I promise, this is my FINAL winter league update.

The Panama and Columbia winter leagues are not exactly popular to cover on the internet. I have tried for more than a month to search for some coverage or box scores, with zero luck. However, the KC Royals media relations department were kind enough to send along the final winter league stats for their players, including those playing in both Panama and Columbia.

Who impressed?

Outfielder Nick Van Stratten in 2012 with Wilmington

Outfielder Nick Van Stratten. The last two seasons, he started in Double-A, but was sent back to High-A by at least mid-season. He dominated last season with a return to Wilmington and carried that over to his 22 games in Panama. He hit .384 with four doubles, three triples, and 15 RBIs. Van Stratten walked seven times and only struck out five times in 86 at-bats.

Third baseman Mauricio Ramos. The infielder only played in Rookie ball in 2012, but in 35 games in Columbia, he hit .314 with nine doubles, two triples, a homerun, and 17 RBIs. He walked 18 times compared in 19 strikeouts in 137 at-bats.

Who struggled?

First baseman Matt Fields. He was a bit old for High-A in 2012, but he was glad to be back in affiliated baseball after playing independent ball. He has tons of power and showed it in pitcher friendly Wilmington. However, he struggled mightily in Panama. Fields hit just .176 with two homeruns, but the concern is the strikeouts. In 17 games (51 at-bats), he struck out 18 times compared to just six walks. He did play good defense, as he did not make an error.

Infielders Michael Liberto and Luis Piterson. Both played sparingly with Wilmington in 2012, though Liberto earned a promotion to Double-A and played more games there in less time. However, in Panama, he struggled. Liberto only recorded one hit in 18 at-bats while striking out five times and played in just eight games. He also made three errors at shortstop. Piterson hit .216 in 36 games in Columbia. He did pick up four doubles and ten RBIs, but struck out 19 times in 153 at-bats.

I hope everyone had a happy holiday. I am a little late with my KC Royals winter league update, but I am back home from vacation and will be writing more regularly. This winter league update is for the week before Christmas that ended on December 23rd.

Outfielder Nick Van Stratten in 2012 with Wilmington

Panama once again has a winter league and began play last week. Four Royals minor leaguers are participating and I had a chance to see three of them play during the 2012 season in Wilmington.

First baseman Matt Fields and utility man Michael Liberto are currently playing for Caballos de Cocle. Fields played in five games last week, four at first base. He went just 1-for-15 with two walks and nine strikeouts (but you have to remember, these four haven’t played since the beginning of September). Liberto also played in five games, two at second base and three at shortstop, while committing an error. He went just 1-for-14, but scored three runs and drove in two. He walked four times and struck out four times.

Outfielder Nick Van Stratten and pitcher Luis Melgar are playing for Herrera. Van Stratten also played in five games and went 6-for-21 (.286) with five runs scored and two RBIs. He doubled, walked three times, and struck out just once. Melgar, who pitched in the Dominican Summer League in 2012, pitched in two games totaling three innings. In those three innings, he allowed two runs on three hits (including a homerun) and four walks while striking out just one.

Despite Melbourne‘s 8-20 record and sitting in last place in the Australian Baseball League, outfielder Carlo Testa continues to have himself a good winter ball season. In four games last week, he went 5-for-15 (.333) with a homerun and two RBIs. He also walked twice and struck out three times.

In Columbia, Mauricio Ramos continues to hit for Sincelejo. Last week, he played in two games at third base. He went 3-for-8 (.375) with a double and an RBI. It was a tough week for Luis Piterson for Monteria. In four games (all at shortstop), he went just 2-for-15 (.133). He did however walk twice, hit a triple, and drive in a run.

Outfielder Willy Taveras had a tough week for Obregon in the Mexican Pacific League. In five games last week, he went just 2-for-15 (.133) for his 14-15 team. He did double, walk twice, and drive in two runs. However, he also struck out three times.

» Continue reading “Royals Winter League Update”

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 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.

Only two of the KC Royals full season minor league affiliates played on Wednesday night. The Omaha Storm Chasers were enjoying the All-Star break (it was the night of the Triple-A All-Star Game) while NW Arkansas was enjoying the off day.

The Kane County Cougars lost to the Lansing Lugnuts, 4-0. The Cougars collected just four hits, two of which came off the bat of the hot-hitting Cheslor Cuthbert. Marcus Walden and Shawn Griffith combined on the four-hit shutout for the Lugnuts.

Elisaul Pimentel

As you know, I was in attendance for the Wilmington Blue Rocks and Frederick Keys series opener. It was a bit of a wild back-and-forth affair as every time the Blue Rocks would score, the Keys would come back. The Blue Rocks hit two homeruns, one by Yem Prades that gave the Blue Rocks the early 2-0 lead and a BOMB from John Whittleman in the 4th inning that gave the Blue Rocks a 3-2 lead. Errors hampered the pitching performances of both Blue Rocks starter Elisaul Pimentel and reliever Tim Melville (more on him in the postgame comments). The Blue Rocks had five errors (which was changed to four errors after the game).

The game went into extra innings, with Blue Rocks reliever Bryan Paukovits striking out the side in the top of the 10th. In the bottom of the 10th inning, Nick Van Stratten walked with one out. With two outs, Ryan Stovall ripped the first pitch he saw from Keys reliever Kenny Moreland down the third base line. It hit the tarp and bounced away from Keys left fielder Kipp Schutz. Blue Rocks manager Brian Rupp sent Van Stratten home and the throw from Keys shortstop Manny Machado was off the line and late. The Blue Rocks walked off with a 5-4 win.

Postgame, we had a chance to talk to:

1B Ryan Stovall, who had the game-winning hit (2-for-4):

 Nice to sign autographs after getting the game-winning hit? “Yeah, sometimes. It makes it a little better.”

Why are you hitting the ball so well lately? “You just have to take the same approach. I just think it took me a little longer to get comfortable up here. I knew I could do it. I feel comfortable.”

Ryan Stovall

How did it feel to pull it out after giving up the lead a few times? “We never really stressed out about it. We stayed relaxed. That’s how you win ballgames like that.”

Nice to get the game-winning hit and see the guy rounding third, playing aggressively: “It is. I think I was trying to run with him (a few laughs). It’s always nice to be on that side. I’ve been on the other side plenty of times. When you get those chances, you just gotta try to get it done.”

You showed yourself to be a team player by laying down a few bunts. That has to be something you haven’t done a whole lot: “I think I’m one of those guys where I have to bunt. I’m not going to be one of those guys that sits back, that drops the ball out of the ballpark. You just got to accept that as your role and I actually like that role. It make it easy.”

How much of a beating did you get at second base by your teammates? “It wasn’t too bad.”

» Continue reading “Royals Wednesday Minors Recap”

It’s another installment of the Royals Blue-Aid Weekly Awards. With MLB enjoying the next three days off, it allowed me a little more time to write. Most of the minors also have Tuesday off, so it will be a slightly slow day of baseball news.

 Best power explosion: John Whittleman of the Wilmington Blue Rocks. The Blue Rocks historically never have power hitters on their roster, 1. because Frawley Stadium eats homerun and 2. the Carolina League is known as a pitcher’s league. Whittleman right now, is the Blue Rocks only homerun threat and he has been on a tear over the last week. He hit a homer in three straight games (July 3-5) before taking a game off. Then he hit two homeruns on July 7th. That is five of his 13 homeruns in the last week. He has also reached base in every game over the last week (via a hit or a walk). Over his last ten games, Whittleman is hitting .345.

Honorable mention: Jake Kuebler of the Kane County Cougars. In his game on July 6th, Kuebler hit three homeruns against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. He also drove in four RBIs in the game (he now has a total of five HRs and 14 RBIs on the season).

Best start with a new team: It’s a tie between two Nick’s- Van Stratten and Francis.

Since his second promotion to Double-A NW Arkansas,outfielder Nick Francis has been on fire. He has a hit in every game except on July 9th, but he walked in that game, meaning he has reached base in all ten games since his promotion. He is hitting .385 in those games and last night he hit his first Double-A homerun (3-for-5 with three RBIs).

Van Stratten had a hit in every game since joining the High-A Wilmington Blue Rocks until he put up back-to-back 0fers on July9-10. Since joining the Blue Rocks on June 30th, he has a .353 average over those ten games.

The Omaha Storm Chasers scored two quick runs in the top of the 1st inning, capped by a Johnny Giavotella RBI double and a Clint Robinson ground out. However they were the only runs Omaha would score on the night. Reno would score three runs in the bottom of the 2nd inning, which was more than enough for Aces’ starter Tom Layne (Reno went on to win 7-2). The Storm Chasers had a chance to mount a two-out rally in the ninth, but Giavotella lined out with runners on the corners to end the game. Omaha starter Danny Duffy struggled as he allowed four runs on six hits and three walks in just four innings (he threw 88 pitches). Mike Moustakas sat out tonight with a swollen elbow (no broken bones) after being hit by a pitch last night.

The NW Arkansas Naturals scored runs in just two innings in their 7-5 victory over the Springfield Cardinals. They scored four runs in the 3rd inning, capped by a Jamie Romak three-run homerun. In the top of the 8th and down 5-4, the Naturals scored three runs. That inning was capped by Nick Van Stratten’s three-run homer. The Naturals bullpen combination of Heath Rollins, Brandon Sisk, and Patrick Keating combined to pitch 4.2 scoreless innings in relief of starter Chris Dwyer.

A night after the Wilmington Blue Rocks were silent except for the 8th inning, the Blue Rocks pounded the host Potomac Cannons 13-4. Down 3-1 headed into the top of the 4th, the Blue Rocks scored three runs and then put up a 6-spot in the top of the 5th to break the game open. They pounded out 17 hits, nine of them for extra bases. Carlo Testa, Rey Navarro, and Jose Bonilla all collected three hits. All of the offense made a winner out of starter Tim Melville, who allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits over five innings.

Greg Billo of the Kane County Cougars carried a no-hitter into the 6th inning before Rubi Silva singled with one out for the Peoria Chiefs. Over eight innings, Billo allowed four hits and no runs in the 4-0 victory. Offensively for the Cougars, Julio Aparicio had three hits, while Geulin Beltre and Ryan Jenkins each had two hits.

So I’ve been mentioning the great catch by Naturals outfielder Nick Van Stratten on Opening Night for NW Arkansas. The catch made Sportcenter’s Top 10 Plays (it was ranked second). Here are his and his teammates’ accounts of the catch: Nick Van Stratten\’s catch

On to the rest of the Royals minors’ news:

Round Rock Express 3, Omaha Storm Chasers 2: The Omaha-Round Rock game boasted two of the game’s top pitching prospects: Mike Montgomery for Omaha against Michael Kirkman of Round Rock. However neither went deep into the game or figured in the decision. With Omaha holding a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the 9th, Matt Kata of Round Rock delivered a sac fly to send the game into extra innings. The game would stay tied at 2-2 until the 13th, when Kata again struck, this time with a walk-off RBI single with two outs. Both teams collected 12 hits in the game. For the Storm Chasers, Johnny Giavotella collected three hits, while David Lough and Clint Robinson had two hits a piece. Unfortunately, Omaha was just 2-for-12 with runners in scoring position, though Round Rock was just 3-for-13. The Express bullpen went nine shutout innings, while allowing just four hits (and the four relievers combined for ten strikeouts).

Naturals 14, Corpus Christi Hooks 4: The Naturals continue to win, and for the first time, the game was not decided by one run. The six-spot in the bottom of the 2nd inning blew the game open for Naturals starter Chris Dwyer, though he only lasted into the 4th inning. Reliever Mario Santiago picked up the victory by going 3.2 one-hit innings. Every Naturals starter collected at least one hit, while Derrick Robinson, Wil Myers, and Kurt Mertins each collected three hits. Myers and Jamie Romak each drove in three runs. The Naturals will enjoy Wednesday off before heading to San Antonio.

Wilmington Blue Rocks 7, Kinston Indians 6: Down 5-2 heading into the 7th, the Blue Rocks score four runs in the frame, all with two outs. The inning was capped by a Nick Francis two-run single, followed by a John Whittleman RBI triple and a Tim Ferguson RBI single. The lead was short-lived as Kinston scored a run in the bottom of the 7th, aided by two Blue Rocks errors, to tie the game at 6-6. The score would stay tied until the 9th, when the Blue Rocks scored on an assist from the Indians sloppy defense to take the 7-6 lead. Blue Rocks reliever Ryan Dennick would hold on for the victory, with 2.2 shutout innings. The strikeouts continue to mount for the Blue Rocks hitters, as they struck out 14 more times in Tuesday’s game.

Quad Cities River Bandits 5, Kane County Cougars 3: The River Bandits put up a three-spot in the top of the 4th inning to take a 4-1 lead and never looked back. The top of the order for the Cougars, Alex Llanos and Yowill Espinal, went 4-for-7. Mitch Hodge and Chase Boruff combined for 5.1 one-run innings in relief for the Cougars.

Here’s a an overview of this past Monday’s pitching matchup between Barret Loux and Jake Odorizzi:

Loux, Odorizzi impress in pitching duel milb.com

Round Rock Express 5, Omaha Storm Chasers 2: After Omaha took a 2-1 lead in the 5^th inning, Round Rock erupted for four runs in the bottom of the inning and held on for the victory. The 5^th inning for the Express was capped by back-to-back homeruns from Matt Kata and Taylor Teagarden. Round Rock starter Derek Hankins allowed two runs on just two hits (solo homeruns off the bats of David Lough and Clint Robinson) and did not walk a batter. Hankins spent last season as part of the Eastern League Champion Altoona Curve. For the Storm Chasers, starter Everett Teaford allowed five runs (four earned) on five hits in 4.2 innings, though he did strike out seven. Mike Montgomery takes the hill for Omaha on Tuesday versus World Series champion Michael Kirkman.

NW Arkansas Naturals 4, Corpus Christi Hooks 3: This time the Naturals scored their runs early and held on for the victory. The Naturals scored a run in the 1^st and three more in the 2^nd. Edgar Osuna allowed two unearned runs in the top of the 1^st but settled in from there to last 5.2 innings. Nick Van Stratten and Christian Colon delivered RBI singles in the 2^nd to give the Naturals a 4-2 lead. Buddy Baumann pitched 3.1 innings of relief to record the save. After allowing a run in the 9^th, Baumann bounced back to strike out Brian Esposito to end the game. Chris Dwyer takes the mound for the Naturals in the series finale.

Wilmington Blue Rocks 4, Kinston Indians 1: Cuban Noel Arguelles made his first appearance since signing with the Royals and combined with Michael Mariot to pitch a three-hitter. Arguelles allowed two hits over four shutout innings. Mariot allowed a solo homerun to Adam Abraham of Kinston in the 5^th inning. That was all Mariot allowed in five innings. The two induced 15 groundouts from Indians’ hitters. The Blue Rocks scored a run in the 6^th inning to take a 2-1 lead, and increased that lead to 4-1 with back-to-back RBI singles from Juan Graterol and Deivy Batista. Strikeouts continue to hamper the Blue Rocks, as they struck out 13 times. Nick Francis has struck out ten times this season, as he is 0-for-17. Alex McClure is also hitless in 15 at-bats with 8 strikeouts. The Blue Rocks took the series opener in Kinston and send Elisaul Pimentel to the mound on Tuesday against Kinston’s TJ House.

Quad Cities River Bandits 8, Kane County Cougars 3: The Cougars home opener was spoiled on Monday night. The River Bandits score two runs each in the first, fourth, fifth, and eighth innings capped by Greg Garcia’s two-run triple and Cody Stanley’s two RBIs. Brian Fletcher and Murray Watts collected two hits each for the Cougars.

The Royals have completed a little more than a full week of baseball, while their minor league affiliates finished a weekend of games.

It is time for the first installment of the Royals Blue-Aid Weekly Awards.

It’s a tie for the first week for BEST PERFORMANCE:

The Royals Bullpen. Outside of closer Joakim Soria’s implosion against the Chicago White Sox on April 6th and Sean O’Sullivan’s five runs in four innings, the bullpen has been virtually flawless. The rest have allowed just four runs over 21.2 innings. Soria and rookies Tim Collins, Aaron Crow, and Jeremy Jeffress have each picked up a victory (four of the team’s six wins). The bullpen has racked up 22 strikeouts. The bullpen is a HUGE reason why the Royals are 6-3 so far this season.

The NW Arkansas Naturals. The Naturals lost their Opening Day game, but won their next three games. Taking a page out of the big league Royals‘ book, they won all three of those games in walk-off fashion. The first win came in 11 innings, with Nick Van Stratten singling home a run to break the 4-4 tie. The second win came on Mario Lisson’s walk-off homerun in the bottom of the 9th. The third win came in 14 innings, with Wil Myers breaking the 2-2 tie with a bases-loaded single.

BEST GLOVEWORK: Nick Van Stratten, an outfielder with the NW Arkansas Naturals. How can you disagree with this? Van Stratten’s catch on Opening Night was ranked #2 in ESPN’s Sportcenter Top Plays.