TWitM: First-half heroes

Who were the best Royals minor leaguers in the first half?

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?”

The minor leagues had their All-Star break last week, so we I’ll resume the weekly reports next week. This week, I thought I’d pause and look back at the notable first-half performances in the Royals minors. Technically, the “first half” ended a few weeks ago (why don’t they sync up the minor league All-Star break with the break between the two halves?) but we’ll count everything up to now.

Triple-A Omaha Storm Chasers (38-57)

MVP: He’s no longer in the organization, but Cam Devanney had a first half to remember. His 18 home runs were tied for sixth-most in the International League, and he hit .273/.366/.557, good enough for the ninth-best OPS in the league. He took advantage of those Midwestern winds with a 46 percent flyball rate, fifth-highest in the league.

Walk this way: Nick Loftin drew 39 walks to just 22 strikeouts. He hit .295/.451/.468 and his 21 percent walk rate was best in the league for hitters with at least 180 plate appearances.

Power up: Carter Jensen has been with the Storm Chasers for less than a month and he’s already their best power hitter. He got off to a dreadful 1-for-22 start with them after a promotion from Double-A (that only hit was a home run!), but since then has hit .432/.533/1.027 with six home runs in ten games.

That’s what speed do: John Rave is now in the big leagues, going on a home run tear, but he still leads the Storm Chasers in steals with 17 in 18 tries. He also hit .301/.382/.549 with nine home runs in 44 games to earn his ticket to the big leagues.

Best starting pitcher: Pitching has been rough for the Storm Chasers - their 5.35 ERA is second-worst in the league. Noah Cameron was their best pitcher, but made just seven starts with a 3.31 ERA before sticking in the big leagues.

Best reliever: Andrew Hoffmann has given up just two runs in his last 13 2/3 innings in the minors to lower his ERA to 2.31. He made his MLB debut in late May and was recalled last weekend. His strikeout rate of 34 percent is fifth-best in the league.

Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals (43-47)

MVP: Jac Caglianone was a sensation in Double-A, hitting tape measure home runs, while hitting .322/.394/.553. He spent just 38 games with the Naturals, but smashed nine home runs and was leading the league in RBI with 43 when he was promoted. In fact, he hasn’t played for the Naturals since before Memorial Day, and is still 11th in the league.

Walk this way: Spencer Nivens got off to a slow start, but has begun to heat up in June and July. His 52 walks are third in the league, and the former Missouri State outfielder has a 15.1 percent walk rate, fourth-best in the Texas League.

Power up: Gavin Cross has struggled this year, but has shown some flashes of pop. His nine home runs are tied for the team lead, and he’s hitting .315/.345/.500 in 13 games since returning from injury in late June.

That’s what speed do: Rudy Martin returned to the Royals after playing in some indie leagues and in Mexico. The 29-year-old didn’t join the team until May 6, but he is third in the league with 29 steals in 32 attempts.

Best starting pitcher: Henry Williams gets the edge over Ben Kudrna by posting a 4.14 ERA with the sixth-lowest walk rate in the league. He has allowed three runs or less in 13 of his 14 starts for the Naturals, and if you take out the one outlier - an 11-run blowup in May - his ERA falls to 2.95.

Best reliever: Chazz Martinez also wins a close vote over Brandon Johnson and Christian Chamberlain. Martinez leads the team with 31 appearances, posting a 1.85 ERA with 45 strikeouts in 43 ²⁄₃ innings and just 11 walks, earning a promotion to Omaha.

High-A Quad Cities River Bandits (49-40)

MVP: Outfielder Carson Roccaforte was repeating the level, but he bounced back from a disappointing 2024 season to hit .237/.364/.466 with 13 home runs and 33 steals, earning him a promotion to Double-A this week.

Walk this way: First baseman Callan Moss is ninth in the league with 53 walks, and has a 14.7 percent walk rate.

Power up: Roccaforte and Moss have accounted for over half of the 39 home runs the River Bandits have hit (dead last in the league). But Blake Mitchell joined the team last week after missing most of the season with a wrist injury, and he has homered twice in eight games already.

That’s what speed do: Shorstop Daniel Vazquez is enjoying the best offensive season of his career at age 21, hitting .277/.362/.379 in 65 games with 17 steals.

Best starting pitcher: There are many good candidates, but Hunter Patteson leads the Midwest League with a 1.99 ERA in 13 starts and the ninth-best strikeout rate (22 percent), earning him a promotion to Double-A. The River Bandits also got strong pitching performances from Felix Arronde (2.71 ERA), Drew Beam (3.54 ERA), and Frank Mozzicato (1.24 ERA in seven starts).

Best reliever: A.J. Causey has the lowest ERA in the Midwest League for anyone with at least 40 innings at 1.56. He also has the eighth-best strikeout rate at 28.2 percent, which is why he’s now with the Naturals.

Low-A Columbia Fireflies (39-50)

MVP: Catcher Ramon Ramirez has been out of action since the end of May, just starting a rehab assignment last week. But when he was playing for the Fireflies, he was on a tear, hitting nine home runs in 44 games with a line of .252/.366/.472 in the pitching-friendly Carolina League (the league overall is hitting just .229 with a .331 slugging percentage).

Walk this way: Derlin Figueroa has been a steady presence in the lineup, hitting .268/.353/.394. He has a walk rate over 11 percent while posting a low strikeout rate of percent.

Power up: Infielder Brennon McNair has hit homers in back-to-back games twice this year, and is tied for the team lead with nine. He is also tied for the team lead with 13 doubles while hitting .202/.298/.389.

That’s what speed do: Outfielder Asbel Gonzalez has been a terror on the bases with 61 swipes, second-most in all of minor league baseball. His .371 on-base percentage is 13th-best in the Carolina League, giving the Fireflies a great table-setter.

Best starting pitcher: Although he’s just 18 years old, David Shields has the fourth-best ERA (2.21) of any pitcher with at least 40 innings pitched. He has also struck out over hitter per innings, with just 11 walks in 11 starts. Yunior Marte also deserves recognition with a 2.31 ERA in 17 starts this year.

Best reliever: Not to be confused with Athletics All-Star reliever Mason Miller, but Fireflies pitcher Mason Miller has pitched like an All-Star. He has a 3.63 ERA and the sixth-best strikeout rate in the Carolina League at 28.9 percent.