Omaha Pitcher Analysis-March 28th

[Kevin O'Brien]

In the wake of Carlos Estevez's meltdown, I wanted to break down some pitchers from Omaha and which ones could be options if the Royals put Estevez on the IL. Five intriguing Storm Chasers pitched yesterday, and I break down their outings via TJ Stats' summary data. 

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Avila started for the Royals and went 3 IP and threw 52 pitches against Louisville. He struck out three but allowed two walks and four hits. Velocity was a bit down, but iVB and HB on the four-seamer were up. As a result, his four-seamer had a 104 TJ Stuff+. His chase and whiff and xwOBACON were all great, but the control was iffy, as evidenced by the 34.6% zone rate. Still, a promising Triple-A debut, and he could be ready for the bullpen if the Royals feel he's better utilized in that role.

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Panzini is probably low on the call-up order, but I'm paying close attention to him. 18.9 iVB on the four-seamer and a 25% whiff rate on the pitch, which he leaned on heavily (73.5% usage). 95 overall TJ Stuff+, but he had a 29.4% whiff rate and .326 xwOBACON. The control needs to improve (34.7% zone rate and 3 BB), but the strikeout stuff is there, and he could be an intriguing middle-innings reliever. 

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Way is probably even lower on the order than Panzini. But the stuff always remains intriguing with him, even if he doesn't excel anywhere else. 104 TJ Stuff+ overall, but he has a lackluster chase, whiff, and xwOBACON. Struck out 3 in 1.2 IP yesterday, but also allowed four hits. He did a good job of flooding the zone (59.5% zone), something he has struggled with in the past, so this is nice progress.

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Morgan had a nice Omaha debut. 104 TJ Stuff+ was six points better than last year. 50% whiff rate and 0.000 xwOBACON. He's not a high-velocity guy, but he has good movement and saw iVB improvement across all three pitches. He's on the 40-man roster now, so he could be a call-up sooner rather than later, though he probably fits more in medium-leverage situations than high-leverage ones. 

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Cruz blew the game, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk. However, he struck out three batters and posted a really nice 111 TJ stuff+. Four-seamer velocity is down 2.2 MPH from last year, but iVB is up 2.8 inches, and TJ Stuff+ is up 2. He also had a 30.8% chase and 50% whiff rate. He just gave up too much hard contact, as evidenced by his .985 xwOBACON. Command was a little rusty, but he has the stuff to fill in for Estevez's profile at the MLB level.