In my second wrap up of the winter leagues, I will take a look at how the KC Royals representatives did in the Dominican Winter League.

The newest Royal is the one that is still playing winter ball. Infielder Miguel Tejada is in the Caribbean Series championship tonight with Escogido. Supposedly he can play second base because he has played it throughout winter ball, but during the playoffs and Caribbean Series, he has played only shortstop and third base. In 34 regular season games (141 at-bats), Tejada hit .284 with nine doubles, four homeruns, and 19 RBIs.

Licey had the most Royals players on its roster (six).

Jorge Bonifacio played in just three games for Licey. He picked up one at-bat and went 1-for-1. Teammate Francisley Bueno made two starts. He carried a 2.84 ERA. In 6.1 innings, he allowed four hits (one homerun) and two walks while striking out five.

Michael Mariot during his August 20, 2011 start with Wilmington.

Lefty Antonio Cruz pitched in four games (18.00 ERA). Over two innings, he allowed six hits and two walks while throwing two wild pitches. Michael Mariot pitched in four games (one start). He had a 3.86 ERA. In seven innings, he allowed five hits, two walks, and hit two batters, while striking out seven.

Atahualpa Severino pitched in 29 games for Licey and had a 4.09 ERA. Over 22 innings, he allowed 22 hits (one homerun) and 11 walks while striking out 21. Sugar Ray Marimon made two appearances (one start). In five innings, he allowed three hits and an unearned run while striking out two.

On to the rest of the Royals who played on other DWL teams:

Catcher Julio Rodriguez picked up just one at-bat (0-for-1) for the Gigantes. He struck out.

Robinson Yambati made one appearance for Toros. He pitched one inning and walked one.

Santiago Garrido made one appearance for Aguiles at the end of the regular season. Over 0.2 innings, he allowed three walks and struck out two.

The Dominican Winter League representative in the Caribbean Series is Escogido. The Dominicans will be playing in the championship game tonight against Mexico.

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”

Another week has gone by in the winter leagues. Ten KC Royals players have begun play, while there is an update on the newest Royals player in winter ball.

The one player I am most jealous of with his choice of winter league location is outfielder Carlo Testa. He began play last week in Australia with the Melbourne Aces. In three games, he went 2-for-11 (.182) with two walks, two runs scored, and a stolen base. He did strike out three times.

The other winter league that got started last week was the Puerto Rican League, where the Royals have four players participating.

Christian Colon played in three games last week for Leones de Ponce, two at shortstop and one at second base. He went 3-for-13 (.231) with two runs scored. His teammate is Cesar Ogando, who was drafted by the Royals in 2011. In his one game, he pitched two perfect innings of relief while striking out two.

There is also a Royals duo with Indios de Mayaguez. Irving Falu played in four games last week, all at second base. He went 3-for-15 (.200) with two doubles. He scored three runs and drove in two. He walked twice and struck out once, while stealing a base. Lefty Ryan Dennick made one start. Over 3.1 scoreless innings, he allowed four hits and one walk while striking out four.

» Continue reading “Royals Winter League Update”

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.

I know I’m a day late from my normal weekly awards posting, but with the minor league regular season ending on Labor Day, I figured I’d push it back a day to cover everything. It wasn’t a great ending for any team.

The KC Royals went 4-4 over the last eight days and still comfortably sit in third place in the American League Central (60-74). They continue their four-game series tonight at home against Texas.

Omaha finished the regular season going 3-5. It wasn’t a great final month for the Storm Chasers who had a huge lead in the American Northern Division for most of the year (finished with an 83-61 record). They begin their quest for a second straight Pacific Coast League title on Wednesday night in Omaha against Albuquerque who they just lost three of four to. Jake Odorizzi will start the playoff opener against the Isotopes’ Fernando Nieve (a former big leaguer).

NW Arkansas went just 2-6 over the final eight games to finish the second half at a disappointing 21-48. After missing out on the Texas League’s North Division’s first half title by three games, they completely fell apart in the second half.

Wilmington went 5-2 over their last eight days, including clinching the Northern Division second half title on Thursday. The Blue Rocks ended the Carolina League’s second half at 37-33. They start their quest at their first Mills Cup trophy since 1999 on Wednesday night at home against Lynchburg. Brooks Pounders will face CL Pitcher of the Year Gus Schlosser.

Kane County went just 2-6 in their final eight games and found themselves on the outside looking in in terms of a Midwest League playoff spot. The Cougars finished the second half with a 34-36 record.

Burlington blew away their division in the Appalachian League and reached the Appy League finals (41-27). Each of the three games needed extra innings to name a victor. The Royals lost the title to Elizabethton on a 12th inning walk-off grand slam.

Idaho Falls was eliminated from the Pioneer League playoffs with a 16-19 second half record (33-40 overall record). The Chukars finish their regular season on September 6th (they’ve lost seven of their last nine games).

Hitters of the Week

Majors: Even though David Lough played in just three games last week, it was a memorable three games. He made his Major League debut on Saturday and batted leadoff in all three games. He has a hit in every game and went 5-for-14 (.357) with four runs scored.

Minors: Wil Myers, Omaha. It is fitting that Omaha’s Player of the Year takes this honor in the final award posting of the minor league regular season. He is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak and has gotten hot right when the Storm Chasers are heading to the postseason.

Myers was 13-for-33 (.394) over his last eight games. He scored five runs and drove in six. He fell a homerun short of the Minor League Baseball title (one behind Double-A Reading’s Darin Ruf).

Honorable Mention: Irving Falu, Omaha. He is also in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak. He was 14-for-32 (.438) with five runs scored and five RBIs. Falu finished the season with the seventh best batting average (.329) in the PCL.

» Continue reading “Royals Blue Aid Weekly Awards”

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”

The KC Royals went 2-4 last week and dropped to six games back of first place in the American League Central. They are now 31-39 overall and welcome the TB Rays to town tonight. The Royals are just 11-23 at home.

Omaha went 3-3 last week, but still have a commanding lead in the American North Division of the Pacific Coast League (15 games). The Storm Chasers are 47-30 overall though they continue to struggle on the road (18-19). They continue their road series in OKC tonight.

NW Arkansas went 4-3 last week, though the first half ended in the middle of a four-game home series against Tulsa. The Naturals are now 2-2 in the second half. They finish up their home series with Arkansas this afternoon (they are playing right now) before enjoying the Texas League All-Star break.

Wilmington began the second half of the Carolina League losing their first four games. The Blue Rocks continue their road series in Potomac tonight.

Kane County opened up the second half of the Midwest League and went 2-1 in Clinton this weekend. They returned home to play Beloit beginning tonight.

Hitter of the Week

Majors: Alcides Escobar hit .409 last week for the Royals (9-for-22). In six games, he doubled and drove in a run, but unfortunately scored just one run.

Minors: Max Ramirez, Omaha. He is in the midst of a five-game hitting streak and five straight multi-hit games. Over the last week, Ramirez was 10-for-22 (.455) with six runs scored and 11 RBIs. He hit three homeruns and struck out just three times.

Pitcher of the Week:

Majors: Luke Hochevar finally stepped up his game this week (hopefully it can continue). In a start at Houston, he pitched into the 8th inning and did not allow a run (over 7.2 innings). He allowed five hits and four walks while striking out six. Hochevar will look to continue his dominance with a start against Tampa Bay tonight.

Minors: It was hard for me to choose, so I’m going with a tie between veteran Doug Davis in Omaha and Michael Mariot in NW Arkansas.

Davis has won three straight starts, including two this past week. Over 12 innings, he allowed just one run on eight hits. Davis struck out nine while walking four.

Mariot also made two starts this past week, though he did not pick up a decision. Over 13 innings, he allowed just one run on 14 hits. Mariot struck out nine compared to two walks.

The KC Royals jumped all over Texas Rangers starter Derek Holland. They scored three runs in the first inning, two more in the 3rd inning, and one more in the 5th inning. However, from then on, they were shut down. The Rangers came back to win in ten innings, 7-6.

Once Holland left the game, the Royals collected just five hits off mainly minor league relievers (minus Mike Adams in the 8th inning).

Royals starter Luke Hochevar wasn’t really strong, but he did exit the game with the lead. He allowed eight hits and four runs over five innings of work. He walked just one while striking out six.

Lefty Jose Mijares followed, as he allowed his first earned run of the spring (he also walked two).

The scored stayed at 6-5 until the top of the 9th inning. Against Kelvin Herrera, the Rangers scored a single run on three hits. However the run scored on a passed ball. In the bottom of the 9th inning against Rangers reliever Derek Hankins, the Royals had Jamie Romak on second base with just one out (he doubled), but they couldn’t drive him in.

In the top of the 10th inning, Royals minor leaguer Michael Mariot took the mound (he spent the 2011 season in Wilmington). With one out, he allowed a single to Luis Hernandez and Michael Kata followed with an RBI double (and went to third base on Mitch Maier’s error). It could have been worse, but Mariot struck out two of the next three batters he faced.

In the bottom of the 10th inning, Anthony Seratelli led off the inning with a single, but the Royals could not muster a rally.

The Royals offense clearly came from the middle of the order: 2-5. Those four collected ten of the team’s 14 hits, scored six runs, and drove in four. Lorenzo Cain hit a two-run homerun with two outs in the first inning while Billy Butler hit a two-run homerun in the 3rd inning.

*The Royals hit into another DP, giving them 23 this spring.

**The Royals set their rotation, as Felipe Paulino heads to the DL with soreness in his elbow. That means that lefty Danny Duffy and right-handed Luis Mendoza fill out the rotation.

***For more on the Rangers, check out Big Game Claws.

The NW Arkansas Naturals have the second-best record in the Texas League and lead their division by four games, but only garnered one postseason All-Star. That All-Star was recently promoted catcher Salvador Perez.

The Omaha Storm Chasers put together impressive offensive middle innings to pound the New Orleans Zephrys 14-1. With the game tied at 1-1, Omaha scored one run in the 4th, three runs in the 5th, five runs in the 6th, three runs in the 7th, and one run in the 8th. Storm Chasers starter Luis Mendoza was the recipient of all the offense, as he allowed one run on seven hits over six innings. Every Omaha hitter had at least one hit (seven players had multi-hit games).

Clinging to a 1-0 lead, the Springfield Cardinals put together five, two-out hits in the bottom of the 4th inning to break the game open, as they defeated the Naturals 9-0. The Naturals collected just two hits in the loss, both by Mario Lisson. Deryk Hooker returned from the DL for Springfield and allowed just one hit over six shutout innings. Jeremy Jeffress got the start for the Naturals, but took a line drive off his leg in the first inning and left with an ankle contusion. The Naturals now begin a series with Tulsa, who sit four games back in the standings.

The Wilmington Blue Rocks and Salem Red Sox played two on Friday night (sound familiar?). The first was a completion of a suspended game from seven weeks earlier with the Blue Rocks leading 2-0 in the second inning. Michael Mariot, who started the game back then, restarted the game on Friday night. He took the loss, as three Blue Rocks errors cost them five runs in the 7-4 loss (they have the worst fielding-percentage in the league). Stolmy Pimentel, who the Blue Rocks hit around last weekend, limited them to two runs on seven hits over 5.2 innings to pick up the win.

In the second game, it took an outstanding throw from Blue Rocks right fielder Nick Van Stratten to preserve the 6-5 win. With the bases loaded and just one out in the bottom of the 7th inning, Derrik Gibson hit a fly ball slightly into foul territory. Van Stratten made the catch and threw a laser home to get Pete Hissey for the game’s final out (I so wish there was video). This was all after the Blue Rocks led 6-2 after three innings. Red Sox starter Ryan Pressly took the loss, as he allowed six runs (two earned) over six innings. On the season against the Blue Rocks, Pressly is 0-5 with a 6.39 ERA. Bobby Jenks will start for the Red Sox in a rehab appearance on Saturday night.

The Blue Rocks closer for two months in 2009, Juan Abreu, was called up to the big leagues by the Houston Astros. He was traded to the Astros from the Atlanta Braves for Michael Bourn at the trading deadline this July. Blue Rocks catcher Jose Bonilla, who hasn’t played since August 16th, was finally put on the DL with a lower body injury. He was replaced on the roster by another catcher, Travis Jones (who was up not too long ago from Kane County).

Despite scoring five runs in the top of the 3rd inning and tying the game at 7-7 in the 4th inning, the Kane County Cougars were thrashed 19-7 by the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The Timber Rattlers bullpen (Brian Garman and Maverick Lasker) completely shut down the Cougars offense after the starter was taken out three batters into the 4th inning. They allowed just one hit (and no walks) over the final six innings while striking out seven.

View from the visitor's dugout

I decided to make my first back-to-back games appearance in Wilmington as the Salem Red Sox were in town to face the Blue Rocks. I was hoping to see Drake Britton and Anthony Ranaudo pitch for Salem, but no such luck. Thursday and Friday nights’ games were rained out, which meant that there were doubleheaders on both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

Saturday’s game was slated to start at 5:05pm and I arrived early (around 3:30pm) hoping to catch an interview with Red Sox starter Anthony Ranaudo, who was Boston’s first round pick in 2010. Neither team took batting practice, but Salem’s radio guy, Evan Lepler, took my down to the dugout and grabbed me Ranaudo from the lockerroom (check back for my interview with Ranaudo soon).

I was disappointed that the Blue Rocks didn’t fully capture the Judy Johnson Night like they did in past years on Saturday night. My parents however enjoyed the time as they met the few former Negro League players who were in attendance.

The doubleheader on Saturday night didn’t end until about 10:00pm and after post-game interviews and the traffic jam following the fireworks, I probably didn’t get home until 11:30pm. The good news was that the Blue Rocks won both games, received solid starting pitching from both Michael Mariot in Game 1 and Tim Melville in Game 2, and the newest Blue Rock, catcher Jared Dyer, collected his first Carolina League hit in his first at-bat.

Kendal Volz

I was back at it again on Sunday, as I arrived at the park before noon for a 12:35pm start time for the first game. Apparently storms had rolled in earlier in the morning, but it was still hot and the sun was shining at game time (though very few were in attendance). The Blue Rocks took Game 1, despite starter Justin Marks’ struggles (he last just four innings). The good news: Kendal Volz, the Blue Rocks reliever who was traded to the KC Royals organization in the Mike Aviles deal with the Red Sox, pitched for the first time against his former team. He picked up the save.

In between the two games, the tarp was put on as storms were expected. It rained for a few minutes and there was some lightning, but not a whole lot. We still sat for more than two hours. Neither team expected to play, but at 5pm Game 2 of the doubleheader (and the final game of the four-game set) was beginning. There were maybe 50 fans left in attendance, half of which were the family and friends of the Salem players. The Blue Rocks also swept Sunday’s doubleheader, so they swept the four-game series over the Red Sox. I felt bad for the Red Sox players, as they had to make the 5 ½ drive back to Salem to play Monday night (the Blue Rocks have Monday off). After post-game interviews and stopping on the way home to eat dinner, I didn’t return home until about 9pm.

It was a LONG two days, but definitely worth it. I completed my first one-on-one interview, bonded a bit with the guys in the pressbox, and became friends with Salem’s radio guy (who is very good by the way). I also found out that the guys in the pressbox don’t care much for healthy foods. I brought a giant bag of grapes, but I was the only one to indulge.

» Continue reading “My 24 Hours in Wilmington”