I will go to the rubber game between the Orioles and Royals at the K this afternoon. I wanted to get a quick post in before the game.
Here’s the latest edition of the “Jottings” as I focus on my latest piece for Farm to Fountains; top Royals prospect Blake Mitchell’s strong start in low-A Columbia and a look at a few players in Omaha who could be options down the road for the Royals.
A Look at Melendez’s Home and Away Splits This Year
In my latest post for “Farm to Fountains,” I looked at MJ Melendez’s season thus far and noticed an interesting pattern:
MJ is a much better hitter at home than on the road, and it’s not even close.
Here’s a snippet from the piece:
At home, Melendez demonstrates a better eye at the plate, which in turn helps him become an overall productive hitter. On the road, though, his K% is not only 20.7% higher, but his walk rate is nearly half as well. As a result, his 0.20 BB/K ratio on the road is incredibly sub-par, even for the Royals’ standards (they have tended to rate low in this category).
“Is There Anything to Take Away from MJ Melendez’s Peculiar Home and Away Splits?” by Kevin O’Brien; Farm to Fountains
Check out the full post at the link above. Also, subscribe to Farm to Fountains for more great Royals coverage from the Minors to the Majors.
Blake Mitchell is Off to a Great Start in Columbia
Mitchell only hit .147 in 13 games as an 18-year-old rookie last year, shortly after being drafted, and he is off to a torrid start in his first full Minor League season.
In 12 games and 60 plate appearances with the Fireflies, the Royals’ 2023 first-round draft pick is hitting .250 with a .446 wOBA and 169 wRC+. His power has improved significantly. Last year, he only slugged .176. This season, that slugging percentage is up to .455, which includes two home runs.
As pointed out by the Royals Player Development Twitter account, Mitchell has one of the top OPS marks of any teenage prospect this year.
Many Royals fans have given Mitchell grief because the Royals drafted him over more polished prospects out of college like catcher Kyle Teel and infielder Matt Shaw. That said, Mitchell has handled these enormous expectations and doubters nicely and is showing that he may be due for a call-up to High-A Quad Cities sooner rather than later.
Five Omaha Storm Chaser Players to Watch
Zac Miller of Farm to Fountains had a great piece up this week, reviewing some players off to hot starts in Triple-A Omaha.
One of those players performing well is Jonathan Bowlan, a former Royals 2nd round pick in the 2018 Draft who has looked better than ever since recovering from TJ surgery in 2022.
Here’s Miller’s writeup on Bowlan:
2024 season stats: 16.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 16 K, 3 BB, 1.06 WHIP
The 2018 2nd-round pick is starting to gain momentum again after having Tommy John surgery back in 2021. Before the injury, he had an incredible season in 2019 that helped catapult him to a No. 8 prospect ranking in the Royals’ farm system. Over the past few seasons, he has not been able to regain form and get back to the version of himself that we saw in 2019, where he held an 11-5 record and 3.14 ERA over 146.0 IP.
A healthy Bowlan is dangerous and provides great depth for the Royals should a starting pitcher go down for them this season. His fastball-slider combo is his calling card, and the fact that he has shown an ability to avoid walks is encouraging. As the best-performing starting pitcher in Omaha to begin the season, he may be the first to get the call-up to Kansas City should the need arise.
“These five Storm Chasers are off to a hot start in 2024” by Zac Miller; Farm to Fountains
Check out Miller’s piece for more reports of the other four Storm Chasers players and also follow him for more coverage of Triple-A Omaha throughout the season.
Photo Credit: Gregory Fisher-USA TODAY Sports
The Royals Reporter 