Terrance Gore, LF

2013:

16 games, 52 AB, 12 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 6 RBI, 11 SB

Speed, speed and more speed: that’s what you get with Gore. I’ve had him as fast as 3.78 to first, so far, and he slipped on his way there. Also got him at 7 seconds flat on a double. He’s fast, is the general idea I’m wishing to convey here. But there’s more to him than just blazing speed.

Gore makes frequent contact at the plate, can lay down some excellent bunts (which he’ll usually beat out, regardless of where they lay), and steals bases seemingly at will. He gets out of the box quickly and hits his stride about half-way to first. Rounding on doubles, he’s nearly at full-speed by the time he’s a few steps off first. In the field, he covers far more than his share of real estate. His plus-plus range and solid arm will lend itself to lots of befuddled looks from opposing baserunners, as he runs down certain base hits with regularity. This aspect of his game is somewhat overlooked; when you have that kind of speed, most people think “base stealer” before they think “fast outfielder”.

Nevertheless, and in my estimation, Gore isn’t likely to spend the year in Class A ball. If he can keep his average up and continue to swipe bags as he has done, I’d think he would be in Wilmington or even NW Arkansas by mid-season.

Bubba Starling, CF

2013:

16 G, 56 AB, 8 H, 7 R, 3 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 24 K, .143 BA, .463 OPS

As some of you may have noticed by now, Starling is struggling mightily at the dish. From what I’ve seen and heard, Bubba has been putting much pressure on himself and has had difficulty adjusting mainly due to this. The physical tools are all there: quick bat, good wheels, great arm and glove in center, etc. The problem, as I see it, is mostly mental. I expect his batting will be on the upswing in the next couple of weeks.

However, while he has demonstrated these exceptional tools, I have noticed that he’s been late on a few fastballs. At other times, he appears to be swinging from the heels and perhaps trying to do too much. Expectations weigh heavily on a young player, sometimes.

In the field, he covers plenty of ground. He moves fluidly, like you would expect from an athlete of his caliber, and his arm is easily plus for center. He’s got enough to play right, if he gets moved over at the higher levels. There’s no question of that. It’s hard to say how well he runs the bases, as I’ve seen him reach so few times.

At this level, when his swing comes around, you can definitely expect power and speed in abundance. A full season at Class A should bring a 20/20 season from Starling, with 30+ doubles. Even after the last two weeks being essentially a loss, this will be no stretch.

Ethan Chapman, RF

2013:

16 G, 51 AB, 11 H, 5 R, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 9 SB, .216 BA, .516 OPS

Chapman might have been lost in the abundance of potential here in Lexington, had it not been for Ford’s move to first after Threlkeld went down in the very first AB of his 2013 season. He’s not put up impressive numbers, that’s true. The thing you’ll notice about him is that he’s pure hustle. He has the classic “overachiever” look to him, although that term suggests that he’s not naturally talented.

The truth is, he seems to have excellent baseball instincts. He simply knows how to play the game. At bat, he’s a rocket out of the box on even sure groundouts. He takes a hard and aggressive (but level) swing, though sometimes he pulls his lead shoulder a bit early. He reads pitchers’ moves and steals as well or better than anyone on the team, and he’s aggressive on the basepaths. For the relatively few times he’s been on base, he’s definitely made the most of those chances.

In the field, he’s all-out on any ball hit in his direction. He even made MiLB.com’s home page highlight reel with a catch he made last week vs. Greenville, where he made friends with the infield tarp roll in pursuit of a quickly sinking fly. He has enough arm to stick in right (for now), and displays at least average range that cannot be downplayed since he never gives up on a fly or liner. I’m hoping that Threlkeld’s return and Ford’s move back to right won’t limit Chapman’s at-bats much, but I’m afraid he’ll be coming off the bench next week.

So there’s a bit about our outfielders, certainly an enviable group in terms of talent and potential. Next up: pitchers. I’d like to see a bit more of some of them before I make an assessment, so look for that post in the next week. Stay tuned, true believers. 

Despite the successful week, the Royals do not have a .300 hitter. They do, however, hit homeruns. Patrick Leonard leads the league with 11. He also has 29 RBIs, which ranks him sixth in the league. Teammate Fred Ford is second with ten homeruns. Kenny Diekroeger is fourth with seven. Terrance Gore gives the team some speed, as he leads the league with 18 stolen bases (he has been caught twice). That speed has led to him leading the league in runs scored (31).

Daniel Hernandez and Patrick Conroy have anchored the starting rotation (they are a combined 5-0). Hernandez is 8th in the league in ERA (2.70 in seven starts). Conroy carries a 3.27 ERA in five starts (seven appearances). The two have combined for 59 strikeouts and just 12 walks in 69.2 innings.

In 12 relief appearances, John Walter is tied for second in the league in saves with six. He is also 3-0 with a 2.35 ERA. Walter has struck out 22 in 15.1 innings.

And for all of you out there who want to know how THE prospect is doing, Bubba Starling is hitting .292 with four doubles, two triples, four homeruns, 20 runs scored, and 18 RBIs. The strikeouts have been a bit of an issue (29 in 96 at-bats compared to 15 walks).

Idaho Falls wasn’t as successful as Burlington, but they ended up with a 6-6 record. The Chukars finished the first half with a 17-21 record (third place). The second half in the Pioneer League has just begun and the Chukars are 1-0, good for a tie of first place in the South Division.

Ethan Chapman is the Chukars top hitter, as he ranks eighth in the league in hitting (.342). The outfielder brings the speed: he has five triples, 30 runs scored, and 12 stolen bases. His strikeout to walk ratio is also good (17 walks to 21 strikeouts). He is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak.

Their catching combination of Parker Morin and Jin-Ho Shin have been putting up respectable numbers. Morin is hitting .280 in 28 games, while Shin is hitting .279 in 34 games. Shin leads the team in homeruns (four) and doubles (ten).

On the pitching side, 2012 second round pick Sam Selman has led the way. He leads the league with a 1.67 ERA in six starts (seven appearances). In 32.1 innings, he has struck out 44 compared to just eight walks. Selman has allowed just 24 hits. He made two starts in the last two weeks and allowed just one run on five hits and three walks over 12 innings. He struck out 19.

The Royals top pick in this June’s draft, Kyle Zimmer, made his debut for the AZL Royals on July 13th. He allowed one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three while not walking a batter.

Idaho Falls are 12-15, four games back in the Pioneer League’s South Division. From July 2-9, the Chukars went 3-4. From July 9-15 (which included a day off and a rain out), they went 2-4. One of those losses came to Orem, 20-6.

In his last ten games, catcher Parker Morin is hitting .424. Outfielder Ethan Chapman has a hit in seven of his last eight games (11-for-31). First baseman Rainier Bello has a hit in nine of his last ten games (10-for-31) with three doubles, a homerun, three runs scored, and four RBIs.

The Chukars have had shaky pitching and lost one of their best starters, Andy Ferguson, to a promotion to High-A Wilmington. Ferguson was 2-0 with a 1.14 ERA in four starts. 2012 second round draft pick Sam Selman made three starts, two solid ones over the last two weeks. In his past two starts, he allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits and four walks over 10.1 innings. He struck out 14.

Alec Mills made three relief appearances (though he hasn’t pitched since July 9th). He allowed two runs on nine hits and one walk over 5.2 innings. He struck out eight. Right-hander Ali Williams has been racking up the strikeouts so far for the Chukars (28 Ks in 22.1 innings). He made two starts over the last two weeks. In his last start (July 12th), he struck out 11 over six shutout innings. He only allowed three hits and one walk.

The Burlington Royals are just one game back in the East Division of the Appalachian League at 14-9. From July 2-8, the Royals went 6-1.

Bubba Starling‘s big game came on July 2nd, when he hit two homeruns (the first of his career) and drove in six runs. He picked up two hits the next day, but has struggled a bit since (3-for-19 with eight strikeouts).

It must have seemed like forever since the Royals played a game this past week. Their July 9th game in Bluefield was suspended. Then, their three-game series in Kingsport was rained out. Then their first game in Princeton was postponed. The Royals finally got back on the field on Sunday, as they split a doubleheader against Princeton.

Terrance Gore has struck out 13 times so far this season, but has cut back as of late (just three over his last eight games). In that span, he is 8-for-31 (.258) with three walks and four stolen bases. Kenny Diekroeger (the 4th round pick this year), was 10-for-31 (.323) with three homeruns, six runs scored, and six RBIs. Patrick Leonard leads the Royals in homeruns with seven, but hit just one over his last eight games (8-for-30).

Unlike the Chukars, the Royals have received very good pitching. They have three pitchers with ERA’s under two and three more with ERA’s under three.

Daniel Hernandez has been very good since returning from Tommy John surgery. He made three starts over the last two weeks, totaling 17.1 innings. He allowed four runs on 11 hits and just two walks while striking out 17. Colin Rodgers made one start (July 6th) and pitched six hitless innings (the lone baserunner came via a hit batter). He struck out three.

Daniel Stumpf, who retrieved both of Starling’s homerun balls for Bubba, is also pitching pretty well. He’s carrying a 0.84 ERA over six relief outings (he hasn’t pitched since July 8th). In his two most recent outings, he allowed three hits over 3.1 innings. He struck out six. Jossiel Martinez is making his professional debut in the US. In his last two relief outings, he has allowed just one run on four hits and one walk over 4.1 innings. He struck out six.

Patrick Conroy made one start (July 4th) and picked up the win. He allowed two runs on six hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out seven.