TWitM: Shrum slams and starters sparkle, Scarter Sjensen shines

I’ve never seen Carter Jensen and Scarter Sjensen in the same room.

‘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, April 23 to Sunday, April 28

AAA Omaha Storm Chasers (14-10, 2.0 GB, International League West)

The Storm Chasers played a short week this week. The team went 2-1 in a shortened week as a result of the devastating storms and tornadoes that ravaged Nebraska over the weekend. Our thoughts go out to all of those impacted.

Nate Eaton continued to stand out for Omaha. He went 4-for-11 on the week, slashing .364/.462/.455. Infielder Nick Loftin led the Omaha offense. He had a team-high six hits, including a double. First Baseman CJ Alexander wasn’t far behind Loftin, with five hits on the week. Among them was a double and a triple, giving Alexander a gaudy .889 slugging percentage on the week.

On the mound, Daniel Lynch IV continued his rough 2024 campaign. He pitched 5.0 innings in his start, allowing four earned runs to score. He did notch six strikeouts. Zach Davies made his first for the Storm Chasers but struggled greatly. He put together three full innings, allowing four earned runs to pass. His ERA was 12.00 on the week. Lefty Walter Pennington continues to make his case for a spot in the big league bullpen. He made two appearances on the week, allowing no runs or walks, and striking out four.

AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals (9-11, 4.5 GB, Texas League North)

The Naturals went 2-3 on the week in Tulsa, playing only five after Saturday’s game was rained out.

On the mound, Eric Cerantola made his mark, leading the team with ten strikeouts on the week. He allowed two earned runs over four full innings pitched and walked just one batter. Noah Cameron allowed three earned runs to cross in his start but struck out eight over 5.2 innings pitched. Chandler Champlain continues to get himself back on track as well. He allowed two runs over five full innings, striking out eight and walking two batters. The best start of the week was to Luinder Avila. Avila didn’t allow a run over five scoreless frames and dropped his ERA to 4.30 on the season.

Lefty Austin Cox was back on the mound, pitching two scoreless frames as he works back from injury.

At the dish, it was a “get right” week for prospects Gavin Cross and Cayden Wallace. Cross led the team with five hits, including a double. He slashed .294/.429/.353 on the week. Wallace had four hits of his own, walked three times, and didn’t strike out. That combination gave him a 1.167 OPS for the week. First Baseman Dillan Shrum continues his torrid start to the season. Shrum launched three home runs on the week en route to a nice .800 slugging percentage.

A+ Quad Cities River Bandits (15-6, 1st Place, Midwest League West)

The River Bandits went 4-2 on the week in South Bend. Catcher Carter Jensen continued his hot start as one of the best hitters in all of High-A. He led the team with nine hits on the week, and a .421/.633/.526 slash line. He walked 11 times (!) with just three strikeouts. Brett Squires had three doubles and wasn’t far behind with eight hits of his own. 2023 draftee, Jared Dickey, led the team with six RBI on the back of two home runs. He had a 1.044 OPS on the week.

On the mound, the Royals' pitching prospects continued their hot stretch to open the season. Frank Mozzicato didn’t allow a run in his third appearance of the season. In fact, he’s yet to allow a run in any appearance so far in 2024. He pitched five scoreless and allowed just one hit with five strikeouts last week.

Ben Kudrna pitched five strong innings of his own, allowing one run on five hits. He walked two and struck out six. Reliever Ben Sears was outstanding over four scoreless innings on the week. He now has a 0.90 ERA over 10 innings this season. Prospects Oscar Rayo (1.69 ERA) and Ryan Ramsey (2.45 ERA) both held the opposition without a run last week.

A Columbia Fireflies (12-8, 0.5 GB, Carolina League South)

The Fireflies split their week an even 3-3 at home against Augusta.

The offense was led by a pair of “Ericks” in Erick Peña and Erick Torres. Both players had a team-high seven hits on the week. Peña struggled heavily last season before ending the year on the Development List. Last week he slashed .304/.333/.696 with two home runs, a double, and a triple. Torres had six singles among his seven hits, but walked three times against five strikeouts. Derlin Figueroa had a strong week, including five RBI on a home run and two doubles. His .961 OPS was the third-best on the team last week, behind Erick Peña and Lizandro Rodriguez.

Rodriguez struggled in 2023 — and so far in 2024 — but got right last week. He slashed .333/.375/.600 with a double and two triples.

On the mound, Ethan Bosacker continued to make a name for himself. The 2023 draftee struck out a team-high eight over 8.2 IP. He allowed two earned runs and scattered ten hits across two starts. Logan Martin got back on track with a solid seven innings. He allowed three earned runs on the week and struck out eight of his own.

Top prospect Blake Wolters looked to take a step forward in his latest start. He only lasted 4.2 innings, but struck out seven in the process and allowed two earned runs.