Minor League Baseball: Ka’aihue leads the league in HR
Kila Ka’aihue ‘02, a power-hitting first baseman for the Northwest Arkansas Naturals (AA affiliate of the Royals), hit a 400-ft bomb over the centerfield fence to bring his league-leading home run total to 10 early in the 2008 season.
Ka’aihue is second in the league in RBI (29) and fifth in slugging percentage (.589) while batting .263 with an on-base percentage of .408. His hitting coach, Tommy Gregg, credits a more disciplined approach for his hot start, saying “He’s still aggressive, but he’s laying off the pitches that he was swinging at in the dirt last year and fastballs up. He’s staying in the strike zone more and swinging at pitches that are his strength.” On the season, Ka’aihue has just 13 strikeouts to his 23 walks.
[Photo: Northwest Arkansas]
Kala ‘03, Kila’s younger brother, hit his first home run of the season yesterday to go along with a double and 4 RBI in a 9-7 comeback win against the West Tennessee Diamond Jaxx of the AA-Southern League. On the season, he is batting just .183 with 36 strikeouts for the Mississippi Braves.