*** Official 2016 Royals Repository, Version 1 ***

[duncan_idaho]

And so it begins: The Royals' second straight attempt to repeat as AL Champions, and first attempt to repeat as World Series champions.

In this thread, we'll track all non-gameday action. Roster moves, prospect news, etc.

I'll start the thread as usual, with division rivals thoughts. I still like KC to repeat as AL Central champs. Here's how I see the rest of it shaking out:

2) Indians - they have the pitching (and seem to have at least semi-Kluber-ed Cody Anderson, who added 3 mph to his fastball in the offseason). Will the offense hold up? I think this is a team that ends up looking a lot like the 2014 Royals. Francisco Lindor will solidify their IF defense over the full season, and is a help with the bat. I think this club is still a year away from really breaking through - the offense still has a lot of question marks - but I like them to nab a wildcard spot.

Key Player(s): Michael Brantley. When Brantley returns - and how he hits when he does - will be critical to the Indians' ability to be good enough on offense.

Jason Kipnis. Kipnis has been an enigmatic offensive performer for the past several years. If he finally has a good offensive campaign from start to finish, Cleveland could make real noise.

Something of interest to me: For all the acclaim the Twins' farm system gets, I look at the Indians young players, and would much rather have them. Brad Zimmer is going to be a very good all-around CF. Clint Frazier has huge power potential and should arrive soon (2017). Lindor is a young stud.

3) Tigers - Old and dependent on a few stars. If Verlander and Sanchez are healthy and effective, they will be playoff contenders. I'm sure JD Martinez will continue to hit roid-aided bombs. I'm also pretty sure Victor Martinez's days as a huge power threat are gone.

Key player: Justin Verlander. Detroit people would have you believe he figured out how to succeed without his big fastball in September of last year. If that's true, and he returns to dominant form, Detroit will likely contend again.

Something of interest to me: Will Jose Iglesias stay healthy and not try to kill teammates in the dugout? His defense makes the whole group much better.

4) Twins - They won't lead the division or be in playoff contention for as long this year, but Minnesota will avoid the cellar.

Key Player: Miguel Sano. Huge power, huge K rate. Can he continue to drive the ball and be a plus offensive player? Probably needs to cut that 35 percent K percentage to do so.

Something of interest to me: Will teams challenge Sano inside with hard stuff? Working away, away, just lets his power play up. Also - will Mike Berardino continue to be the biggest beat writer homer in MLB?

5) White Sox - still managed by a shitty manager who can't control his clubhouse (The blame for the LaRoche thing really should fall on him, not the GM). Still have a shitty overall defense and a lot of douchebags on the team. They will once again look better on paper than they actually perform.

Key player: Carlos Rodon. The White Sox need Rodon to take a big step forward to make an actual move this season. He's got the talent...

And, as always, here are the prospects.

Duncan’s Top 20 for 2016:

Spoiler!

1. Raul Adalberto Mondesi, SS, BOTH: Tools, tools, tools. RA has tools galore. At his best, he’s an All-Star SS who plays elite D, hits 15-20 HR, swipes 40 bags, and is an ideal 1, 2 or 3 hitter. At his worst, I think he looks a lot like Alcides Escobar. Plate discipline is his biggest challenge at this point, but evaluators are confident that will come with time. Clear No. 1
2. Kyle Zimmer, RHP: He’s pitching again and staying healthy, which is nice. He’s pitcing out of the bullpen to build back his arm strength, which is less nice. But still has that high upside, just a lower floor now. Ideally, the team will use him as a bullpen weapon in September (because he has earned it) and then give him a chance to transition back to starting for 2016.
3. Bubba Starling, CF, RH: Starling has been up and down this year but put himself back on the map by greatly improving his K rate while also improving across the slash line as a hitter. His defense and baserunning are MLB ready; if Starling can work himself into a league average hitter, he can be a solid MLB regular who plays great D in CF while hitting 15 HR and swiping 20 bags.
4. Miguel Almonte, RHP: Still love the body, FB/CH combo. Results aren’t eye popping, but he’s still low enough and early enough in the development to prize those things over performance. Still a solid No. 3 starter upside, and just a year and some change away from potentially being ready to contribute at the MLB level.
5. Jorge Bonifacio, RF, RH: Emilio’s little brother got off to a horrible start in 2015 but has heated up as the season went on. He also is translating BP power to game power for the first time, with 15 HR just past the mid-way point of his season. Despite his disappointing 2014, he has a chance to build his way back into legit prospect status – and still is only 22. Next challenge for him should be Omaha, but that may wait for the start of the 2014 season.
6. Scott Blewett, RHP: Blewett has a nice two –pitch mix already and is off to a strong start. With his size (6-6) and a good fastball/curveball combo, Blewett could eventually turn into a good No. 3 starter, with a MLB-average changeup.
7. Nolan Watson, RHP: The Royals’ 2015 sandwich pick is a polished prep arm who is adding velocity and explosiveness to a good, polished base. Likely to move quickly.
8. Ashe Russell, RHP: The 2015 top pick probably needs more work than Watson, but the upside is really nice. Again, advanced two-pitch mix that will depend on him adding a changeup. Could be a very good NO. 2 if it all adds up.
9. Balbino Fuenmayor, 1B/DH, RH: The Balbino came out of basically nowhere in 2015 to earn a Futures Game spot. Big power and an improved two-strike approach have turned the late bloomer into a legit prospect. He’s blocked at the MLB level currently by Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales, but Fuenmayor’s combination of power hitting and good average/strike zone control makes him intriguing.
10. Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B, RH: Cheslor probably is not going to be the star KC was hoping for when signing him out of Nicaragua, but he does look like he can be a solid reserve for an MLB club. Good defense at 3B paired with a solid plate approach and some gap power plays fine off the bench. He becomes a lot more interesting if they think he can stick as a 2B, which they have experimented with.

Spoiler!

11. Chase Vallot, C/DH/1B: I really like Vallot’s power and plate discipline combo. His bat will probably force him from behind the plate, but he’s held his own despite being extremely young for every level he has faced.
12. Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado, OF, RH: Escalera-Maldonado earned a promotion to Wilmington at age 20, which is pretty advanced movement for that age. He’s an athletic outfielder who has shown some plate discipline at an early age, which is encouraging. Doesn’t sound like he can stick in CF long term for KC, but his bat has become one to watch.
13. Pedro Fernandez, RHP: I haven’t seen much of him, but like the reports I’ve heard on his fastball and general makeup. Could become the next Almonte/Mondesi, though he’s more likely to land in the pen than either of them.
14. Elier Hernandez, OF, RH: Elier Hernanez teamed with Escalera-Maldonado in breaking out at Low-A and earning a promotion to Wilmington. It’s still early for this guy – he is just 20 years old – but he doesn’t take walks and hasn’t developed the prodigious power many thought he had the potential for. Still worth watching.
15. Hunter Dozier, 3B, RH: Dozier is reworking his swing mid-season, which generally will cause production to do what his has done: Nose dive. The changes he made entering the season (seemingly geared towards increasing his power production) were a disaster, and now he’s trying to get back to what he used to be. Still looks great and checks most of the scouting boxes, but the performance hasn’t matched, and it almost knocked him out of the list.
16. Christian Binford, RHP: After a breakthrough 2014, Binford struggled mightily at AAA and suffered a demotion. His upside remains similar – a back-end starter who can eat innings – but Binford’s lack of velocity and reliance on command have caught up to him so far.
17. Marten Gasparini, OF, SH: Gasparini is intriguing because of his speed and athleticism. He’s a LOOOOONG ways from the majors and young for his level, but reports on his bat speed, swing, and speed remain positive enough to keep him on the bubble.
18. Eric Skoglund, LHP: Skoglund had a nice year at Wilmington. I'm skeptical because his K rate is lower than I like to see for a guy at A+ - just 7/9, and usually guys lose a strikeout or two/9 as they move up the chain from there - but he has excellent control, walking 1.17 batters/9. 6-7 lefties with great control who get lots of ground balls - like Skoglund - have a chance to overcome bad K rates.
19. Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/LF: A lefty stick with power, O'Hearn was a savings signing as an 8th round pick, but a change in his approach increased his power - while increasing his K rate. After Vallot, probably the best pure power prospect in the Royals system.
20. Josh Staumont, RHP: I was terrified of this guy's control problems, and he walked nearly a batter an inning in his pro debut (32 BB in 40 1/3 IP). Staumont's nasty, nasty stuff (plus-plus fastball, plus slider) could make him a very good late-inning reliever who strikes out more than a batter an inning, if he can develop average or slightly below-average control. If he really masters the control, you're talking about a potential Greg Holland type, but that's a TALL task.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Speaking of Gordon -

http://www.kansascity.com/sports/spt...e94985707.html

Wow, I didn't see this coming!


Lol

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

It's Petro. I can't think of a bigger self-aggrandizing blowhard on radio.

I want to see Mr trade Wil Myers for Jair Jurjens guy swing a bat

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

I want to see Mr trade Wil Myers for Jair Jurjens guy swing a bat

That fat **** has never played a sport past junior high

[duncan_idaho]

I could handle Petro being so egregiously amateur when it comes to baseball opinions if he wasn't so goddamn sure about things and adamant about his opinion in the face of evidence or baseball common sense.

Mondesi is a toolsy 21-year old with great potential at the plate, who still hasn't put all the tools together.

Even the otherworldly Mike Trout was pretty awful in his first September call-up.

Mondesi has two game impacting tools already - his defense and his speed on the base paths. His bat has a ways to go, but you can see why he has been so highly regarded. The bat has a lot of juice. Even if he's a .250/.260 hitter as a young player, he will be good enough in other areas to be a positive contributor.


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[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

Petro comparing Mondesi to a pitcher batting. Is he that bad?


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Petro might be one of the few tolerable local guys on radio? I don't know anymore. It's been years since I have really listened to sports talk with any frequency. Though I did catch a few segments of Jay Mohr's show, and while it's sports lite, at least it's entertaining.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

It's Petro. I can't think of a bigger self-aggrandizing blowhard on radio.

Kevin Kietzman, for one.

My biggest beef with Petro is that at times he so transparently tries to be the contrarian just to stir shit up, especially when he starts yelling. That's when I have to turn him off, because it's grating and he's obviously (to me) being insincere.

I still listen to him far more than KK, though.

[Anyong Bluth]

Said it before, and I'll say it again. If I had to pick between Moose or Hos, I'm going Moose.

Quintessential blue-collar guy, whose remained humble coming up and dug in when he was struggling and receptive to instruction and trying anything to help his play and the team.

I like both guys, but I don’t see any way you'll get full value on Eric's next contract. Hell, you might not get it back on either guy, but Moose's contract numbers gives you a lot more flexibility for a small market club.

Now, the second question isn't so much about picking one or the other. With guys in the farm system that could be reasonably an equal level replacement, is it wise to commit that much salary, and what could you get in prospects for moving them and really start stockpiling your farm system?

If they walk in FA, any rebuild is going to take you at least twice as long.

I think it would be enviable in 3 or 4 seasons to be sitting where the Cubs are at with a roster littered with young cheap talent with years of control and the ability to add a few difference makers in FA thanks to cap space.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

Petro might be one of the few tolerable local guys on radio? I don't know anymore.

I, personally, like Petro. And Parkins. 810 morning guys are okay but can get annoying when St. John is trying to be funny or Bukaty brings out his crush for everything Sporting KC.

Other than that, its pretty rough. Especially Fescoe, I can't believe that guy still has a job.

I've wiped KK from my memory - that guy is the most pompous know-nothing imaginable. And the way he asks questions by making a statement and then asking the guest to agree drives me insane.

[Meatloaf]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Kevin Kietzman, for one.

My biggest beef with Petro is that at times he so transparently tries to be the contrarian just to stir shit up, especially when he starts yelling. That's when I have to turn him off, because it's grating and he's obviously (to me) being insincere.

I still listen to him far more than KK, though.

I agree Khatru. I think Petro really knows his sports, but when he gets on a rant, he's obviously just stirring stuff up. The latest two things he seems "stuck" on are:

-How the Chiefs apparently mishandled Houston's injury
-How bad Mondesi is at the plate

C'mon, Soren, you're better than that!

As per Keitzman, not sure what's happened to him, but he really doesn't offer much anymore.

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by sedated

810 morning guys are okay but can get annoying when St. John is trying to be funny or Bukaty brings out his crush for everything Sporting KC.

Bukaty is brutal when SSJ isn't there. The guy can barely talk. Awful.




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[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

Bukaty is brutal when SSJ isn't there. The guy can barely talk. Awful.




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True statement, which is why the rarely ever have him hosting alone. They'd be better off just playing an old show or letting Jake host when SSJ is gone.

[Meatloaf]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

True statement, which is why the rarely ever have him hosting alone. They'd be better off just playing an old show or letting Jake host when SSJ is gone.

Yup, when left alone, Bukaty seems to talk a LOT. He definitely needs a co-host to sort of calm him down. I do like SSJ though. Seems passionate about his sports and his family. Seems like a really good guy.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

Bukaty is brutal when SSJ isn't there. The guy can barely talk. Awful.




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Yep.

I like SSJ, I think he's funny (although he's driven the whole "Fister/Pounders" thing into the ground). But I get why some people wouldn't think so.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by Meatloaf

Yup, when left alone, Bukaty seems to talk a LOT. He definitely needs a co-host to sort of calm him down. I do like SSJ though. Seems passionate about his sports and his family. Seems like a really good guy.

Nate also can't ask a question properly to save his life. It's painful listening to him to interviews.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Nate also can't ask a question properly to save his life. It's painful listening to him to interviews.

Um...have you heard him call a Sporting game? My goodness