Gavin Cross earns Midwest League honor

Nine days later, the former Tennessee High and Virginia Tech star has smashed his way out of a season-opening slump and is being recognized for his efforts.

Cross was named the Midwest League player of the week on Monday after hitting five home runs in a six-game series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers. The Kansas City Royals’ top prospect became the first Midwest League player this season to go deep in four straight games and he had a pair of three-hit games in the series as well.

“Obviously, the five home runs this week were impressive, but it was what he did after he hit his first home run [last] Tuesday that stood out to me,” said Quad Cities hitting coach Ryan Powers. “He faced back-to-back tough left-handed pitchers and he was able to hit a double off the left-center field wall and another double down the left-field line. Those swings told me that he was back to seeing the ball well and his swing was working the way he wants it to. I think that gave him a lot of confidence that he had found the adjustments that he’s been working on lately.”

Powers wasn’t concerned after Cross struggled through the season’s first month.

“I think generally fans and some people don’t understand how difficult it is to be in Arizona for five or six weeks, get to a place where you feel good – Gavin had a good spring – and then have to travel to the Midwest in April when the weather is cold, rainy, and windy. Hitting conditions on a lot of days in the first month of the season can be very challenging,” Powers said. “Now, that’s not meant to be an excuse, just part of what these kids go through.”

There were also some mechanical adjustments.

“Another aspect to things is Gavin has a very complex swing, and he got away slightly on a couple things that really make him click,” Powers said. “He has been working hard on those things the last 10 days, and I thought he was close to being back to a place where he was comfortable at the start of this week. Obviously things clicked for him right away and he carried that through the whole series. I think he is back to being himself and there is a confidence you can see in him that he feels the same way. Hopefully this week was one that can springboard him forward through the rest of this season.”

The current stats for Cross include a slash line of .212/.299/.452 with seven home runs, 24 RBIs, 12 doubles and nine stolen bases.

“One of my favorite moments this last week was after his third or fourth straight game with a home run, Gavin was talking with a few of the guys who were marveling at his performance and while appreciative of the run he was on, he said something to the effect of ‘Yeah, the home runs are great, but I’m still only hitting .200,’ and it was very funny listening to his teammates explain to him that if he hits .200, but homers in every game, he’ll probably be OK,” said Kyle Kercheval, the play-by-play radio voice of the River Bandits. “Another testament to his not being satisfied.”

Powers admires the way Cross goes out about his business in the outfielder’s first full season as a pro.

“All baseball players at some point in their careers are going to go through a rough stretch, and the way Gavin handled himself through that was extremely impressive,” Powers said. “He came to the park every day ready to find ways to work through it and it is always rewarding when you have a week he had, that validates all that work he put in. I look forward to watching him moving forward now as we get in to the summer. I fully believe he is about to take off.”

Evan Carter (Elizabethton) went 4-for-6 on Saturday night for the Double-A Frisco RoughRiders and his last knock was a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning to clinch an 8-7 win over Amarillo.

In other words, it was just another night at the office for the top-rated prospect in the Texas Rangers’ farm system. MLBPipeline.com just ranked him as the ninth-best prospect in all of baseball.

Carter has a slash line of .302/.430/.426 with four home runs and 24 RBIs.

There haven’t been many pitchers in the Double-A Texas League better than Landon Knack in 2023.

The Science Hill High School graduate and Los Angeles Dodgers farmhand is 1-0 with a 1.59 ERA in eight starts for the Tulsa Drillers. In 34 innings of work, he has recorded 39 strikeouts and issued just seven walks.

Right-hander Hunter Stratton (Sullivan East) needed 21 pitches to toss a perfect seventh inning for the Triple-A Indianapolis Indians on Sunday in their win over the Iowa Cubs.

The Pittsburgh Pirates prospect capped the outing with a strikeout of former MLB slugger Sergio Alcantra. Stratton is 0-1 with a 2.95 ERA in 13 appearances.

Clint Freeman is off to a fine start for the Gateway Grizzlies.

The former David Crockett High School and East Tennessee State University standout’s 17 RBIs are the most in the independent Frontier League and he’s tied for the second-most home runs with five.

A .357 batting average also appears on his stat line through nine games.

As has been the case all season, Trey Cabbage is providing power at the plate for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees.

The former Grainger High School star’s 12 home runs and .616 slugging percentage are both third-best in the Pacific Coast League. He also has a .305 batting average and 28 RBIs for the top farm team of the Los Angeles Angels.

An Atlantic League game on May 17 featured a unique moment as Science Hill High School alums Reed Hayes and Will Carter both pitched in the contest.

Hayes retired both batters he faced for the Long Island Ducks and has a 3.68 ERA in eight games for the indy ball team.

Carter allowed two runs in his one inning of work for the York Revolution and is 1-0 with a 7.04 ERA in nine outings.

Ex-Unicoi County High School ace pitcher Shaddon Peavyhouse is 3-2 with a 5.02 ERA in eight starts for the Modesto Nuts, the Low-A affiliate of the Seattle Mariners.

Thomas Francisco (Abingdon) has a slash line of .198/.289/.276 to go along with one home run and 13 RBIs for the Peoria Chiefs, the High-A farm team of the St. Louis Cardinals.

His first homer of the season came on May 11 against Cincinnati Reds prospect Javi Rivera.

Daniel Norris (Science Hill) had his best outing of the season on May 18 for the Triple-A Columbus Clippers and as a result got his first W.

The veteran left-hander struck out four and did not issue a walk in crafting five strong innings of relief, allowing one run (which was unearned) on five hits.

He is 0-1 with a 5.25 ERA in 10 appearances for the top affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians.

Houston Astros prospect Will Wagner of the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks is crushing opposing pitching.

The infielder’s slash line is .290/.384/.484 with two homers and 10 RBIs in 17 games.

Will is the son of former Tazewell High School star and 16-year MLB pitcher Billy Wagner. Will attended The Miller School in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Liberty University.