Back in November, MiLB.com named the KC Royals Organizational  All-Stars (one player at each position). As of now, only eight players are still in the organization.

First, lefty Brandon Sisk was traded to the LA Angels for Ervin Santana. Sisk was named the Royals top reliever. He pitched in 50 games with Triple-A Omaha and recorded a 2.54 ERA in 67.1 innings. He also struck out 73 batters. Over his final ten regular season appearances, Sisk allowed just one run in 17.1 innings. JJ Picollo, the Royals‘ assistant GM, said that opponents do not get good swings against him. Maybe he has a chance in LA?

Next was first baseman Clint Robinson, who was designated for assignment and then traded to Pittsburgh for two low minor leaguers. His 37 doubles and 79 walks were tops in the organization, despite having lesser offensive numbers than in 2011 (.292, 13 homeruns, and 67 RBIs). Picollo talked about how Robinson makes everyone around him in the lineup better. Who’s going to be THAT guy in 2013?

Jake Odorizzi with the Blue Rocks

Last week came the trade with Tampa Bay that sent Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, and Patrick Leonard to the Rays. Since Myers was the Royals Minor League Player of the Year, he was obviously named one of their top outfielders. He made mechanical adjustments to his swing, which increased his power (29 more homeruns than in 2011). And he did not sacrifice his average (he hit .314 in 2012). Myers is expected to be starting in the Rays outfield in 2013.

Odorizzi was the Royals top right-handed starter, as he won an organization-high of 15 games. In five Double-A starts, opponents hit just .191 against him. Overall, he had a 3.03 ERA and struck out 135 batters in 145.1 minor league innings. After the trade, Odorizzi stated that he plans on being ready to compete for one of the Rays rotation spots in 2013. He’ll just have to pitch down in the zone or he’ll continue to get beat by the long ball.

Leonard was the least touted of the Royals to be traded, but he was the best third baseman in the organization. In his first season of pro ball, he hit a homerun every 17 at-bats at rookie level Burlington (he led the Appalachian League with 14 homeruns). He is a big guy (6’4, 225) and the Royals were shocked with how good he is on defense. It’s too early to tell how Leonard will pan out, but maybe he will move Evan Longoria to first base sometime in the future.

So who is still left?

» Continue reading “Who’s Gone and Who’s Left in the Royals Organization?”

This was my toughest decision among all of the KC Royals end of season awards. It was so hard that I could not chose the Minor League Pitcher of the Year and am leaving the decision up to YOU.

Pitching carried High-A Wilmington into the postseason in 2012 and I had a chance to see all three of the following candidates pitch at least once.

Yordano Ventura is the rail-thin fireballer, who was not only a Carolina League All-Star but also a Futures Game starter. He started the game at Kauffman Stadium for the World. In Wilmington, opponents hit just .229 against him and he struck out 98 in 76.1 innings. He struggled with walks and high pitch counts upon his promotion to Double-A, as he lasted more than 5.2 innings once in six starts there.

Sugar Ray Marimon (screen capped from the WBC game on MLB Network)

Sugar Ray Marimon joined Ventura as a Carolina League All-Star and surprised many with his performance in 2012. He was part of a piggyback combination for much of his time in Wilmington, but still struck out 60 in 68 innings. He also carried a 2.12 ERA to Double-A, where he also struggled. He walked 29 in 66.2 innings and opponents hit .264 against him. Marimon did shine in his one start for Columbia in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier (one run in five innings of work to earn the victory).

Jason Adam spent the entire season in Wilmington and dominated at the beginning and at the end (though he struggled to record victories due to a lack of run support). He was a workhorse, as his 158 innings attest. In his final start (a postseason win), Adam pitched one batter into the 8th inning. In the end, he allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out four.

There are two surprises to this list. Let’s start with lefty Justin Marks, who finished a successful 2012 season with a solid run in the Arizona Fall League. He was the lone Royal to be named to the AFL All-Prospect Team. His performance this past season also earned him a spot on the Royals 40-man roster.

Marks made 17 starts in Double-A and carried a 3.08 ERA. Despite missing some time due to injury, he was promoted to Triple-A to make one start prior to the postseason (which was disastrous). In the AFL, he was 5-1 with a 2.59 ERA in seven starts. He struck out 22 in 24.1 innings and walked just five. Left-handed hitters hit just .160 against him.

» Continue reading “RBA Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Year”

With the MLB All-Star Game this past week, the KC Royals only played three games. They lost their three-game home series to the Chicago White Sox (1-2). Overall, the Royals are 38-49, good for fourth place in the American League Central (10.5 games back of the White Sox).

The Triple-A All-Star Game was also held last week, so Omaha only played one series. They split their four-game home series with Iowa. The Storm Chasers are still in first place in the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division at 58-37, the best record in the PCL. They are also 16.5 games up.

It has been a rough second half so far for NW Arkansas, as they went just 1-5 last week. The Naturals dropped to 5-17 and sit in last place in the North Division of the Texas League. They are 10.5 games back and begin a four-game home series versus Arkansas tonight.

Wilmington is in the midst of a five-game winning streak, as they went 5-0 this past week. The Blue Rocks are in second place (12-11) and just one game back in the Northern Division of the Carolina League. They begin a four game series in Myrtle Beach tonight.

Kane County went 3-3 this past week and finish their home series today against West Michigan before enjoying the off day on Tuesday. The Cougars are tied for first place in the Western Division of the Midwest League at 13-10.

Hitters of the Week

Majors: The Royals welcomed injured players Chris Getz and Lorenzo Cain back following the All-Star break. Getz played in two games and went 3-for-7. He also drove in a run.

Cain played in all three games, going 5-for-10. He scored three runs and drove in two runs. He also hit two doubles.

Minors: Justin Trapp, Kane County. In four games, he went 6-for-14 (.429) with four runs scored, a homerun, and two RBIs. He also walked three times.

Honorable Mention: Brian Fletcher, NW Arkansas. He seems to have finally found the stroke that got him promoted in the first place. Over the past week, he went 8-for-28 (.286) with a double, a homerun, and two RBIs.

» Continue reading “Royals Blue Aid Weekly Awards”

Jason Adam is living the dream. He’s playing baseball for a living for his hometown Kansas City Royals (though he is in the minors). His high school is just 22 minutes from Kauffman Stadium.

He was a fifth round pick in 2010 and made his professional debut last season with Low-A Kane County (6-9 with a 4.23 ERA in 21 starts). Heading into this season, Baseball America ranked him as the Royals 8th best prospect (you have to be a subscriber to read about all ten).

The 20-year old made the jump to High-A Wilmington and has struggled to receive run support, thus costing him victories (1-8 with a 3.57 ERA). Yet he can usually be found praising his teammates for their defense behind him.

The Blue Rocks pitcher was kind enough to hang around after the game on Sunday to talk baseball, idols growing up, and what it would be like to reach the big leagues.

Me: You struggled controlling the running game last season. What changes have you made to do a better job this season?

Jason: “Well, I knew it was a problem last year. We talked about it, but they didn’t want to change. I had a pretty high leg kick from the stretch, which allowed them a extra second and a half to try to steal second. So this year I worked on, just in the offseason, in the mirror, lowering my leg kick and moving a little quicker. It just saved me some runs.”

Me: What is your put away pitch?

Jason: “Probably my curveball. It’s the most consistent put away pitch, but it depends on the day really.”

Me: Do you have a specific routine on the day you start?

Jason: “Not necessarily a routine, but I like to about two hours before the game, I start doing a foam roll, I stretch, I rest, eat, stretch again, and then get my arm stretched out, and pitch.”

Me: Are there any specific meals you need to eat, you know because baseball players are superstitious?

Jason: “No. I’m trying to get away from being superstitious. Last year I ate spaghetti every night before, but this year it’s whatever.”

» Continue reading “Getting to Know Royals Prospect Jason Adam”

Omaha was postponed at home against Iowa. The two teams will play two seven-inning games on Thursday.

It took 11 innings, but NW Arkansas lost at Midland, 7-6. Jeremy Barfield hit a homerun to lead off the bottom of the 11th inning against Buddy Baumann. It seemed that every time the Naturals scored, Midland scored, which isn’t good when Midland is the home team.

The Naturals collected ten hits, with Eric Duncan having a triple and a two-run homerun. Yem Prades and Mario Lisson had three hits each in the loss.

Jason Adam lost his 8th game, as Wilmington lost 5-3 to host Carolina. Adam didn’t pitch bad, as he allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk over 6.2 innings. He was hampered by errors (the Blue Rocks made five of them) and one run scored after his exit.

The Blue Rocks out-hit Carolina 12-9, but hit into four double plays and were just 3-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Every starter had at least one hit.

*Greg Billo was named the Carolina League’s Pitcher of the Week. He allowed just two hits over seven shutout innings on May 21st against Potomac (I was there).

Kane County won the slugfest, 13-10 over host Clinton. Jorge Bonifacio‘s grand slam in the top of the 6th inning gave the Cougars the lead they would not relinquish.

Michael Giovenco picked up the save, as he pitched three innings of relief. He did allow a solo homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The Cougars offense picked up 15 hits, as Bonifacio, Lane Adams, and Tim Ferguson picked up three hits each.

The Omaha Storm Chasers were rained out on Saturday. They will play two seven inning games on Sunday afternoon against Tacoma.

NW Arkansas came back to cut the deficit to one in the top of the 8th inning, only to see Arkansas come back with three runs in the bottom of the inning en route to their 7-3 victory.

Buddy Baumann pitched 2.1 scoreless innings of relief that gave the Naturals the chance to come back. He allowed one hit and a walk.

Nick Van Stratten, who was recently added from extended spring training, went 2-for-4 and drove in two runs in the 8th inning.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks were no-hit for the first time in team history by the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, 3-0. Nick Tepesch and Jimmy Reyes combined on the nine inning no-hitter. It was the first for the Pelicans. Tepesch walked four over 7.1 innings (he is a former Missouri Tiger) while striking out nine. Reyes followed with a perfect 1.2 innings.

The only hitter in the Blue Rocks lineup who did not strike out was Cheslor Cuthbert. The top three in the order (Whit Merrifield, Geulin Beltre, and Brian Fletcher) struck out six times.

Jason Adam, who faced a no-hit bid twice now in his last three starts, took the hard-luck loss. He dropped to 1-6, as he allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out seven.

Dean Espy hit his first homerun in Low-A (a two-run shot) to tie the game at 3-3 in the 4th inning, but Kane County went on to lose, 7-3.

Wisconsin pounded out 14 hits and hit two homeruns (along with five doubles).

On the positive end on the Cougars pitching front, Matt Ridings pitched two shutout innings of relief. He allowed just one hit and threw just 18 pitches.

Bruce Billings of Sacramento carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning when Tony Abreu led off the inning with a single (he was then picked off). Omaha battled back in the 9th inning, with a wild pitch tying the game at 2-2. However Derek Norris hit a two-run walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 9th inning to send the Rivercats to a 4-2 victory.

Ryan Verdugo started for the Storm Chasers and allowed two runs on five hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out six. Roman Colon took the loss.

NW Arkansas enjoyed an off-day as they welcome Springfield into town for a four-game set beginning on Thursday. The two teams just met in Springfield last Tuesday through Thursday (the Cardinals won three of four). Ryan Dennick was officially added to the roster, as Tim Melville was placed on the DL. Blaine Hardy was promoted to Triple-A. Catcher Ben Theriot retired.

Jason Adam of the Wilmington Blue Rocks dropped to 1-4 despite giving up just one run (on a solo homerun in the 6th inning), as the Blue Rocks lost another pitcher’s duel. This time they lost to the Lynchburg Hillcats, 1-0.

Click HERE for how the game played out. For more on Cody Martin‘s outing (a no-hitter through six innings), click HERE. Check out the Facebook page for manager Vance Wilson’s postgame comments. Photos and videos of Adam and Martin should be up tomorrow.

Down 2-0 heading into the bottom of the 6th inning, Kane County battled back to defeat Clinton, 5-2. Four of the five runs the Cougars scored were unearned (the LumberKings made three errors).

The Cougars bullpen pitched three shutout innings of relief behind Kellen Moen (6IP, 6H, 2R, 2BB, 3K). Michael Giovenco picked up the win with two scoreless innings while striking out three. Nick Graffeo picked up his seventh save by escaping a two on, one out jam (he got a game-ending double play).

On offense, Lane Adams and Tim Ferguson each collected three hits. Daniel Mateo went 2-for-4 with two RBIs.

Rain has been around for the last two days, but today has been a gloomy day. The radar doesn’t look great, but maybe Wilmington can get the game in.

The Blue Rocks welcomed the Lynchburg Hillcats to town Tuesday night for the first time in 2012 (the Hillcats won 10-4). It is also the first time the two teams have played. The Blue Rocks won’t get the chance to see Carolina League leading hitter Evan Gattis because he was promoted to Double-A about a week ago.

The Hillcats lead the Northern Division by 4.5 games with a 17-12 record. The Blue Rocks are in third place with a 12-18 record.

Starting for the Blue Rocks tonight is Jason Adam. He has had just one bad start in 2012 out of six, despite carrying a record of just 1-3. Starting for the Hillcats is Cody Martin, who is ranked by Baseball America as the Atlanta Braves’ 19th best prospect. He was drafted last year in the 7th round out of Gonzaga. Over his last two starts, he has allowed just two runs on five hits over 13 innings. In that span, he has struck out 15.

The Hillcats have a few players ranked by BA as Braves prospects. They include pitcher Dimasther Delgado (#18), shortstop Nick Ahmed (#15), second baseman Tommy La Stella (#28), third baseman Edward Salcedo (#6), and outfielder Matt Lipka (#14). Former KC Royals minor leaguer Tim Smith is also a member of the Hillcats’ outfield.

Lynchburg leads the CL in batting at .289. Smith is hitting .355 (though in just nine games) and La Stella is hitting .315. Lipka is hitting .291 while Ahmed is hitting .288 (he was drafted last year in the 2nd round out of UConn).

Lineups:

Blue Rocks:  Whit Merrifield (LF), Angel Franco (2B), Cheslor Cuthbert (3B), Brian Fletcher (1B), Brett Eibner (CF), Roman Hernandez (DH), Geulin Beltre (RF), Kevin David (C), and Alex McClure (SS).

Hillcats:  Lipka (CF), Ahmed (SS), La Stella (2B), Smith (DH), Salcedo (3B), Chris Garcia (1B), Matt Weaver (LF), Braeden Schlehuber (C), and Kyle Rose (RF).

» Continue reading “Rain, Rain Stay Away from Wilmington”

The Omaha Storm Chasers ended their three-game losing streak by winning their series finale in Nashville, 3-1. They received great pitching from starter Vin Mazzaro (7IP, 5H, R, BB, 7K) and reliever Francisley Bueno (2IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 4K).

The Storm Chasers had 12 hits, but went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position. Johnny Giavotella and David Lough went 2-for-4 while Clint Robinson went 3-for-4.

Down 3-1, NW Arkansas came back with three runs over the sixth and seventh innings to beat Springfield, 4-3. Wil Myers hit a two-run homerun in the 6th inning and Sharlon Schoop hit a solo shot in the 7th inning (he had three hits).

The late offense made a winner of Tim Melville, who allowed three runs on five hits and three walks over six innings. Brendan Lafferty threw two shutout innings and Kendal Volz picked up the save with a perfect ninth inning.

Another pitcher’s duel lost by Wilmington, as they lost 2-1 to visiting Salem to finish their homestand (as they split the four-game series). The hard-luck loser was Jason Adam who allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and two walks over seven innings. He allowed a solo homerun to Jackie Bradley in the 3rd inning (one of his two hits).

The winner for the Red Sox was Ryan Pressly, who allowed just two hits over six shutout innings. He struck out seven. The strikeouts hurt the Blue Rocks, as they struck out 11 times.

Thomas Melgarejo pitched in relief and allowed just one hit and a walk over two shutout innings.

Kane County led 3-1, but allowed three runs in the top of the 7th inning en route to their 4-3 loss to Peoria. Edwin Carl took the no-decision, as he allowed just one run on four hits over six innings. He struck out five.

The Cougars out-hit Peoria, 14-10 as Tim Ferguson and Henry Moreno each had three hits. Ferguson also drove in two runs. However two errors cost them two runs.

The Omaha Storm Chasers topped Memphis, 12-4. They pounded out 18 hits in the victory. Derrick Robinson started the scoring by leading the game off with a homerun. He added a solo homerun in the 2nd inning as he went 3-for-6.

Every Omaha player had at least one hit. Johnny Giavotella went 5-for-6 with two runs scored.

Ethan Hollingsworth, getting the start for the promoted Nate Adcock, allowed one run on five hits and a walk over five innings to earn the win. He struck out five.

The NW Arkansas Naturals extended their winning streak to six games with a 4-3 victory over Arkansas. Chris Dwyer earned the victory, though he allowed three runs on nine hits over 6.2 innings. He did not walk a batter while striking out five. Blaine Hardy picked up his second save of the season after throwing 2.1 shutout innings.

Wil Myers went 2-for-2 but was taken out of the game after being hit on the wrist by a pitch in the 5th inning. He stayed in the game and scored on John Whittleman‘s double, but did not take the field on defense. Yem Prades went 3-for-4 with two runs scored.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks have now lost four games in a row, as they lost to Winston-Salem, 11-5. The Dash out-hit the Blue Rocks 18-9. Every Dash starter had a multi-hit game except Brady Shoemaker and Jake Oester (but both went 1-for-4 with a run scored).

The Blue Rocks had taken a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 4th inning capped by Whit Merrifield‘s two-run homerun, but a four-run 5th inning chased Blue Rocks starter Jason Adam and the Dash never looked back.

Adam saw his ERA jump from 0.40 to 2.36, as he allowed six runs on ten hits and a walk over four-plus innings. The bullpen wasn’t a whole lot better.

Remember when Brian Fletcher was struggling? He went 3-for-4 tonight to up his average to .311. Angel Franco extended his hitting streak to 11 games, as he went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.

There was a lineup change for the Blue Rocks on Saturday night (no Cheslor Cuthbert, Kevin David, or Geulin Beltre). Not sure if that had to do with Friday night’s lack of effort from those now OUT of the lineup or if manager Vance Wilson just wanted to get some of the bench players some action.

The Kane County Cougars made three runs in the top of the first inning hold up, as they beat Great Lakes, 3-2. Three of the Cougars’ four hits came in the first inning.

Kellen Moen earned the win, as he pitched five shutout innings. He allowed five hits and walked just one, while striking out six.

The Loons scattered 14 hits in the loss. They had the tying run on third base with one out against Cougars reliever Jonathan Dooley, but could not tie the game.