Alex Gordon has made three straight All-Star Games and won four consecutive gold gloves. He needs little to no introduction. Alex joined Dave O to give the most “cliche free” interview you’ll ever hear, tackling the topics of fantasy football, family photos, protein bars, bats, pets, walk up music, autographs, journals and tons more! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Brandon Downes was selected by the Royals in the 7th round of the 2014 June Amateur Draft out of the University of Virginia, where he helped lead the Cavs to runner up in the 2014 College World Series. Named to the CWS All-Tournament Team, the outfielder has spent 2015 with Lexington after beginning the year as the 14th best prospect in the Royals system (according to mlb.com). As of September 1st, Downes currently has numbers of .314/.461/.775 with 14/59/18. He recently joined Dave O to talk about playing in the CWS, being drafted by the Royals, the very memorable thing Mike Sweeney did for him at Idaho Falls and much more! (Photo Courtesy Mary Lay/Lexington Legends)
Ryan O’Hearn was selected by the Royals in the 8th round of last year’s draft out of Sam Houston State and immediately won the Pioneer League MVP at Idaho Falls after punishing the league’s pitching to the tune of .444/.590/1.034 with 13 HR’s and 54 RBI. A 6-3 left handed hitting first baseman/right fielder, O’Hearn has continued his torrid hitting in 2015, cranking 25 HR’s between Lexington and Wilmington as of August 25th. He joined Dave O this morning to talk about his impressive 2014 debut, winning this year’s Sally League Home Run Derby, his ability to draw a walk, an update on his defense and eons more! (Photo Courtesy Mary Lay/Lexington Legends)
Lane Adams made his Big League debut with the Royals last September after entering the KC system in 2009 as a 13th round selection in the draft. A 6-4 outfielder, Adams signed with Kansas City after nearly choosing to pursue a basketball scholarship at Missouri State, as he finished his Oklahoma prep career as the fifth-leading scorer in the state’s history (3,251 points). Lane currently plays with the Northwest Arkansas Naturals and recently joined Dave O to discuss his 2014 KC experience, why he chose baseball over basketball, being an avid shoe collector and much more! (Photo Courtesy John Owen/Northwest Arkansas Naturals)
Alfredo Escalera was chosen by the Royals in the 8th round of the 2012 MLB Draft and with his selection, became the youngest player to ever be drafted at 17.31 years of age. A center fielder with corner upside, Escalera currently plays with Wilmington after a mid-season promotion from Lexington, and has slash lines of .340/.428/.768 as of August 1st to go along with 9 HR’s and 18/21 stolen bases. He recently joined Dave O to talk about being compared to Carlos Beltran, winning the President’s Volunteer Service Award from Barack Obama, receiving the Mike Sweeney Award and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Mary Lay/Lexington Legends)
Luke Farrell was selected by the Royals in the 6th round of the 2013 draft out of Northwestern and currently pitches for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals. The son of Boston Red Sox manager John Farrell, Luke is 6-6 and enjoying a successful 2015, as he currently sports a 3.40 ERA with nearly a K per inning for the Naturals. Farrell’s story goes far beyond the baseball field, however, as he has overcome three VERY serious surgeries to remove a benign tumor in his neck. He recently joined Dave O to talk about how that fight has changed his life, how much it means to give back to others and also, lots of baseball talk, including growing up in a baseball family, coming into the Royals system and much more! (Photo Courtesy Alan Jamison/Northwest Arkansas Naturals)
Matt Strahm currently pitches for the Wilmington Blue Rocks and is one of the most pleasant surprises of 2015 in the entire Royals organization. As of July 9th, the 6-4 lefty carries combined marks (between Lexington and Wilmington) of 3-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 74 K’s in 47.1 innings. The former Nebraska Cornhusker commit was originally selected by the Royals out of Neosho County Community College (Kansas) in the 21st round of 2012 and has seen his prospect status soar after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2013. He recently joined Dave O to give a full scouting report on his arsenal of pitches and talk about growing up in Fargo, including how he’s NEVER seen the movie Fargo, being a South Atlantic League All-Star this year and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Mary Lay/Lexington Legends)
J.J. Picollo is in his 9th full season with the Royals and second as the Assistant General Manager of Scouting & Player Development. Originally from the Atlanta Braves organization, where he served as the Director of Minor League Operations, Picollo is a former professional catcher (Yankees system) and a graduate of George Mason University. He recently joined Dave O to talk about SEVERAL “under the radar” prospects currently in the Royals organization but also, a profile of his life in baseball, from playing under Coach Dayton Moore at GMU to catching in the minor leagues, how he later became a scout with Atlanta and loads more. Extremely interesting chat for ANY baseball fan. (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Brandon Finnegan is in his second season at the Big League level after becoming the first player in baseball history to pitch in both the College World Series and MLB World Series in the same year. Drafted by the Royals with their 1st pick in the 2014 draft (17th overall), the 5-11 southpaw appeared in seven post-season games in 2014, including two during the Fall Classic. He became just the 5th player in MLB history to earn his first win in the playoffs (Game 2 of the ALDS). Brandon recently joined Dave O to discuss plenty of baseball but also shoes, tattoos, music and lots more! (Photo Courtesy Kansas City Royals)
Alex Luna was selected by the Royals in the 10th round (309th pick overall) of the 2015 MLB Draft out of UAB. A 6-5 right-hander, Luna fought through a case of mono this past spring to post a 3-3 record and 3.44 ERA. That came on the heels of a tremendous junior season in which Luna went 7-1 with an ERA of 1.76 en route to becoming a 2014 All-Conference USA Second Team selection. Luna’s 3.63 career ERA ranks 4th all-time at UAB. He recently joined Dave O to talk about having Tommy John surgery as a high school junior, fighting through his senior season at UAB with mono, how a big order of Royals hats are on their way to Huntsville, Alabama and lots more! (Photo Courtesy UAB SID)