Triple-A

The Omaha Storm Chasers (Pacific Coast League) went 4-2 over the last week improving to 44-27 on the season.  The Storm are leading the Northern Division by 14 games over the Iowa Cubs.

Who’s Hot

The Storm Chasers have continued to pile up runs on offense.  One of the best offenses in minor league baseball, got great weeks from Wil Myers and Irving Falu.  Myers, has lived on the hot list all season long.  In his past ten games he is hitting .350 (14-for-40) with three home runs, nine RBI, and 13 runs scored.  Falu has not been far behind hitting .351 (13-for-37) with three home runs and 12 RBI, to go along with 11 runs scored in his last ten games.  Blaine Hardy turned in his best Triple-A performance this past week. He went four innings allowing just one-hit while striking out four against Round Rock.

Who’s Not

Outfielder Jason Bourgeois is on the cold list despite heating up of late.  The outfielder is hitting .231 with two runs scored in his last five games.  Will Smith has hit a rough patch after being sent down from Kansas City to Omaha.  In his last two starts, the left-hander is 0-1, having worked ten and a third innings allowing 16 hits and nine runs.

Double-A

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Texas League) went 3-4 over the past week getting swept by Tulsa on the road, splitting a four-game set with the Cardinals on the road, and taking the first of an eight game home stand against the Drillers.  The Naturals sit in second place in the Texas League’s North Division four games behind Tulsa.

Who’s Hot

Paulo Orlando seems to be returning to the form that many fans remember.  After a spring injury and a cool start, Orlando’s bat has heated up in June.  The outfielder is hitting .378 (14-for-37) over his last nine games with six runs scored.  On the mound for the Naturals Buddy Baumann turned in a solid week in relief.  The left-hander appeared in three games for the Naturals working four innings allowing three hits, while striking out five.  He also picked up his first save of the season on June 17 in Springfield.

Who’s Not

Eric Duncan seems to always come through with a big clutch hit, but is hitting just .188 (6-for-32) with one home run and three RBI.  Elisaul Pimentel had been on a hot streak, but had a rough outing on his last trip to the hill.  Pimentel is 0-2, having worked nine innings allowing 18 hits and 11 earned runs.

Class-A Advanced

The Wilmington Blue Rocks (Carolina League) went 1-5 over the past week dropping to 29-41 on the season.  The Blue Rocks have fallen to third place in the North Division and trail the Lynchburg Hillcats by 10.0 games for the division lead.

Who’s Hot

The Blue Rocks offense has continued to be sparked by shortstop Alex McClure.  McClure hit .304 (7-for-23) over the team’s last ten games.  He entered the season well-known for his defensive abilities.  Edwin Carl has continued to shine on the mound for the Blue Rocks since being promoted from Kane County.  In two outings last week he worked four and a third innings allowing just three hits and striking out five.

Who’s Not

Brian Fletcher has fallen into a slump.  The outfielder is still tops on the team in hitting with a .289 batting average, but has hit just .159 over the team’s last ten games.  Cole White has been hit hard in his last two outings in relief.  White has allowed six hits and six runs, while issuing seven walks in his last five innings of work.
 

Class-A

The Kane County Cougars went 1-5 over the past week making them 34-36 on the season.  The Cougars fell to fifth place in the Midwest League’s western division and are 10.5 games out of first place.

Who’s Hot

Outfielder Jorge Bonifacio is hitting everything that pitchers are throwing to him right now.  The 19-year-old is hitting .333 over his last ten games with two home runs and an impressive 15 RBI.  On the mound for the Cougars, Jason Mitchell has turned things around.  In his last two trips to the hill Mitchell has worked 11 innings allowing eight hits and one run while striking out 10.

Who’s Not

Infielder Michael Antonio went through a tough week last week for the Cougars.  He hit just .143 (5-for-35) with one run scored and one RBI.  Aaron Brooks has not been missing many bats lately on the mound.  The right-hander has allowed 21 hits and 14 runs in his last 11.2 innings (2 appearances).

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Triple-A
The Omaha Storm Chasers (Pacific Coast League) went 3-4 over the last week and now sit at 34-25 on the season.  The Storm are leading the Northern Division by eight games over the Iowa Cubs.

Who’s Hot

Wil Myers has been an offensive show by himself no matter what level he has been playing at this season.  Although, he has spent most of his time in Omaha at designated hitter, he will be in the field more in the coming weeks.  Over his last five games the outfielder is hitting .381 (8-for-21) with three home runs and eight RBI.  Since joining Omaha, Myers is hitting .321 with six home runs and 16 RBI in 19 games.  On the mound for the Storm Chasers Mike Montgomery has again jumped from the not to the hot list in one week.  In his last outing the left-hander went seven innings allowing just two hits and one run, to earn his third win of the season.

Who’s Not

Derrick Robinson seems to have hit a midseason slump.  The outfielder is hitting .172 (5-29) over his last nine games.  He is still hitting .296 for the season despite the slump and has scored 38 runs.  Jonathan Sanchez, who is in Omaha on a major league rehab assignment, has struggled in his two starts.  He has gone eight and a third innings allowing nine hits and seven earned runs, while walking five and striking out eight.

Double-A
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Texas League) went 3-3 over the getting swept by the Midland RockHounds, and then sweeping the Frisco RoughRiders.  The Naturals return home on Wednesday to take on the Arkansas Travelers.  The Naturals are 29-27 on the season and find themselves trailing the Tulsa Drillers by two games for the lead in the North Division.

Who’s Hot

Carlo Testa has continued to swing a hot bat for the Naturals.  The outfielder is hitting .316 (12-for-38) with three home runs and 11 RBI in his last nine games.  He is now tied for the team lead in RBI with Myers, who has since been promoted to Omaha.  Justin Marks has been one of the hottest pitchers in the Texas League as of late.  He has allowed just two earned runs over his last 11 innings, walking five and striking out nine.

Who’s Not

Christian Colon hit a rough patch on the road trip this past week.  The shortstop, who is also seeing action at second base has gone 6-for-35 (.171) over his last ten games, but has not stopped producing.  During that time he has one home run six RBI, and has scored seven times.    Chris Dwyer went 0-2 in his last two starts working six and two-thirds innings allowing ten hits and ten runs, issuing nine walks and striking out seven.

Class-A Advanced
The Wilmington Blue Rocks (Carolina League) went 3-4 last and they now sit two games under .500 at 27-29 on the season.  The Blue Rocks are second in the Northern Division and are trailing the Lynchburg Hillcats by 1.5 games.

Who’s Hot

Brian Fletcher has continued to be one of the hottest hitters in the entire Carolina League.  Fletcher has hit .353 (12-for-34) over his last 10 games and has driven in four runs.  The outfielder has been playing the majority of his time at first base, and is hitting .318 for the season with three home runs and 23 RBI.  Greg Billo has been hot on the mound for the Blue Rocks.  In his last two outings Billo has worked seven and a third innings allowing four hits and one run, while walking three and striking out eight.

Who’s Not

Catcher, Jose Bonilla has been ice cold at the plate 0-for-14 in his last four games and just 2-for-25 over his last ten with one home run.  Cole White has found himself in trouble over the last ten games on the mound.  The right handed reliever has allowed three runs over his last three and a third innings.

Class-A
The Kane County Cougars went 3-4 over the past week making them 30-28 on the season.  The Cougars are in third place in the Midwest League’s Western division trailing a pair of teams from Wisconsin, the Beloit Snappers and Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

Who’s Hot

Outfielder Runey Davis has really turned it up at the plate hitting .320 (8-for-25) with four RBI and five runs scored over the past nine games.  Davis is hitting .250 for the season in 22 games with the Cougars.  Robinson Yambati has been hot on the mound for the Cougars.  In his last two games he has logged seven and a third innings allowing just two hits and two walks, while striking out eight.  The right-hander earned his first save on May 26 and made his second start of the season on June 1.

Who’s Not

Infielder Justin Trapp has hit a cold spell at the plate.  He is hitting just .147 in his last eight games with one home run and three RBI.  For the season Trapp is hitting .270 with five home runs and 25 RBI.  Jason Mitchell has worked six innings in his last two appearances.  He has allowed 15 hits and 13 runs, while walking six and fanning four in those appearances.

Alumni Report (Former Naturals outside the Kansas City organization)

Who’s Hot

Ernesto Mejia is making a case to make the Triple-A All-Star game.  The former Natural is now in the Braves organization with Triple-A Gwinnett.  He has hit .366 (15-for-41) over his last ten games.   For the season Mejia is hitting .319 with eight home runs and 41 RBI.

Infielder Jefff Bianchi has been on fire ever since being promoted by the Milwaukee Brewers to Triple-A Nashville.  Bianchi is hitting .329 with a home run, eight RBI, and eleven runs scored in 20 games for the Sounds.

Who’s Not

A pair of former Naturals, now find themselves in the Los Angeles Angels system with the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.  Ed Lucas and Cory Aldridge both are struggling at the plate.  Aldridge has hit three home runs in his last nine games, but has gone just 6-for-35 during that stretch.  Lucas finds himself in an even deeper slump going 3-for-31 (.097) with only two RBI in his last nine games.

Dusty Hughes also with Triple-A Gwinnett has struggled in his last three outings.  Hughes has gone 0-1, while allowing nine hits and four runs in his last four innings.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale.  Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Naturals’ INF Bianchi claimed by Cubs

KANSAS CITY, MO – The Kansas City Royals announced Friday that Naturals infielder Jeff Bianchi has been claimed off waivers by the Chicago Cubs.

A second-round pick by the Royals in 2005, the 25-year old Bianchi spent the entire 2011 season with the Naturals, where he batted .259 with two home runs and 48 RBI in 119 games. The Lancaster, PA resident also spent the second half of the 2009 season with the Naturals and batted .315 with five homers and 42 RBI in 68 games but missed the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on his right elbow during Spring Training.

Bianchi, who will occupy a spot on the Cubs’ 40-man Major League roster, was designated for assignment by the Royals on November 30^th to clear a space for new reliever Jonathan Broxton. In 2012, Bianchi is likely to draw an assignment to the Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate, the Iowa Cubs, or their Double-A Tennessee affiliate in the Southern League.

He departs the Naturals organization ranking sixth all-time on the franchise list of games played (187), sixth in at-bats (714), sixth in runs scored (105), tied for fifth in hits (200), third in doubles (40), and seventh in RBI (90). In 490 career minor league games over six seasons, Bianchi has a .281 average with 31 homers and 251 runs batted in.

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state-of-the-art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. Visit our website, nwanaturals.com, for information on season tickets and ticket plans.

Storm Chasers Release 2012 Schedule
Opening Night at Werner Park set for 7:05 p.m. on Thursday, April 5

Photo By Erika Lynn

OMAHA, Neb. — The defending Pacific Coast League Champion Omaha Storm Chasers have officially set their complete 2012 baseball schedule, the club announced Thursday.

Werner Park, entering its second season as the home of Triple-A baseball in Omaha, will host 72 Storm Chasers games between Thursday, April 5 and Sunday, August 26, plus up to five September playoff games if necessary. Full-season, half-season, 20-game and 7-game Holiday packages are currently available to the general public online at www.omahastormchasers.com, by visiting the Werner Park ticket office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., or by calling(402) 738-5100.

The season will kick off with a special Championship Weekend celebration against the Albuquerque Isotopes, Triple-A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers. Beginning on Thursday, April 5 at 7:05 p.m., the Chasers will celebrate Opening Night, two consecutive nights of fireworks, a ring ceremony, a banner raising and a weekend of giveaways.

Albuquerque will be back in town to celebrate America’s Independence, as the Isotopes return from Saturday, June 30 through Tuesday, July 3, with fireworks on July 2 plus the highly-anticipated 20-plus minute fireworks extravaganza wrapping up the homestand on July 3.

Round Rock, the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers and 2011 playoff opponent, will visit Werner Park twice in the opening two months of the season. They will visit from Monday, April 9 through Thursday, April 12 and again Thursday, June 7 through Sunday, June 10. The division rival Iowa Cubs will be in town from Tuesday, May 29 through Friday, June 1 and Thursday, July 12 through Sunday, July 15.

If Omaha is able to chase down its second-straight division title, the Storm Chasers would host Games 1 and 2 of the American Conference Championship Series September 5-6 and Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) of the Pacific Coast League Championship Series September 14-16.

ROUND ROCK, Texas – The Pacific Coast League today announced the 2011 All-PCL Team, led by a league-most three players from the Omaha Storm Chasers.

The Storm Chasers, currently the American Northern Division leader, are represented by second baseman Johnny Giavotella, designated hitter Clint Robinson, and right-handed pitcher Luis Mendoza. Giavotella, who was promoted to Kansas City on August 5th, leads all PCL second baseman with a .338 batting average while Robinson has hit 23 homers and driven in 97 runs in 130 games. Omaha’s ace, Mendoza, has won 11 decisions to accompany his league-best 2.15 earned run average.

The Sacramento River Cats and Reno Aces are the only other teams represented by more than one player. Catcher Anthony Recker (.287, 16 HR) and outfielder Jai Miller (30 HR, 77 RBI) helped power the River Cats to their fifth consecutive Pacific Southern Division crown. Reno’s Cody Ransom, who established new single-season franchise-records for Reno in home runs and RBI, and Collin Cowgill, the only PCL player to have more than 10 home runs and 30 stolen bases this season, were named to the squad as shortstop and outfielder, respectively.

The PCL’s home run leader, Bryan LaHair, was voted to the team as the first baseman. LaHair, 28, is enjoying a career-year with the Iowa Cubs, as he has posted new career-highs in home runs (36) and runs scored (89) while his batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage are the highest for a single-season in his career with eight games remaining this season. He currently leads the PCL in home runs, runs batted in, total bases and extra-base hits.

Along with Cowgill, Giavotella and Robinson, third baseman Taylor Green of the Nashville Sounds and outfielder Joey Butler of the Round Rock Express bring the total number of the first-year Triple-A players on the All-PCL Team to five. In his sixth professional season, Green leads the Sounds in batting average, OBP and doubles over his 120 games played. Drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 15th round of the 2008 June Draft, Butler is batting .326 with 27 doubles and 12 home runs for the American Southern Division champs.

Completing the All-PCL pitching staff, Dana Eveland of the Albuquerque Isotopes was selected as the left-handed pitcher, and Victor Marte of the Memphis Redbirds was named to the team as the top reliever. Eveland, who is one of seven players to be named to the PCL’s Mid-Season and Post-Season All-Star teams this year, has won 12 decisions, the second-most in the league, to go along with 107 strikeouts. Marte has made 51 appearances for Memphis, posting a 1.53 ERA and tallying a PCL-best 28 saves.

Storm Chasers Well-Represented on All-PCL Team
Giavotella, Mendoza, Robinson make up 25 percent of exclusive roster

OMAHA, Neb. — The Omaha Storm Chasers’ storybook inaugural season added another chapter Monday, as the Pacific Coast League named Johnny Giavotella, Luis Mendoza and Clint Robinson to its prestigious 12-member All-PCL Team.

Giavotella, the All-PCL second baseman, batted .338 with nine home runs, 72 RBI, 34 doubles and 67 runs scored in 110 games with the Storm Chasers this season. He was honored as the league’s All-Star representative at second base and was also named the PCL Player of the Month for June, during which he batted .398 (49-for-123). He was promoted to the Kansas City Royals on August 5.

Right-hander Luis Mendoza was one of three pitchers named to the squad. The 27-year-old has an 11-5 record with a league-leading 2.15 ERA for the Chasers, more than a full run better than his nearest competitor. He has dominated the league since May 26, compiling a 10-2 record with a 1.24 ERA over 108.2 innings pitched, including 9-0 with a 1.19 ERA in 10 road appearances. He threw a complete-game, one-hit shutout at Memphis on July 18.

Clint Robinson, honored as the designated hitter for the All-PCL Team, has been one of the hottest hitters in the league over the past two-and-a-half weeks, pushing his season numbers into awe-inspiring territory. The 6-foot-5, left-handed slugger is batting .478 with four home runs, 24 RBI and 11 doubles in his past 18 games, giving him a season average of .329 with 23 homers, 97 RBI and 35 doubles. His 35 doubles rank second on the all-time single-season franchise list, one ahead of Giavotella and two off of the record of 37.

Joining the Omaha trio are catcher Anthony Recker of Sacramento, first baseman Bryan LaHair of Iowa, third baseman Taylor Green of Nashville, shortstop Cody Ransom of Reno and outfielders Joey Butler (Round Rock), Collin Cowgill (Reno) and Jai Miller (Sacramento). Albuquerque left-handed starting pitcher Dana Eveland and Memphis closer Victor Marte round out the 12-member squad. Including Miller and Marte, five of the 12 players have played for Omaha during the past two seasons.

Each of the Storm Chasers’ three representatives were also named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star squad in Salt Lake, though that roster had 30 players and representation from each club.

The All-PCL team, which features players from just eight of the 16 PCL clubs, was voted on by the league’s field managers, general managers and media.

The following was provided to us by the public relations staff for the Omaha Storm Chasers, AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

OMAHA, Neb. — Lefthander Danny Duffy of the Omaha Storm Chasers has been named the Pacific Coast League’s Pitcher of the Week for April 25-May 1, the league announced Monday. He becomes the first member of the Omaha franchise to win a weekly award since Anthony Lerew was named Pitcher of the Week from August 9-15 last season.

The Goleta, Calif., native was honored for his fine performance against the Iowa Cubs on Thursday, April 28 at Werner Park. In that game, Duffy allowed just one hit in six shutout innings, striking out eight batters without issuing a walk. He earned his first Triple-A win in the process, while lowering his PCL-leading ERA to 0.90.

Duffy’s gem marked his third-straight start in which he has not surrendered a run. In those three outings, all at home, he has fired 15 scoreless innings, allowing seven hits and three walks while striking out 20 batters. Opposing hitters are batting just .194 against him on the season.

Still just 22 years old, Duffy has tasted quite a bit of success in his four-plus professional seasons. He owns a career record of 25-13 with a 2.44 ERA in 328.0 career innings, striking out 383 batters against just 104 walks. During the 2010 calendar year, he won the Texas League Championship as a member of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals, pitched for Team USA in the Pan American Games Qualifying Tournament in Puerto Rico and threw for the Surprise Rafters of the Arizona Fall League. He is considered the 68^th-best prospect in the game according to Baseball America.

Duffy is scheduled to pitch May 3 on the road in Albuquerque, and if the rotation holds would pitch at home on Sunday, May 8 against the Oklahoma City RedHawks.

Tickets to that or any other future Storm Chasers game are on sale at the Werner Park ticket office, by phone at (402) 738-5100 or online at www.omahastormchasers.com.

Recently, during the first inning of a game with the Iowa Cubs on April 16, two Memphis outfielders collided while chasing a shallow fly ball. The collision was graphic, violent, and injured both of the young players involved.

I-70 Baseball broke down the events of this play with a link to the video associate and you can read that by clicking here.

Photo Courtesy of Erika Lynn

Today during a conversation with a Memphis Redbirds official, I received an update on the young outfielders and what their future may hold. The future, at least at this moment, is due to arrive much sooner for Andrew Brown.

Andrew Brown’s injuries from the collision were not as severe as those sustained by teammate Shane Robinson. The night of the injury Brown was released from the hospital with a concussion and returned to the team hotel. According to the team, the diagnosis for Brown is still a concussion and the team expects him to recover on the original time table.

As reported earlier, however, Shane Robinson suffered fractures to bones in his face as well as bones in his left hand. Robinson remained at the hospital that night as doctors continued to monitor his injuries. According to team officials, he will require surgery to repair both of the fractures and, to this date, neither surgery has taken place. The team chose not to disclose any more information concerning Robinson, even denying any questions concerning why he has not had surgery at this point.

I-70 Baseball will continue to monitor the situation and update our fans as the information is presented to us. Everyone continues to hope for a speedy recovery for both young men.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.

First and foremost, the following article contains a video and description of a violent collision between two Memphis Redbird players. Discretion is advised.

On April 16, 2011, the Memphis Redbirds were set to square off with the Iowa Cubs. An uneventful top of the first gave way to the Redbirds taking the field. On the third pitch of the game there came a delay. There was no rain or weather related issues. The crowd and the rest of the fans watching the game were reminded that baseball is, in fact, a dangerous game.

The video below shows a Texas League blooper to shallow left center field. Both outfielders were giving chase and, while running at full speed, collided:

You can view the raw, fan shot video by clicking here.

The game was delayed for a total of thirteen minutes as trainers and staff attended to both players. Both players would get to their feet and leave on separate carts as friend and I-70 contributor Bob Netherton recounted here.

Today, via Twitter, the Memphis Redbirds updated everyone on the status of the two outfielders (click the link for the full update).

After Saturday night's outfield collision, Andrew Brown returned to the team hotel after being diagnosed wit… (cont) http://deck.ly/~JL6Lu

April 18, 2011 9:34 am via TweetDeckReplyRetweetFavorite

@memphisredbirds

Memphis Redbirds

According to that information, it appears that Andrew Brown may recover soon and will most likely battle with concussion symptoms. Shane Robinson will have a much longer road to recovery as his injuries and subsequent surgery would suggest that there is much more concern about the person and his livelihood than the player and his career. The injury to the orbital bone is similar, though not being projected as being as severe, to the injury that ended Juan Encarnacion’s career (read more about that incident here).

The staff here at I-70 sends thoughts and prayers to the players and their families and we all hope for a complete and speedy recovery.

Baseball is a fundamental sport. For those of you with children and those that are interested in the game, take note of a few fundamental things that should be happening.

The play happens fast and it is quite possible that neither player “called” for the ball as they were both not completely sure they would be able to make the catch. That being said, the distance the center fielder had to run should have led him to believe that he would take a less direct route and circle around behind the left fielder in order to “back him up”. In addition, it is common practice, especially during games with sunlight interference, that infielders would point to the ball in the air and assist with communication. The shortstop does not drift far enough out to be heard clearly, does not point at the ball, and should be calling “left” or “center” to help identify to the outfield who has a better line on the ball.

Communication and fundamentals, while taken for granted, are essential parts of the game. By no means am I blaming the various players involved for the injuries that occurred. I am simply using this play as an example to show our young players what can happen when the fundamentals are not followed.

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball as well as the Assignment Editor for BaseballDigest.com.
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.com.
Follow him on Twitter here.