The Columbia Fireflies Showed Both Struggle and Promise in 2022
After a disastrous 18-48 first half of the season, the Columbia Fireflies rebounded nicely to finish in second place in the Carolina League South. Unfortunately, their shot at winning the division was thwarted by a 2-8 finish to the year. What went right and what went wrong for the Kansas City Royals' Single-A affiliate? Let's dive in.
Players who glowed in the Fireflies' spotlight
After being selected 9th overall in the 2022 draft, Gavin Cross picked up right where he left off from Virginia Tech — a college season that saw him produce a 1.071 OPS with 12 stolen bases. His profile as a left-handed bat with raw power continued to shine as his summer transitioned from amateur to professional.
Cross hit seven home runs, five doubles and kept up his plate discipline with 24 walks in just 99 at-bats. The resulting 1.070 OPS easily led all players on the Fireflies who registered plate appearances. Already listed as the top prospect in the franchise, Cross could be on the Royals' big league roster sooner than later if he keeps this up moving forward.
Another southpaw outfielder that had a nice season in Columbia was River Town. Before being called up to High-A Quad Cities, Town ripped 12 home runs, 18 doubles and also had a great eye for the strike zone by drawing 52 free passes in 282 at-bats. That was good enough for a .386 OBP, and he swiped 18 bags in 21 chances to boot.
A hometown kid from Blue Valley Southwest high school in Overland Park, Ben Kudrna, played at a high level for Columbia even at the young age of 19. He registered 61 strikeouts in 72.1 innings pitches spread out over 17 starts. Although his record was only 2-5, he posted a respectable 3.48 ERA and if he can cut down on walks, it would not be a surprise to see him playing at a higher level in the organization as soon as next year.
Bounceback candidates heading into 2023
A second-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft, Ben Hernandez had his second go-round in Columbia in 2022. The number of losses (from two to seven) and jump in ERA by over a point seemed to point to a regression, but a deeper look shows that all is not what it seems.
Hernandez kept his K/9 rate close to the prior year, dropped his BB/9 by 0.2 points and his WHIP was nearly identical. An improvement from 2021 would have been nice, but he will be just 21 when next spring rolls around. That leaves plenty of time to develop this live arm.
The No. 27 prospect for the Royals, Daniel Vazquez, joined the Fireflies at the young age of 18. After playing in the Dominican Summer League in 2021, Vazquez made the jump to the Single-A roster in 2022. His .490 OPS and 86 strikeouts in 293 at-bats are disappointing statistics but considering he was one of the youngest players in the league, that wasn't completely unexpected. The upside of the shortstop is high, and he has plenty of time to improve.
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Shawn Bauman is a public accountant who has loved statistics and the Kansas City Royals since before their first World Series championship. He believes the game of baseball is beautiful and many stories can be told by looking at the numbers. A Wichita State grad with a major in Accounting and minor in Management, Shawn loves college and high school football and soccer along with all things baseball. He is currently a writer and contributor to FanNation's InsideTheRoyals.com.You can follow him on Twitter at @s_baumsquad