With the Royals and the rest of the major leagues at the All-Star Break, let’s catch up on the Kansas City minor league affiliates.

The Class AAA Omaha Royals were in last place in the East Division of the American Association with a 42-46 record. Indianapolis (Cincinnati) had a pretty good stranglehold on the four-team division, with the other three teams all at least eight games back. Evansville (Detroit) and Iowa (Chicago White Sox) were having roughly the same season as the Royals, with 44-46 and 43-47 marks, respectively. Omaha’s leading hitter was outfielder Clint Hurdle, with a .316 average and eight homers. Starting pitcher Gary Lance was having a nice year, with a 9-5 record and 3.49 ERA.

Kansas City’s Class AA team in Jacksonville was off to a hot start in the second half of the season, at 16-9 and in first place in the Eastern Division of the Southern League. The Suns held a two-game lead over Savannah (Atlanta), 4.5 over Orlando (Minnesota), and five games over Charlotte (Baltimore). Jacksonville went 31-36 in the first half of the year. Their leading hitter was Kevin Gillen, hitting .291 with four homers on the season. Bill Paschall was the leading pitcher, at 8-8 with a 3.00 ERA.

In Class A, the Daytona Beach Islanders were really struggling, with a 37-55 mark in the Northern Division of the Florida State League. They were in last place in the division, 17.5 games behind Lakeland (Detroit). Their best hitter, Ken Phelps, had already been promoted to Class AA after hitting .345 in 40 games.

In the Gulf Coast League, the Royals’ rookie ball affiliate was in third place, three games behind the White Sox affiliate, with a 12-8 mark. Three players on the team would make the majors: Onix Concepcion, Mike Jones, and Renie Martin.

Today’s birthdays: None