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Columbus High School alumnus, Marcus Olivarez, took a major step in his professional career during his run in the Kansas City Royals developmental system. The Royals’ Single-A League Team, the Columbia Fireflies, employ Olivarez as a relief pitcher in their bullpen. He has been looking to gain his footing in the minors after having a relatively difficult month of outings in April. He has steadily improved as he has increased his appearances and finally picked up his first minor league victory in the month of July.
Olivarez took some time to settle into his new assignment as a Single- A pitcher. After being a draft selection by the Kansas City Royals, Olivarez began his professional stint with the Fireflies hoping to develop into a strong addition for a Major League Team some time in his future. The official Minor League Baseball website lists his statistics in the minors so far. In April, Olivarez pitched a somewhat difficult 5.06 ERA as he aspired to settle in amongst his fellow professional peers. He also finished with 12 strikeouts in just about five innings pitched as he showcased his ability to stump batters in a small sample size.
He received more opportunities in May and took advantage of the chances he had. He dropped his ERA to a quality 3.18 and added 13 more strikeouts to his career total. His workload increased in May as well, pushing to 11 innings from his five played in May. Still, he had not achieved his first win as a pitcher and would not find that elusive first win in the month of June either after adding 12 more strikeouts to his total. Olivarez would not get his first win in the record book until July 4 in a 5-2 victory against the Charleston RiverDogs. He pitched three strikeouts and allowed just two hits in two innings of work as he registered his first Minor League victory. After a loss that immediately followed his win, Olivarez stands at a 1-4 record in the Minor Leagues. The three-strikeout performance on July 4 stands as his highest single-game total of July with his five strikeouts in the first week of June marking his single-game high for the season. His season ERA stands at a 3.86 as he navigates his first season as a prospect in the Royals farm system.
