TWitM: Wyatt debuts in Low-A, Gentry stays red-hot

Is Tyler Gentry the trade deadline addition the Royals need?

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, July 23 to Sunday, July 28

AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (15-12, 2.5 GB, International League West, 1st half Division Champs)

The Storm Chasers went 3-3 on the week in St. Paul, behind outfielder Tyler Gentry, who continues to be red hot of late. He led the team with 11 hits, slashing .478/.538/.609 with a home run and three walks. Much like last season, it was a disastrously slow start for Gentry this season. However, he’s started to turn things around over the last month and could just position himself as a promotion candidate over the next calendar month.

CJ Alexander had nine hits of his own last week, including five doubles and two home runs. His .909 slugging percentage and 1.409 OPS both led Omaha on the week.

On the mound, another familiar name had a stellar week. Daniel Lynch IV went 7.2 IP in his start working around six hits without a walk. He allowed two earned runs while striking out six. Reliever Noah Murdock has 22 strikeouts in 18.2 innings since his mid-season promotion to Omaha. Despite those strong results, he’s struggled with command. That trend changed last week, however. Across 4.1 innings pitched last week, Murdock struck out six without a walk. He finished the week with a 0.23 WHIP and a .071 BAA.

Long-time starter, Jonathan Bowlan has transitioned to a relief role of late. Each of his last four outings has come in relief, including three last week. He didn’t allow a run on the week and struck out four without walking a batter. On Sunday, Bowlan looked fantastic. He finished his day with a 31% whiff rate and a 35% CSW%. Bowlan’s fastball averaged 94 mph with a spin rate averaging 2282 rpm. He mixed in five pitches on the day and should be seen as an under-the-radar relief option for the Royals later this season.

AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (13-13, 2.5 GB, Texas League North)

The Naturals went 4-2 on the week at home against Arkansas. The entire rotation looked strong on the week. Mason Barnett looked especially solid across two starts. He allowed just one earned run across 12.0 innings of work, striking out 16 with six walks. He held opponents to just a .103 average on the week. Tyson Guerrero allowed just one hit over six scoreless innings in his start. Noah Cameron and Steven Zobac each struck out seven without allowing a free pass, but each failed to go deeper than the fifth inning in their starts. Cameron was promoted to Triple-A Omaha on Sunday.

Ben Kudrna made his Double-A debut. He finished his day with six strikeouts and one walk. He worked around two earned runs, receiving a no-decision on the day. On offense, the Naturals lineup faltered some on the week. Shortstop Tyler Tolbert led the team with seven hits. He also stole a base, giving him an even 30 in 66 games with the Naturals this season. He now has 30 or more stolen bases in five consecutive seasons.

Outfielder Gavin Cross hit his ninth home run of the year. On the season, he’s now slashing .288/.366/.435 with a 23.6% strikeout rate. He also has 20 stolen bases.

A+ Quad Cities River Bandits (14-16, 6.5 GB, Midwest League West)

The Bandits put together a 3-3 week against Cedar Rapids. The offense came alive on the week with a quartet of solid performances from 2023 draftees. Outfielder Jared Dickey had a double and a home run, hitting .286 on the week. Third baseman Trevor Werner had six RBI and led the River Bandits with a .991 OPS. He slashed .318/.400/.591 with a double, triple, and home run on the week.

Outfielder Spencer Nivens continues to round back into form following an early-season hamstring injury. He had a strong week, posting eight hits including a double and a home run. In the month of July, he’s now slashing .284/.364/.478 with a 25.9% strikeout rate. Last but not least, second baseman Justin Johnson came alive with one of his best weeks of the season. He led the team with nine hits and a .435 on-base percentage.

On the mound, starter Henry Williams led the Bandits with eight strikeouts. He met that mark across five innings of work, allowing two earned runs to score. Ryan Ramsey is an under-the-radar arm this season, but he’s been fantastic. He owns a 2.93 ERA on the season for Quad Cities with 9.7 strikeouts per nine innings. Last week, he pitched 4.2 innings, allowing just one run to score while notching six punch outs.

Lefty Oscar Rayo is an under-the-radar name in his own right. He went four scoreless innings in his lone relief outing last week, striking out four without surrendering a walk. Reliever Chase Wallace was perfect in his long outing, going two full innings with one strikeout. On the season, he now owns a 2.89 ERA with 37 strikeouts and just nine walks.

A Columbia Fireflies (15-13, 3.0 GB, Carolina League South)

The Fireflies finished the week 4-2 at home against Lynchburg. Austin Charles remains red-hot, finishing his week with a team-high seven hits. Across 21 games in the month of July, Charles has slashed .338/.415/.465. Fellow infielder, Brennon McNair also remains red-hot at the plate. He had a home run and a double on the week, leading Columbia with four RBI. Catcher Blake Mitchell had four hits on the week — all singles — hitting .308 with four walks and just two strikeouts.

2023 third-round pick, Hiro Wyatt, made his Low-A debut. The Staples High School product went 4.0 innings, working around two hits and three walks while allowing three earned runs. He struck out five, showcasing huge improvements to his changeup.

Felix Arronde pitched four scoreless frames without a walk in his start. He struck out four and now has a 3.40 ERA across 17 outings this season. Josh Hansell led the Fireflies with six strikeouts. He went four full innings in relief in his lone appearance of the week. He allowed one earned run to score.