If you follow the Royals online, you are perfectly aware of one player in the farm system this week. We’ll certainly cover him here, but he wasn’t the only impressive player in week seven of the season. The top three levels all had some impressive offensive performances. Columbia struggled to do much of anything at the plate, however, and pitching was the only mentionable success.
The farm has been a highly discussed topic to this point in the season, thanks to a high-profile prospect and struggles at the major league level. John Rave was called up to the major league squad after the week. Cam Devanney and Jac Caglianone continue to receive calls for promotion. Noah Cameron continues to produce after being promoted from AAA earlier this season. There should be some other promotions that continue to bring attention to the organization throughout the year.
Omaha Storm Chasers
Record: 20-29
Hitter of the Week – Jac Caglianone: 26 AB, .346/.357/.923, 5 HR, 1 BB, 4 K, 10 RBI
The Naturals had five players with multi-homerun performances this week and four with an OPS above 1.000. Tyler Tolbert led the team in that category with a team-leading 1.063 slugging percentage. Unfortunately for Tolbert, there’s a top-20 prospect who arrived in AAA recently and had five home runs this week. Jac Caglianone, after one week, is now fourth in home runs on the Storm Chasers’ roster. After a much-anticipated promotion, he stoked the fire by producing an entire highlight reel at the plate. Cags produced nine hits in just six games, batting around 10 runs in the process.
It’s worth noting that he wasn’t the only player seeing the ball well. He also benefited from some mediocre-looking pitches on those home runs. Regardless, Caglianone is showing off the skillset that puts him comfortably in the middle of the Royals’ lineup. Fans shouldn’t expect a swift promotion, but there is officially a comfortable reason to assume he is a major leaguer in 2025… If that was ever a massive doubt to the reader.
Pitcher of the Week – Nate Ackenhausen: 2 G, 3.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 4 K, 1.00 WHIP
Omaha wasn’t a hotbed of pitching performance this week. Ackenhausen made two appearances, including a start, and made it out unscathed. His week was mild by most standards, but it was the best combination of strikeouts and avoiding contact. Just two hits in his combined outings and only one baserunner per inning highlight the week.
Ackenhausen isn’t talked about much, but the reliever is already in AAA the year after being drafted. His numbers before Omaha aren’t impressive, but the LSU pedigree encourages expectation. With some shuffling of prospects after the major league squad is healthy, he may move back down the ranks. Weeks like this would help make his case for AA or AAA in the future.
Northwest Arkansas Naturals
Record: 23-22
Hitter of the Week – Carter Jensen: 20 AB, .400/.417/.550, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 BB, 2 K, 4 RBI
Jensen had an all-around week, combining contact and power to increase his output productively. The average has never caught up to his on-base or power potential, but weeks like this have happened. Just like the previous weeks of similar performance, Jensen showcases talent worthy of a top-100 prospect ranking. Elevating his contact rate will give him a chance to showcase his power far more. Furthermore, higher contact rates will push his on-base ability even higher. Jensen won’t need to hit .400 to be a major leaguer; just put together weeks where he can hit for average.
Pitcher of the Week – Brandon Johnson: 2 G, 3.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 BB, 4 K, 0.30 WHIP
Brandon Johnson threw two hitless outings over 3.1 innings. With just one baserunner allowed, Johnson was the most effective pitcher on the squad this week. The only other pitcher able to do so was rehabbing major leaguer Kyle Wright, who only threw 2.0 innings. Johnson is the least talked-about pitcher in the system who’s performing at a very high level. Over 22.2 IP, he has a 0.79 ERA and a 0.53 WHIP. 27 strikeouts to just seven walks highlight the early season. His strikeout ability has been documented, but he is now avoiding hits to pair. Continue watching his stock as the season progresses.
Quad Cities River Bandits
Record: 28-17
Hitter of the Week – Carson Roccaforte: 22 AB, .318/.400/.500, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 BB, 8 K, 4 RBI, 4 SB
Roccaforte fell a bunch in prospect rankings after his hit tool dropped off in 2024. This season, it’s still struggling to recover, but the power and on-base have appeared in a big way. In just a third of the games, he has half of his 2024 home run total and sports an on-base percentage over 50 points higher. For him to maximize potential, weeks like this will have to become more consistent. The on-base and power can afford to fall a bit, but the average needs to live closer to this performance.
Pitcher of the Week – Drew Beam: 1 G, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 2 BB, 4 K, 0.67 WHIP
Beam is piecing together a very impressive debut season to this point. This week is more of the same from the 22-year-old. He edges out Josh Hansell thanks to fewer baserunners and a quality start. Beam won’t be in Quad Cities for long, with the potential to be a young arm at the next level very quickly. Look for the strikeouts to increase and find marquee outings. Once that begins happening, he will move up the rankings quickly. Most importantly, to this point, he is limiting baserunners well.
Columbia Fireflies
Record: 25-21
Hitter of the Week – Asbel Gonzalez: 25 AB, .200/.355/.360, 1 2B, 1 HR, 2 BB, 7 K, 5 SB
If I HAVE to pick someone from this squad, it’s Asbel Gonzalez. No one hit very well, but it’s refreshing to see Gonzalez create some value even while struggling. When contact was made, he was able to hit for power. His on-base percentage managed to stay realistically viable without consistent contact. He was, most importantly, still swiping bases when he reached base. Five hits, five stolen bases. He is just 19, but Gonzalez may be moving up the ranks swiftly. In a farm system that was seemingly void of outfielders, Gonzalez and fellow international draftee Erick Torres are creating a young core. It’s the down weeks where inherent value starts to expose itself.
Pitcher of the Week – David Shields: 2 G, 9.0 IP, 1.00 ERA, 4 H, 1 BB, 12 K, 0.56 WHIP
There is currently a wave of pitching prospects at AAA right now. The next wave is at Low-A with David Shields, Blake Wolters, Hiro Wyatt, and Yuinor Marte. Shields leads the pack this week with two starts and just one walk. He is avoiding contact like the plague and struck out 12 batters over a complete game worth of innings. Most importantly, he averaged just half a runner per inning. A young pitcher limiting potential damage is one of the best things I like to see when evaluating. Can’t allow earned runs if you don’t allow runners to score. For your knowledge, Shields has a 0.65 WHIP in four appearances.
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