Rome Lights Up The Scoreboard

The Rome Emperors took on the Asheville Tourists, the Houston Astros affiliate, this weekend, and what started with a huge offensive performance on Saturday turned into an impressive series for a new-look Rome lineup.

Rome had several prospects who had been big contributors to their offense get called up to Columbus two weeks ago, but that doesn’t mean this team is lacking in talent or power. They simply reloaded, bringing in Luis Guanipa, Connor Essenburg, and Alexis Lodise from Augusta to join Dixon Williams. All four players have had amazing seasons with the GreenJackets, and now they are getting the opportunity to show what they can do in Rome.

They wasted no time getting their offense going on Saturday. Essenburg drew a walk, Lodise doubled to move him to third, and Williams came up and drove in the first run of the night with a sacrifice fly, allowing Essenburg to score. Mason Guerra followed that up with a single to drive in Lodise, giving Rome an early 2-0 lead in the first inning.

Then came the second inning. The rain started to come down, and I guess the Emperors decided to add some thunder to go along with it.

After Luis Guanipa scored a runner, Essenburg and Lodise followed with singles of their own to load the bases. That brought Dixon Williams to the plate, and he absolutely crushed a towering grand slam over the ridiculously tall wall in left field.

Williams wasn’t done yet, either. In the fourth inning, Guanipa and Essenburg both reached base before Williams stepped up to the plate again. This time, he lined a single into the outfield, driving in both runners. Guerra followed with another RBI, bringing the score to 9-1.

The doubles just kept coming. Lodise doubled to drive in two more runs, followed by Williams and Guerra hitting doubles of their own to push Rome’s lead to 13-1.

The offense eventually cooled off a little, but the Emperors weren’t finished. In the ninth inning, Williams came up for his fourth and final hit of the night and launched yet another home run, bringing the score to 16-6.

At that point, Asheville brought in a position player to pitch, essentially conceding the game, but Rome showed no mercy. The Emperors scored three more runs in the ninth to make the final score 19-6.

It was an incredible offensive performance, but the pitching deserves some credit too. Rome starter Aiven Cabral put together another strong outing, going six innings while allowing just one run and striking out six. Once again, another great performance from a Braves minor league pitcher.

But the hot hitting didn’t stop there. On Sunday, Alexis Lodise and Dixon Williams both came back with four-hit performances of their own, and Williams somehow managed to make an already impressive weekend even better.

Lodise got things started early. After Connor Essenburg drew the first of what would be many walks, Lodise launched a home run to give Rome an early lead. Williams followed right after and cleared the tall wall in left field with a home run of his own, putting the Emperors up 3-0 in the first inning.

And that seemed to be the trend all day. In the fifth inning, Essenburg drew his third straight walk, Lodise reached base with a single, and that brought Williams back to the plate. Once again, Williams made the Asheville pitchers pay, launching another home run and adding to what was already becoming an incredible series.

Lodise led off with another single in the seventh inning, bringing Williams back to the plate. At this point, you almost had to wonder what Asheville was going to do with him because Williams simply wasn’t letting anything get by him. He connected on another pitch and sent his third home run of the game over the wall. Three home runs in one game. It was the kind of performance that makes you stop and take notice.

The Asheville pitchers clearly looked rattled throughout the game, but it wasn’t just the home runs causing problems. Rome’s hitters have been putting together some really good at-bats throughout this entire series, working deep into counts, taking what the pitchers give them, and refusing to give away easy outs.

Following Williams’ third home run, Mason Guerra drew another walk, Cade Doughty followed with a double, and Dallas Macias joined the home run party with a shot of his own, pushing Rome’s run total to 12. And that’s really what has stood out about this team. Yes, there is a lot of power in this lineup, but the patience these young hitters are showing might be just as impressive.

This young Rome team has been putting on a bit of a masterclass in what a productive at-bat can look like. Dixon Williams is finally showing the pop that Braves fans have been waiting to see, but what makes his performance even more exciting is that he isn’t just going up there hunting for a home run every time.

He’s working counts, waiting for his pitch, and when he gets it, he’s driving the ball into places where the defense isn’t. That’s a dangerous combination.

Alexis Lodise has also been phenomenal at the plate. He may not be hitting a ton of balls over the fence yet in High-A, but there have been plenty of glimpses that the power is coming. What has really stood out is how much better his overall approach has looked. He’s filling some of the holes that were in his swing, making solid contact, finding holes in the defense, and most importantly, making it difficult for pitchers to get him out. Lodise struck out just once during the entire six-game series. That’s pretty impressive.

Then you have Connor Essenburg and Mason Guerra, who have taken the phrase “patient at the plate” to another level. During the series, Guerra drew 11 walks while Essenburg drew 13.

13 Walks! For young hitters, that’s an incredible amount of patience over the course of a series, and it’s one of the biggest reasons this Rome lineup has been able to consistently put pressure on opposing pitchers. Even when the hits aren’t coming, these guys are finding ways to get on base and keep innings alive. That patience, combined with the power throughout the lineup, is what makes this team so interesting.

Rome lost several of its top prospects when they were promoted to Columbus, and naturally, there were questions about what the offense would look like afterward. Would the production drop off? Would the team struggle to replace that talent? So far, the answer has been pretty clear. NO!

Instead, Rome has brought in a new group of young players who have stepped in and filled those gaps almost seamlessly. Williams is showing off his power, Lodise continues to make adjustments at the plate, and Essenburg and Guerra are making pitchers work for every out.

And it’s not just one or two players carrying this offense. Guanipa has shown an ability to get on base and find holes in the defense, while the entire lineup has done a great job of passing the baton and making opposing pitchers work.

That’s what makes this group so dangerous. One guy gets on base, another works a walk, someone else drives them in, and then before you know it, the inning has completely gotten away from the other team.

This series was a great example of what this new-look Rome team can be. They may have lost some of the organization’s biggest names to Columbus, but the Emperors have shown that there is still plenty of talent in Rome. The power is there, the patience is there, and more importantly, these young hitters are showing that they can make adjustments and compete at the next level.

It’s still early, but this group has already made one thing pretty clear: Rome isn’t going anywhere. They didn’t replace their top prospects. They reloaded. And if this series is any indication, the new-look Emperors are going to be a problem for a lot of teams.