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.

The deeper into baseball’s winter league season we get, the lesser KC Royals players who are active. The four major winter leagues are currently in the playoffs without the use of Royals players. But I’ll update you on the playoffs anyway.

The Dominican Winter League round robin playoffs are still a bit close. Escogido, who finished the regular season at 23-28 is in first place with a 7-3 record. Regular season champion Aguilas is one game back at 6-4. Toros is 5-5, while Estrellas is 2-8.

In the Mexican Pacific League, the first round best-of-seven series are currently underway. Culiacan swept Hermosillo in four games to advance to the semifinals. Obregon leads their series over Guasave 3-2. Mazatlan also leads their series over Mexicali, 3-2.

In the Puerto Rican League, both Caguas and Mayaguez (who finished one game apart in the regular season) are tied at 4-2. Santurce and Carolina are 2-4.

The Venezuelan Winter League round robin playoffs are VERY close. Zulia and Caracas are tied for the top spot at just 3-2. Lara and Magallanes are 3-3, but just a 1/2 game back. Caribes is in last place at 2-4.

Now that you are up-to-date with the playoffs in those leagues, let’s update the Royals players who are still active in winter league baseball.

Carlo Testa

The Melbourne Aces will not be making the Australian Baseball League playoffs (last place at 13-21), but their Royals outfielder is doing his part to finish the season strong. They have also won four in a row.

Carlo Testa played in four games last week for the Aces, all in the outfield once again. He went 6-for-17 (.353) with two doubles, a homerun, and three RBIs. He walked once, stole a base, and struck out twice.

His former Wilmington teammate, Ryan Stovall, is coming off Player of the Week honors, where he hit .415 with two doubles, a triple, two homeruns, and seven RBIs for Canberra.

Moving on to Panama, where outfielder Nick Van Stratten continues to tear the cover off the ball for Herrera. He played in four games last week. He went 7-for-18 (.389) with three RBIs. He still has only struck out once in 14 games (57 at-bats).

Luis Melgar is pitching for Herrera. In two games last week, he was LIT up. Over 2.2 innings, he allowed six runs (five earned) on seven hits (including a homerun) and a walk. He struck out one.

It was another tough week for first baseman Matt Fields with Caballos de Cocle. In five games last week, he went just 3-for-16 (.188). He did however have a double, homerun, and four RBIs. He walked twice and struck out twice.

With his Venezuelan season coming to an end, outfielder Luis Durango has moved on to Panama. In five games last week, he went just 3-for-17 (.176) with two walks.

Finally, in Columbia, Mauricio Ramos had a solid week for Sacelejo. In two games at third base, he committed an error. On offense, he went 3-for-7 (.428) with a walk and a strikeout. Luis Piterson played in two games at shortstop for Monteria. He went 0-for-8 with a walk and a strikeout.

I hope you all enjoyed your New Year’s and made it home safely. It is time for another KC Royals winter league update.

Luis Mendoza

The Mexican Pacific League‘s regular season came to an end on December 30th. Playoffs are underway, as Hermosillo (16-17) faces Culiacan (21-10), Obregon (16-16) faces Guasave (16-16), and Mazatlan (16-16) faces Mexicali (18-14). All of those series begin tonight.

For the playoff push, Obregon has two current Royals. Outfielder Willy Taveras played in three games last week. He went 1-for-9 with an RBI and three strikeouts. Pitcher Luis Mendoza made one start last week in his preparation for a spot on the Royals Opening Day roster. Over five innings, he allowed four runs on five hits, three walks, and a hit batter. He did strike out three.

The round robin playoffs are underway in the Dominican Winter League. Currently, Aguilas and Toros are tied for first place at 3-1. Escogido follows with a 2-2 record and Estrellas has yet to win in the playoffs (0-4). None of the Royals playing in the DWL played in a game last week.

The round robin playoffs begin tonight in the Venezuelan Winter League. Five teams have advanced to the playoffs: Magallanes (36-27), Zulia (35-28), Caribes (35-28), Caracas (35-28), and Lara (34-29).

Yender Caramo was one of the newest Royals to begin play in winter ball last week. He pitched in two games for first place Magallanes. Over 1.1 innings, he allowed three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out one.

Luis Durango played in four games last week for Caribes. He went just 2-for-14 (.143) with a double and two RBIs. He walked three times and stole two bases while striking out twice.

Juan Gutierrez pitched in one game last week for Caracas. In his one inning of work, he picked up his league-leading 14th save. He walked just one in that inning. Guillermo Moscoso made one start last week. Over four innings, he allowed two runs on three hits (including a homerun) and three walks while striking out two.

Alcides Escobar played in three games for Lara and committed an error. He went 6-for-13 (.462) with two doubles, a triple, and three RBIs. He struck out twice, stole a base, and was caught stealing. Paulo Orlando played in four games. He went 4-for-16 (.250) with a double, an RBI, and four strikeouts. Jose Jimenez pitched in two games, but did not record an inning. He allowed a run on a walk.

The winter league season came to an end for a few in the VWL.

Salvador Perez went 0-for-4 in one game for La Guaira (29-33). He did drive in a run and walked once. Anthony Ortega pitched in one game. Over two innings, he struck out five.

Max Ramirez played in three games for Margarita (23-38). He went 3-for-10 with a walk and two strikeouts.

» Continue reading “Royals Winter League Update”

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”

Okay, so there are no current or former KC Royals on the Netherlands World Cup roster, but I will delve into the now European powerhouse a bit. I became a fan back in 2006, watching the Netherlands in the inaugural World Baseball Classic. I had the opportunity to meet a few of their players in the minor leagues (like Leon Boyd, Sharlon Schoop, and Yurendell deCaster). Who can forget these upstart players beating the mighty Dominican Republic filled with Major League talent in 2009 in the WBC? Well Boyd and Schoop are key contributors to the Netherlands current World Cup team. Schoop’s little brother Jonathan (the Baltimore Orioles minor league player of the year) has now joined him in international competition.

So what happened on Thursday? They upset Cuba to advance to their first ever finals and it is the first time that a European team will reach in the World Cup Gold Medal game in 73 years. Boyd threw two scoreless innings of relief and the Netherlands hit two, 2-run homeruns to win 4-1. Prior to beating Cuba, the Netherlands beat Korea and Australia in the second round.

The Netherlands followed up Thursday with a 12-2 thumping of Venezuela on Friday to finish 6-1.

Who will the Dutch play in the World Cup Gold Medal Game? Cuba. The rematch begins at 5pm on Saturday at Rod Carew Stadium as Cuba defeated Canada (and then Panama) on Friday. Cuba finished 6-1.

A look back at the rest of the action…

Wednesday’s games were completely washed out by rain, so that meant doubleheaders on Thursday or Friday for all of the teams. The DH’s were of the seven inning variety (just like in the minors).

If you haven’t figured out already, I love baseball and not just one team. I love watching the game grow and that is why I find myself rooting for teams like the Netherlands and Australia. I met Aussie Luke Hughes (who spent a good chunk of this year in the big leagues with the Minnesota Twins) prior to the last World Cup and talked to him about playing for his country and having to leave his current team (the New Britain RockCats) before the season was over. He was so nice (plus listening to him talk with his lovely accent didn’t hurt).

Australia’s Justin Huber (a former Royal) went 1-for-3 in the loss to the Netherlands. He also went 0-for-5 in the Aussie’s 5-4 win on Friday against host Panama. Tim Kennelly of Australia collected three hits, including a double and a homerun in their first win of the second round over Canada. I’ve had a chance to see Kennelly play the last two seasons with the Reading Phillies. He plays the outfield for the Aussies, though he mainly catches with the Phillies (his brother or Joel Naughton mainly catch for their home country). The Aussies will play Korea on Saturday afternoon in the 5th place game. Former Royal Paul Mildren will be getting the start for the Aussies.

Speaking of Canada, current Royals Tim Smith and Jamie Romak are a part of that team. Smith went 1-for-2 in their loss to Australia and Romak went 0-for-4. However in their two wins on Thursday, Smith went a combined 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. Romak went 0-for-3 in Canada’s 4-0 win over Korea. Smith went 0-for-3 in Canada’s Friday loss to Cuba. The Canadians will battle the USA for the bronze medal Saturday afternoon.

After pummeling Venezuela in the opener of the second round, host Panama was shocked by Korea’s comeback, as they lost 5-4. In their first win, former Royal Damaso Espino went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. He caught his brother Paolo, who allowed two runs on three hits and three walks over six innings. He also struck out eight. In the loss to Korea, Damaso went 1-for-3. Panama was then shocked by both Australia and Cuba on Friday, as they were swept in their doubleheader. In the 5-4 loss to Australia, Damaso went 1-for-1 as a pinch-hitter. He then went 0-for-3 in their 7-2 loss to Cuba. Panama finished 2-5 and will play Venezuela on Saturday in the 7th place game.

In the bronze medal game on Saturday, Team USA will face off against Canada. Canada beat the USA in the first round of the World Cup.

It came down to Monday’s off-day, but Team USA advanced to the second round of baseball’s World Cup. It took a 5-0 win over Panama for the Americans to advance. Team USA had lost to Canada on Sunday for the first time since the 2006 World Baseball Classic. Former KC Royal minor leaguer Damaso Espino went 0-for-2 in Panama’s loss. Overall in the past week, Espino has gone 5-for-13 with three runs scored and an RBI.

The World Cup’s second round will again feature a round robin format with games beginning on Tuesday and continuing thru Friday.  The standings of the second round will be determined based on the results between all eight advancing teams, including the first round results.

An example: Canada will start the second round with a 2-1 record, having defeated the Netherlands and the USA (their loss came to Panama). Based on the seven results for each team, the classification games and the finals will be played on Saturday October 15th.

Team USA begins action on Tuesday against Cuba, while Canada will try to stop the suddenly hot Australians. The Netherlands will face Korea, while Panama faces Venezuela.

*Here are the current standings:

Cuba 3-0
Canada 2-1
Netherlands 2-1
Australia 1-2
Korea 1-2
Panama 1-2
Venezuela 1-2
USA 1-2

Current or former Royals that are still playing in the World Cup are: Justin Huber and Paul Mildren (Australia), Espino (Panama), and Tim Smith and Jamie Romak (Canada).

Despite being outsted from the international tournament, former Royals outfielder Alexis Gomez played well for his home country of the Dominican Republic this past week. Over the DR’s final four games, Gomez went 8-for-17 with four runs scored and two RBIs. His best game was a 4-for-4 performance against Nicaragua.

In Australia’s sudden burst of offense, former Royal Justin Huber also heated up. Over the Aussie’s final four games, he was 6-for-15 with eight RBIs and four runs scored.

Canada has advanced and Tim Smith and Jamie Romak have been a part of the offense. Smith has gone 3-for-16 with five RBIs and three runs scored. He hit a two-run homerun in Canada’s 4-0 win over Chinese Taipei. Smith scored the winning run against the Netherlands on Saturday in extra innings (it was the Netherlands only loss). Romak has gone 1-for-12 with a homerun.

Italy was eliminated on Sunday after losing to Venezuela in 10 innings. Current Royals minor leaguer Andrea Pizziconi pitched in their Friday loss to Cuba (1.2 IP, 1H, 2R, 2BB, 1K, 3WP, 2HBP).

**Bruce Chen threw out the first pitch prior to his home country Panama’s game versus the Netherlands on Sunday. Unfortunately he was a bit of bad luck, as Panama lost their first game of the tournament.

After three games in Panama, there are four teams in the World Cup that are undefeated: Cuba, the Netherlands, Canada, and host Panama. To stay undefeated, the Netherlands beat Japan for the first time in World Cup history. Team USA lost an extra-inning affair to Puerto Pico on a grand slam. Australia has yet to score a run in the tournament.

In Pool 1, Canada, the Netherlands, and Panama sit at the top. USA is 2-1. In Pool 2, Cuba is on top followed by four 2-1 teams: Venezuela, South Korea, Italy, and the Dominican Republic.

Since there are current and former KC Royals players speckled throughout the World Cup, the following are some stats of those players from their team’s first three games.

In Italy’s first game, Andrea Pizzioni allowed one hit over 1/3 of an inning.

In the DR’s first game, former Royals pitcher Runelvys Hernandez allowed just one hit over 1.2 innings. Former outfielder Alexis Gomez went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Since the first game, Gomez is 2-for-8 with two RBIs. Willy Lebron pitched Game 2 for the DR and allowed four hits and three unearned runs over 5.2 innings. He struck out five.

Paul Mildren of Australia pitched in their first game and allowed two hits and a walk over two innings while striking out one. Justin Huber went 0-for-3 in the loss (Huber has yet to collect a hit).

Canada is undefeated and two current Royals minor leaguers are a reason why. Jamie Romak (who is playing some left field) and fellow outfielder Tim Smith (who is also DHing) have been an offensive force. Smith had a two-run first inning single in Canada’s first game (he went 2-for-3). In the second game, Smith went 2-for-4 while Romak went 0-for4. In Game 3, Smith went 3-for-4 with a homerun and two RBIs. Romak went 1-for-5 with two RBIs and two runs scored.

Panama is also undefeated and catcher Damaso Espino is a reason why. In the team’s second and third game, he went a combined 2-for-8.

Former Royal catcher Mike Tonis is playing third base for Greece. He has yet to pick up a hit.

*Games continue through Sunday before teams are eliminated.

No I am not talking about soccer. This is baseball’s version of the World Cup and it began on Saturday night in Panama with Opening Ceremonies. The host team Panama came back to defeat the European Underdog Greece in the opening game.

Team USA does not have a member of the KC Royals minor leagues on its roster (like last year), but it does have a mix of younger prospects and veterans. The big name is catcher/DH Travis D’Arnaud of the Toronto Blue Jays (who was the Eastern League’s MVP). Tuffy Gosewich of the Philadelphia Phillies will platoon with D’Arnaud. John Danks’ brother Jordan will patrol the outfield. Veterans Randy Williams, Royce Ring, Scott Patterson, and Joe Thurston will be counted on. The USA begin their World Cup play tonight at 8:30pm against Japan. You can catch all the action live HERE.

Don’t fret. There are a few Royals minor leaguers speckled throughout the international tournament and a few former players. Let’s start with the host team Panama. Former minor league catcher Damaso Espino (and his pitcher brother Paulo) were big parts of Panama’s opening win. Paulo picked up the win, as he allowed three runs on five hits over six innings while striking out eight. Damaso tied the game up with a double and produced a two-run single in the 6th inning as Panama defeated Greece 8-3.

On the Greek roster (but didn’t play in the first game) is former Royals minor league catcher Mike Tonis. Remember him? He was supposed to be that elite catcher coming up through the system (well at least on defense). You can check out a 2009 article on him from Will McDonald HERE.

» Continue reading “World Cup Begins”