went 7-19 in August after opening the month with an 11-game losing streak.

• Omaha's 6.11 ERA (153 ER in 225.1 IP) was the 9th-worst among the 120 full-season MiLB teams last month ... the Chasers' .225 average last month (190-for-846) ranked tied for the 11th-worst among the 120 full-season Minor League teams.
• August began with 11 straight losses and a pair of sweeps – a 6-game series on the road in Louisville and a 5-game set by the Iowa Cubs at Werner Park ... that 11-game losing streak was not just the longest in the Storm Chasers era, but the longest by the Triple-A Omaha franchise at least in the 21st century, also tied for the longest in the International League this season.

2ND HALF SLUGGERS

A trio of Omaha hitters led the offense in the 2nd half of the season (June 28-September 29), battling with each other at the top of the team leaderboards down the stretch.

• In the 2nd half, Nate Eaton led the Storm Chasers in games played (63), while tied for the team lead in doubles (12), home runs (11), total bases (105) and steals (11).
• Tyler Gentry led the 2nd-half Chasers in hits (61), walks (45) and runs scored (35), while tied for the team lead in doubles (12) and total bases (105).
• Angelo Castellano led Omaha in the 2nd half in runs batted in (33) and extra-base hits (24), while tied for the team lead in doubles (12) and home runs (11).
• Gentry led QUALIFIED Storm Chasers with his slashline in the 2nd half .284/.413/.488, with a .901 OPS ... Castellano fell 5 plate appearances short of qualifying with averages in the 2nd half, but slashed an impressive .329/.422/.616 with a 1.038 OPS.

WHAT DO YOU FERMIN

After a slow start to the season, catcher Freddy Fermin bounced back to end April strong, before earning a call-up to Kansas City, where he ended the year.

• Fermin went hitless in his first five games of the season, beginning the year with an 0-for-19 stretch at the plate that carried into his sixth game of the season, on Friday, April 7th ... his first hit of the year came on a single to left field in the 5th inning on 4/7 vs. TOL.
• From April 8 to April 30, Fermin was slashed .520/.625/1.200 (13-for-26) over 8 games with Omaha with 7 extra-base hits (5 homers), 13 runs batted in and 7 walks.

LEAN WITT IT, ROCK WITH NICK

One of the longest shutout streaks of the season for an Omaha pitcher can be credited to right-hander Nick Wittgren, who dominated the International League for his two months with the Storm Chasers.

• After allowing his first run of the year in the 3rd game of the season, Wittgren went a team-best 9 straight games without allowing a run, a scoreless streak that spanned 11.2 innings from April 9 to May 7 ... in that stretch, he pitched to a 0.60 WHIP and .162 opponents' average.
• 15 of Wittgren's 17 games with Omaha were scoreless, while he pitched 7 perfect outings as well ... the veteran retired 62 of 79 batters he faced with the Chasers (78%).
• Wittgren had a pair of stretches where he retired 10 or more straight batters ... between April 14 and April 27, he retired 13 straight hitters ... from May 12 to May 21, he retired 12 straight batters.
• His dominance in April was especially notable, as he produced a run of retiring 21 of 22 batters faced, from his final batter faced on April 7 through his last batter faced April 27.
• Among 466 International League pitchers that threw at least 20.0 innings pitched this year, Wittgren's 1.25 ERA and 0.83 WHIP were both the 3rd-lowest.

WHITE HOT BLANCO

While he was one of the fastest players in Minor League Baseball in 2023, Dairon Blanco also got on base frequently in 2023 and established himself as a top hitter in the league as well.

• At the time of his promotion to the big leagues on June 12, Blanco ranked 2nd in on-base percentage (.444), 3rd in batting average (.347) and 1st in stolen bases (47) ... he remained the league leader in steals for 67 more days (54 games) until August 18, when Worcester's David Hamilton stole 3 bases in a game vs. Scranton/WB to get to 48 steals in 2023 and pass Blanco.
• Blanco reached base in his final 21 games with Omaha, s stretch between May 13 and June 10 where he slashed .423/.510/.487 (33-for-78) ... he recorded hits in 15 of his final 16 games with Omaha, with 9 multi-hit games between May 23 and June 10.
• Blanco stole at least 12 bases in each April, May and June, with a whopping 22 steals in May ... May especially was a strong month for Blanco, who ranked 2nd in the International League in on-base percentage (.538), 3rd in batting average (.390) and 9th in OPS (1.097) ... his .538 OBP ranked 2nd in the minors in May, while his .390 average ranked 7th in MiLB that month.

THE FUTURE IS HERE

Pitcher Will Klein represented the Kansas City Royals at the 2023 SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game at Seattle's T-Mobile Park ... he pitched 0.1 IP, with 1 H, 2 R & 2 BB.

• Klein earned his first promotion to Triple-A on June 13 and dominated in his debut, with 2.0 scoreless frames June 14 vs. Columbus ... he struck out 5, including striking out the side in the 8th.
• Over his first 12 outings with Omaha, Klein allowed 3 earned runs in 15.2 IP (1.72 ERA), with 25 strikeouts (14.36 K/9).
• Klein’s fastball averaged 97.0 mph with Omaha with a team-best 100.7mph fastball in his outing on June 21 @ Rochester ... he threw four pitches at over 100.0 mph this season, the first four triple-digit velocity pitches in 2023 from Omaha arms.
• Between the Double-A and Triple-A levels this season, Klein recorded 93 strikeouts in 64.1 innings pitched ... among 35 Royals minor league pitchers that threw at least 60.0 innings in 2023, his 13.01 K/9 ranked 1st, while a 30.5% K% ranked 4th in that group.

SAMAD (TAYLOR'S VERSION)

Over four stints with Omaha, Samad Taylor was a sparkplug at the top of the Storm Chaser lineup every game he played for the Storm Chasers.

• Taylor began the season with the Storm Chasers and appeared in 62 of the team's first 63 games before he was recalled by Kansas City on June 16 ... he opened the year with a bang, on a 5-game hitting streak with 2 hits in each of his first four games and 6 of his first 8 ... Taylor had hits in 11 of his first 12 games.
• In April, Taylor slashed .333/.398/.462 (31-for-93) ... while he had a down month of May with a .238 average (25-for-105) and .731 OPS, he had his best month of the season in June with a .405/.538/.676 slashline (15-for-37) with 11 walks and 11 runs scored, before his call-up.
• Prior to getting called up in mid-June, Taylor reached base in 14 of 18 plate appearances, with 5 walks, 5 singles, 2 homers and 2 hit-by-pitches, between June 9 and June 15 ... in that span, he reached base in 8 straight plate appearances between June 10 and 14.
• Over his two stints with the Chasers in July, Samad hit .378 (14-for-37) with 10 runs batted in and 16 walks ... he has a hit in 8 of 12 games this month, a walk in 8 of 12 games this month and at least one of each in 5 of 12 games in July.
• Taylor finished the season 6th among qualified International League hitters in on-base percentage (.418), 8th in batting average (.301), also 6th in stolen bases (43) ... he led qualified Storm Chasers hitters with his .301/.418/.566 slashline and 4 triples, while ranked 2nd on the team in hits (101), doubles (23), runs (65), steals (43) and walks (66).
• 34 of Taylor's 43 steals came before his first call-up, at the time he was averaging one steal every 1.86 games ... he tied with Dairon Blanco for the longest streak of any Storm Chaser in 2023 of consecutive steals without getting caught, when he swiped 12 bags in 12 attempts, over an 11-game stretch from June 4 to July 5, while Blanco's 12 straight steals came over 12 games.
• Samad had a pair of 4-steal games, on May 4 vs. Louisville and July 5 @ Gwinnett, the 2nd and 3rd of his career.
• 43 steals in one Minor League season comes one shy of his previous career-high of 44 in Low-A in 2018 with the Lansing Lugnuts ... however, adding his 8 from the big leagues give him a new career-high of 51 total stolen bases in 2023.

AYEEEE JOHAN

While only with Omaha for five weeks, infielder Johan Camargo offered crucial production in the heart of the Storm Chasers lineup and played all over the field, while getting on base constantly.

• Across 15 games with the Chasers, Camargo slashed .298/.412/.544 (17-for-57) with 6 extra-base hits (4 homers), 8 runs batted in and 11 walks.
• Camargo reached base multiple times in his first 8 games with the team, the 2nd-longest streak of reaching base 2+ times for a Storm Chaser hitter this season ... between May 16 and June 3, Camargo produced a .600 on-base percentage.
• The native of Panama reached base in 13 of his 15 games with Omaha and had hits in 12 of 15 games with the Storm Chasers.
• Camargo is one of two Chasers hitters (in addition to Angelo Castellano) that made starts at all 4 infield positions in 2023: 1B (2), 2B (3), 3B (7) & SS (1).

SEEING IT LIKE CJ

CJ Alexander was Omaha's long ball leader, with 10 home runs over the first 2.5 months of the season, before he landed on the Injured List on June 11.

• Despite missing 23 games while on the IL, Alexander was still the team leader in homers when he returned and even added his 11th of the season his second game back, July 15 vs. Indianapolis ... he was not passed on the HR leaderboard until Tyler Gentry hit his 13th of the season on August 12 vs. Iowa ... he spent 43 games as the sole home run leader on the team, from May 14 to May 16 and June 8 to July 29.
• CJ was responsible for Omaha's hardest hit batted ball of the season, a 115.3mph double in the 1st inning on April 7 vs. Toledo ... he had 3 of Omaha's 10 hardest-hit base hits this year ... among 19 Storm Chasers hitters who saw at least 100 plate appearances in 2023, his average exit velocity of 88.8mph ranked as the 3rd-hardest.

LET'S RAVE

John Rave's first three weeks with Omaha produced one of the best stretches at the plate of any Storm Chaser this season.

• Between June 13 and July 3, Rave slashed .434/.516/.755 (23-for-53), with 10 extra-base hits (6 doubles, 1 triple, 4 homers), 16 runs batted in, 16 runs scored and 10 walks.
• Rave scored a run in 14 straight games from June 17 to July 6, which at the time was the longest such streak in MiLB this year and ... he hit .385 (20-for-52) and produced a .484 on-base percentage over this stretch.
• He reached base in a career-best 31 straight games from May 30 to July 9, his last 11 games in Double-A with Northwest Arkansas and his first 20 in Triple-A with Omaha.

PUSHING P(ORTER)

Catcher Logan Porter had an up-and-down season with Omaha, at times was a slugger, while at other times very patient at the plate and an on-base machine.

• Porter opened the season with 6 home runs in April, which ended the season tied for the most homers by a player in a single month ... however, he went into a dry spell at the plate after, with just 1 home run between May 1 and July 4, a span of 47 games.
• Between March 31 and June 2, Porter drew just 15 walks in his first 41 games (0.9% BB%), however he bounced back with 45 walks over his final 69 games (16.2% BB%), June 3 to September 10.
• He produced a career-best 30-game on-base streak between May 23 and July 5, tied for the 11th-longest streak in the league this year ... in that stretch, he hit .302 (32-for-106) with a .433 OBP.
• The season took a turn for Porter in the 2nd half, who slashed just .169/.289/.319 (29-for-166) from June 28 onward ... among 283 International League hitters who had at least 150 plate appearances in the 2nd half of the season, his .169 average ranked as the 2nd-lowest, while his .608 OPS ranked as the 5th-lowest ... he had just 3 multi-hit games over 51 games played in the 2nd half of the season, after collecting 16 multi-hit games over 59 games in the 1st half.
• After exclusively playing first base with Omaha in 2022, Porter made a team-best 74 starts at catcher in 2023, for a total of 662.2 innings behind the plate this season ... this was the most time spent at catcher in a single season since Francisco Pena caught 745.1 innings and made 84 starts as the Omaha Storm Chasers backstop in 2015.

TEACH ME HOW TO DUNGAN

After a down year last season, Clay Dungan was one of the most reliable bats in Omaha's lineup this season.

• Dungan missed the first 28 games of the season and had 186 fewer plate appearances than last season, but raised his batting average by 65 points, from .208 to .273 ... he raised his OPS by 123 points, from .628 to .751 ... he also increased his walk rate from 9.1% last year to 15.2% this year, with 3 more walks than last year (50 up from 47) despite nearly 200 fewer plate appearances.
• From June 1 through the end of the season, Dungan hit a team-best .285 (61-for-208) over 74 games, with a team-best .388 on-base percentage ... he reached base in 59 of his last 69 games since the start of June, after hitting .194 over his first 15 games in May.
• This season, Dungan has made at least 20 starts at three different infield positions: second base (27), third base (22) and shortstop (23).

KEEPING UP WITH CASTELLANO

While he did not play every day, Angelo Castellano made the most of his time in the lineup all season long.

• Castellano slashed .281/.384/.489 (92-for-327), but fell 7 plate appearances shy of having enough PA's to qualify in the league leaders ... among Royals Minor League hitters that had at least 200 plate appearances in 2023, Castellano ranked 4th in average, 5th in on-base percentage, 1st in slugging percentage and 3rd in OBP ... his 120 wRC+ ranked 5th among that group too.
• After hitting just .190 in June, Castellano had a huge bounce back in July, as he slashed .370/.442/.652 (16-for-46), with 7 XBH and 10 runs batted in ... he
• Castellano produced a strong month of August with a .277 average (18-for-65) and .845 OPS, then turned things up even more in September, when he hit .409 (18-for-44) with a 1.327 OPS ... that September OPS was the highest for a Storm Chaser with at least 40 plate appearances in a single month in 2023.

TUCKER BRADLEY, PROFESSIONAL HITTER

After a slow start to the season, outfielder Tucker Bradley turned things around in the last several weeks.

• In the month of June, Bradley's .410 average (16-for-39) and 1.093 OPS are the highest among active Storm Chasers players with at least 50 plate appearances.
• While he went 3-for-4 in his Triple-A debut on March 31 @ IND, Bradley had hits in just 9 of his first 24 games (37.5%), with 4 multi-hit games in that stretch (1 in every 6.0 games) and 9 runs batted in ... from May 18 through August 15, he had hits in 29 of 43 games (67.4%), with 12 multi-hit games, and 17 RBI (1 in every 3.5 games)
• Bradley hit .306 (38-for-124) with an .884 OPS over 44 games in the 1st half of the season but was hitting just .209 (18-for-86) with a .669 OPS in the 2nd half, before he was transferred to Double-A Northwest Arkansas on August 15, where he ended the season.
• Much like he did in 2022 with Double-A Northwest Arkansas, Bradley was at his best when hitting 9th in the order ... he made 25 starts as the last man in the lineup and slashed .341/.438/.511 (30-for-88) ... when hitting 1st through 8th in the order, he slashed just .213/.312/.377 (46-for-122).

NATE THE GREAT

Utility man Nate Eaton bounced up and down between Omaha and Kansas City frequently over the 1st half of the 2023 season but stayed with the Storm Chasers for the entire 2nd half.

• In the 2nd half of the season (June 28 - September 24), Eaton played more games (63) and took more at-bats (240) than any other Chasers hitter ... he tied for the 2nd-half team lead in home runs (11), doubles (12), total bases (105) and stolen bases (11) ... he ranked 2nd in the 2nd half in hits (60) and slugging percentage (.438), while tied 2nd in runs batted in (30), extra-base hits (23) and runs scored.
• 15 homers this season set a new career-high, after connecting for 13 last year between Double-A NW Arkansas and Omaha ... 22 steals with the Storm Chasers gave Nate his 3rd consecutive season in the Minors with 20+ steals, after stealing 23 bases each of the last two seasons.
• Eaton not only saw time in the field at 5 different positions in 2023, but made at least 8 starts at all 5: 2B (8), 3B (18), LF (14), CF (24) & RF (10) ... he was the only Storm Chaser in 2023 that started at more than 4 different positions and one of 5 players in the International League this year that made at least 8 starts in 5 different positions ... he saw the most time in center field (207.1 innings), which is also the only position where he did not make an error this year.

HOW ABOUT HICKLEN?

While his playing time was limited for much of 2023, outfielder Brewer Hicklen flipped a switch in the second half of his season with Omaha.

• After opening the season on the injured list, Hicklen started off slow and hit just .167 (16-for-96) over his first 30 games with a .589 OPS ... in his final 31 games after (June 9 to August 12), he hit .191 (32-for-110) with a .961 OPS.
• Like many Storm Chasers in 2023, Hicklen began to heat up in June, especially around the team's 11-game winning streak ... between June 8 and 22, Hicklen went 16-for-44 (.364 average) at the plate, with 6 extra-base hits (2 homers) with 9 runs batted in ... he had hits in 10 of 11 games during that stretch and scored a run in 9 of 12 games.
• After collecting four 2-homer games last season, Hicklen had one this year ... on July 14 vs. Indianapolis, he went 2-for-5 with a solo homer and two-run shot in a 13-5 loss to Indy ... this was his 9th career 2-homer game and the 5th of Omaha's 6 in 2023.
• After playing over 85% of his team's games over the last three seasons, Hicklen only appeared in 68% of Omaha's games while he was on the active roster, between April 25 and August 13, playing in 61 of 90 games in that period of time ... between June 10 and July 15, Hicklen did not appear in the field, serving as the team's DH 20 times in a 26-game stretch.

THE MANN OF THE HOUR

Infielder Devin Mann joined the Storm Chasers at the trade deadline and inserted himself nicely into Omaha's lineup.

• Mann reached base in the first 6 games he played with the Storm Chasers ... he reached base in his last 15 games with the Oklahoma City Dodgers before the trade to Kansas City, giving him a 21-game on-base streak from July 9 to August 9 with a .361 OBP in that span.
• Between Oklahoma City and Omaha, he ranked 1st among ALL Triple-A hitters with 42 doubles, tied 3rd with 63 XBH, tied 15th with 69 BB, tied 17th with 86 RBI & tied 17th with 231 TB.
• Mann drew more walks (29) than he recorded hits (26) over his 37 games with Omaha, producing a .354 OBP with the Chasers, despite hitting to just a .198 average (26-for-131).
• With Omaha, Mann made starts at 1B (7), 2B (11), 3B (16) and LF (3), one of 6 Storm Chasers to make starts at 4 or more positions.

BUBBA WAS MY BEST GOOD FRIEND

Claimed off waivers from Texas by Kansas City on August 13, outfielder Bubba Thompson was one of Omaha's top hitters the rest of the season.

• Since his first game with the Storm Chasers on August 15th through the end of the season, Thompson led the club with 36 hits, 57 total bases, 11 steals and 21 runs scored, while his 17 runs batted in are second on the team and 7 doubles are tied third.
• Thompson recorded a hit in 21 of his 33 games with Omaha and reached base in 13 of 22 total contests with the Chasers.

OLI, OLI, OLI!

Edward Olivares was a welcomed addition to the Omaha lineup over 13 games with Omaha after being he was optioned to Triple-A, with a .365/.424/.635 (19-for-52) slashline in 13 games.

• In the 2.5-week stretch he was with the Chasers, Oli led the team in all 4 average-based categories, from his first game on August 15 through his last game in Omaha on August 31 ... he also led the club with his 19 hits, 33 total bases, 5 doubles and 12 runs batted in ... 3 homers in that span were tied for the team lead.
• Olivares collected hits in 12 of his 13 games with Omaha, including each of his last 9 Triple-A games (.353 average) ... Oli also had 12 RBI in his 13 games.
• 3 of his 8 extra-base hits were home runs, all 3 of his homers were opposite field shots.

HEY, HO, ANGELO!

Storm Chasers infielder Angelo Castellano ended his 2023 season on possibly the best stretch of his career and one of the most dominant streaks an Omaha hitter had in 2023.

• Castellano reached base in 17 of his last 23 plate appearances of the season, with 11 hits (6 singles, 1 double, 4 homers), 4 walks and 2 hit-by-pitches between the 8th inning on September 14 and the 7th inning on September 22, his final plate appearance of the year.
• He ended the year on a season-best 7-game hitting streak ... over 7 games between August 14 and 22, he slashed .579/.680/1.263 (11-for-19) with 5 extra-base hits (4 home runs), 9 runs scored and 7 runs batted in.
• Castellano's .579 batting average and 1.943 OPS over his 7-game hitting streak are both the highest for any Storm Chasers hitting streak of 4+ games in 2023 ... his OPS is the best for any Omaha hitting streak of 5+ games since 2014, when Carlos Peguero produced a 2.160 OPS over an 8-game hitting streak that spanned from August 13 to 20.

HIP HIP JOSÉ!

Storm Chasers catcher José Briceño thrived since taking over the starting catcher role in the final weeks of the season, especially over the last week.

• Briceño homered in his final FIVE games of the 2023, the first Storm Chaser to ever do so and the first Omaha player since Cory Aldridge hit home runs in five straight games for the 2009 Omaha Royals between July 27 and August 8.
• 4 of Briceño's 5 homers in this streak were go-ahead homers, making him tied third on the team in go-ahead blasts.
• Prior to Briceño's season-ending stretch, no Omaha hitter in 2023 homered in more than two consecutive games.
• This marks the first time in Briceño's career that he's homered in 5 straight games ... in his previous 750 professional games played before the last five, he had homered in consecutive games 7 times, including 3 straight games in 2014 (July 2, 7 & 8).
• After hitting .167 in June, .174 in July and .185 in August, Briceño entered September with a .176 on the season with Omaha ... in September, he hit .275 (12-for-44), with 7 extra-base hits (5 homers) and 9 runs batted in.