*** 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.

[nychief]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Willie Hernandez for Detroit in 1984 for AL. Kershaw threw 198 innings 2 years ago in the NL.

Wasn't Willie a reliever?

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by nychief

Wasn't Willie a reliever?

Yes

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by nychief

Wasn't Willie a reliever?

Yep and Quis was 2nd in voting that year.

[Prison Bitch]

So I read today that MLB teams are having trouble insuring contracts longer than 3 years length. I wonder what that market is saying. I can't quite make out the signals being sent. Anyone got an idea?

http://metsmerizedonline.com/2013/02...ontracts.html/

[siberian khatru]

Here's some good news:

A.J. Puckett, RHP, Royals (No. 67 -- 2nd round)
No. 17 on Royals' Top 30
Two things that stand out for the Pepperdine product are his innings -- 41 and counting -- and the fact that he's reached full-season ball already. Along the way, Puckett has posted a 2.85 combined ERA, walked just two per nine innings and held hitters to a .233 batting average against. It might not take him long to make his way to Kansas City.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Here's some good news:

Yeah. Would be nice if Puckett outperforms that draft slot a bit.

I'm excited about the potential he, Strahm and Mills/Junis provide.

If even one of those guys proves to be a competent back end starter beginning in 2017/18, and can be paired with Duffy and a "fixed" Ventura, that is huge for the next contention window.

Puckett has some Odorizzi qualities to him, to me. (Ducks jasonsautos' boner).


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[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Yeah. Would be nice if Puckett outperforms that draft slot a bit.

I'm excited about the potential he, Strahm and Mills/Junis provide.

If even one of those guys proves to be a competent back end starter beginning in 2017/18, and can be paired with Duffy and a "fixed" Ventura, that is huge for the next contention window.

Puckett has some Odorizzi qualities to him, to me. (Ducks jasonsautos' boner).


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Yep. People scoff, "Oh, he's nothing more than a 4 or 5." Yeah, but have you seen what those guys cost on the open market? I'd much rather put homegrown, cost-controlled guys in those slots than having to pay (or overpay) market prices for the next Vargas, Guthrie, etc.

[BigCatDaddy]

Given that like 5 guys have an ERA lower than 3 in the AL with the juiced ball is a guy with a an ERA below 4 now a back end or middle of the rotation guy?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Given that like 5 guys have an ERA lower than 3 in the AL with the juiced ball is a guy with a an ERA below 4 now a back end or middle of the rotation guy?

I'd say 4 is the new 3.5. Probably the standard for a mid-rotation guy this year.

Ian Kennedy is 46th in ERA in MLB, and only 48 SP have an ERA under 4 this year.

That puts him solidly in that mid-tier 2/3 range.

Will be interesting to see how lovely the ball is next year.


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[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Will be interesting to see how lovely the ball is next year.


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awwwwww

[Great Expectations]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I'd say 4 is the new 3.5. Probably the standard for a mid-rotation guy this year.

Ian Kennedy is 46th in ERA in MLB, and only 48 SP have an ERA under 4 this year.

That puts him solidly in that mid-tier 2/3 range.

Will be interesting to see how lovely the ball is next year.


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A lot of our frustrations with him and the pitching staff are due to our inept offense. We haven't seen the increase in offense with the new ball like everyone else in the AL has.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

A lot of our frustrations with him and the pitching staff are due to our inept offense. We haven't seen the increase in offense with the new ball like everyone else in the AL has.

Look at the numbers across baseball. Anyone blaming the staff on this years middle-of-the-pack performance is completely misguided. We are 27 of 30 in runs scored (yes, the 3 behind us are NL teams). The average AL team has scored 514 runs total through 114 games. We've scored 78 fewer runs at 436 total. The pitching staff has been right around MLB average for 2016. If the offense was just average this year, we'd probably be 5-6 games above .500 and right in the thick of the race.

Hosmer and Gordon need to take a long, hard look at themselves and admit that doing it "their way" isn't cutting it anymore. Gordon already got his money, so he's not working on earning a large contract, but I think he cares enough about winning to try to be better. As for Hosmer, he's definitely costing himself money but not going the Moose route and admitting his swing is flawed and will only show more flaws as he ages.

[RockChalk]

The next 10 games will either put us right back into the mix or eliminate us...3 @ Twins, 3 @ Tigers, and 4 home against Twins. Go 8-2 or 7-3 and we are right back in the WC hunt at the least. .500 or worse in the next 10 will be the death knell.

[siberian khatru]

Since June 1, Hosmer is slugging .332.

[Sure-Oz]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Since June 1, Hosmer is slugging .332.

He definitely should listen to coaching...hes a good player but not a star., Which imo he should be