The KC Royals played a full week of games for the first time during the 2013 season (with zero days off). It unfortunately was not a good week. They went 1-6 last week, but started the new week with a win in LA last night. The Royals dropped to third place in the American League Central behind both Detroit and suddenly hot Cleveland, and just one game ahead of Minnesota.

Omaha dropped to second place in the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division at 19-17. The Storm Chasers went 3-4 last week. They finish up their road series tonight in Colorado Springs, before returning home to enjoy tomorrow off and start an eight-game homestand.

NW Arkansas went 3-3 last week and continue to be the worst team in the Texas League at 13-22. The Naturals continue their road series tonight against the Arkansas Travelers.

Wilmington continues to be a streaky team, though they are still in last place in the Northern Division of the Carolina League (17-20). Last week, the Blue Rocks went 4-2. They continue their road trip tonight, as they open a three-game set in Potomac.

Lexington is 18-19, four games back in the South Atlantic League’s Southern Division. The Legends went 3-3 last week. They continue their home series tonight against Kannapolis.

Now to the awards…The Royals minor leaguers took home three player/pitcher of the week awards. I only gave one of them one of my weekly awards.

Hitter of the Week

Majors: Alex Gordon seems to be the only Royal who can consistently hit in their lineup, no matter where Ned Yost places him in the lineup. He has now moved to the third spot, in front of Billy Butler, and has not missed a beat. Over the last seven games, he went 11-for-28 (.393) with two doubles and three homeruns. Gordon scored six runs and drove in eight.

Minors: Max Ramirez, Omaha. He was also named the PCL’s Player of the Week. In five games, he went 11-for-20 (.550) with two doubles and two homeruns. He scored seven runs and drove in six. He is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak.

Honorable Mention: His teammate Anthony Seratelli. In six games, he went 10-for-25 (.400) with two doubles and a homerun. He scored six runs and drove in four.

» Continue reading “Royals Weekly Awards”

Another week has gone by, meaning it is time for another winter league update of KC Royals players.

Let’s start in the Dominican Winter League.

Infielder Tony Abreu played five games last week, three at second base. He went 3-for-18 (.167) for Aguilas Cibaenas. He walked twice, struck out three times, and scored two runs. He also made two errors at second base.

Antonio Cruz pitched in one game last week for Tigres del Licey. He did not record an out, but allowed a run on one hit.

Moving on to the Venezuelan Winter League, where there are five Royals playing.

Three of those players are playing for Bravos de Margarita. Manny Pina caught two games, but went just 0-for-3. He struck out once. Max Ramirez played in five games (one at first base) and went 8-for-22 (.364). He doubled, scored a run, and drove in a run. He struck out three times.

Lefty Blaine Hardy pitched in two games, although he pitched just 2/3 of an inning. He allowed a hit and a walk, while striking out once.

Mario Lisson played in five games (all in the outfield) with Navegantes del Magallanes. He went 5-for-21 (.238) with a double and a homerun. He scored two runs and drove in five. He did strike out seven times and committed an error.

Juan Gutierrez pitched in three games for Leones del Caracas. Over 2.2 innings, he allowed two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out three. He converted two of his three save opportunities.

» Continue reading “Royals Winter League Update”

Three more KC Royals players have begun playing winter league baseball in Latin America.

Tony Abreu with Omaha via Minda Haas (Royal Blues).

Infielder Tony Abreu has played all three games at second base for Aguilas Cibaenas in the Dominican Winter League. Last week, he went 5-for-12 (.417) with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI. He did strike out three times.

The other two players are both catchers. Julio Rodriguez is playing for Gigantes del Cibao in the DWL. In one game, he has gotten just one at-bat (he struck out). Manny Pina is playing in the Venezuelan Winter League for Bravos de Margarita. He also only played in one game and went 0-for-2.

Pina’s teammates with Margarita are fellow catcher Max Ramirez and pitcher Blaine Hardy. Ramirez played in ten games, two at first base and one behind the plate. He went 6-for-15 (.400) with a double. Ramirez scored two runs, walked twice, and struck out once. Hardy pitched in four games and had a rough week. He blew two saves and allowed seven runs (four earned) over just 2.1 innings. Hardy allowed six hits and five walks while striking out just two.

Mario Lisson is playing in the VWL for Navegantes del Magallanes. He played in three games last week, all in the outfield. He went 3-for-10 with a double, two runs scored, four RBIs, a walk, and a sac fly. He struck out twice.

Juan Gutierrez pitched in three games in his second week in the VWL with Leones del Caracas. In three innings, he allowed three hits and a run (unearned), along with three walks. He struck out two while picking up two saves.

In Mexico, Anthony Seratelli continues to hit for Venados de Mazatlan. In nine games, all in the outfield, he went 11-for-36 (.305) with three doubles, seven walks, and a homerun. He scored six runs and drove in six. He did strike out nine times and stole a base.

Federico Castaneda is pitching for Tomateros de Culiacan. In four games totaling 2.2 innings, he allowed a single run via the long ball. He allowed two hits while striking out three. He picked up two holds.

*Jorge Bonifacio (DWL), Anontio Cruz (DWL), and Brandon Sisk (VWL) did not appear in a game last week.

Two current KC Royals minor leaguers got into the winter league action last week. Both were pitchers.

Left-hander Antonio Cruz, who pitched with High-A Wilmington in 2012, has pitched in one game for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League. In that one game, he faced seven batters in one inning of work. Cruz allowed three runs on four hits while striking out one.

Jorge Bonifacio (right) with Cougars first base coach Julio Bruno via Craig Wieczorkiewicz/Midwest League Traveler

His teammate in the DWL with Licey is outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. He played in two games last week, but recorded just one at-bat. He went 1-for-1 and played the outfield.

The other pitcher to make his winter league debut last week was right-hander Juan Gutierrez. He pitched in two games for Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League. Gutierrez pitched two innings and walked one while striking out three. He also picked up two holds.

Elsewhere in the VWL, Mario Lisson played two games in the outfield with Navegantes del Magallanes. He went just 1-for-7 and struck out twice. He also walked twice but committed an error. His teammate with Magallanes, lefty Brandon Sisk, pitched in two games last week. He picked up two holds in 1.2 innings. He did allow two runs on two hits while facing eight batters.

Catcher/first baseman Max Ramirez and pitcher Blaine Hardy are teammates with Bravos de Margarita. Ramirez played both positions in two games last week. He went 4-for-8 with a double and four runs scored. The left-handed Hardy pitched in just one game and pitched a perfect inning. He struck out one.

Moving on to the Mexican Pacific League, where the Royals have two farmhands participating in winter ball.

Utility guy Anthony Seratelli is currently playing for Venados de Mazatlan. He played three games in the outfield last week. He only went 1-for-8. However, Seratelli hit a double, walked twice, scored a run, drove in two runs, and sacrificed a runner over.

Right-handed pitcher Federico Castaneda is once again a member of Tomateros de Culiacan. He pitched in just one game last week. In his one inning of work, he walked one while striking out one and picked up a hold.

The Arizona Fall League isn’t the only winter league involving prospects and baseball players. The Caribbean Leagues and the Australian Baseball League have all either started or are about to start in the next month.

Outside of the eight KC Royals participating in the AFL, there are quite a few more scattered across the winter leagues.

The Venezuelan League opened on October 11th and the regular season ends on December 30th. The All-Star Game will be held on December 2nd. Mario Lisson has played in four games for Navegantes del Magallanes, both at first base and in the outfield. He is 3-for-12 with two walks, two strikeouts, and a run scored. His teammate, reliever Brandon Sisk, has made one appearance. He allowed a run on one hit over an inning of work. He walked one and picked up a hold.

Blaine Hardy has made two appearances for Bravos de Margarita. Over two innings, he has allowed one hit while striking out three. He even picked up a hold. His teammate in Margarita, Max Ramirez, has played in one game at first base. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored.

The Mexican Pacific League opened on October 13th with the regular season ending on December 30th. Federico Castaneda is once again pitching for Tomateros de Culiacan. He has made one appearance totaling one perfect inning of relief. Anthony Seratelli is also playing in the MPL. The utility fielder has played in two games in the outfield and is 2-for-9 with a strikeout.

The Domincan Winter League began play on October 14th, with the All-Star Game taking place on December 11th. The regular season comes to an end on December 21st. Three Royals are playing in the DWL for Tigres del Licey, but only one has gotten into a game so far.

Outfielder Jorge Bonifacio pinch-hit and went 0-for-1. Pitchers Francisley Bueno and Michael Mariot have yet to appear in a game.

The ABL begins on November 1st and outfielder Carlo Testa will be a member of the Melbourne Aces. He was one of the first MLB-affiliated imports to join the ABL. For more on Testa joining the Aces, click HERE.

The Puerto Rican League begins on November 8th. Infielder Christian Colon will be making up at-bats (due to injury) with Leones de Ponce. Joining Colon in the PRL is reliever Ryan Dennick, though he will be pitching for Indios de Mayaguez.

The Caribbean Series begins on February 1, 2013 with the four Caribbean League champions facing off against each other. The championship will be held on February 7th.

After watching Iowa tie the game in the top of the 8th inning, Omaha came right back to retake the lead en route to their 5-4 win. Kevin Kouzmanoff drove in the go ahead run with a single (one of his two hits).

Anthony Seratelli and Wil Myers each hit two-run homeruns. Seratelli collected three hits, while Myers had two hits. Tony Abreu also had two hits in the win.

A poor outing from NW Arkansas starter Chris Dwyer (1.2 IP, H, 4R, 7BB, OK) led them to an 8-4 loss to Midland. The Naturals out-hit the RockHounds 14-9, but went 5-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

Paulo Orlando led off and went 3-for-5. Sharlon Schoop, Carlo Testa, and Nick Van Stratten each collected two hits in the loss.

Fans will have to wait for the anticipated pitching matchup between hard-throwing Wilmington Blue Rocks starter Yordano Ventura and hard-throwing phenom Dylan Bundy for Frederick. The game was rained out and will be made of as part of a double header on Saturday.

Kane County took the first game of their double header against Clinton, 5-2. The Cougars out-hit the LumberKings 10-3.

Tim Ferguson went 3-for-4 in the leadoff spot. Dean Espy and Runey Davis collected two hits each, with Davis driving in two runs.

Cody Fassold earned the victory in relief in just his second game with the Cougars. He pitched 2.1 scoreless innings and did not allow a hit (he did walk three).

The Cougars lost Game 2, 2-0. They out-hit the LumberKings 7-4, but grounded into two double plays and went just 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position.

Daniel Mateo and Kenny Swab each had two hits in the loss. Angel Baez was the hard-luck loser, as he allowed two runs (one earned) in the complete game. He gave up just four hits and struck out eight.

Omaha hit two solo homeruns, one in the 8th to tie the game and one in the 12th to win the game, as they beat New Orleans 2-1. Anthony Seratelli hit a homerun in the 8th inning (he went 2-for-4). Wil Myers hit the game winner in the 12th inning.

Roman Colon picked up the win, as he pitched three scoreless innings of relief. He struck out two and allowed just one hit. Vin Mazzaro got the start and allowed one run on six hits over 6.2 innings. He struck out five and did not walk a batter. Jeremy Jeffress followed with two scoreless innings of relief.

Two 3-run innings and two 2-run innings propelled NW Arkansas over Midland, 10-3. The Naturals hit three homeruns, with Carlo Testa and John Whittleman picking up their sixth of the season. Whittleman went 2-for-4 with three RBIs.

Eric Duncan went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs and Nick Van Stratten went 2-for-4 in the win.

Elisaul Pimentel took advantage of the run support to pick up his second win of the season. He allowed one run (a solo homerun) on seven hits and a walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Tonight’s Wilmington Blue Rocks game in Myrtle Beach was a rematch of last Saturday night’s game in Wilmington, as Nick Tepesch took the mound coming off his no-hitter. He didn’t pitch a no-hitter, but the Pelicans won 10-2.

Tepesch did however pick up a win, as he allowed three runs on five hits over 6.2 innings. His counterpart again, Jason Adam, struggled from the beginning. He ended up allowing seven runs on ten hits over 5.1 innings.

Kevin David continues his hot hitting, as he went 2-for-3 to up his average to .278.

With reliever Jon Keck being promoted to NW Arkansas, Edwin Carl was promoted from Kane County. He will pitch out of the bullpen, despite pitching well out of the rotation for the Cougars.

A seven run 3rd inning was enough for Kane County, as they beat Burlington 7-3.  In that inning, they collected five hits and walked five times.

Justin Trapp, Jorge Bonifacio, Michael Antonio, and Orlando Calixte each had two hits in the win.

All of that offense made a winner of Brooks Pounders. He allowed two unearned runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out four.

Omaha used a solid pitching effort and a good offensive night from Anthony Seratelli to beat Salt Lake, 4-2. Seratelli hit a solo homerun in the 3rd inning that gave the Storm Chasers the lead and drove in a run in the team’s two-run 4th inning that re-gained the lead.

Sean O’Sullivan earned the win, as he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks over five innings. Brandon Sisk and Tommy Hottovy followed up with two scoreless innings each.

KC Royals utility infielder Yuniesky Betancourt began his rehab assignment with NW Arkansas on Thursday night, but the Naturals lost 11-3. Yuni went 2-for-5 with two RBIs.

The Naturals were not out-hit by Midland (10-10), but were just 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Eric Duncan and Ryan Jenkins collected two hits.

Three Naturals relievers allowed eight runs (five earned) on eight hits and five walks over the final 3.2 innings. Starter Justin Marks wasn’t bad; he allowed three runs on two hits and five walks over 5.1 innings.

Andrew Dobies was reinstated from the DL and then released. Taking Dobies place is lefty Jon Keck, who was promoted from Wilmington. Keck was 2-1 with a 1.61 ERA over 11 appearances. I had seen him pitch five times this season.

The Blue Rocks had Thursday off, as they made their way to Myrtle Beach for a weekend series.

Kane County won the slugfest over Burlington 13-12 in walk-off fashion. After watching the Bees take the lead in the 8th inning and add insurance in the top of the 9th inning, the Cougars went to work in the bottom of the 9th inning.

It all started with Lane Adams striking out, but reaching base via a passed ball. Michael Antonio followed with a single. Orlando Calixte attempted to sacrifice the runners, but there was an error to load the bases. Up came Dean Espy, who cleared the bases with a double to give the Cougars the victory.

Espy finished with three hits, as did Justin Trapp. Daniel Mateo went 4-for-5 with three runs scored. Antonio and Jorge Bonifacio each had two hits, as Antonio hit a two-run homerun in the first inning.

The two teams combined for 32 hits and seven errors.

The Omaha Storm Chasers’ five-game winning streak came to an end Friday night with a 5-4 loss at Memphis. Omaha led 4-1 heading into the bottom of the 8th inning when they scored four runs to take the lead. Jeremy Jeffress entered with two men on base and allowed them and two more runs to score.

That cost starter Vin Mazzaro a win, after allowing just one run on three hits and three walks over six innings of work. He struck out three.

On offense, Anthony Seratelli went 4-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Johnny Giavotella and Tony Abreu each collected two hits in the loss.

NW Arkansas extended their winning streak to five games, as they won at home against Arkansas, 8-3. Down 3-0, the Naturals scored five runs in the bottom of the 4th inning and another three runs in the bottom of the 8th inning.

The big offensive player for the Naturals was Carlo Testa, who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and six RBIs. He hit a grand slam in the 4th inning and a two-run triple in the 8th inning.

The offensive outburst made a winner of starter Tim Melville, who allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four. The best pitching performance came via Elisaul Pimentel, who pitched three perfect innings of relief. He struck out three.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks lost their first game in a seven-game homestand to the Winston-Salem Dash, 5-3. Manager Vance Wilson had a closed door team meeting following the game and was NOT happy with the team’s lack of effort. You can check out my live post HERE. I hope to have photos from the game (mainly of the Dash prospects) up tomorrow. Same can be said of video from the postgame interview with Brian Fletcher, who went 3-for-4, and quotes from Wilson.

The Kane County Cougars struck out ten times en route to their 4-2 loss at Lansing. The Cougars were swept in the three-game series and move on to play at Great Lake tomorrow.

Jorge Bonifacio went 2-for-4 in the loss, as the Cougars collected just five hits. Edwin Carl took the loss, as he allowed two runs on four hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out five, but allowed two solo homeruns in the 2nd inning.

It was a tough week for the big league KC Royals, as they are currently in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Overall, they won just one game last week.

Triple-A Omaha swept their home series against Round Rock, but have now lost 2-of-3 at Albuquerque (they finish up the series this afternoon). Overall, the Storm Chasers are 8-3 (they won six in a row).

Double-A NW Arkansas lost 2-of-3 at San Antonio before opening up at home against Corpus Christi (when they lost 2-of-3). Overall, the Naturals are 3-6.

High-A Wilmington lost 2-of-3 at Carolina before finally opening up at home. They lost 2-of-3 to Frederick. The Blue Rocks are 3-6.

Low-A Kane County began the week by losing 2-of-3 at home to Beloit. However, they went out on the road and won 3-of-4 at Burlington. Overall, the Cougars are 6-4.

So who is taking home a weekly award?

Hitter of the Week:

Majors: Yuniesky Betancourt has made the most of his playing time at second base. Last week, he went 5-for-12 with a homerun and a double.

Honorable mention: Brayan Pena (5-for-13 with two doubles and two runs scored) and Mike Moustakas (7-for-20 with five doubles, four runs scored, and five RBIs).

Minors: Jorge Bonifacio, Kane County. Over the past week, Bonifacio had five 2-hit games. He went 12-for-28 in his last seven games. He also had six RBIs. Overall, he has a 9-game hitting streak and is hitting .417.

Honorable mention: Clint Robinson, Omaha (10-for-30 with two homeruns and three RBIs) and Anthony Seratelli, Omaha (8-for-18 with two homeruns and eight RBIs).

Pitcher of the Week:

Majors: Everett Teaford hadn’t pitched all season until getting into Friday’s home opener when starter Luke Hochevar took a line drive off his ankle in the 4th inning (and Hochevar had already been lit up). All Teaford did was pitch four shutout innings. He allowed just one hit.

Minors: Aaron Brooks, Kane County. Brooks went 2-0 this week over two starts. In his second start of the season (Tuesday at home against Beloit), he pitched five shutout innings. Brooks allowed just three hits and two walks while striking out three.

Honorable mention: Jason Adam, Wilmington. Adam pitched the Blue Rocks home opener and was dominant. In five shutout innings, he allowed just four hits and no walks while striking out seven.