2025 Storm Chasers Season Summary
IL Omaha Storm Chasers

2025 Storm Chasers Season Summary

Published on November 13, 2025 under International League (IL)
Omaha Storm Chasers News Release


SEASON 57

The 2025 Omaha Storm Chasers went 62-86 (.419), tied for last place in the International League West Division and tied 17th in the 20-team International League.

A .419 winning percentage ranks as the 4th-lowest in franchise history, trailing the 2016 Storm Chasers (58-82, .414), the 1974 Omaha Royals (54-82, .397) and the 2006 Omaha Royals (53-91, .368).

86 losses tied for the 2nd-most in franchise history, with the 1984 Omaha Royals going 68-86 in a 154-game season ... the 2006 Omaha Royals still hold the franchise loss record at 53-91.

ROSTER RECALL

The Storm Chasers roster on the final day of the season looked very different from Opening Day, with just 3 players on the active roster all season: pitcher Chandler Champlain, catcher Luca Tresh and first baseman Nick Pratto.

Including Champlain, Tresh and Pratto, 8 players were on Omaha's roster both on Opening Day and on the final day of the season, including pitcher Jacob Wallace, infielders Harold Castro and Nick Loftin, and outfielders Tyler Gentry and Drew Waters.

Omaha used 78 players in 2025, up from 59 in 2024 ... this was the most since the 2022 Chasers used 80, while the 2023 team used 76 ... 78 players represent the 9th-most in the International League, with the league average being 77 ... Norfolk and Syracuse led the league with 95 players, while Memphis used a league-low 60.

The Storm Chasers made 204 transactions in 2025, up from 158 in 2024 ... this was the most since 2022, when Omaha made 223 roster moves ... since 2021, the average Omaha team has made 191 transactions.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

The Storm Chasers posted identical records in the first and second half (31-43) and at home and on the road (31-43) ... however, the splits tell a different story.

The 1st half was stronger on the mound, while the 2nd half was better offensively ... in the 1st half, Omaha hit .247 (598-for-2419) with 379 runs scored and a .755 OPS, compared to .250 (627-for-2503) with 380 runs scored and a .779 OPS in the 2nd half ... the pitching staff posted a 5.23 ERA (372 ER in 639.2 IP) and 1.51 WHIP (318 BB + 645 H) in the first half, versus a 5.75 ERA (410 ER in 641.1 IP) and 1.62 WHIP (329 BB + 708 H) in the second half.

Omaha hit better at home, but pitched better on the road ... at Werner Park, the team hit.253 (603-for-2383) with 385 runs scored and a .794 OPS, while on the road they hit .245 (622-for-2539) with 374 runs scored and a .742 OPS ... at home, the Chasers pitched to a 5.94 ERA (428 ER in 648.0 IP) with a .162 WHIP (348 BB + 700 H), while on the road working a 5.03 ERA (354 ER in 633.0 IP) with a 1.50 WHIP (299 BB+ 653 H).

SERIES SPEAKING

The Storm Chasers went 6-12-9 across 27 series in 2025, including 3-5-6 at home and 3-7-3 on the road.

Series wins came April 15-20 vs. Norfolk (3-2), June 10-15 @ Toledo (6-0), July 18-20 @ Buffalo (2-1), August 5-10 @ Indianapolis (5-1), August 12-17 @ Columbus (5-1), and September 9-14 vs. Charlotte (5-1) ... 4 of the 6 series wins were full six-game series.

The Chasers never won back-to-back series, but won 2 of 3 series from August 5 to 24, going 13-5 over 18 games, the 3rd-best record in the International League for that stretch.

Omaha split 7 of their first 10 series from March to May, but dropped 6 of 7 series between June and July, including 5 straight from June 17 to July 13, a 24-game stretch where they went 5-19, the 2nd-worst record in the Minors over that span.

HEY NOW, YOU'RE AN ALL-STAR

Omaha had one representative among International League awards and All-Stars: Cam Devanney, chosen as the shortstop on the 2025 IL All-Star team.

This was Devanney's first career MiLB All-Star selection ... traded by Kansas City to Pittsburgh for Adam Frazier on July 18, he appeared in 103 IL games (Omaha 69, Indianapolis 34), slashing .266/.353/.493 (101-for-379) with 20 doubles, 20 homers, 66 RBI and a .846 OPS.

18 of Devanney's 20 homers came with Omaha (.565 SLG), compared to a.361 slugging percentage with Indianapolis ... 55 of 66 RBI came in Omaha games as well.

Devanney is the first Omaha hitter named to the IL All-Star team since Ryan McBroom was the Triple-A East DH in 2021.

While the Royals selected his contract on July 8, Devanney did not appear in a Major League game with Kansas City before being traded ... he made his MLB debut with Pittsburgh on August 30, appearing in 14 games with the Pirates.

BE LIKE MIKE

Manager Mike Jirschele returned for his 17th season managing Triple-A Omaha and the 3rd year of his 3rd stint with the club, finishing with an all-time record of 1,214-1,240 in Omaha ... this was his 38th and final season in the Royals organization.

On October 10, it was announced that "Jirsch" was retiring after a 48-year professional baseball career, all spent in the Royals organization as a coach, manager, and front office member from 1990-2025.

The all-time winningest manager in Omaha history (1,214 wins), Jirschele managed 2,454 games (31% of the franchise's history), winning four division titles, three league championships, and one national championship ... he previously managed Omaha from 1995 to 1997, 2003 to 2013, and returned for 3 more seasons in 2023.

In his 17 seasons at Triple-A, 95 players were promoted from Omaha to Kansas City for the first time under his watch - including Zack Greinke, Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas, Yordano Ventura and Jac Caglianone.

HOMER HAPPY

The Storm Chasers hit 199 home runs in 2025, tied for the most of any Minor League team this year.

Omaha ranked tied for 1st in the International League, at the Triple-A level and in the Minors, tied with the Charlotte Knights in the IL and the PCL's Albuquerque Isotopes.

The 199 homers rank 4th-most in a season in franchise history (since 1969) ... the 2025 Chasers passed the 2024 team, which hit 193 homers ... the franchise record of 231 is shared by the 1999 Omaha Golden Spikes and the 2021 Omaha Storm Chasers.

The 2021 Storm Chasers led Minor League Baseball with 231 home runs, the only time in the modern era (since 2005) that Omaha has led its league, the Triple-A level or Minor League Baseball in homers.

The Las Vegas Aviators (Athletics Triple-A) led the Minors in 2024 with 232 home runs ... the 2025 season was the first since 2016 in which the Minor League-leading team(s) did not surpass 200 homers; in 2016, the Reading Fightin Phils (Phillies Double-A) led MiLB with 185.

THAT'S WHAT SPEED DO

The Storm Chasers were not near the league lead in stolen bases, but Omaha had one of the highest success rates on the basepaths in the Minors.

Omaha successfully stole 167 bases this year and were only caught 32 times ... the 167 steals ranked 8th in the International League and 13th in Triple-A.

Going 167-for-199 in steal attempts resulted in an 83.9% success rate, the 3rd-best at the Triple-A level and the 7th-best among the 120 full-season Minor League teams (1st: South Bend & New Hampshire tied, 85.9%).

TIME AFTER TIME

The 2025 Omaha Storm Chasers roster featured some of the most experienced players in the International League over the last five seasons.

Of the 105 players who have combined for at least 1,000 plate appearances for IL teams since 2021, 75 were active in 2025 ... of those 75, 8 (11%) were active with Omaha: Nick Pratto (1,688 PA), Drew Waters (1,558 PA), Bobby Dalbec (1,411 PA), Cam Devanney (1,405 PA), Tyler Gentry (1,393 PA), John Rave (1,197 PA), Dairon Blanco (1,065 PA) and Jordan Groshans (1,028 PA).

Pratto, Gentry, Rave and Blanco have only appeared in games for Omaha ... Waters has also played for Gwinnett; Dalbec has played for Worcester and Charlotte; Devanney has played for Nashville and Indianapolis; and Groshans has spent time with Jacksonville and Scranton/WB.

Pratto ranks 2nd and Gentry ranks 7th in plate appearances with a single team since 2021 ... Pratto also ranks 3rd in total bases (615).

NEVER GONNA GIVE YOU UP

A constant for the 2025 Storm Chasers was the significant Major League experience on the active roster.

16 Storm Chasers on the active roster had 2+ years of MLB service time, while 13 of those players had 4+ years of MLB service.

Rich Hill (14.131 years of service) and Dallas Keuchel (10.030 years) highlighted the 2025 roster, along with Michael Fulmer (7.157 years) and Luke Maile (7.148 years) ... MLB Rehabber Mark Canha entered 2025 with 9.092 years of MLB service and crossed the 10-year threshold while active with the Royals in 2025.

Despite 33 players having no MLB service time entering 2025, the average Storm Chaser in 2025 had 1.5 years of MLB service.

SACRIFICIAL LOVE

For a second straight season, the Omaha Storm Chasers ranked near the top of the Triple-A level in sacrifice bunts (28).

28 sacrifice bunts in 2025 were the 2nd-most in the league, 5th at the Triple-A level and tied for 21st in Minor League Baseball ... last year, the Chasers led the IL with 38 sacrifice bunts.

Dairon Blanco and Harold Castro tied for Omaha's team lead and ranked tied for 6th in the IL with 5 sacrifice bunts each.

IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME COMING

The 2025 season introduced 3 new opponents for the Omaha Storm Chasers while also reuniting with a Pacific Coast League team.

From April 15-20, the Chasers welcomed the Norfolk Tides to Werner Park, taking 3 of 5 games from Baltimore's Triple-A affiliate ... prior to this series, the 20 previous meetings between the two franchises came in the Triple-A Alliance (1988-1991), an interleague partnership that pitted the American Association's Omaha Royals against the International League's Tidewater Tides.

From June 17-22, the Durham Bulls visited Werner Park, sweeping the Storm Chasers ... prior to these games, the only meeting between the two clubs was the 2013 Triple-A National Championship game, when Omaha defeated Durham 2-1 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

From September 9-14, the Charlotte Knights came to Werner Park for the first meeting between the Triple-A Omaha and Charlotte clubs ... these games marked the first time Omaha played the White Sox Triple-A affiliate since 1998, when the O-Royals went 6-3 over 9 games against the Calgary Cannons.

Additionally, the Storm Chasers traveled west to Utah from May 20-25 for their first games against the Salt Lake Bees since playing in the PCL in 2019 ... this was Omaha's first visit to Salt Lake City since 2017 when the Bees played at Smith's Ballpark.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

Omaha played three doubleheaders in 2025, with limited success.

The first doubleheader of 2025 was played on April 26 at Toledo, making up a rainout from the day before ... with 3-1 and 4-1 losses in a pair of 7-inning games, the Chasers were held to just 2 runs but managed to out-hit the Mud Hens 11-10.

In June, Omaha played 7 games in a 5-day stretch against the Iowa Cubs ... a twin-bill on June 4 made up a postponement from March 30 in Des Moines, while a doubleheader on June 6 made up a rained-out series opener from June 3.

In the June 4 split doubleheader, the Cubs won both games, 1-0 and 4-0 ... it was the first time since 2013, and only the second time since 2005, that Omaha was shut out in both games of a doubleheader ... the 4 hits across the two games tied the fewest hits for the team in a twin-bill.

Omaha and Iowa split the June 6 doubleheader, with the Cubs taking Game 1 5-3 before the Chasers responded in Game 2 with a 9-5 win ... the Game 2 win snapped an eight-game doubleheader losing streak that stretched back to August 2024.

The June stretch with Iowa, featuring 2 doubleheaders and 5 games in 3 days, was the fourth time in the Storm Chasers era that Omaha played two doubleheaders in a three-day span ... since the back-to-back doubleheaders April 7 and 8, 2018 vs. Colorado Springs, the shortest amount of time between doubleheaders was 5 days, May 22-27, 2019.

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

Omaha played many close games in 2025, with a late stretch of success.

63 of 148 games (42%) were decided by 1 or 2 runs ... there were two stretches in the second half with consecutive close games: 5 straight games decided by 2 runs or less from August 3-8 and September 3-7.

While Omaha went 13-23 in one-run games this season, the team opened with a 3-19 record in such contests before rattling off an 8-0 run in one-run games from August 5-22.

A 7-6 win at Indianapolis on August 5 snapped a stretch of nearly 2 months without winning a one-run game ... entering that game, Omaha had lost its previous 10 games decided by 1 run before beating Indianapolis in extra innings in the series opener.

The streak of winning 8 consecutive 1-run games was followed by four 1-run losses in a five-game stretch from August 30 to September 5 ... the Chasers won their final two one-run games of the season.

CLOSE BUT NO CIGAR

The Storm Chasers had 9 series splits in 2025, many coming early in the season ... they both came back from behind to force a series split and also dropped opportunities to win a series.

4 times this season, Omaha lost 3 of the first 4 games in a series before winning the final two to force a split ... this occurred in each of the three series with St. Paul (April, May and August), with the Saints winning 3 of the first 4 games before the Chasers took the final two ... since 2023, Omaha is 15-3 on Saturdays and Sundays against St. Paul ... Omaha also lost 3 of 4 against Indianapolis in the April-May series before winning the final two games.

There were also 4 series where Omaha had a chance to win but dropped the series finale .. the Chasers won 3 of the first 4 against Louisville in April and again in August, as well as in May against Columbus, each time dropping the final 2 to settle for a split.

GETTING OFFENSIVE

At the plate this year, the Storm Chasers were one of the top teams in the International League in several situations.

While Omaha ranked 6th in the league with a .767 OPS, the Chasers led the IL with a .782 OPS during night games.

Against left-handed pitchers, Omaha led IL teams in hits (326), total bases (547) and home runs (46).

LEADING BY EXAMPLE

Omaha was among the International League's best teams at setting the tone early.

The Storm Chasers led the IL with 53 home runs and 525 total bases when leading off innings in 2025, while their .792 OPS in those situations ranked 3rd in the league.

MJ Melendez excelled in this spot, hitting .276 (36-for-134) when leading off inning ... he led the league with 79 total bases in those situations, ranking 2nd among all Triple-A hitters.

John Rave went 13-for-39 (.333) when leading off games, hitting 4 leadoff home runs, tied for 6th-most in the Minors this season .. his 1.140 OPS when leading off games ranked 5th among all Minor Leaguers (minimum 40 plate appearances).

WHAT A RELIEF!

While Omaha's starting rotation experienced ups and downs in 2025, the bullpen consistently rose to the occasion to secure wins.

As a unit, the relief corps combined for 29 scoreless games, including 13 outings of at least 4.0 scoreless innings ... twice, the bullpen logged more than 7.0 shutout innings - on May 3 vs. Indianapolis (7.1 IP) and May 9 at Louisville (7.2 IP).

The group also turned in 4 hitless efforts, two of 5.0 + innings - on June 15 at Toledo (5.0 IP) and August 13 vs. St. Paul (5.2 IP).

The bullpen's best stretch came from June 10 to 17, when relievers combined for an 18.0-inning scoreless streak, allowing just 5 hits over 6 games against Toledo and Durham.

One of their most dominant runs was May 2 to 10, when the bullpen worked 27.2 scoreless innings in a 30.1-inning span - with 5 of 7 runs allowed during that period coming in a single inning.

ALL QUIET ON THE OMAHA FRONT

The Storm Chasers suffered just one six-game sweep between 2021 and 2024 but were swept three times in a six-game series in 2025.

Omaha dropped all six games to Toledo from April 22 to 27, outscored by the Mud Hens 30-17 (-13) ... the Chasers lost the series opener in 13 innings and did not hold a lead after the 3rd inning in the second game.

Omaha ended the 1st half being swept at home for the first time since joining the IL, as the Durham Bulls made their first visit to Werner Park and took all six games from June 17 to 22 ... the Bulls outscored the Chasers 49-23 (-26), the worst series run differential for Omaha in 2025 .. the Storm Chasers trailed for the first 27 innings and 49 of 54 innings in the series ... Omaha's only lead of the week was a 6-5 advantage in the 4th inning on Sunday, which lasted only a few minutes before Durham tied it in the 5th.

The Storm Chasers were also swept in Syracuse by the Mets from July 22 to 27 ... Omaha was outscored 34-15 (-19), marking the fewest runs scored by the Chasers in a series all year ... the Storm Chasers held leads on three separate occasions but trailed for much of the week, playing from behind for 39 of 54 innings.

PITCH, PLEASE

As a pitching staff, Omaha threw 5 shutouts in 2025, all coming in the 1st half of the season.

All 5 of Omaha's shutouts in 2025 saw the pitching staff hold the opposing team to 3 hits or fewer ... twice, the pitchers struck out 13 batters (May 10 @ Louisville and June 15 @ Toledo) ... once, the staff did not issue a walk in a shutout (May 10 @ Louisville).

3 of the Storm Chasers' 5 shutouts in 2025 came during a 4-game span in the same series, between June 12 and 15 in Toledo ... during this series, June 10 to 15 at Fifth Third Field against the Mud Hens, Omaha's pitchers worked a 1.98 ERA (11 ER in 50.0 IP) with a .151 opponents' average (26-for-172) and a 0.84 WHIP (16 BB + 26 H) ... the opponents' average and WHIP rank as the club's best in any series since joining the International League in 2021.

During the June series in Toledo, Storm Chasers pitchers did not allow a run over a season-high stretch of 23.0 innings, from the 2nd inning on June 11 through the 1st inning on June 14.

At the time, the 1.98 ERA Omaha worked June 10 to 15 in Toledo was the club's best in a series since joining the International League ... however, the staff posted a 1.83 ERA (11 ER in 54.0 IP) from September 9 to 14 at Werner Park against the Charlotte Knights, setting a new single-series ERA record in the team's IL era ... these two series marked the first times Chasers pitchers worked a sub-2.00 ERA in an individual series since 2021.

BULLPEN OR BUST

The Storm Chasers threw 19 bullpen games in 2025, going 10-9 when using relievers to cover the entire game.

Stephen Nogosek was the club's go-to opener for bullpen games, as the right-hander made 5 starts among his team-leading 41 appearances and opened 5 bullpen games ... "Nogo" pitched to a 3.38 ERA (5 ER in 13.1 IP) as a starter, throwing at least 2.0 innings each time ... he tossed 2.2 scoreless innings on August 22 @ Columbus and logged a season-high 3.2 innings of 1-run ball on June 27 @ Indianapolis ... however, across Nogosek's first 10 appearances with the Storm Chasers, between May 9 and June 5, the only 3 runs he allowed came in 2 opener starts, May 21 and 25 @ Salt Lake.

Outside of the 5 times Nogosek opened a bullpen game, the Chasers also had bullpen games opened by Anthony Simonelli (3x), Brandon Johnson (2x), Nate Ackenhausen, Noah Cameron, Cruz Noriega, Eric Cerantola, Bailey Falter, Thomas Hatch, Stephen Kolek, Cruz Noreiga and Jacob Wallace.

Omaha used an opener and threw a bullpen game for 8 straight series, from April 15-20 vs. Norfolk to June 4-8 vs. Iowa, using openers twice in April vs. Norfolk, again later in April against Toledo and in May at Salt Lake.

ALL BY MYSELF

Run support was at times hard to come by for Omaha's starting pitchers in 2025.

This season, Chasers starting pitchers received 364 runs of support over 608.0 innings, an average of 5.39 runs of support per 9.0 innings.

Among Storm Chasers starters with at least 7 starts, Noah Cameron received the most run support, with an average of 7.71 runs per 9 innings ... Rich Hill (6.64 RS/9), John Gant (6.33 RS/9), Dallas Keuchel (6.31 RS/9) and Luinder Avila (6.20 RS/9) all received similar averages of support.

There were 44 games this season in which Storm Chasers pitchers did not receive any runs of support, going 5-39 in those games ... however, the starting pitcher did not get through the 4th inning in 28 of the 44 ... of the remaining 16, there were just 2 instances where the starter completed 6.0 innings without receiving a run of support and 1 quality start: Thomas Hatch on July 11 vs. Toledo, a game Omaha lost 1-0.

In games where the Storm Chasers' starter received at least 5 runs of support, the team had a 23-4 record.

Over Omaha's final 9 games, from September 12 to 21, the starting pitchers received 5 runs of support across 32.0 innings of work ... 4 of those runs came in one game, on September 20 @ Columbus, behind 5.0 innings from Shane Panzini ... 20 runs scored between the 1st and 4th innings in the month of September (18 games) were the fewest in the International League ... the hitters batted just .199 (51-for-256) in the first 4 innings ... from the 5th inning on, the team hit .292 (102-for-349) with 64 runs scored (3rd in IL).

VICTORY FIELD SCREECH

Winning 10 of 18 games against the Indians and 7 of 12 on the road, Omaha claimed the season series with Indianapolis for the 4th straight year, continuing the Chasers' dominance at Victory Field.

Dating back to 2023, the Storm Chasers have won 21 of 27 games at Victory Field (.778 winning percentage) - the most wins Omaha has at any opposing venue over the last three years ... the Chasers' .778 winning percentage at Victory Field since 2023 is tied for the highest among all Minor League teams with at least 24 games as the visiting team at a single stadium.

In 2023, Omaha won all 8 games it played in Indy, sweeping a 3-game series March 31 to April 2, then winning all 5 from June 6 to 10 ... in 2024, the Chasers took 6 of 7 games at Victory Field.

Since 2021, Omaha's 3.99 ERA (146 ER in 329.1 IP) is the club's best among the 7 ballparks where the Chasers have played 20+ games over the last 5 seasons.

With a 53-30 record in 83 games against the Indians since 2021, Omaha's .639 winning percentage against Indianapolis is the club's best against the 12 International League teams they have played at least 12 games against since 2021.

CLIPPING COLUMBUS

Winning 10 of 18 games against the Clippers, the Storm Chasers captured the season series with Columbus for the 4th straight year.

The Storm Chasers and Clippers split the season series 9-9 in 2021 ... since then, Omaha has won 11 of 18 in both 2022 and 2024, while taking 13 of 18 in 2023.

Since joining the International League in 2021, Omaha has won 31 of 54 games at Huntington Park (.574 winning percentage) ... overall, since 2021, the Storm Chasers have won 54 of 90 games against the Clippers (.600 winning percentage).

The Chasers' .600 winning percentage against Columbus is the club's 2nd-best mark against the 12 International League teams they have played at least 12 games against since 2021 ... it also ranks as the 10th-best winning percentage among IL teams with at least 85 games against a single opponent since 2021 (of 38 different team matchups).

RIDING THE CYCLE

Two Storm Chasers players hit for the cycle in 2025, after the feat had not been accomplished by a Storm Chasers player in over 10 years.

Outfielder Drew Waters hit for the cycle on April 2 vs. Louisville ... he singled in the 1st inning, tripled in the 3rd, hit a 3-run inside-the-park home run in the 4th and doubled in the 8th ... prior to April 2, Waters had come one hit shy of the cycle 15 times in his professional career ... Waters recorded the first cycle featuring an inside-the-park home run in the Minors since Southern Leaguers did it in back-to-back years: Montgomery's Jim Haley on August 23, 2019 @ Chattanooga and Jackson's Galli Cribbs Jr. on April 18, 2018 vs. Birmingham; the last time it happened in Major League Baseball was over 80 years ago, on July 3, 1943, by Leon Culberson of the Boston Red Sox.

Outfielder MJ Melendez hit for his cycle on September 11 vs. Charlotte ... he tripled in the 1st inning, homered in the 3rd, singled in the 5th and doubled in the 7th ... he had come one hit shy of a cycle 13 times in his career, including 3 times prior in 2025.

The Omaha teammates represent 2 of 6 cycles hit in the International League this season ... there were 11 cycles recorded in Triple-A this year and 24 across the Minors ... 2 of the Triple-A cycles were recorded by former Storm Chasers: CJ Alexander (2024-25 Omaha) with Las Vegas on May 10 @ Reno and Rodolfo Durán (2025 Omaha) with El Paso on September 13 vs. Albuquerque.

Prior to 2024, there were 3 cycles in modern Omaha history, most recently Jimmy Paredes on May 12, 2014 vs. New Orleans ... Lorenzo Cain hit for the cycle on May 14, 2011 @ Colorado Springs, and Scott Thorman did so on August 29, 2010 vs. Iowa.

The Storm Chasers are one of 17 full-season Minor League teams with multiple cycles since 2021, but one of just 5 teams with more than one in the same season, joining Greenville (2022), Oklahoma City (2022), Pensacola (2023) and Vancouver (2023).

2ND HALF SLUGGERS

The 2nd half saw several strong performances at the plate, including a handful of players who finished the year with the Storm Chasers.

Harold Castro hit .310 (77-for-248) with a .926 OPS between June 24 and September 21 ... he led the team in the 2nd half with 75 hits, 16 home runs, 140 total bases, and 46 RBI.

Carter Jensen was promoted to Triple-A for the start of the 2nd half and hit .288 (44-for-153) with a 1.051 OPS ... he led the team with 30 walks and ranked 2nd with 14 homers and 39 RBI.

MJ Melendez hit .295 (62-for-210) with a .951 OPS in the 2nd half and led the Chasers with 21 doubles ... he ranked 2nd on the team with 67 hits, 130 total bases, and 28 walks.

Bobby Dalbec joined Omaha on August 8 and hit .252 (32-for-127) with 8 homers and 25 RBI, both of which ranked 4th on the team in the half despite joining 36 games in.

Dairon Blanco hit .272 (47-for-173) with an .812 OPS in the 2nd half, ranking 3rd on the team with 47 hits and 12 doubles.

Of the 8 Storm Chasers players with at least 100 plate appearances in both halves, Melendez saw the biggest improvement from the 1st to 2nd half ... he raised his batting average by 72 points (.223 to .295), on-base percentage by 120 points (.258 to .378), slugging percentage by 175 points (.398 to .573) and OPS by 295 points (.656 to .951) ... his increases in each category led the team, while Blanco had the 2nd-best improvement in all 4 metrics.

DON'T STOP ME NOW

On August 23, the Storm Chasers beat the Columbus Clippers 23-7 at Huntington Park ... this game can be argued as the Triple-A Omaha franchise's best offensive performance in the Storm Chasers era (since 2011) and one of the best in the modern era (since 2005).

10 home runs set a new modern franchise record, surpassing Omaha's previous mark of nine, set on July 4, 2022, vs. Toledo ... the Storm Chasers became just the 4th full-season Minor League team since 2005 to hit 10 or more homers in a game, and the first Triple-A team to do so since Las Vegas on July 26, 2019, at El Paso ... the July 4, 2022 game was also the last time multiple Omaha players hit multiple home runs in the same game - three players had two-homer games in this contest: Drew Waters, MJ Melendez and Harold Castro.

The 23 runs scored were the most in the Storm Chasers era and tied a modern-era franchise record, matching a 23-5 win over the Round Rock Express on August 30, 2010 ... 23 runs were also the most scored by a Triple-A team in a game this season and the 3rd-most by any full-season team (Greensboro, August 9 @ Asheville).

Switch-hitting outfielder Drew Waters hit two home runs - one from each side of the plate - becoming the first Triple-A Omaha player to do so since Tim Raines Jr. on August 20, 2009, @ Tacoma ... in that game, Raines hit a right-handed solo shot in the 4th inning and a left-handed three-run homer in the 8th ... Waters' two homers combined to travel 887 feet, the longest combined distance in a 2-homer game by a Chasers hitter since Statcast tracking was introduced to the International League in 2023.

NO STORM CHASER LEFT BEHIND

Omaha did not leave a runner on base in an 8-1 win over the Indianapolis Indians on May 4 - the first time Omaha had done so since 2014.

In that May 4 game vs. Indianapolis, the Storm Chasers hit 5 home runs, producing 6 of the team's 8 runs ... in the 3rd inning, a single, triple, walk, and run-scoring double play brought in 2 more runs while clearing the bases.

In modern Omaha history (since 2005), there is only one other recorded instance of the team not leaving a runner on base: August 21, 2014, Tacoma, a 7-3 loss to the Rainiers.

The last time Omaha left fewer than two runners on base was May 25, 2021, vs. Indianapolis, a 3-1 win in which the Chasers stranded just 1 runner.

The Storm Chasers were the 1st of 3 Triple-A teams in 2025 to finish a game without leaving a runner on base, and just the 6th of 14 Minor League teams overall to do so this year.

WALKING FREE

In 2025, Omaha pitchers had 2 games without issuing a walk as a staff, doing so twice in the span of 3 games: May 8 and 10 @ Louisville.

Between the 6th inning on May 9 and the 2nd inning on May 11, Chasers pitchers worked 15.0 innings without allowing a walk ... between the 8th inning on May 7 and the 2nd inning on May 11, Omaha's arms walked just 3 batters in 30.0 innings (0.90 BB/9).

A 2.26 BB/9 in the May 6-11 series in Louisville ranked as Omaha's second-lowest BB/9 in a single series in the International League era (since 2021), trailing September 13-18 at Columbus (2.25 BB/9).

Outside of the two games in Louisville without an Omaha pitcher issuing a walk, there were 11 games in which Storm Chasers pitchers did not issue multiple walks.

PUSHING 20

Storm Chasers outfielder MJ Melendez completed a 20/20/20 season with a steal of 2nd base in the 1st inning on September 20, his 20th steal of the year.

With Omaha in 2025, Melendez hit 33 doubles and clubbed 20 homers while stealing 20 bases.

Melendez is the 5th Triple-A Omaha player to complete a 20/20/20 season, joining Bombo Rivera (1982), Dwayne Hosey (1994), Dee Brown (2000) and Brewer Hicklen (2022) ... he is the 9th International League player to do so since 2021 and was the 3rd in 2025, joining Louisville's Rece Hinds (26 2B, 24 HR, 21 SB) and Columbus' Milan Tolentino (20 2B, 21 HR, 20 SB).

Since 2005, Melendez is the 5th Royals Minor Leaguer to post a 20/20/20 season, joining Alan Moye in 2005 (23 2B, 24 HR, 20 SB), Alex Gordon in 2006 (39 2B, 29 HR, 22 SB), Bobby Witt Jr. in 2021 (35 2B, 33 HR, 29 SB) and Brewer Hicklen in 2022 (30 2B, 28 HR, 35 SB).

THE FUTURE IS HERE

Catcher Carter Jensen represented the Kansas City Royals on the American League roster at the 2025 All-Star Futures Game, played Saturday, July 12, in Atlanta ... Jensen caught the final four innings.

Jensen was one of two Royals prospects on the AL roster, joined by LHP Frank Mozzicato, who spent much of the season with Double-A Northwest Arkansas.

Jensen was the 14th active Omaha player selected for the All-Star Futures Game, joining Will Klein (2023), Nick Pratto (2022), Jorge Bonifacio (2016), Hunter Dozier (2016), Cheslor Cuthbert (2015), Balbino Fuenmayor (2015), Yordano Ventura (2013), Wil Myers (2012), Jake Odorizzi (2012), Alexis Gomez (2003), Angel Berroa (2002), Chris George (2001) and Jeff Austin (2000).

Jensen began 2025 at NW Arkansas and played in 43 games with the Chasers, before his was contract selected by the Royals on September 1, for his MLB debut September 2 ... in 20 MLB games, he hit .300 (18-for-60) with 3 homers, 13 RBI and a .941 OPS.

JAC ATTACK

Royals top prospect Jac Caglianone was promoted from Double-A Northwest Arkansas to Triple-A Omaha on May 20 and made the most of his limited time with the Storm Chasers.

Caglianone was selected by the Royals with the 6th overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, announced as a two-way player.

After 38 games in Double-A, "Cags" was with Omaha for just 2 series (12 games) before being called up to the Majors, hitting .319 (15-for-47) with 7 homers, 13 RBI and 5 walks for a 1.093 OPS.

At the time his contract was selected by the Royals on June 3, Caglianone led Minor League Baseball in RBI (56), was tied for 3rd in MiLB in homers (15), tied for 5th in total bases (118) and 7th in hits (64) ... among qualified Minor Leaguers (min. 2.7 PA/G), he ranked 6th in slugging percentage (.593) and 9th in OPS (.982).

Caglianone made his Triple-A debut on the road at Salt Lake, recording hits in each of his first 6 games ... he had homers in the last four games of the series - a stretch from May 22 to 25 - where he went 6-for-17 with 5 homers and 10 RBI ... his first of 2 homers on May 25 traveled 459 feet, Omaha's longest of the season and the team's second-longest of the Statcast Era (since 2023).

Cags was responsible for 5 of Omaha's 8 hardest-hit balls this season, including the hardest-hit ball of the year by a Chasers hitter - his first Triple-A home run on May 22 at 113.6mph ... his 93.9mph average exit velocity ranked 7th in Triple-A (min. 125 PA).

Between May 3 and 25, Cags produced a 19-game hitting streak with NW Arkansas and Omaha, a stretch where he hit .350 (28-for-75) with a 1.141 OPS ... he also reached base in 26 games, from April 25 to May 25, with a .356 average (37-for-104) and 1.097 OPS.

LET'S OBSERVE MERV

After a slow start at the plate in his return to Triple-A, outfielder MJ Melendez was one of Omaha's best hitters in 2025.

Overall, Melendez produced his best season in the Minors since his award-winning 2021 campaign ... his 33 doubles and 20 steals set new Minor League career highs, while his 20 homers, 113 hits and 70 runs scored trailed only his 2021 season totals.

Over his first 19 games with the Chasers (April 22 to May 14), Melendez hit just .156 (12-for-77) with a .468 OPS, with hits in 10 of those 19 games and 27 strikeouts (32.9% K%) ... in a stretch from May 16 to June 14, Melendez recorded hits in 20 of 26 games, batting .287 (29-for-101) with 6 homers, 19 RBI and 11 steals.

Over his last 50 games (July 1 to September 21), Melendez hit .296 (61-for-206) with 19 doubles, 11 homers, 30 RBI and a .949 OPS.

Underrated during MJ's time with Omaha were his exit velocities - his average exit velocity of 91.9mph ranked 4th among 75 Triple-A hitters with at least 450 plate appearances this season ... El Paso's Luis Campusano hit the ball hardest on average, at 92.7mph.

BAM BAM CAM

After spending all of 2024 in Omaha, shortstop Cam Devanney took a significant step forward with the Storm Chasers in 2025, before eventually being traded and making his MLB debut with the Pirates.

For his efforts with the Chasers and Indianapolis Indians, Devanney was voted the shortstop on the 2025 International League All-Star Team ... he played 103 IL games, hitting .266/.353/.493 (101-for-379) with 20 doubles, 20 homers, 66 RBI and an .846 OPS.

In 2024, Devanney clubbed 19 homers in 136 games, producing a .781 OPS with Omaha ... in 2025, he connected on 18 homers in just 69 games, for a .931 OPS with the Storm Chasers.

When the Royals selected Devanney's contract on July 8, he led the IL in slugging percentage (.565) and ranked 2nd in OPS (.931), while 3rd in home runs (18), tied for 4th in RBI (55) and extra-base hits, and tied for 5th in total bases (139).

Entering 2025, Devanney had never hit a grand slam in his professional career, but "Bam Bam" hit three in a 5-game, 6-day span between May 10 and 15 ... adding home runs over 4 straight games in Salt Lake City from May 20-23, he finished the month of May with 7 homers and 26 RBI over 26 games.

Between 2024 and 2025, Devanney's 143 runs batted in (combined between Omaha and Indianapolis) ranked 6th-most of any International League player, while his 392 total bases ranked 8th.

HITTIN' HAROLD

Storm Chasers infielder Harold Castro was selected by the Omaha media and front office staff as the team's Hitter of the Year, as the infielder had a career-best year at the plate.

Over 99 games, Castro slashed .307/.354/.538 (113-for-368) and led the team in homers (21) and RBI (65), while tied for the team lead in hits (113) ... he ranked 2nd on the team in extra-base hits (41) and total bases (198), while 3rd in doubles (18).

In 2025, Castro set career highs in total bases, home runs, RBI, and walks (26) ... his previous season best in homers was 9 in 2019.

Castro was the IL's August Player of the Month, hitting .433 (39-for-90) with a Minor League-best 76 total bases ... he hit a league-leading 10 homers and ranked 1st with 39 hits and 28 RBI ... in the Minors overall, he tied for 3rd in homers and ranked 5th in RBI.

Within August, Castro produced one of the best stretches at the plate for any Minor League hitter in 2025 ... he was the IL Player of the Week in back-to-back weeks - August 11-17 and 18-24 - going 23-for-42 (.548) with 11 extra-base hits and 21 RBI, posting a 1.739 OPS in that stretch ... he had multiple hits in 7 straight games August 9 to 20, going 16-for-30 (.533) with 5 homers and 12 RBI.

Over the final two months of the season, Castro led all qualified professional players (424 with at least 150 plate appearances between the Major and Minor Leagues) in OPS (1.192) and slugging percentage (.747), ranking 2nd in batting average (.393).

LET'S RAVE

Outfielder John Rave was a consistent presence at the top of Omaha's lineup early in the season before making his MLB debut.

At the time Rave's contract was selected by the Royals (on May 26), he led the Minor Leagues in runs scored (46) and led the league in triples (4) ... he ranked 2nd in the IL in total bases (95), tied for 3rd in extra-base hits (21), 4th in steals (17), tied for 4th in hits (52) and 6th in slugging percentage (.549).

Rave served as Omaha's leadoff hitter in 42 of the team's first 48 games and 45 times overall in 2025 ... he reached base to begin 18 of those 42 games (.422 OBP leading off the 1st inning), including 13 hits (6 singles, 3 doubles, 4 homers), 5 walks and 1 hit-by-pitch ... at the time he was called up to the Majors, his 4 leadoff homers were the most in the Minor Leagues, while his 27 total bases to lead off games ranked 2nd in the Minors.

Rave produced a career-best 16-game hitting streak from May 3 to 21, tied for the 4th-longest streak in the IL this year ... during that stretch, he hit .406 (26-for-64) with a 1.214 OPS and scored a run in all 16 games - a new modern Omaha record, in which he scored a total of 23 runs.

JETTING OFF WITH JENSEN

Carter Jensen was one of the hottest hitters in the Minors in July, following a slow start to his Triple-A career.

Among 761 Minor League hitters with at least 70 plate appearances in July, Jensen ranked 7th in OPS (1.132) and 8th in slugging percentage (.703) ... in 18 July games, he hit .318 (20-for-64) with 4 doubles, 7 homers, 21 RBI, and 13 walks ... his 21 RBI were tied for the 6th-most in the IL.

In his first week at the Triple-A level, Jensen went 1-for-22 (.045) with 10 strikeouts across 5 games from June 24 to 28 ... between July and August, however, he hit .328 (43-for-131) with 11 doubles, 13 homers, and 38 RBI ... over that two-month stretch, he led the IL in on-base percentage (.453), slugging percentage (.725), and OPS (1.178), while tying for 3rd in homers and 4th in RBI.

SO HE WALKS A LOT ... HE GETS ON BASE A LOT!

Infielder Nick Loftin was an on-base machine throughout 2025.

Loftin reached base in 39 of his 43 games with the Storm Chasers, including his first 20 games of the season and 21 of his first 22 ... the 20-game on-base streak was Omaha's longest in 2025.

He drew walks in each of his first 7 games, 10 of his first 11, and 12 of his first 20 (March 28 to April 22) ... of those 17 games with a walk, he had multiple walks in 6.

At the time he was recalled by the Royals on April 27 (through 22 games), Loftin was tied for the Minor League lead with 26 walks ... he also led the league with a .485 on-base percentage, which ranked 8th in the Minors.

CAN HE FIX IT? YES, HE CAN!

Bobby Dalbec joined the Storm Chasers for the final two months of the season, playing for his third IL team of the year.

Between Charlotte, Nashville and Omaha, Dalbec appeared in 105 games and hit .263 (108-for-402) with 27 doubles, 24 homers, and 82 RBI, with an .874 OPS ... he ranked 5th in the league in extra-base hits (53), tied for 6th in homers and tied for 8th in RBI (72) ... among IL qualifiers, he ranked 8th in slugging percentage (.525).

From Dalbec's Omaha debut August 9 to September 21, he ranked 2nd on the Chasers in home runs (8) and plate appearances (143) and 3rd in total bases (65), hits (32), doubles (9) and runs (20).

DIRECT FROM DIEGO

Infielder Diego Castillo joined Omaha in May and compiled a sneaky good season, making a good first impression with the Chasers.

Castillo reached base in his first 14 games with the Storm Chasers, recording a hit in 11 of his first 12 ... he notched a hit and an RBI in each of his first 6 games, batting .381 (9-for-21) with 8 RBI, 7 walks, and a 1.250 OPS from May 24 to June 6.

Despite limited playing time down the stretch, Castillo made the most of his opportunities .. while he played in just 7 of the team's final 24 games (between August 24 and September 21), he hit .433 (13-for-30) in that span with 4 extra-base hits, 6 RBI, and a 1.133 OPS ... his season-long hit streak was a 9-game stretch from August 5 to September 18, during which he hit .421 (16-for-38).

He also recorded 4 consecutive multi-hit games from August 24 to September 12, going 10-for-18 (.556) over those 4 games.

KREHBIEL CAN

Reliever Joey Krehbiel excelled after joining Omaha, particularly in August.

12 of his first 14 outings with the Storm Chasers were scoreless - 5 of the first 6 runs he allowed came across on July 31 vs. Louisville.

Over 10 games in August, Krehbiel threw an Omaha season-high 12.2 scoreless innings across 10 outings, allowing 7 hits and 4 walks for a 0.87 WHIP and a .156 opponents' average.

OH, CANADA!

Canadian reliever Eric Cerantola ended 2025 on a strong note, compiling 10 consecutive scoreless outings to finish the year.

Cerantola did not allow a run from August 24 to September 21 - a 12.1-inning stretch in which he walked 3 and struck out 19.

COMEBACK KIDS

The Storm Chasers had 37 "comeback" wins this year, meaning over half of this year's wins (60%) were games where Omaha trailed at some point.

The Chasers trailed for 3 innings or more in 14 of the comeback wins.

Omaha had 9 wins where the team overcame multiple deficits.

There were 12 games this season that the Storm Chasers won when trailing after the 6th inning.

8 of the comeback wins came against St. Paul, the most against 1 team, meaning the Chasers trailed in 8 of 9 wins over the Saints,...while 7 came against Louisville and 6 against Indianapolis.

Check out the Omaha Storm Chasers Statistics

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International League Stories from November 13, 2025


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