NORFOLK, VA (WTKR)- Talk about a week for the Norfolk Tides- 71 runs in six games, 69 coming in just five of those contests, and a handful of new franchise high-water marks set. Sustainable numbers? Probably not. Impressive? Absolutely. A sign of a fun season? No question.
The Tides return home coming off a 5-1 series in Charlotte, which included a 26 run, 29 hit output on Wednesday, both franchise records. Heston Kjerstad tallied 10 RBI in that contest, also a new club best ever. Kyle Stowers mashed three home runs during that game, setting the tone during five straight contests of double-digit runs for the Tides.
"We all strive for weeks like that," Kjerstad said. "That's something you hope to do every week and you hope to keep that up, but it's also baseball so every week's not going to be that good."
The 25-year old outfielder is right, but it certainly could be a window into what we can expect. Norfolk may not be able to consistently hammer out offense to that degree, but there's no question the team could establish itself as one of the best minor league squads in recent memory.
"There's a lot of talent, a lot of guys we had here last year," manager Buck Britton added. "I'm just real proud of how they've come out of the gate, especially coming out of spring training. There can be some disappointment, but these guys have shown no signs of that and they're firing."
Entering Tuesday, four of the top five home run hitters in the International League grace Norfolk's roster, led by Kjerstad and Stowers, who lead the league with six round-trippers apiece. Kjerstad and Peyton Burdick top the IL in OPS with Stowers (7) and Connor Norby (9) in the top ten. Four Tides are in the top ten in RBI, with Kjerstad and Stowers once again topping the list. Norby and Jackson Holliday also are among the top seven.
"It's kind of just been fun to write these guys' names in the line-up and watch them go play," Britton said.
"From what I've heard, it's pretty rare," Kjerstad said of the team's talent level. "There's been people I've talked to that have been around the game awhile and everything and talk about our line-up and the amount of talent we have on this team and, from what I hear, it's pretty rare to get a group of guys together on a Triple-A team like this."
When it comes to team marks, Norfolk is out-pacing the league head-and-shoulders above the rest. For starters, the Tides 29 home runs lead the International League field by 18. Their .343 average so far is 55 points up on Indianapolis (.288) and their 1.104 OPS out-distances their closest competitor, Durham (.825), by quite a bit. The team's 95 RBI is also 43 in front of the Bulls for the league lead and they've scored 43 more runs (100) than the second-best scoring team.
Sure, it's early, but what a start and what a look at the potential in that clubhouse. Britton says he believes some of his players are major league-ready right now, but with no at-bats in Baltimore available, we're getting the chance to take in a group that's proving to be pretty special.
"These are high-character guys to go [along] with their talent," the manager observed. "They want to perform no matter where they're at. Obviously they all want to be in the big leagues, but they're very close. They're all friends, so they push each other both on the field and off the field, so the environment down here is one that I'd like to think is built for success for these guys."
Pick any player in starting line-up and Britton could likely rave about him, but Kjerstad's showing in Charlotte especially caught his eye. Norfolk's six games against the Knights saw the outfielder hit .444 with six home runs and 21 RBI.
"That was like a video game this last week," he noted. "I've never seen anything like that."
"You've got to enjoy it when you accomplish something or hit a new level or set a record," Kjerstad noted. "It's something you've got to enjoy, but we're all so driven, especially myself. I'm onto the next one pretty quick. Once you check a box, you want to check the next one the next day."
I can't tell anybody else what to do, but I'm going to enjoy this particular roster as long as they're here. As a baseball fan, it's not often I get to experience a minor league team of this caliber in my backyard. Before too long, these guys will be in Baltimore and, while the Orioles have been strong at developing talent recently, it's a level we might not see again for a very long time.
Harbor Park is the place to be if you're a baseball fan. As players strive to replace it with Camden Yards, it's going to be a fun place to spend the summer.
