It was an up-and-down week for minor league affiliates. Omaha was on the downside, finishing the week 0-6 and extending its losing streak to seven games. The Naturals finished the week strong with three straight victories. All three of the Naturals, River Bandits, and Fireflies finished the week 4-2. Here is a look at the standouts and highlights for each Royals minor league affiliate:
Omaha Storm Chasers (10-15, 10.0 GB International League)
The Storm Chasers have had the roughest stretch of games to start the 2025 season. They currently sit near the bottom of the International League standings. That compounded last week with a winless week. Despite the game results, there were some standouts. Infielder Dustin Dickerson has shined since being promoted from Northwest Arkansas. He appeared in all six games last week slashing .458/.481/.542. His four RBI led what was an otherwise poor offensive showing as a team. Outfielder Tyler Gentry started to get on track with his own strong showing. He finished the week with a .862 OPS and a .294 average.
Struggling outfielder MJ Melendez slashed just .083/.154/.125 on the week following his recent demotion to Triple-A. Nick Loftin was promoted to shore up the big league roster with Tyler Tolbert on the bereavement list.
The Storm Chasers starting rotation fared better than the offense on the week, but strong efforts from starting pitchers were thwarted by bullpen meltdowns. Starter Chandler Champlain had perhaps his best start of the year. He went 5.2 innings with five strikeouts. He allowed just two earned runs and one walk on the day. Noah Cameron only went two innings in his outing (hopefully just a result of a postponed game the day prior) but didn’t allow a hit. Although the bullpen struggled, Andrew Hoffmann shined as perhaps the most impressive arm on the week. He made two appearances, compiling 4.0 IP with nine strikeouts and zero walks. Hoffmann’s stuff has ticked up this season compared to a season ago and could line him up for a big league appearance at some point this season.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals (12-9, 2.0 GB Texas League North)
The Naturals offense showed up early on often last week, powering the team to a 4-2 week. A handful of strong performers headlined the offense, including — to no one’s surprise — outfielder Jac Caglianone. Yes, I said outfielder. Caglianone got his first taste of right field last week. While the defensive showing was a bit of a journey at times, he slashed .348/.444/.522 with four doubles. He also worked three walks but struck out seven times.
First baseman Brett Squires led the way with three triples and a 1.053 OPS in six games. He took over first base with Caglianone in right field. Jordan Groshans hit .381 on the week with a team-high five RBI. After suffering two broken fingers in spring training, utilityman Javier Vaz returned from injury. He got off to a hot start, slashing .353/.421/.412 with two stolen bases and 4 RBI. Outfielder Gavin Cross has found his way into a bit of a rut. He struck out nine times, struggling to a .377 OPS in six games.
On the mound, starter Ryan Ramsey was strong in four innings of scoreless ball. He held opponents to a .083 average, allowing just two baserunners in all. Henry Williams went seven full innings in his outing, posting a quality start with just three earned runs allowed. He struck out seven without allowing a walk, working around six scattered hits. Reliever Brandon Johnson was fantastic across three relief appearances. He was perfect in three innings of work, striking out just one but allowing zero base runners.
Quad Cities River Bandits (14-6, 1st Place Midwest League West)
River Bandits hitters got on base at an impressive clip last week. The offense combined for a .359 on-base percentage as a team with 27 walks. No one got on base better than infielder Daniel Vazquez. He finished with a .542 on-base percentage and a triple. First baseman Callan Moss led the team with six RBI. He did it all with singles but hit .313. Outfielder Erick Torres has adjusted well to High-A pitching in his first month at the level. He slashed .294/.409/.353 last week with four walks and only three strikeouts.
The River Bandits pitching staff was the real star of the show last week. They finished the week with a team ERA of 1.80, leading the Midwest League. On the season, Quad Cities also leads the Midwest League with a stellar 2.26 ERA. Eight of the team’s pitchers didn’t allow an earned run on the week, including starter Frank Mozzicato. Mozzicato went 5.2 innings, working around just two hits and striking out five. Hunter Patteson has been among the best starters in the entire minor leagues this season. He continued that hot start with 6.1 innings of scoreless baseball. He struck out four and allowed just one hit.
Drew Beam is drawing attention early in his debut season as a professional. He pieced together a quality start, allowing just two earned runs to score in 6.2 innings of work. Reliever AJ Causey, Beam’s teammate at Tennessee, has yet to allow an earned run to score in his professional career. He’s now up to seven scoreless outings in his scoreless streak. Reliever Nate Ackenhausen was perfect in 2.1 IP. He didn’t allow a baserunner, striking out five of the seven batters he retired. Without listing every single River Bandits pitcher, I’d be leaving someone out after a strong week.
Despite that, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Logan Martin. Martin has made the transition to High-A look easy. Martin didn’t allow a run to score in six innings of work, allowing just two hits.
Columbia Fireflies (13-8, 1st Place Carolina League South)
The young international talent took center stage for the Fireflies last week, as they’ve done for much of the season. None looked better than Derlin Figueroa. “Figgy” slashed .350/.409/.450 with two walks and four strikeouts. His team-high seven hits were matched by Asbel Gonzalez. Gonzalez *only* stole five bases on the week. That extends his season total to a minor league-high 26. That leads all of MiLB by seven. Catcher Ramon Ramirez slashed .353/.478/.412. His sound approach at the plate was again on display, evidenced by five walks and five strikeouts. His walk rate on the season is now up to 17.5%.
Infielder Brennon McNair continued his power surge. It started late last season, followed him to the Australian Baseball League in the winter, and continued into 2025. He slugged .667 on the week but also struck out nine times.
It was a difficult week for many Fireflies pitchers. Dennis Colleran had a 19.29 ERA on the week. Ismael Michel’s ERA was a bit higher at 135.00. Results were better for Nick Conte who pitched a scoreless outing. He’s flashed impressive stuff out of the bullpen in 2025, touching upper 90s with good life. Starter Blake Wolters looked sharp. He went five full innings in his start, allowing just one hit and zero runs to score. He did work around five walks however as command continues to be a limiting factor on the mound.
Josh Hansell struck out seven in his start, working around seven hits without allowing a run to score. Lefty Mason Miller has been one of the most under-the-radar names in the system this season. He’s pitched to a 1.23 ERA across 14.1 IP this season. In that span, he’s struck out 16 and walked just five. That showing continued last week with four scoreless innings in his only appearance.
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