KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Welcome to the world of the typical Kansas City Royals baseball fan, where the minor league players get fans just as excited as the ones on the big-league club. If not more so.
That's at least part of the reason the Royals staged an exhibition game Saturday at Kauffman Stadium between the Class AAA Omaha Storm Chasers and the Class AA Northwest Arkansas Naturals.
An estimated 10,000 among the announced 17,328 who had watched Kansas City's 5-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels stayed to see at least the start of the exhibition game between the prospect-laden organization's top two farm clubs.
“I wanted to come out and see these young studs we've got coming up,” said Kansas City season-ticket holder Antwaine Barnett of Kansas City. “The major league team ... we're just kind of treading water.
“But I'm reading all the rankings. I'm on Twitter. I know that we've got nine of the top 100 (prospects).”
Omaha, with four no-hit innings by top pitching prospect Mike Montgomery and a home run by David Lough, beat Northwest Arkansas and top prospect John Lamb 4-1 in the nine-inning game portion of the exhibition.
The teams played three more innings so all the pitchers could get in a final tuneup before their minor league seasons start Thursday.
A few hundred fans stayed until the end, some six hours after the big-league game had started.
They saved some of their biggest cheers for Eric Hosmer, soon to be Omaha's 21-year-old first baseman. And calls of “Moose” serenaded Mike Moustakas, Omaha's 22-year-old third baseman
“It's real overwhelming and humbling, just awesome to see the fan support out here — for an exhibition game between the Double-A and Triple-A teams,” Moustakas said. “The fans are amazing, and to be able to come out and play in front of them was a blast for all of us.”
Hosmer is ranked eighth among Baseball America's top 100 prospects. Moustakas is ninth, Lamb 18th and Montgomery 19th.
Besides Lamb, three other Naturals rank in the top 100: outfielder Wil Myers (10th), shortstop Christian Colon (51st) and left-hander Chris Dwyer (83rd). So does Omaha left-hander Danny Duffy (68th).
The Kansas City farm system has been featured recently by Sports Illustrated, ESPN the Magazine and Baseball America. The Sporting News is also working on another story.
Like Moustakas, Hosmer had played in a big-league stadium before — at last year's U.S. vs. the World Futures Game that was part of the All-Star break festivities in Anaheim. That was special, Hosmer said, and so was Saturday.
“It was everything I expected and more,” he said. “You don't realize how passionate the fans are until you come out to the field and hear them call your name out. It was pretty cool.”
Lamb struggled with his command, throwing only 21 strikes among his 41 pitches in 223 innings, allowing one run on three hits before reaching his pitch limit. He left the field to supportive applause — some fans even gave him a standing ovation.
Hosmer didn't have any hits. But on a pair of sparkling plays, he flashed the leather that has many predicting he'll be a Gold Glove winner, as well as a .300 hitter, in the majors.
Kansas City fan Julie Kemper of Cameron, Mo., wearing an Alex Gordon T-shirt while watching the game with grandsons Bradyn and Blayze and granddaughter Brilee, said she attends about 20 Kansas City games annually. The southwest Iowa native typically attends some games in Omaha each year with relatives.
She said she's excited about the big-league team, too, but is also closely following the minor leaguers.
“I think (Kansas City's) Ned Yost is a good manager, and we've got good talent here and good talent coming up in the minor leagues, too,” she said. “It's probably the first time in a long time that we can really get excited.”
Barnett, 33, wearing a Billy Butler jersey and watching the game with his 12-year-old daughter, Alysia, said he'd considered making a trip to Omaha to watch the minor leaguers this season before plans for the exhibition game were announced in January.
Like many, he believes the future could hold a return to glory for a franchise that has struggled for most of the past two decades.
“I've been a lifelong Royals fan, and this is really exciting,” Barnett said. “You're hearing not just the organization talking about the prospects, but everyone from outside the organization is talking about them, too.
“You'd like to see it get back to the way it was in the '80s.”
Contact the writer:
402-444-1027, rob.white@owh.com
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