The Double-A Midland RockHounds got off to a wonderful start this season, going 14-8 in April, but they've gone 20-30 since and finished the first half of the season below .500 and far from the first-half division title. One leading factor in that decline is surely the loss of a few standout performers, including Daniel Mengden, Ryon Healy, and Jaycob Brugman, all of whom were promoted in May. Another reason is that the remaining top prospects are struggling.
Nowhere are those growing pains more evident than in the bat of Matt Chapman. He still leads the Texas League in home runs, with his 16th coming on Tuesday to open the second half of the season, but he's doing a lot more missing than hitting these days.