manned the hot corner for the Fireflies in May of 2021.
Ben Sears – 14th Round, Houston Sears is a big-bodied right-handed reliever picked up by the Royals on the final day of the draft. The University of Houston product is 6’5” and has a knack for pounding the strike zone. He utilizes a sinker-slider combination that translates more as a power pitcher than someone who will be a big innings eater, and in 2022, Sears transitioned to a full-time
role in the bullpen that showcased what his stuff could do when he unleashes it. His sinker is in the mid-90s and he pairs it with a slider that Baseball America labeled “The best breaking ball in the AAC in 2022.” His strikeout rate in college was a little low, falling short of 20 percent, but he also only walked three percent of hitters his senior year in a Cougar uniform, so Sears looks to be a pitcher who thrives off of forcing soft contact. If punchout rate was a concern, you had us fooled through Sears’ first two outings in the Carolina League. The righty has fanned five of the 19 batters he has faced and is holding hitters to a .222 clip. The walk rate is still low, as Sears hasn’t issued a walk in five innings yet. He’s allowed two runs so far, but appears to be a reliever that the Fireflies can use in high-leverage situations down the stretch. Javier Vaz – 15th Round, Vanderbilt Vaz drew top marks for his work in the outfield for Vanderbilt after transferring to one of the nation’s top Division I programs out of LSU Eunice. Some fans may be familiar with the top-ranked JuCo in the country the last few years, because the Royals drafted LSU Eunice and Dallas Baptist product River Town late in last year’s draft. Town made his presence known in Columbia, providing consistent contact throughout the season before earning the call-up to Quad Cities. Vaz walks a lot, in fact 75 times in 77 games in his first two collegiate seasons. He also doesn’t strike out much at all, only getting punched out 21 times in those same 77 games. Vaz has continued to be a super utility player, playing second base, left field and right field in 10 games for the Fireflies. He bounced out to a super exciting start to the year, hitting a ground rule double and a home run in his first two games, but has slowed down at the plate since then. One thing has been certain, Vaz is a plus-runner, looking comparable to Jean Ramirez on the base paths. He also has a cannon in the outfield, and nearly got an outfield assist in the 10th inning of August 7’s contest vs the RiverDogs. Look for Vaz to slot into the line-up three or four times a week at different positions and potentially become a late-inning pinch runner or defensive substitution to close out this season. Cooper McKeehan – 16th Round, Brigham Young University Something clicked for Cooper McKeehan this last summer while he was in the Cape Cod League. In 2022, the southpaw posted his best career numbers in nearly every statistical category, striking out 42% of the batters he’s faced, maintaining a 1.57 ERA and keeping walks beneath the 15% of batters faced threshold. He only utilizes two pitches, but has been a one-inning pitcher his entire collegiate career, so there hadn’t been a need to develop an additional off speed pitch for the lefty. The BYU product has now spun two appearances for the Fireflies, tossing 23 total pitches, allowing one base runner in each appearance and keeping any runs off the board. In a limited time, he has held opponents to a .143 average and has looked good on the rubber. We’ll see if that can continue and if the Royals will start using him more than for one inning a week as they get more familiar with how he pitches and what type of shape he is in after being off from college ball for a month or so prior to the draft.
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