Storm Chasers open MiLB season with a sweep
This Week in the Minors: new players stand out in the Omaha lineup
‘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(end) in the Minors: Friday, March 31 to Sunday, April 2
AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (3-0)
Triple-A teams started their season on Friday, while the lower levels have to wait until later this week to get started. The Storm Chasers were on the road at Indianapolis, and got off to a rough start when Indy scored five runs in the first inning in game one.
However, you can see from the big “3-0” up there that the team has not lost a game. A four-run 9th inning put the Chasers over the top for their first of two come-from-behind wins on the weekend.
Left fielder Tucker Bradley and DH CJ Alexander each made an impression in their Triple-A debuts on Friday, with three hits apiece. Bradley was signed as a free agent in the summer of 2020 out of the University of Georgie. Alexander was part of the same draft pick trade that brought Drew Waters to the Royals.
Second baseman Samad Taylor finally made his Royals organizational debut after coming over from the Toronto system in the trade for Whit Merrifield last summer. In the three-game series, Taylor went 6-for-14 with a triple and a home run, and two steals.
Shortstop Maikel Garcia also piled up six hits in the series, including two doubles. Outfielder Dairon Blanco is already picking up where he left off after stealing 45 bases for Omaha last year, with three steals in this year’s first three games.
The Storm Chasers will come home for a six-game series against Toledo starting tonight. Double-A Northwest Arkansas Naturals and Single-A Columbia Fireflies will host their season openers on Thursday. High-A Quad Cities starts on the road on Friday.
Next week, all levels of the minors will be back on their regular Tuesday-Sunday six-game series format, and ‘This Week in the Minors’ will feature all of them as usual.