*** 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.

[duncan_idaho]

Re: Valencia... He's also a Miami guy, so not surprised Hosmer sided with him. But pretty sure Valencia's influence on Hosmer is one of the reasons the Royals dumped him for nothing.

He was too much of a douche for the Toronto clubhouse, doesn't that say it all?

The Twins don't seem to want to put Santana on waivers, so I assume they think he can help them compete in the next two years.

The Dodgers have put Kazmir out there, but that's about it as far as SP goes.


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[ChiTown]

Travel-Day for the Royals today. So no game tonight for our sizzling hot Team.

Tonight's Other Games of Interest:

* Astros @ Pirates - HOU tied with the R's for the last WC Spot - 3.5 GB

* Nationals @ Orioles - BAL clinging to the last WC Spot after losing 3 straight. Big Match-up in the DC Area

* Red Sox @ TB - BoSox are about as hot as KC right now .5 GB of TOR for the East Division

* Indians @ A's - Indians playing well, would love to see them get tripped up in Oak Town

* Yankees @ Mariners - Royals need to make up some ground on SEA. Go Yankees (puke!)

[ROYC75]

Originally Posted by Hog Farmer

Hottest team in baseball. Pitching hasn't allowed more than 1 run in what, last 6 ? We're 9-1 last 10 and 3.5 out from WC.

World series again bitches !

Getting the cart too far out in front of the horse here, our road record is horrible, less this last road stand. If we clear that up, then it's possible, remember, 2 years ago we had a good road record, well over .500.

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

2/27 remains on Ervin's deal.

Honestly I'd rather we get bit pieces and focus our money on locking up Danny.

Yep. Pass. I liked Santana his 1st go round, but don't want to revisit him @ that price.

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by C3HIEF3S

You're telling me this guy doesn't look in shape to you?!?!????????????????/

It's technically a shape.


Pear shaped.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Anyong Bluth

Yep. Pass. I liked Santana his 1st go round, but don't want to revisit him @ that price.

Twins aren't going to let him go but that price is a bargin.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

Twins aren't going to let him go but that price is a bargin.

I'm more concerned about what he would prevent us from doing. Bringing Duffy back (a guy who loves the org and has openly stated he wants to be here for life) should be paramount.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

I'm more concerned about what he would prevent us from doing. Bringing Duffy back (a guy who loves the org and has openly stated he wants to be here for life) should be paramount.

I wouldn't be concerned about that.

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Moore is also known to trade guys who are negatively impacting the attitudes of other players.

He cut our best reliever in 2011 because of the effect he was having on the attitudes of the young LA players. It would make sense if Valencia was bringing out some of Hos' less desirable attributes.

Your point is valid, but it's a bit of a stretch to say that Jose Mijares was the best reliever on that team. That was Greg Holland's breakout year with 91 Ks in 67 innings, Broxton had 23 saves, and Herrera, Collins and Crow were all decent that year.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

Travel-Day for the Royals today. So no game tonight for our sizzling hot Team.

Tonight's Other Games of Interest:

* Astros @ Pirates - HOU tied with the R's for the last WC Spot - 3.5 GB

* Nationals @ Orioles - BAL clinging to the last WC Spot after losing 3 straight. Big Match-up in the DC Area

* Red Sox @ TB - BoSox are about as hot as KC right now .5 GB of TOR for the East Division

* Indians @ A's - Indians playing well, would love to see them get tripped up in Oak Town

* Yankees @ Mariners - Royals need to make up some ground on SEA. Go Yankees (puke!)

Thanks for this listing.

Astros seemed to have gotten right vs Balt this past weekend and the Pirates may rank as one of the year's biggest disappointments but the pitching matchup tonight seems to favor the Pirates

Orioles just seem to be a team on the brink of collapse. Normally, you chalk this up as a win for the Nats but Stras has been pretty shaky his past couple starts. Hope he rights the ship here

From my perspective some combo of Bos/Tor wins the east and a WC. So while it would be sweet for Tampa to win this series(or hell, a game in this series)it's not super imperative

Again, just my opinion, but I think the Indians are good enough to not have the major collapse necessary for us to catch them. Of course, it would be awesome to be wrong but I'm certainly not expecting anything from the A's

And while I certainly want the Yankees to take this series(not going to happen), they are close enough to us in the WC that it won't totally suck when the Mariners beat them

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Lex Luthor

Your point is valid, but it's a bit of a stretch to say that Jose Mijares was the best reliever on that team. That was Greg Holland's breakout year with 91 Ks in 67 innings, Broxton had 23 saves, and Herrera, Collins and Crow were all decent that year.

Yeah, I had originally thought that went down in 2011 so I spaced on the the pieces we had in the bullpen. However, we had just traded Broxton and Mijares was one of our most reliable pieces left. Dropping him for absolutely nothing seemed absolutely bizarre and attracted considerable criticism to GMDM until reports of Mijares' attitude eventually surfaced.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by BigCatDaddy

I wouldn't be concerned about that.

If we can make it work I'm all for it, but it sounds like the Twins think they're due for a bounceback in 2017 and want to hold onto him.

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Yeah, I had originally thought that went down in 2011 so I spaced on the the pieces we had in the bullpen. However, we had just traded Broxton and Mijares was one of our most reliable pieces left. Dropping him for absolutely nothing seemed absolutely bizarre and attracted considerable criticism to GMDM until reports of Mijares' attitude eventually surfaced.

It's funny how times change, isn't it? Back in those days we all thought GMDM was the devil, and we were all quick to criticize.

Now most of us realize that GMDM is pretty damn good at his job, and we're far more likely to give him the benefit of the doubt if he does something that appears to defy logic. (I said MOST of us, because every fan base has its share of prison bitches).

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

If we can make it work I'm all for it, but it sounds like the Twins think they're due for a bounceback in 2017 and want to hold onto him.

Agree.
I'm more certain of a Duffy contract than any of the other big $ guys on the team. I think he is most difficult to replace and has the most desire to stay.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by Lex Luthor

It's funny how times change, isn't it? Back in those days we all thought GMDM was the devil, and we were all quick to criticize.

Now most of us realize that GMDM is pretty damn good at his job, and we're far more likely to give him the benefit of the doubt if he does something that appears to defy logic. (I said MOST of us, because every fan base has its share of prison bitches).

I think he has learned a bit on the job also.