TWitM: Rave rakes, plus Kudrna’s career day

Plus, High-A outfielders are starting to find their stride.

This Week in the Minors is our weekly look at notable performances from all over the system, from big-name prospects and less-heralded guys alike. The mission is to answer this simple question: “Who had a good week?”

This Week in the Minors: Tuesday, June 25 to Sunday, June 30

AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (4-3, 1st Place, International League West, 1st half Division Champs)

The Storm Chasers clinched a playoff berth with a strong first-place finish in the season’s first half. They went 3-3 last week, but remain tied for first place in second-half play. On offense, no one has played better of late than outfielder John Rave. He led the Chasers with nine hits on the week, slashing .360/.467/.680 with five doubles and two home runs. He walked five times against just two strikeouts. It’s been a strong showing for much of the season for Rave, who plays all three outfield positions. He isn’t currently on the Royals 40-man roster and would have to be added to earn a big-league call-up.

Infielder Ryan Fitzgerald continues to dazzle in the field, but also performed well at the plate last week as well. He finished the week with five hits (including one triple and one home run) en route to a 1.158 OPS. That mark was surpassed only by catcher Brian O’Keefe who appeared in just three games. He made the most of it, however, with two home runs on the week and three RBI.

On the mound, Austin Cox continues to work his way back to form. He put together 5.2 innings of scoreless ball across two outings last week. He struck out seven and walked just two in the process. Plenty of other Omaha arms struggled on the week, but Tyler Duffey and newcomer Jesus Tinoco weren’t among them. Tinoco was signed by the Royals six days ago to a minor-league deal and quickly hit the ground running. Across three innings, he didn’t allow a hit or run. He struck out five against just one walk. Duffey pitched three perfect innings with six strikeouts on the week.

AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (4-3, 1st Place, Texas League North)

The Naturals went 4-2 on the week, and currently sit in a first-place tie early on in the season’s second half. The Naturals offense led the way for much of the week, behind catcher Luca Tresh. Tresh had eight hits on the week, including three home runs and a double. He slashed .364/.440/.818 on the week. Tresh continues what’s been a lengthy hot stretch for him of late. The 24-year-old backstop has a 137 wRC+ in 2024, in what has been perhaps his best professional season to date.

Tyler Tolbert led the Naturals with nine hits — 7 of which were singles — and three stolen bases. Outfielder Gavin Cross has come back down to earth a bit. He finished his week with seven strikeouts against just one walk but did have a homer and a double on the week.

On the mound, starter Mason Barnett had perhaps his best week of the season. It’s been a tough campaign for the 2023 Paul Splittorff Award Winner. Barnett made two starts on the week, pitching to a 1.80 ERA with nine strikeouts across ten innings of work. Reliever Beck Way didn’t allow a run or hit across four innings of work on the week. He struck out seven and walked three.

Lefty Noah Cameron pieced together a quality start — his first since returning from the injured list earlier last month. He allowed two earned runs across six innings of work, striking out six and walking four.

A+ Quad Cities River Bandits (6-4, 1.0 GB, Midwest League West)

Quad Cities went 4-2 last week, pushing their way up the Midwest League standings. They now sit just a game back of first place. No one stood out more for the Bandits than starter Ben Kudrna. Kudrna put together the best start of his pro career on Sunday, allowing just three base runners on the day across six innings of work. He finished his day without allowing a run and struck out nine batters without surrendering a walk. That performance earned Kudrna Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honors.

Lefty Frank Mozzicato continued his strong start to the season, spinning five scoreless innings in his start on Saturday. He ranks among the very best pitchers in all of the minor leagues with a .166 average against this season. The River Bandits offense has started to heat up with the weather. No one had a better week than infielder Jack Pineda. Pineda led Quad Cities with eight hits and six walks against just three strikeouts.

Outfielders Jared Dickey and Carson Roccaforte continue to stand out. They had seven hits apiece last week. Dickey slashed .318/.400/.455 and continues to have a solid under-the-radar season. Roccaforte continues to struggle some with strikeouts, but put together an impressive month of June and continues to get back on track after somewhat of a slow start to the season. He walked five times last week against seven strikeouts.

A Columbia Fireflies (6-4, 1st Place, Carolina League South)

Columbia had a strong month of June and has continued that into the second half. They went 5-1 on the week, and now hold first place in the Carolina League South. That strong week was carried mostly by strong pitching performances, but a duo of high-ceiling prospects led the way for the Fireflies. Catcher Blake Mitchell continues to find his stride. He’s been among the best hitters in the entire Carolina League this season and continued that hot stretch last week. Mitchell slashed .318/.464/.727 with two home runs, three doubles, and six walks. He did strikeout ten times in six games played.

Shortstop Austin Charles led the team with eight hits of his own, including three doubles and a triple. He finished the week with a 1.099 OPS and just three strikeouts.

On the mound, starter Felix Arronde put together a quality start. He struck out four and walked just one while allowing two earned runs over six innings of work. Ethan Bosacker allowed 12 hits in 8.1 innings of work last week. Across the two outings, he worked around plenty of traffic but struck out six and limited the damage to just three earned runs, en route to a respectable 3.24 ERA on the week.

Prospect Blake Wolters pitched four scoreless innings in his lone start on the week. He continues to battle command at times (four walks allowed) but has shown solid poise on the mound despite pitching in his first pro season.