Royals Farm report: July 7th
Triple-A
After a middling month of June, the Omaha Storm Chasers have won four of the six games they have played in the month of July. Overall, Omaha went 5-2 in the last week and remain a game and a half ahead of the Memphis Redbirds for first place in the PCL's American Northern Division
Who's Hot
In his first year in the Royals' organization, outfielder Lorenzo Cain continues to push for a call-up to Kansas City. He has eight hits in 19 at bats (.421) since July 1 with two doubles and a home run, pushing his overall batting average to .311. Left-hander Mike Montgomery has delivered back-to-back solid starts, allowing just one run with 12 strikeouts in 11 2/3 innings this past week. Mike Aviles saw his 13-game hitting streak snapped on Wednesday but has now cranked nine home runs in just 25 games since being sent down from the majors.
Who's Not
Clint Robinson is in the midst of a rare slump, as the slugging first baseman has just two hits in his last six games, a span covering 21 at bats. Still, the patient Robinson drew a total of four walks in his last two games and has an impressive .392 on-base percentage this season. Vin Mazzaro had a tough start against New Orleans on Tuesday as he yielded five runs on 11 hits against the Zephyrs.
Double-A
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals opened the second half with a win before losing seven consecutive games, finally snapping their skid on July 2 against San Antonio before taking two of three against Corpus Christi. The Naturals went 3-3 last week and though they sit well behind the Arkansas Travelers in the second-half standings, Northwest Arkansas maintains the second best overall record in the North Division.
Who's Hot
There are not many players hotter at the plate than outfielder Nick Francis is right now. Francis hit .406 in his most recent stint with Advanced-A Wilmington to earn another promotion to Double-A, and has proceeded to rack up nine hits in 22 at bats since rejoining the Naturals, moving up to the No. 5 spot in the order for the last two games. Derrick Robinson has an active nine-game hitting streak, during which he has racked up 10 of his league-best 31 stolen bases. Lefty Will Smith turned in perhaps his best start of the year on July 2, as he allowed just one run on two hits while striking out nine.
Who's Not
Southpaw Chris Dwyer entered this last homestand with a string of three consecutive solid starts. But the Missions and Hooks tagged Dwyer for a combined 12 runs in just six innings between two starts. Game-tying home run on Tuesday notwithstanding, Jamie Romak had just two hits in five games last week. And while he doesn't really belong in this section of the report, Kelvin Herrera issued his first unintentional walk at the Double-A level this week (though he still has a ridiculous 35/2 K/BB mark).
Class-A Advanced
The Wilmington Blue Rocks had a rough week, as they went 2-5 since last Thursday's report and have lose two games in a row. Uncharacteristically, the normally stingy Wilmington pitching staff allowed 12 or more runs on two occasions this past week. At 5-9 in the second half, Wilmington is now in last place in the league's North Divison.
Who's Hot
Sent down from Northwest Arkansas to make room for Francis, Nick Van Stratten has crushed the ball to the tune of a .458 average since joining the Blue Rocks. The outfielder tripled in his first game with Wilmington and has swiped three bags in six games. Corner infielder John Whittleman did not have a multi-hit game last week but homered on three consecutive nights to raise his team-best total to 11. Left-hander Noel Arguelles earned one of the Blue Rocks' two wins last week, allowing just one run over five innings as he lowered his ERA to 2.28.
Who's Not
The move down to Advanced-A has not been particularly kind to Kurt Mertins, who unlike Van Stratten is off to a slow start with his new team. Mertins has just two hits in 14 at bats since joining Wilmington's roster. Right-hander Tyler Sample did not make in out of the second inning against Potomac on Tuesday, allowing 10 runs - six earned - on five hits and three walks. Reliever Glenn Gibson was also tagged by the Nationals, as he yielded seven runs in just two thirds of an inning on July 2.
Class-A
Former Natural Vance Wilson's Kane County Cougars had an up-and-down week of their own, as the team went 4-3 and has alternated wins and losses for the last three days. Despite being eight games under .500 overall, the Cougars have built themselves a two-game lead in the Western Division's second half standings.
Who's Hot
Against Wisconsin on Wednesday, first baseman Jacob Kuebler put together one of the best individual performances by a Royal farmhand this season, belting three homers with four RBI and four runs scored. That laser show extended his hitting streak to six games, a stretch that has raised his average from .174 to .211. Now working in the rotation, Greg Billo continues to dominate the MWL. Billo allowed just an unearned run on six hits against Quad Cities on July 3, lowering his ERA to 1.49, a mark that leads all of Minor League Baseball.
Who's Not
After a hot streak that produced five home runs in a week and a half, outfielder Brett Eibner has just one hit in his last five games and has gone hitless in three straight. He had a day to forget against Quad Cities on Monday, going 0-5 with four strikeouts. Fellow outfielder Julio Aparicio also struggled last week, striking out eight times (while walking just once) in the four games in which he played.
Short Season
The Idaho Falls Chukars (Pioneer League) have been a remarkably streaky team through the first two and a half weeks of the Pioneer League season. In just 17 games, the Chukars have had a four-game winning streak, a pair of three-game losing streaks and are currently working on three wins in a row. At 9-8, the Chukars are two games behind Ogden in the league's South Division.
Who's Hot
Left-hander Brennon Martin has been Idaho Falls' most consistent starter this season, and turned in another gem on July 3, holding Ogden to just one run on five hits in seven strong innings. Martin boasts a 2.57 ERA and has not walked a batter in his 21 innings this season. Offensively, Daniel Mateo has three straight multi-hit games, a stretch that includes his first home run of the season and a four-hit effort his last time out. Mateo's .429 average leads the club, though Runey Davis (.396) and Michael Liberto (.387) are not far behind.
Who's Not
Mark Threkeld is one of the few Chukars currently struggling at the plate, as the third baseman is batting just .226 with 17 strikeouts in 14 games. On the mound, righty Kellen Moen has allowed at least two runs in each of his appearances, while David Middendorf (9.90 ERA) and Jose Sanchez (9.39 ERA) are yielding more than a run per inning.
The Burlington Royals (Appalachian League) had a 3-4 week that saw the team win a game 13-3 before dropping scores of 13-6 and 27-6. The 4-12 Royals find themselves in the basement of the league's East Division, seven games out of first place.
Who's Hot
6'7", 270-pound first baseman Murray Watts has been the primary cog in Burlington's offense to this point, as he has accounted for eight of the team's 18 home runs. Watts capped a four-homer week by going deep twice against Princeton on July 5. Outfielder Jorge Bonifaco is also in a groove at the dish as he rides a 10-game hitting streak that includes four multi-hit games. Starter Matt Ridings held Danville to just one run on one hit over 5 2/3 on July 3, striking out three.
Who's Not
Aside from Ridings' last effort, the Burlington rotation had a rough week overall. Robinson Yambati allowed seven runs in three innings against Bristol on July 2, while Danville tagged Angel Baez for six runs - three earned - in just two innings two days later. At the plate, Yunior Figueroa (.206) and Jin-Ho Shin (.211) are both off to a slow start in the Appalachian League.
The AZL Royals (Arizona League) went 3-2 last week, emerging from a five-game losing streak to win three of their last four contests. That includes a wild 14-13 win over the Dodgers' complex league affiliate that saw the Royals put up three runs in the 15th inning before holding off a Dodger rally.
Who's Hot
In just 11 professional contests, Nick DelGuidice has already racked up four games with three hits or more, including a 4-for-4 performance on Tuesday that raised his batting average to .444. Right behind DelGuidice is Nicholas Cuckovich, who sports a .370 batting average with a .464 on-base percentage through 11 games of his own. Andrew Steuve has been the best of a shaky pitching staff, posting a 0.77 ERA in 11 2/3 innings.
Who's Not
As a club, the AZL Royals have combined to post a 7.13 team ERA. Cesar Ogando has allowed at least four runs in each of his first two starts, while Parker Bangs yielded five and was tagged for a loss in relief on July 4. Shortstop Humberto Arteaga had a forgettable 1-for-9 day at the plate in that 15-inning contest against the AZL Dodgers.
Former Naturals outside the Kansas City organization
Plying his trade with the Mariners' Triple-A affiliate, right-hander Dan Cortes had a rollercoaster week. After tossing a scoreless inning on July 1, Cortes yielded three runs in one frame on July 3, walked all three batters he faced on July 5 and tossed a scoreless inning despite three more walks one day later. For Triple-A Albuquerque, Corey Smith saw his batting average slip to .245 after a 3-for-21 week, while over in the International League, Jordan Parraz is riding a six-game hitting streak for Scranton-Wilkes Barre.
In Atlanta's system, righty Juan Abreu has not been charged with a run in any of his last 11 appearances, allowing just one of six inherited runners to score in that time. His Gwinnett teammate, Ed Lucas, had a tough 1-for-13 week at the plate. One step below, Ben Swaggerty allowed five runs over two apperances for Double-A Missisippi last week.
Lefty Rowdy Hardy had more success in the M-Braves bullpen this week, tossing two scoreless innings to lower his ERA to 3.56. Ernesto Mejia did not homer last week but racked up 13 hits and seven runs batted in, raising his average to .301 in the process.
Finally, Chris McConnell is currently hitting .231 for the Nationals' Double-A affiliate in Harrisburg, while Jose Duarte has an active eight-game hitting streak for the Florida State League's Jupiter Hammerheads.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.