Minor League Baseball: The Ka’aihue Brothers
Two brothers with the same dream, Kila ‘02 and Kala ‘03 Ka’aihue are slowly making their way through the minors with the hope of one day seeing each other across the diamond as members of a major league team.
Kila was drafted out of high school by the Kansas City Royals in the 15th round of the 2002 amatuer draft. Since that time, he has steadily moved up through the organization, having a breakout year in 2005 where he batted .304 with 20 home runs and 90 RBIs for the High Desert Mavericks. In 2006, Kila was promoted to the Wichita Wranglers (AA), but struggled through various injuries and ailments to finish the season batting below .200 with just 6 home runs and 45 RBI. Prior to the start of this season, Kila was assigned to the Wilmington Blue Rocks (A - Advanced) and has yet to find his groove, batting .067 (2-30) through his first 8 games.
Drafted in 2003 by Boston, Kala turned down the Red Sox and signed with the Atlanta Braves a few years later in 2005. Since his signing, the power-hitting first baseman has been on a tear quickly being promoted from Low-A Rome to High-A Myrtle Beach in under a year. While at Rome, Kala hit .329 with 15 home runs and 49 RBI and had contiuned success with Myrtle Beach, batting .223 with 13 home runs and 39 RBI. To start this season, Kala is again a member of the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (High-A) and, through 9 games, is hitting .111 with 1 home run and 5 RBI.