TWitM: Royals pitching prospects shine (again), 2023 draftees heat up

Are the Royals suddenly a pitching...factory?

‘This Week in the Minors’ is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”

This Week in the Minors: Tuesday, April 16 to Sunday, April 21

AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (12-9, 1.5 GB, International League West)

It was a bit of a back-to-Earth week for Omaha, as they went 2-4 on the week. The Storm Chasers scored 18 combined runs in their two wins but just 11 runs in the other four contests combined.

Nate Eaton and Drew Waters led the offense with six hits apiece. Waters especially has stood out on the field in more ways than one. He slashed .353/.476/.647 on the week with two doubles and a home run. Unfortunately, he was also pulled from a game for undisclosed reasons. The rest of the offense was pedestrian at best on the week. Logan Porter’s hot start continued but he appeared in just two games for Omaha this week.

On the mound, starter Andrew Hoffmann and reliever Colin Selby struggled heavily on the week. Hoffmann went just 1.2 innings in his start, allowing two earned runs to score. Selby appeared in two games for Omaha and allowed five earned runs over just 1.1 IP. Reliever Evan Sisk led the team in strikeouts on the week with six. He had a 3.60 ERA over 3.1 IP. Will Klein and Walter Pennington continued their scoreless streaks to start the 2024 season. Neither has allowed an earned run to pass thus far.

Tyler Gentry hit his first home run of the season. Hopefully, it will lead to a breakthrough in the coming week, as he has started extremely slowly this season.

AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (7-8, 5.0 GB, Texas League North)

The Naturals finished the week 4-2 against the Midland RockHounds. Aside from a series-opening loss in which the team allowed ten runs, the team’s pitching staff was lights out all week.

Prospect Mason Barnett led the team in strikeouts on the week. In his lone start, he struck out ten over five innings of work. He allowed one run and walked just one batter on the day. Lefty Tyson Guerrero wasn’t too far behind Barnett. He struck out eight Midland hitters in his start. He went four scoreless innings and walked just one batter as well. Guerrero leans heavily on a nasty slider and a 93-94 mph fastball with good shape.

Chandler Champlain continued to get back on track with six innings of one-run ball on Friday. He struck out six and brought his season ERA down to 7.24 following a rough first start. Last but not least, LHP Noah Cameron continued to make his case for an early promotion to Omaha. He allowed just one earned run over five innings of work and dropped his season ERA to 1.84.

In the bullpen, relievers Noah Murdock and Beck Way continued scoreless starts to the season. Murdock had six strikeouts and no walks over 3.1 IP this week. Way struck out five with no walks over three innings. Anthony Simonelli was nearly perfect over four innings of work on the week. He struck out five and walked one batter but didn’t allow a single hit on the week.

A+ Quad Cities River Bandits (11-4, 1st Place, Midwest League West)

The River Bandits’ nine-game winning streak came to an end on Sunday. They’ve been outstanding early on this season behind the best pitching staff in the entire minor leagues. Through 15 games the River Bandits have allowed just 36 runs — the lowest of any minor league affiliate at any level. Last week, RHP Ben Kudrna was named the Midwest League Pitcher of the Week. This week, that honor fell to RHP Steven Zobac. He was fantastic over six scoreless innings this week.

Kudrna and Frank Mozzicato tied for the team lead with eight strikeouts apiece on the week. Neither pitcher has allowed a run to score this season. Oscar Rayo and Henry Williams were both strong over their appearances this week as well, allowing just one run apiece over eight combined innings. The 2023 draftee, Hunter Owen, continues his strong start to the season as well. Owen allowed two runs to score over five full innings of work this week, good for a 3.60 ERA.

On offense, outfielder Carson Roccaforte started to heat up. He led the team with eight hits this week. Roccaforte slashed .333/.333/.500 with a double and a home run. Not far behind him was catcher Carter Jensen. Jensen slashed .316/.435/.526 this week and continues to be one of the best hitters in all of High-A this season.

A Columbia Fireflies (9-5, 1st place, Carolina League South)

The Fireflies are on a three-game win streak. They’re 7-3 over their last ten. The team finished the week 3-2, playing just five games due to a postponed contest on Sunday.

The headliner of the week was easily Royals top prospect, Blake Mitchell. He led the Fireflies with eight hits, including a double and a home run. He had six walks against just five strikeouts on the week, slashing .471/.609/.706. The rest of the offense was rather stagnant this week, but the pitching picked up the slack for Columbia.

RHP Emmanuel Reyes was fantastic in his start this week. He led the team with eight strikeouts and finished with a 0.71 WHIP over 5.2 IP. Other starters this week included Hunter Patteson, Felix Arronde, Blake Wolters, and Ethan Bosacker. Bosacker made his first professional start after Mauricio Veliz was placed on the injured list. He struck out seven and faced just two over the minimum over his six innings of work.

In all, the rotation combined to allow just four earned runs over 27.1 innings of work this week. Prospect Blake Wolters was slated to start Sunday’s contest which would eventually be postponed. He looked better in his second professional start, allowed no earned runs, and retired nine straight hitters at one point.