Three Appalachian League Alums, Ben Rortvedt (Elizabethton 2016), Seuly Matias (Burlington 2017), and Nicky Lopez (Burlington 2016) (pictured above), had standout performances Sunday.
Three Appalachian League Alums, Ben Rortvedt (Elizabethton 2016), Seuly Matias (Burlington 2017), and Nicky Lopez (Burlington 2016) (pictured above), had standout performances Sunday.
Twins C Ben Rortvedt , Class A Advanced Fort Myers: 4-for-5, HR, 3 R, 3 RBIs -- Rortvedt may have been batting ninth on Sunday, but he was the leading force behind Fort Myers' 12-7 win over Clearwater. The 21-year-old backstop hit his first homer of the season in the fourth, a solo shot to left. He followed that up with an RBI double to left in the fifth and knocked in another run with a groundout in the sixth, finishing a triple shy of the cycle. He had only played in seven games coming in, so his explosive performance raised his line to .321/.441/.536 on the season. It was his second-career four hit game, the first coming back on April 10 of last season in which he went 4-for-4 against Peoria. MLB.com's No. 5 overall prospect Royce Lewis went 2-for-5.
Royals OF Seuly Matias , Class A Advanced Wilmington: 2-for-3, 2 HR, 3 RBIs -- Matias put his well-documented power on display Sunday for the second straight game. The Royals' No. 6 prospect went deep twice against Carolina a day after hitting his first homer of the season. He sent a solo shot to center in the fourth, and added a two-run blast in the sixth that plated No. 10 prospect Kyle Isbel . The 20-year-old burst onto the scene last season with 31 homers. That was a sharp increase from his first two years when he combined for 15 long balls. Matias has shown less power so far in 2019 but has vastly improved as an all-around hitter, carrying a .281 average, which would be a career high.
Royals 2B Nicky Lopez , Triple-A Omaha: 3-for-5, 3 R -- Lopez had an impressive spring with the big league club and has started his regular season off well, too. The No. 8 Royals prospecthad his best statistical performance of 2019, racking up three singles and scoring each time he reached base. He made 57 appearances with the Storm Chasers last year, hitting .308/.382/.417 after starting the year at Double-A Northwest Arkansas, where he batted .331/.397/.416 in 73 games. The 24-year-old has a career slash line of .265/.342/.294.
