It was not a great opening weekend for the Omaha Storm Chasers, as they played on the road, against the Louisville Bats and were swept. The Bats are the AAA affiliate for the Cincinnati Reds.
The Storm Chasers lost a pair of one run games, 2-1 and 6-5 (in 10 innings), but were routed in the series finale 10-4. Some notable stats and numbers from some players that just missed out on cracking the Royals Opening Day roster are as follows:
- Josh Rojas- 4-12, 1 HR, 1 double, 3 runs scored and 4 runs batted in.
- Kameron Misner- 2-12, 3 runs batted in, 6 strikeouts.
- John Rave- 3-10, 1 run batted in, 5 walks, 2 stolen bases.
- Abraham Toro- 3-15, 1 run batted in, 7 strikeouts.
For the pitchers, Ryan Bergert was the Opening Day starter. He
went 4.1 innings, gave up seven hits, two runs and struck out four.
Luinder Avila also got a start, despite fans clamoring for him to be a backend bullpen piece. The Royals want him stretched out to be a potential starter. In his start, he went 3 innings, gave up four hits, two runs, two walks, while striking out three.
Steven Cruz, who emerged as a key bullpen piece last season, before suffering an injury, got a save opportunity on Saturday, with a 5-3 lead. Unfortunately, the 26-year-old surrendered a game tying two-run homer to Christian Encarnacion-Strand. However, on a positive note, Cruz did strike out three batters in that inning.
The Storm Chasers are home Tuesday-Sunday for a six-game series against the Buffalo Bisons, the Blue Jays’ AAA affiliate.
In AA news, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals open their season Thursday, April 2 with a four-game road series, against the Wichita Wind Surge, the Twins’ AA affiliate. Dennis Colleran got a lot of hype from the Spring Training outings he had for Kansas City. He will be a name to keep an eye on. The 22-year-old quickly moved through the minors last season, working through Quad Cities and Columbia with dominating numbers. A 2.85 ERA over 66.1 innings, with an opposing batting average of .161, with 72 strikeouts and 34 walks.
Frank Mozzicato, the 7th overall pick in 2021, had a rough season for the Naturals last season, but the lefty is primed to bounce back and continue working his way up the ladder.
In High-A ball, the Quad Cities River Bandits open their season Friday at the South Bend Cubs, the Chicago Cubs High-A affiliate. Two top names to keep an eye on are right hander Drew Beam and catcher Blake Mitchell.
In Single-A, the Columbia Fireflies, open their season Thursday on the road against the Hickory Crawdads, the Rangers Single-A affiliate. Right-handed pitcher Kendry Chourio, who has received national hype as a prospect is the top Firefly to watch early on.
Rosters have not been set for other affiliates, but the Royals have made a few transactions. Drew Waters cleared waivers and was assigned to Omaha yesterday. The Royals released infielder Brennon McNair, outfielders Tyler Gentry and Milo Rushford, and pitchers Chandler Champlain, Jonathan Heasley, Yenfri Sosa, Fraynel Nova, Jesus Rios, Juan Martinez, and Mack Anglin. Infielder Javi Vaz, pitchers John Means, Tyson Guerrero, Anthony Simonelli, and Asa Lacy were placed on the 60-day IL. And third baseman Sam Ruta, a West Point graduate, was placed on military leave.
Baseball is just picking up for all the Royals affiliates, with everyone other than the Storm Chasers playing their first games this week. There will be more to cover and write about next week, but who might you want to learn about? Which team or prospect intrigues you the most? It should be a fun season for all the Royals affiliates and I’m excited to keep a close eye on them.
