Wil's World: Myers' Season In Omaha
During the 2016 season, San Diego Padres infielder Wil Myers was named to his first All-Star team, while also participating in MLB's Home Run Derby. He finished the campaign a finalist for Gold Glove honors at first base, all while batting .259 (155-599) with 99 runs, 29 doubles, four triples, 28 homers and 94 RBI. It was a breakout season the Padres were looking for, and one that should not have surprised Omaha Storm Chasers fans.
Take that and rewind it back to before the 2012 season. At that point a 22-year-old Myers had just completed a full season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, having crushed eight longballs in 99 contests. However he was also coming off a stellar Arizona Fall League campaign, hitting .390 (31-86) with four homers and 18 RBI in 23 contests for the Surprise Saguaros. Expectations going into the season were high for the North Carolina native, rated by Baseball America as a top 50 overall prospect. As many in Omaha know, he not only surpassed, but shattered those expectations.
Myers was promoted to Omaha from Double-A Northwest Arkansas on May 16, 2012 after blasting Double-A pitching to the tune of a .343/.414/.731 split, slamming 13 home runs in just 35 games. He was ready for his next challenge in Triple-A.
Ask scouts which jump in baseball is the toughest in terms of talent level, and many will say the transition from Double-A to Triple-A. Whereas many at the Double-A level are capable of playing in the Major Leagues, many at the Triple-A level already have at least made it to "The Show" at least once, displaying a much more intricate approach to the game. It is not unusual for younger players to stumble out of the gate when they first make it this level.
Myers barely hiccuped. In his Triple-A debut on May 17, he recorded two hits and drove in a run against the Tacoma Rainiers. The next day he was a home run shy of hitting for the cycle. He did not leave the yard until his sixth Triple-A contest with the Storm Chasers, but after he did he hit another one the very next day. Two days after that? Another one.
Through his first 16 games with Omaha, Myers posted a .351 average (20-47), scoring ten runs while accumulating four doubles, one triple, five longballs and 14 RBI. Definitey not a stumble. Included in that span on May 31 against the Iowa Cubs, he tallied three hits, homered and drove in four RBI in the second game of a doubleheader.
In a time period from May 31 through June 11, a span of just 11 games, Myers recorded at least one RBI in nine of those 11 contests, which included two or more "ribbies" in seven of those contests. Smack dab in the middle of that stretch was a moment when Myers put himself on the map.
On June 7, 2012, the Storm Chasers were set to square off against the Round Rock Express. This was a big day at Werner Park in that All-Star hurler Roy Oswalt was set to pitch against Omaha on a Major League Rehab Assignment. This was the chance for Myers and the rest of the Storm Chasers squad to face a star pitcher, though at the age of 34 Oswalt was admittedly not in his prime years. Nevertheless, it was a big name (fun fact: Myers was slotted to bat third. Hitting right behind him that day at designated hitter? Salvador Perez. Jake Odorizzi, a name that would later be aligned with Myers, also started for Omaha that night).
In his first faceoff with Oswalt, Myers flew out to center. His next plate appearance would come in the third inning, stepping into the box with the bases loaded with no outs. In the "driver's seat" up 2-0 in the count, Myers jumped on a fastball and deposited the pitch into the left field Home Run Porch for a grand slam. The moment would later be voted the Storm Chasers' most memorable from the 2012 campaign.
From that point on, "The Year of Wil" continued. Following a All-Star Futures game selection, an appearance in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Buffalo followed, which included socking a double off Syracuse lefty Zach Duke following an RBI single in his first at-bat.
On July 30, Myers recorded the first two-homer game of his Triple-A career against the Oklahoma City RedHawks (now Oklahoma City Dodgers). On August 12, he matched an Omaha franchise record with five hits while scoring four runs versus the Tucson Padres. Less than a month later, he tallied four hits on September 1 in Albuquerque.
When all was said and done, Myers had compiled a .304 batting average (118-388) in 99 games, adding 66 runs, 15 doubles, five triples, 24 homers and 79 RBI. He tied for fourth in the Pacific Coast League in longballs despite only joining the circuit in mid-May, while owning the fourth-best home run per at-bat ratio in the league, smashing a home run once every 16.17 at-bats.
It was a monster year for Myers, and he would received plenty of accolades. Pacific Coast League Post-Season All-Star. Topps Triple-A All-Star. MiLB.com Organization All-Star. MiLB.com's Best Offensive Player. Topps Minor League Player of the Year. Baseball America Minor league Player of the Year. USA TODAY Minor League Player of the Year.
Then on December 9, 2012, the Royals and Tampa Bay Rays announced Myers had been traded to Tampa along with Odorizzi, Patrick Leonard and Mike Montgomery in exchange for James Shields, Wade Davis and a player to be named later. Myers would earn American League Rookie of the Year honors in 2013, only to be acquired in a trade by the Padres on December 19, 2014.
With the upcoming 2017 season being just Myers' age-26 season, there's still plenty of years left for Myers to shine. More possible All-Star Games, Gold Gloves and other accolades are clearly on the horizon. Though he may no longer be a member of the Royals, Myers will forever be a part of the Storm Chasers' history.