KC Royals: Breaking Down the Minor Leagues One Month In

Another inconsistent week by the KC Royals has put doubt in the heads of many fans. With a summer of moves possibly on the way, we look down on the farm.

A month into the minor league season and we have seen many disappointing starts and many promising starts for some KC Royals farmhands. Let’s take a look at how some of the teams are doing.

AAA – Omaha Storm Chasers (14-17)

Starting week five off for Omaha was a home series at Werner Park against the Memphis Redbirds. The first game of the week featured a barnburner, we the Redbirds prevailing 12-9. Corey Toups and Billy Burns collected multiple hits in the contest. Ryan O’Hearn went deep for the sixth time this year. Erik Skoglund did have his first rough start of the year, giving up nine runs in 4.2 innings. Minor league free agent Onelki Garcia made his debut in the KC Royals organization, pitching 2.1 scoreless innings.

Omaha finished off this series, getting swept in four games.

The Storm Chasers then went on the road, playing the Angels AAA team, the Salt Lake Bees. It was another game, another loss for Omaha though, as they lost the series opener 5-2. KC Royals top pitching prospect Josh Staumont was on the hill, only walking two in 6.1 innings (!).

The Storm Chasers finally got a victory on Sunday, winning 6-1. Christian Binford stayed hot in his first AAA start of the year, pitching seven innings of one run ball. The former top prospect has regained some success recently.

Raul Mondesi, Paulo Orlando, and Ramon Torres all collected multiple hits in Sunday’s win.

Omaha couldn’t keep the momentum going though, as Salt Lake regained the series lead, plucking the Storm Chasers 5-3. MLB veteran Bobby Parnell struggled in relief, raising his ERA to 5.65. Paulo Orlando added two doubles.

The Bees ended up taking the series with a 9-1 victory on Tuesday.

Omaha got a needed off day Wednesday. They now face the Las Vegas 51s. Josh Staumont is back on the hill. Look closely at his control.

Player of the Week – Ramon Torres: Torres collected four multi-hit games this week. Torres, the KC Royals #30 prospect according to MLB.com, is putting together one of his best seasons in his career at the plate. He is noticeably striking out less. After a K% of 19.7 in AAA last year, Torres has the lowest K% in the Pacific Coast League, coming in at 5.5%.