Down on the Farm: Week Six – Farm to Fountains

It’s been a busy week as the organization shifts around a lot of talent. Most notably, Jac Caglianone has received a very anticipated promotion to AAA. Multiple arms were moved around as the Major League squad dealt with some injury troubles. Finally, we’ve seen some fantastic starts out of the offense on the farm. Multiple prospects have shown some promise and increased performance, heightening expectations as the season progresses. 

Caglinone, specifically, had been crushing AA pitching this season. As a result, the calls for him to be promoted had become deafening online. Over 38 games, he slashed .322/.394/.553 alongside nine homeruns, eight doubles, and 43 RBI. A whopping 84 total bases in his 38 games highlight his run with the Naturals this season. He isn’t covered in the later part of this article, but it is worth noting how well he has performed in his first full season with the organization. 

Record: 19-24

Hitter of the Week – John Rave: .381/.536/.571, 1 2B, 1 HR, 7 BB, 5 K

John Rave has been seemingly a hush-hush prospect to mention since the start of the season. The big league squad has needed an outfield bat for a while now, and the 27-year-old is running out of time to get his shot. There hasn’t been a lot of conversation about him, but the Stormchasers have had him on their account in loads this year. This week, he showed a well-rounded approach that may be the perfect storm to keep him out of the majors any longer. If he can continue to hit for occasional power and flash a great on-base ability, a shot is waiting for him. 

The average isn’t where his capability lies, but with some sacrifices in pull power and a continued ability to walk, this is what he can be for the major league squad. Hunter Renfroe seems to be on the way out without a major uptick in production. The only prospect seemingly in Rave’s way is Cam Devanney, who just returned from injury and is an infielder first. The arrival of Caglianone is ominous at least, but not a direct threat….yet.

Pitcher of the Week – Stephen Nogosek: 3 G, 4.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.69 WHIP

Nogosek appeared three times in relief this week and allowed just three baserunners. Against his four strikeouts were just one walk and two hits. It was an impressive week for an arm that hasn’t seen much coverage. The Royals signed Nogosek out of the Mexican League at the beginning of May and assigned him to AAA. At 30 years old, he may be an arm that gets a shot if arms in the big league continue to get injured. He’ll need to crack the 40-man first, but the experience and strong start in Omaha may help his case quite a bit. 

Record: 20-19

Hitter of the Week – Sam Ruta: .462/.500/.1.077, 2 2B, 2 HR, 1 BB, 5 K, 6 RBI

Sam Ruta only played three games this week, which is why this stat line is so incredible. Two doubles and two home runs in a week would be magnificent with some singles sprinkled in. Ruta’s highlight of the week was a two-home run game with five RBI on Sunday. The production was incredibly reliant on a few great games, just like most of his production over the season.

As an undrafted free agent, he was signed this March and made it directly to AA after a short stint in the ACL. He is being used in small amounts to introduce him to professional baseball. It’s also clear that the adjustment isn’t much of a big one for the West Point graduate. 

✅ First Career HR✅ Second Career HR✅ First Career Multi-HR Game

Sam Ruta hits another 🚀, his second of the game, to make it 5-0 Nats! pic.twitter.com/LDqcEyYxYi

— Northwest Arkansas Naturals (@nwanaturals) May 18, 2025

Pitcher of the Week – Brandon Johnson: 2 G, 3.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.55 WHIP

It was a rough week for starters at AA and AAA this week. For that reason, another reliever cracks the list of best performers. Brandon Johnson gave up just one hit and one walk over his two appearances and managed three strikeouts in the process. He is having a fantastic start this year, with a 0.93 ERA over his first 19.1 innings. In the year, he has 23 strikeouts and a 0.57 WHIP that almost mirrors his performance this week. Arms have been moving a lot this season, and Johnson is one that the club values. If his selection to the Arizona Fall League is any indication, that is. 

Record: 24-14

Hitter of the Week – Callan Moss: .333/.414/.583, 3 2B, 1 HR, 4 BB, 6 K, 8 RBI

Moss was a very under-the-radar signing last season with great numbers in the Appalachian League. He made a name for himself fairly quickly in Columbia in 2024 and has now begun to entrench himself in the River Bandits’ roster. This week was the type of week we can expect from Moss at the lower levels. He has solid walk ability, a good contact tool, and enough power to push the needles in his favor. He started a bit slow, but has managed to maintain a very healthy on-base percentage and slugging percentage. If the bat continues to catch up in this fashion, he’ll be a guy looking to jump to AA soon. 

Pitcher of the Week – Hunter Patteson: 2 G, 11.2 IP, 1.54 ERA, 0.77 WHIP

Patteson has been a pleasant surprise so far in 2025. This week, he outpitched Mozzicato in Frank’s final week with the High-A squad. His two starts ended up being very productive, with 12 strikeouts against just two walks. He allowed just seven hits and two earned runs in those starts for what seems like yet another week of exceptional outings. He’s now through eight starts this year with a 1.54 ERA and a WHIP of 0.90. A breakout 2025 is on the horizon, and he continues to perform without striking out many batters. Patteson won’t be far behind Mozzicato at this rate. 

Record: 22-17

Hitter of the Week – Ramon Ramirez: .316/.409/.842, 1 2B, 3 HR, 3 BB, 4 K, 8 RBI

Ramirez is the best-hitting catcher in the system right now. His power is flashing tremendously right now with eight home runs on the season, and his on-base percentage is more than enough to make up for a lack of consistent contact early on.  This week was highlighted by the home runs. One of these home runs was a walk-off in extra innings, and the three of them almost doubled his season total. If he can continue to add contacts to his profile as he has in the past weeks, the power is sure to continue as well.

Pitcher of the Week – Yunior Marte: 1 G, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 0.67 WHIP

Marte, much like Ramirez, is another young phenom making headlines down in Columbia. This week, he turned in another great outing. It was a clean six innings with just four total base runners allowed, all on hits. Marte turned in five punchouts and zero walks in what became the best start from the rotation this week. At 21, Marte has a healthy 2.87 ERA and WHIP of 1.09. He has four pitches that will play up at any level below AA and room to grow into all of them. Most importantly, he has a massive potential to add control and therefore gain steady improvement in the coming months. 

Image Credit: Royals Media

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