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.

It was announced on Thursday that five minor leaguers were re-signed by the KC Royals.

Blue Rocks first baseman Matt Fields during the 2012 season.

First baseman Matt Fields was signed early in the summer and assigned to High-A Wilmington (where he spent the entire 2012 season). He provided the Blue Rocks with some much-needed pop (17 homeruns and 41 RBIs). Fields also played a great first base. However, he struggled down the stretch and into the playoffs (in which the Blue Rocks lost in the divisional series). For all the struggles, he is a great guy and a great interview. With a promotion, his power should shine more (getting out of the pitcher’s ballpark and league).

Catcher/DH Max Ramirez hit .300 for Triple-A Omaha in 2012 (his first season affiliated with the Royals). There, he hit 17 homeruns and drove in 77 in 110 games. He is currently playing winter ball in Venezuela (3-for-7 with four runs scored in two games). It will be interesting to see if Ramirez gets a shot at being the backup to Salvador Perez in the big leagues in 2013.

Right-hander Juan Gutierrez signed with the Royals this past offseason after missing 2011 due to a shoulder injury. He only pitched in 19 games across three levels and struggled to a combined 10.45 ERA, though it was good just to get back out on the field. He is currently pitching in winter ball in Venezuela. Gutierrez should add depth to the already solid Royals bullpen in 2013.

Right-handed pitcher Devon Lowery hasn’t pitched in two seasons, but the Royals re-signed him to a minor league deal. He served this past season as a coach with Low-A Kane County.

Blue Rocks outfielder Nick Van Stratten during the 2012 season.

Outfielder Nick Van Stratten started the season in Double-A NW Arkansas, but was demoted to Wilmington in August. In 21 games with the Blue Rocks, he was a spark plug. He hit .366 with 13 RBIs (.400 in his final ten games prior to the postseason). Van Stratten has spent the last two seasons splitting between the Naturals and the Blue Rocks.

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.

All of the KC Royals affiliates won on Saturday (including the Royals)!

After a crazy 9th inning that sent the game into extra innings, Johnny Giavotella hit a walk off homerun to send the Omaha fans happy with a 10-9 win. Gio went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.

Oklahoma City scored four runs in the top of the 9th inning after Omaha scored two runs in the bottom of the 8th inning. The Storm Chasers then scored two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to send the game to the tenth. Max Ramirez and Anthony Seratelli hit solo homeruns in the 9th inning (Ramirez went 2-for-4 with three RBIs).

In the pitcher’s duel for NW Arkansas and Tulsa, the Naturals got the best performance in their 2-1 victory. Jake Odorizzi allowed just one run (a solo homerun to Josh Rutledge) over 7.1 innings. He allowed two hits and one walk while striking out 11.

The Naturals collected nine hits. John Whittleman went 3-for-4 with a run scored. Carlo Testa went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base.

Down 2-0, Wilmington scored three runs in the 2nd inning and another in the 3rd inning and never looked back in their 8-3 win at Potomac.

Brian Fletcher went 4-for-5 with a run scored. Brett Eibner went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. He hit his fourth homerun of the season.

Greg Billo got the win, as he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out five. The Blue Rocks bullpen did not allow a run or walk over the final 3.1 innings. Nick Rogers allowed one hit while striking out three over two shutout innings.

Kane County scored two runs each over the final two innings en route to their 7-4 victory over Beloit. Brooks Pounders earned the victory despite blowing the save. He allowed three runs (one earned) over three innings. Orlando Calixte‘s 17th error, a wild pitch, and all three hits Pounders allowed came in the 6th inning.

Santiago Garrido got the no decision, despite allowing an unearned run on five hits over five innings. He struck out four.

Runey Davis hit a two-run homerun (he went 2-for-2) and Daniel Mateo went 2-for-3 with a run scored.

Nate Adcock couldn’t improve to 3-0, as he and the Omaha Storm Chasers lost to Round Rock, 4-2. He allowed three runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three.

Max Ramirez went 2-for-4 with an RBI, as Omaha collected just seven hits. That RBI came in the 9th inning with two outs as Omaha tried to mount a comeback.

After a six-run 6th inning, it looked as though the NW Arkansas Naturals would roll over San Antonio. Instead, the Missions came back with two runs in the 8th and another in the 9th inning to take an 8-6 lead. The Naturals stormed back with three runs in the 8th inning en route to their 9-8 win.

With two outs in the 8th inning, Kurt Mertins delivered a two-run single (he is hitting just .125). Paulo Orlando followed with an RBI single to give the Naturals the lead.

Kendal Volz put away San Antonio quickly in the 9th inning, as he picked up the win (2IP, H, OR, BB, 3K). Jake Odorizzi got the start for the Naturals and struggled again. He allowed five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out four.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks beat visiting Carolina, 5-3 to win their first series of the season. Tyler Sample pitched well and left with the win, but Chase Boruff blew the save, though the Blue Rocks offense came back to take the lead (and win).

The Kane County Cougars played two in Beloit on Tuesday after Monday’s series opener was rained out. The Cougars took Game 1, 5-2 as they pounded out 12 hits. Lane Adams went 3-for-4 with five RBIs. He fell a homerun short of the cycle.

Jorge Bonifacio went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Edul Escobar and Henry Moreno also collected two hits.

Scott Alexander allowed just an unearned run on two hits and two walks over five innings. He struck out five.

After tying the game in the top of the 7th inning, the Cougars couldn’t pull off the win. The Snappers scored the winning run in the bottom of the 7th inning on a wild pitch en route to their 3-2 walk-off win. In that inning, there were two walks (one intentional) and two wild pitches.

Edwin Carl allowed two unearned runs on three hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven in the start for the Cougars.

Yet another slugfest today between Omaha and Albuquerque. This afternoon, Omaha had two 5-run innings en route to their 12-10 victory over the Isotopes.

Max Ramirez was a big part of the last five-run inning in the 8th inning, with a three-run homerun. It was his second of the game and he had six RBIs. It was the Storm Chasers fourth homerun of the game.

Jeremy Jeffress earned the win in relief, as he pitched three shutout innings. He allowed just one hit. Tommy Hottovy made it interesting in the 9th inning, as he allowed one run and the Isotopes had runners at the corners with just one out, but escaped.

Omaha collected 13 hits. Terry Evans went 3-for-4. Johnny Giavotella, Tony Abreu, David Lough, and Ramirez each collected two hits.

NW Arkansas split their doubleheader with San Antonio. In Game 1, the Naturals won 5-4 as they scored single runs in the 5th and 6th inning to take the lead.

Tim Melville started and only allowed two hits and one earned run (three total). However he walked five and only lasted four innings. Offensively for the Naturals, Yem Prades went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI.

In Game 2, the Naturals were pounded 10-4. They actually had a 3-0 lead heading into the 3rd inning, but the Missions scored ten runs over the next four innings.

Chris Dwyer got the start and wasn’t too bad. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks over three innings. He struck out six.

Offensively for the Naturals, Rey Navarro went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks finally got that big inning that manager Vance Wilson has been talking about. They scored six runs in the bottom of the 6th inning en route to their 9-2 victory.

That outburst made a winner of Leondy Perez who allowed two runs in the first inning. Over five innings, he allowed four hits and a walk while striking out two. Sugar Ray Marimon pitched four scoreless innings in relief to earn the save. He allowed just two hits while striking out five.

Kevin David went 4-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored, and four RBIs. Alex McClure went 2-for-4 with three RBIs. He also stole a base.

Check out this wacky 3rd inning:

The Kane County Cougars were rained out tonight in Beloit. They will play two tomorrow.

Omaha beat Albuquerque, 14-10, but it took 13 innings to complete. In the top of the 13 inning, Terry Evans hit a three-run homerun (it was his only at-bat of the game). Two batters later, Clint Robinson hit a two-run homerun to give the Storm Chasers a 14-9 lead.

Tommy Hottovy took the mound in the bottom of the inning and gave up a Tim Federowicz RBI triple before finishing off the Isotopes. Roman Colon earned the win after pitching three scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just one hit while striking out two.

Offensively for Omaha, Robinson, Kevin Kouzmanoff, and David Lough each collected two hits and two runs scored. Max Ramirez went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and two walks.

After scoring six runs in the 7th inning and scoring single runs in the 8th and 9th innings to take a 9-7 lead, Francisley Bueno allowed two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning to allow Albuquerque to tie the game and send it to extra innings. One of the runs was unearned and it was Bueno’s third inning of work.

Then the offense went to work in the top of the 13th inning against Wil Ledezma.

Omaha suffered through another poor outing from Mike Montgomery, who allowed five runs on seven hits and four walks over just 3.1 innings. He only struck out two.

The NW Arkansas Naturals took a 9-7 win over Corpus Christi, as they pounded out 14 hits. After a tough start by Justin Marks (4+IP, 6H, 7R, 6ER, 4BB, 4K), the Naturals bullpen pitched five shutout innings (Kendal Volz and Blaine Hardy). Volz did allow two of Marks’ runs to score.

With the game tied at 7-7, Christian Colon hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the 6th inning to give the Naturals the lead. Colon went 2-for-4. Wil Myers hit a three-run homerun in the first inning en route to a five RBI performance (a career-high). He also went 4-for-5.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks attempted another 9th inning comeback, but fell to the visiting Frederick Keys, 3-2. Brett Eibner tripled to lead off the inning. After a strikeout, Geulin Beltre singled him home. However, that was all the Blue Rocks would get.

The Blue Rocks scored in the very first inning and had a chance to blow the game open, but Beltre grounded out with the bases loaded to end the bottom of the first inning.

Yordano Ventura took the loss, as he allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over three innings. He struck out six. Ryan Dennick followed (4IP, 4H, 1R, 1BB, 5K). Ventura actually got into the 4th inning and Dennick allowed one of his inherited runners to score. Nick Rogers pitched two perfect innings of relief.

The Blue Rocks had more hits than the Keys (8-7), but were just 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and they struck out nine times. Eibner and Whit Merrifield each had two hits.

The Kane County Cougars scored five runs over the first two innings and received a stellar starting performance from Santiago Garrido, as they defeated the Burlington Bees 6-2. Garrido allowed just one run on one hit and two walks over five innings. He struck out four.

The Cougars pounded out 11 hits, but only Lane Adams (2-for-5) and Henry Moreno (3-for-4) collected multi-hit games. Moreno had three RBIs.