TWitM: Big Dickey energy, Bubic rehab progresses

Don’t worry, Preston will be back next week.

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

This Week in the Minors: Tuesday, June 18 to Sunday, June 23

AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (49-24, 1st Place, International League West)

The Omaha Storm Chasers are still looking for their 50th win of the season after dropping four of six games against the Louisville Bats. This was just Omaha’s second series loss in 2024, the first coming on April 16–21 against the Nashville Sounds.

Nick Pratto was red-hot at the plate, with his team-leading three home runs and 1.158 OPS in six games against the Bats. His most recent stint with the major-league club hardly made any waves, but this opposite-field home run reminds Storm Chasers fans of his bat’s power potential.

Tyler Gentry continued turning his season around, recording seven hits and two home runs against Louisville. After a slow start in 2024, he has a .833 OPS and 115 wRC+ in 18 games this month. Devin Mann tied Gentry with seven hits in the series as well.

Kris Bubic continued his strong rehab stint in Omaha with a 4⅓ inning start of six-hit, one-run ball, logging a season-high eight strikeouts in the process. Plus, Chandler Champlain recorded his sixth quality start this season this past week, his first since June 5. Walter Pennington continued his improbable success, including a 1⅔ inning outing on June 19, where he retired all five hitters he faced.

AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (35-34, 2.0 GB, Texas League North)

The Northwest Arkansas Naturals climbed back above .500 on the season, closing the gap between them and the first-place Springfield Cardinals. Northwest Arkansas pulled out a series win against the Tulsa Drillers, winning the final four games of the six-game set. Tyler Tolbert led the squad with seven hits across the series, including three and the walk-off single against Tulsa on June 20. He swiped four bags on the homestand as well, adding to his organization-leading 24 stolen bases this season.

Four different Naturals drew more walks than strikeouts, including Javier Vaz’s team-leading six. Kale Emshoff continued his strong Double-A start, logging his first homer since joining Northwest Arkansas. He is batting .333 (7-for-21) with six RBI in five games since his promotion. Gavin Cross broke out of his hitless slump with a three-hit, three-RBI effort on Sunday’s series finale.

Luinder Avila tossed a season-high seven scoreless innings of shutout ball on June 21, tying his career-high with nine strikeouts. His six wins this season are now tied for the most in the Royals’ organization. Mason Barnett had a forgettable start, only lasting 1⅔ innings in his start while allowing six earned runs. Noah Cameron rebounded from a rough series opener to throw five innings of one-run ball on June 23. Anderson Paulino recorded his team-leading eighth save of the season.

A+ Quad Cities River Bandits (31-37, 11.5 GB, Midwest League West)

The Quad Cities River Bandits remain Kansas City’s only affiliated team with a sub-.500 record but crested 30 wins in their series win over the Great Lakes Loons. 2023 draftees Carson Roccaforte (1.063 OPS, 5 RBI) and Jared Dickey (1.032 OPS, 7 hits) led Quad Cities’ efforts at the plate. On June 19, Dickey turned a 2-1 deficit into a 4-2 lead in the eighth inning with his sixth home run of the season. It was his first home run in 95 at-bats since he blasted a grand slam on May 9 against Wisconsin.

The two squads split the series-ending doubleheader, but Quad Cities outscored Great Lakes 7-2 on Sunday. After recording a 5.47 ERA in May, Ben Kudrna claimed his third victory of the season with 5.0 innings of one-run ball on two hits and three strikeouts. This month, he has made two starts and has a 2.45 ERA (3 ER in 11.0 IP). Hunter Owen had the finest performance of the week, earning his sixth victory of the year after allowing no runs in 7.0 innings pitched with one hit and four strikeouts.

Low-A Columbia Fireflies (36-32, 6.5 GB, Carolina League South)

On Sunday, the Columbia Fireflies defeated Carolina 4-3 to end their four-game losing streak. Despite this, Columbia lost five of their seven games to the Mudcats, who dominated the scoring, 36-18.

The lineup did not have much to write home about during this series. Erick Peña led the squad with a .918 OPS, thanks to two home runs and five hits total. He is now batting .313/.405/.594 across 19 June games, with 10 extra-base hits and 12 RBI. Derlin Figueroa and Blake Mitchell both spotted a cool .800 OPS against Carolina, but Brennon McNair’s go-ahead home run in the series final was the real highlight for the Fireflies this weekend.

After allowing two runs (one ER) on five hits in six innings with seven strikeouts, starter Félix Arronde earned his fourth win of the year during the series finale. This was his second quality start of the season and his fourth overall. Doug Kirkland struck out six batters across two games and four innings, leading Columbia with a 0.75 WHIP on the series.

ACL Royals are 16-20, sitting in fourth place in the ACL West.

DSL Royals Fortuna are 5-8, tied for seventh place in the DSL North.

DSL Royals Ventura are 7-5, sitting in third place in the DSL West.