Somehow we still have 5 4-star and 5-star prospects. BP's Top 11 for KC going into 2012:

5 Star

1. Wil Myers, OF
2. Bubba Starling, OF

4 Star

3. Jake Odorizzi, RHP
4. Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B
5. John Lamb, LHP

3 Star

6. Mike Montgomery, LHP
7. Yordano Ventura, RHP
8. Jorge Bonifacio, OF
9. Kelvin Herrera, RHP
10. Jason Adam, RHP
11. Chris Dwyer, RHP

The Next Nine

Pretty sure the #1 report is free on BP's site.

His report on Bubba Starling was that he is basically a monster athlete, but also very raw and will need a lot of work since baseball was not his primary focus in high school. ETA 2015. His perfect world projection is "In a perfect world, every tool actualizes and Starling becomes the best player in baseball. That's highly unlikely to happen."

I said this last offseason... but while I'm excited for 2012, and hopefully we continue to get better... I can't wait until 2014/2015 when guys like Hosmer and Moose actually have some experience under their belt, and we've added guys on these lists like Myers/Starling/Odorizzi to the mix.

Wait, so Wil Meyers' upside is Billy Butler? That's disappointing. That is literally what this projection says: slow runner, good hitter, but power potential is 15-25 homers?

doubt thats his ceiling...

I don't know if I could handle another .300, .360, .460 type of hitter if he doesn't run fast enough. Those types of guys better have plus speed or else they are pretty much useless.

This isn't brand new, but I just read it from Rany talking about Sal Perez:

"At the beginning of the season, Perez was something like the 18th-best prospect in the Royals system. Today, the only player on that prospect list I’d rather have is Eric Hosmer. I think Perez has vaulted past even Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers. His batting average could drop 80 points and he’d still have value because of his defense."

Wow

Do you think Billy Butler is on this roster on opening day 2013?

I hope so, I also expect his power numbers to increase next year.

By the time Butler is 27-28, he'll be hitting a lot more homers.

Let's not get carried away, he may be a bit slow for an outfielder and not have above average range, but Billy Butler's pace is glacial.

Royals `getting closer’ to deal to retain Chen

The Royals have offered arbitration to Chen, and both sides are saying they may be close to a deal before the winter meetings. DM has also said that even if Chen signs, he'd like at least one more pitcher.

Two things-
One, I'm not in the 'Billy Butler is bad' camp. I like him just fine, I think he fills a role here and will fill the role when this team is a contender. I'm just a little bummed to see Will Meyers projected as, basically, Billy Butler. I thought he was supposed to be REALLY special, not just like an above average hitter with no other tools.
Two, I think re-signing Chen is a smart move for both sides. We still need more pitching but this is a good move.

Billy Butler is 25 years old, hit above .290 4 times, 185 career doubles, 74 hr's, 373 RBI's, and an OPS plus at or above 125 for the last 3 years. What isn't to like? So what if he is slow, he can absolutely rake. Put 9 hitters like that in your line up that are also average defenders with plus arms and you will win a ton of games.

I would suspect Meyers' grade was affected a bit by his injury this year. He's a guy with average OF speed, which is much better than Butler (one of the few true 20 runners in MLB). Id always seen Myers graded a 50/55 runner before this year.

So, basically Jeff Francouer speed.

Reports are mixed on his power expectations, but I'll take as many guys who go .300 with 20 HRs and 40 2bs as I can get.

Average speed, above average arm, big time bat with hope of improving power. Big league approach with patience. That's similar to Butler, but Myers will actually be able to play a capable corner outfield, which is significantly different than Butler in terms of value to the ball club.