Minor League baseball is truly a joy.  Seeing a combination of players that may or may not be the next best thing in your organization can carry a feeling of something special on any given night.

Last night in Omaha, the AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals, the stars aligned in a way that happens very seldom.  A combination of rehabbing major leaguers, top prospects, and an ace level starting pitcher just starting his 2012 conditioning converged on Werner Park to put on a show for a sell-out crowd.

Roy Oswalt would toe the mound for the visiting Round Rock Express, finding Royals prospect Jake Odorizzi opposing him in relief of another rehabbing major leaguer, Everett Teaford.  The Storm Chasers’ lineup would feature Chris Getz and Salvador Perez beginning their rehab assignments for the parent club as well as one of the top professional hitters at any level, Wil Myers.  The game would not disappoint in any way, especially for the home crowd.

After Teaford got his work in over two innings, Odorizzi would throw six and two-thirds innings of one run baseball to ensure a win for the home team.  Odorizzi would string together 10 strikeouts over only two walks on his way to a victory over the opposing ace.  Roy Oswalt?  He did not fare so well.

The third inning would be the downfall of Oswalt as he would give up a lead-off double to Anthony Seratelli he would get one out before surrendering three consecutive base hits loading the bases.  With bases juiced full of Storm Chasers, Wil Myers stepped to the plate.  In just 18 AAA games, he has already hit five home runs, adding to his 13 home runs in 35 AA games this season.  His 19th homer of the season would come on a 2-0 count as a grand slam off one of the most successful major league pitchers in recent memory.

The Storm Chasers would put a win on the board with a final score of 7-2 over the Round Rock Express.

Our favorite Royals photographer, Minda Haas, was on hand last night in Omaha to catch all the action and fun.  Below you will find a photo gallery of 50 pictures from Minda, with everyone from Teaford and Myers to Sal Perez and Roy Oswalt featured.  Enjoy the look at a truly special night through a very talented eye.

Feel free to use the buttons below to scroll through all the photos.

Anthony Seratelli Double Down The Line

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All rights reserved by Minda Haas

Bill Ivie is the editor here at I-70 Baseball
He is the host of I-70 Radio, hosted every week on BlogTalkRadio.
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Spring Training Report #5: Finding the right combination
Sorting out the last few roster spots

Other Injury Notes: Salvador Perez is expected to miss 12-14 weeks setting him up to return in late May or early June barring any setbacks in his recovery process.  It is possible that he could see some rehab time in Northwest Arkansas before being called back up to Kansas City.   Manny Pina is expected to miss the rest of spring training and possibly into May, while recovering from his own knee surgery.  Blake Wood has been shut down for a week with what team officials are calling elbow soreness.  Once the week has passed; Wood will begin a throwing program before returning to live game action.

Check nwanaturals.com for our Spring Training Report, where we’ll continue to follow Royals’ minor leaguers in spring training as well as cover other baseball information that pertains to the Naturals and the Texas League.

The Kansas City Royals started their Cactus League schedule on Sunday with a 6-1 win over their campus mate Texas Rangers. A win as a good way to start the exhibition season, I’m sure I’m not alone in feeling that having any type baseball broadcast over any medium was a cause for celebration. I’m also confident that by the second game on Monday afternoon I was not the only person trying to figure if any of the individual player performances in these games mean anything.

As much as I’d like to tell myself that a 4-3 record for the Royals at this point in spring training is a good omen. Baseball fan experience tells me it doesn’t mean a whole lot. They do not give out Cactus League Championship rings. They don’t hang Cactus League Championship Banners at Kauffman Stadium, and if they do print Cactus League Championship t-shirts no one should wear them. In fact, the phrase “Cactus League Champion” is so irrelevant that a Google search only brings up four returns, and one of those was from the Royals Review message board.

The Royals have won the Cactus League twice since I’ve been paying close enough attention to notice these things. In 2006 the Royals won the Cactus League and proceeded to lose 100 games during the season. Last year the Royals won the Cactus League and only won 71 games. While it’s good to not look terrible in spring training, winning a lot of games during spring training doesn’t mean that much.

Spring Training is about established major leaguers getting their work in, deciding some position battles, and fringe players catching on with an organization. I have some interest in these battles, but not a whole lot. Other than hoping prospects live up to their potential I’m more concerned that the Royals break camp healthy, and the young players continue their improvement. Only way to improve is to get reps in major league situations. As I fan I don’t have much involvement in that. Nor do I really have any favorites to make the team, just as long as the best players break camp.

Outside of position battles is there any meaning in spring training? Only baseball for baseball’s sake. It’s been a long winter and it’s nice to have any baseball. This is my first spring training with access to MLB Network, and the MLBatBat App on my phone. My access to baseball has never been better. Not only is fan access better, during March the inventory of baseball is greater than during the regular season. With split squad contests, there are 18 games on the schedule today. During the regular season there can only be 15. I guess spring training is a lot like spring break. Don’t look for meaning, just enjoy the experience.

2 Days: Until Pitchers & Catcher report for Spring Training

15 Days: Until the Cactus League Opener

48 Days: Until Opening Night

We have reached the day when I usually consider the baseball off-season over. College Baseball got underway last night. In fact, MLB Network is televising two college games this afternoon. Spring Training will start on Monday. From here until the last out of the World Series there will be some genuine baseball news to consume. Not just speculation and sabermetric rankings. Those things can be fun, but let’s be honest, real baseball is more fun that those things. So, you will find no more off-season whining from me. Seems like I did a lot of that, of which I’m making no apologies.

As a Royals fan this Spring Training is going to be different in that there are less questions than what normally accompanies a Royals Spring Training. I think the team knows, and the fans know who their position players will be on Opening Night in Anaheim. The prospects that were discussed last spring are finally in the majors, or projected to be in the majors this season. It’s one thing to be a prospect; it’s another to produce at the major league level. We are at that point with this Royals team. Other Royals bloggers and the #royalstwitterfamily endearingly refer to this as Dayton Moore’s “Process”. The “process” of turning the Royals from the laughing stock of the major leagues to a contender through it’s minor league system.

In the weeks leading up to Opening Day I’m going to profile players that are key parts of “The Process”. These players must turn from prospects to productive or star caliber major leaguers in the next two seasons. I was tempted to start with the young pitchers that display more question marks than answers, and will have a greater impact on “The Process”. However, I’m going to start with a player I forgot the Royals even had. He was buried at Omaha behind a resurgent Melky Cabrera. Of course, you know that I am referring to Lorenzo Cain.

drawing by James Tyree

I consider Cain a key part of “The Process” because of what the Royals had to give up to acquire him; Zack Greinke. Cain needs to produce in part so the Zack Greinke Trade does not go down in the same train-robbery-category that has plagued the Royals franchise the past ten years. Specifically the trades of Jermaine Dye and Carlos Beltran, those trades yielded the Royals next to nothing. Maybe John Buck for a few seasons? Really? Granted there are other parts to the Greinke Trade, but none of those players have established the trade as a push or a win.

Lorrenzo Cain will be 26 on April 13th. He has played a grand total of 49 games at the major league level. While this is a small sample size, during that time his BA/OBP/SLG line is .302/.343/.402 with 1 HR and 14 RBI’s. Only one of those RBI’s came during his 6 games with the Royals last September. The majority of that production was during the 2010 season with Milwaukee. Last year with the Storm Chasers he hit .312/.380/.497 with 16 HR and 81 RBI’s. A solid season for sure. Cain will be tasked with replacing Melky Cabrera’s 18 HRs, 44 doubles, and 87 RBI’s.

I’m not sure Cain will be able to match that production in his first full year in the majors. I don’t think he needs to, at least not this year. He will most likely bat in the 7th or 8th spot in the batting order. His defense will not make up for the lost run production, but center field defense should improve with Cain on patrol. I think if Cain develops into a “Raul Ibanez when he was with the Royals” type player, that Royals fans would love him. Hopefully the Royals as a team would be successful at the same time. If this scenario played out the Zack Greinke trade could not be called a complete disaster.

If Cain establishes himself he will be the youngest out of the other two starting outfielders; Alex Gordon and Jeff Francoeur. The Royals will have control over all three players for at least two seasons establishing more line-up consistency. If things go well for Cain and the Royals he’ll be worthy of a long term contract extension in 2014. “The Process” will have made a legitimate contribution to the major league roster and we can quit making fun of it. However, the success of the “The Process” is more than producing one player that can produce at the major league level.

Once again I have several thoughts on the Royals, but none of them amount to an entire article. So here it goes:

The Logo: This has been on my mind for a while. Can we go back the crown logo with the R instead of the current crown logo with the KC? I have no real reason except nostalgia. Maybe we can start a twitter movement. Stranger things have happened over a #countrybreakfast.

Classic Royals Logo

The Gangs All Here: With the call up of Johnny Giavotella and Salvador Perez the Royals have placed a player making their MLB debut in 2011 as starters in all of the infield positions. The only one who didn’t get a hit in their first game was Eric Hosmer. He seems to be making up for that. I’m a little worried about Mike Moustakas inability to get over the Mendoza Line. He just looks lost at the plate.

The Royals are now the youngest team in the majors. Remember, sink or swim, this is the youth movement we’ve been waiting for. There will be growing pains. We need to remember that, including myself, when they make boneheaded plays. Especially plays that cost games.

Happy Trails: Many Royals fans have long said as long as Kyle Davies is in the rotation that the front office wasn’t serious about contending. Kyle Davies was released this week. This needs no other explanation. However, I have two questions. Who are the other teams interested in signing or trading for Kyle Davies? I hope one of them was the Wichita Wingnuts. Secondly, As Royals fans who will be our new Wipping Boy? Because…

Hochocinco to Cool Hand Luke: I’ll be honest. Luke Hochevar is not my favorite Royal. I’m not sure why. I would like think it was his holdout, signing bonus, and then subsequent sucktitude in the majors. But that hardly makes him unique to major leaguers. I have more favorable feelings for players that have had similar contract negotiations. At the beginning of the season I vowed that I would call Luke Hochevar, Hochocinco as long as his ERA remained above 5.00, or cinco. Since the All-Star Break Luke Hochevar has pitched like the ace he’s supposed to be. Lowering his ERA to 4.79. Hopefully this will continue. The Royals need as much starting pitching as they can get if they’re going to be competitive in 2012 and open their playoff window. But if it doesn’t, take notice Royals Fan Wipping Boy is currently an unfilled position.

Joakim Soira Ain’t Right: I know, you’re probably thinking, “thanks Captain Obvious.” You don’t have to be a Stathead to know that closers in baseball are like running backs in the NFL. The have short shelf lives. They have a two or three year window of absolute dominance and then they fall back to the pack. Not that they can’t get guys out anymore, but they can’t do it with enough consistency to hold the closers role. I fear we’ve reached that point with Soria. My logical response to this would be to elevate Crow to that position. But do you do that instead of making him a starter. Either way, I hope the front office is looking for another long term closer.

It’s August: And I’m still watching Royals games with interest. It’s the young guys. If you’re going to be a terrible baseball team, you might as well be terrible, young, and interesting. I’ll probably keep this interest up the rest of the season, except when the Chiefs are playing. One game a week verse six takes some precedents…and they’ve already opened their play off window.

The following is a press release concerning the Kansas City Royals Double-A affiliate, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.

Naturals’ players to visit Miracle League
Players to make Saturday appearance in Springdale

SPRINGDALE, AR – This Saturday players from the Northwest Arkansas Naturals will spend time with children playing baseball at the Miracle League Field in Springdale. Naturals’ players will appear and serve as “buddies” for the children from 9 AM until 11 AM for two Miracle League games.

The Miracle League Baseball program is a specially designed program for children with disabilities which allows children four years of age and up to play America’s most beloved pastime. The field includes special features such as a synthetic turf to prevent injuries, wheelchairs-accessible dugouts and a completely flat surface to eliminate barriers to walkers, wheelchair bound and/or visually impaired players. Any child with a diagnosis may play, and the mission of the Miracle League is to include every child in games no matter his or her special needs.

Special rules include that every player bats once an inning, all base runners are safe. Every child scores a run before the inning is over (last one up gets a home run), youth and adult volunteers serve as “buddies” to assist the players, and each team and each player wins every game.

The Miracle League of Arkansas has been active in the Natural state for several years with events in both Central Arkansas and Northwest Arkansas. Several Major Leaguers with Arkansas ties have supported their events, including Philadelphia Phillies’ pitcher Cliff Lee, San Diego Padres’ pitcher Dustin Moseley, New York Yankees’ pitcher A.J. Burnett, and others.

Find out more about the Miracle League and what you can do to help by visiting www.MiracleLeagueAr.com.

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.

If you are reading this, there is a good chance you are a part of what has quickly grown into a great tradition, fantasy baseball. If you have not had your draft, or two of your drafts by now, then you will be drafting this week. It is time for every “armchair manager” to show that he can prove his prowess by managing real major leaguers.

This game centered upon the great pastime has quickly become a pastime of its own. Yahoo! released their report on where these people who play this game reside. It’s interesting that Midwest cities populate the top portion of this list with St. Louis, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Chicago and Detroit making up 5 of the top 10. As a measure, it’s estimated that one in 76 people play fantasy baseball in St. Louis while one in 138 play in New York.

Photo By Erika Lynn

Here are the top 25 cities that play Yahoo! Fantasy Baseball:

Yahoo! Top Fantasy Baseball Cities

1. St. Louis

2. Boston

3. Milwaukee

4. Minneapolis – St. Paul

5. Chicago

6. San Francisco – Oakland – San Jose

7. Philadelphia

8. San Diego

9. Detroit

10. New York

11. Cincinnati

12. Kansas City

13. Cleveland

14. Seattle – Tacoma

15. Baltimore

16. Pittsburgh

17. Washington, D.C.

18. Tampa Bay – St. Petersburg – Sarasota

19. Atlanta

20. Phoenix

21. Los Angeles

22. Denver

23. Houston

24. Miami – Fort Lauderdale

25. Dallas – Fort Worth

Fans of the game of baseball love the game for various reasons. Fans that love the game on a deeper level love the game for its strategy. So, it is easy to see why fantasy baseball has such a draw. People like to prove that they can piece together a team, drop and add players, make trades, and manage a roster better than anyone else. Fans have always enjoyed questioning a manager’s decision, having 20/20 hindsight. Now, they can dive deep into all this and prove it, all just for bragging rights or perhaps a league trophy or a hefty cash prize.

Fantasy games can also attract a younger generation because it is a “game” and it is online where young people spend, according to some reports, 30 hours a week. A mobile, Wi-Fi generation is a generation that needs to be reached by the game of baseball. It is good for the sport of baseball if the fantasy game creates a higher interest in the sport whether young or old no matter where they are from.

With the 2010 MLB offseason setting in, and football stealing the Nation’s attention, the Arizona Fall League is winding down. The League designed to help future Major Leaguers refine their tools often separates the real prospects from the busts, and several I-70 players put their skills to the test this fall.

This year, St. Louis Cardinals prospects made up part of the Surprise Rafters along with Kansas City Royals, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, and Detroit Tigers representatives.

You can find Matt Kelsey’s review of how the Royals players did here, but let’s take a look at the impact that the eight Cardinals made for the Rafters.

Brian Broderick, RHP, 6’6”, 205 lbs, 23 years old
Aside from one bad start where he allowed five runs in four innings of work, Broderick has pitched as good as anyone in the AFL. Excluding his one miserable start a couple weeks ago, Broderick is 2-0 in three starts with a 2.21 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP.

Jordan Swagerty, RHP, 6’2”, 175 lbs, 21 years old
Much like Broderick, Swagerty has been one of the best relievers in the league. In his first start, Swagerty let up four runs in 1 2/3 innings. After that, Swags pitched three shutout innings. Overall, Swagerty has a 3.60 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, and three strikeouts in five innings.

Blake King, RHP, 6’1”, 195 lbs, 23 years old
Before the AFL began last month, I wrote an Arizona Fall League Preview saying that Blake King needs to prove that he has at least a little control. Well, he has yet to do that. In 6.1 innings, King has walked six batters.

Ramon Delgado, RHP, 6’3”, 195 lbs, 24 years old
Despite his numbers, Delgado has certainly had his struggles throughout the fall. While he’s only allowed two walks in nine innings, he’s also let up 10 hits. Delgado was one of the more consistent relievers in the minors this season, but he has been anything but that lately.

Tony Cruz, C, 5’11”, 205 lbs, 24 years old
Out of the four Cardinal hitting prospects in the AFL, Cruz has been the best. In his last ten games, Cruz has gone 16-for-41 (.435) with three home runs, 12 RBI, and a 1.093 OPS. The big thing Cruz needs to work on is his plate discipline. He swings at a lot of bad pitches, but only has nine strikeouts this fall.

Adron Chambers, OF, 5’10”, 185 lbs, 24 years old
Chambers, one of my favorite Cardinal prospects, is on a little Arizona League tear of his own. In his last ten games, Chambers is 10-for-30 (.333) with six runs, seven RBI, five stolen bases, and only four strikeouts. Probably the fastest player in the organization didn’t see the green light as much as some would have liked this summer, but he’s averaging a stolen base every other game.

Pete Kozma, SS, 6’0”, 170 lbs, 22 years old
The former first-round draft pick has disappointed Cardinal fans so far in his young professional career, but has played better in the past month than he did during the season. Kozma has 10 runs in 12 games, but also averages a strikeout every game.

Zack Cox, 3B, 6’0”, 215 lbs, 21 years old
The player who some thought was the second best hitter in the 2010 MLB Draft (behind Bryce Harper), has definitely had a wake-up call in the AFL. Cox is 10 for his last 45 at bats with a mere .280 OBP. This isn’t what Cardinal fans wanted to see from Cox, but let’s keep in mind that he’s been going up against the best prospect pitchers in the country.

Justin Hulsey covers the Cardinals for i70baseball and his blog, Sport’s Top Tens, that is also dedicated to Cardinals baseball and their minor league system. You may follow him on Twitter @JayHulsey by clicking here.