2014 Royals Repository

[duncan_idaho]

With my 6,000th post on ChiefsPlanet (it only took me 12 years to get here), I bring you: The 2014 Kansas City Royals Repository.

To be discussed here: All things Royals, as they attempt to post another winning season and make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 1985.

25-man RosterAvailable HERE

AL Central Standings:

Link

Duncan's Top 20 Royals Prospects

Spoiler!

1) 3B Hunter Dozier ETA: 2015
Dozier started slowly at A+ Wilmington but caught fire in May and June, earning a mid-season promotion to AA Northwest Arkansas. Big, strong kid with good plate discipline skills and solid power who projects to be an above-average glove at 3B with solid power.

2) SS Raul (Adalberto) Mondesi ETA: 2017
Mondesis is the opposite of Dozier…. Started red-hot at Wilmington before back spasms derailed him for a few weeks and hasn’t gotten it going since coming back. Scouting reports have been great – defense and speed both improved over the offseason. Still a chance to be an elite SS, with 40 SB speed, plus glove, .300 average and some pop.

3) LHP Sean Manaea | ETA: 2015
Scouting reports outperform the stat line so far. Missing a ton of bats at A+ but not preventing runs like you’d expect to see. Needs to work deeper into games (gradually working about an inning deeper/month so far this year) and improve control. Walks are biggest concern right now, but could be elevated due to work on extra off-speed offerings. Still has No. 2 starter potential, could be higher if the great control he exhibited before his hip surgery eventually comes back.

4) RHP Kyle Zimmer| ETA: 2015
Should be NO. 1 on the list and is probably the Royals most VALUABLE current prospect, but he hasn’t thrown a ball in 4-5 weeks and had only been throwing for 2-3 weeks when he was shut down then.

5) LHP Brandon Finnegan| ETA: 2015
Top 2014 draft choice is an undersized lefty who will start at A+ Wilmington after anchoring CWS run for TCU. Good fastball, better slider, change that needs work to stick as a starter, but if he sticks, No. 2/No. 3 starter upside. Likely a top 10 or even top 5 pick if he doesn’t miss 1 start in the middle of the college season as a precautionary move.

6) RHP Miguel Almonte| ETA: 2016
Have heard some say Almonte is more advanced as a pitcher at A+ than Yordano Ventura was (comparison because both were cheap signs out of Latin America). Really advanced changeup and a curve that is working out well (where the ‘more advanced’ comment comes from). Fastball velo is good but not great – 92-94. Like Manaea, working on his second-best offspeed pitch and leaning less on his bread-and butter (changeup), which has hurt his numbers a bit.

7) RHP Christian Binford 2017
Reverse case of “don’t just scout stat lines.” Based on his stats at A+, you’d think he was an elite prospect, but there are questions about Binford’s stuff playing up at higher levels. Tall righty with great command of fastball, slider and a good and still developing changeup. None of those pitches profiles as better than average, though, limiting his likely upside to back-end rotation guy.

8) SS Orlando Calixte| ETA: 2016
I still like him more than many. Good combination of SS/MI skills and power. Started hot at NWA but in a slump at moment.

9)LHP Foster Griffin | ETA: 2019
Tall, projectable lefty taken in 2014 draft. Viewed as a great value in the sandwich round and probably would have been KC’s pick at No. 17 if Finnegan hadn’t fallen. High school arm who is going to take a while to develop.

10) RF Jorge Bonifacio| ETA: 2016
Hasn’t hit as well as expected in his second go-round at AA NWA. Power still sapped, and average skills have dipped. Once looked like he might be an option in RF at some point in 2015, now looks like 2016 is optimistic. Still young for his level.

11) 3B/2B Cheslor Cuthbert| ETA: 2016
Cuthbert has had better luck at NWA than Boni and is also extremely young for level. HE’s been moved to 2B since Dozier was promoted, which could put a new spin on Cuthbert’s prospects. If he sticks at 2B, bat plays up much better. Good OBP/plate discipline and solid power, but needs to continue improving contact skills

12) C Chase Vallot| ETA: 2020
Young (just 17) C with tremendous power. One of the top prep bats and a great value for KC where it got him. If he sticks at C, expect him to move slowly, but the bat may force the issue (or force him to another position).

13) C Zane Evans| ETA: 2017
GA Tech product has handled Wilmington better than most RH bats and probably is in line for a promotion to NWA sometime soon. Decent pop, decent skills behind the plate. Could be a nice reserve catcher.

14) RHP Scott Blewett| ETA: 2020
Tall, projectable righty with a fresh arm but some injury concerns on his shoulder that slipped him out of Round 1 of MLB draft. Big time potential.

15) CF Bubba Starling | ETA:
Bubba Starling has great tools. Bubba Starling (still) can’t hit. That’s all I have to say about that.

16) 1B Samir Duenez| ETA:
I still like him, even though the attempt to run him through full season ball at 17 did not go well.

17)LF/RF Elier Hernandez| ETA:
Hernandez still pops up in scouting reports but still is very raw and toolsy.

18) RHP Pedro Fernandez| ETA:
Pop-up player on the same track as Ventura and Almonte. Similar signing, similar profile. One to watch over next few years.

19) SS Marten Gasparini| ETA:
Royals’ most expensive international signing likely moves to CF eventually, but his speed and athleticism are intriguing abilities. Early reports from complex ball are very positive on him.

20) RHP Niklas Stephenson| ETA:
Interesting pop-up candidate who found 10 more MPH on his fastball by using a weighted ball during workouts over the winter. Now sits mid-90s with fastball and is dominating at rookie ball (after having an ERA over 8 there a year ago). Likely promoted to a higher challenge soon.

[duncan_idaho]

I was also resigned to a trade for Kendrick that included Ventura last year. Did not recall those discussions.

Looks like what the Angels seemed to be asking for and what I thought was acceptable were pretty far apart. Of course, at the time that was all in discussion, he had all of 1 or 2 starts at Omaha. He's improved a little bit as a prospect since then.

Jason Parks/Baseball Prospectus continue to show they are the bets in the business... had Ventura at No. 12 overall entering this season, his highest ranking by quite a bit.

Stock up on Lucas Giolito now if you're in any dynasty leagues. Parks is orgasmic for him.

[siberian khatru]

Thrilled about Ventura.

Not thrilled with the idea of Duffy in the pen. I'd rather he be in Omaha learning to get through 6 innings consistently, and I'd prefer we exhaust that option before going to the pen.

Duffy may excel in relief, but that might A) dissuade the Royals from moving him back to the rotation, or B) not translate to success in the rotation. I'd rather he prove he can -- or can't -- start before we go down that path.

[alnorth]

I'm beginning to think the Royals should just cut Valencia loose. I'd hate to get rid of the Moose insurance even though Moose looked great in spring, but with what's been going on with Escobar and Infante, we're going to need that backup middle infielder. I also think we need Dyson to back up CF, so if its Maxwell or Valencia, I'm choosing to keep Maxwell.

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by alnorth

I'm beginning to think the Royals should just cut Valencia loose. I'd hate to get rid of the Moose insurance even though Moose looked great in spring, but with what's been going on with Escobar and Infante, we're going to need that backup middle infielder. I also think we need Dyson to back up CF, so if its Maxwell or Valencia, I'm choosing to keep Maxwell.

Especially considering how well Maxwell's been hitting this spring. He'd be a nice power bat off the bench.

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by Three7s

Especially considering how well Maxwell's been hitting this spring. He'd be a nice power bat off the bench.

Is Maxwell out of options? Probably been asked before.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Thrilled about Ventura.

Not thrilled with the idea of Duffy in the pen. I'd rather he be in Omaha learning to get through 6 innings consistently, and I'd prefer we exhaust that option before going to the pen.

Duffy may excel in relief, but that might A) dissuade the Royals from moving him back to the rotation, or B) not translate to success in the rotation. I'd rather he prove he can -- or can't -- start before we go down that path.

I get that... only issue with it is that it doesn't limit his innings early in the season, like pitching out of the pen would.

The highest upside option would be that they get through May with Duffy pitching about 15 innings out of the pen and Chen making about 8-9 starts.

Then Duffy could slide into the rotation and be available for about 21-22 starts over the rest of the season, with no real innings limitations.

If he's pitching at Omaha for those two months on a starters schedule, that probably burns about 60 of his 150 IP limit this year. So they wouldn't be able to use Duffy down the stretch.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by theelusiveeightrop

Is Maxwell out of options? Probably been asked before.

all 3 of the bench guys are out of options.

[Tytanium]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I just rewound and watchd Moustakas's swing in his second at-bat 3x.

His swing is noticeably shorter, and he's not hiding from who he is (a strong guy with great pull power).

Let's just hope he can hang onto his approach once the season actually starts. If he has a slow (unlucky BABIP) start, I have a feeling he'll pull a "Hosmer 2012" and go back to his old ways.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Tytanium

Let's just hope he can hang onto his approach once the season actually starts. If he has a slow (unlucky BABIP) start, I have a feeling he'll pull a "Hosmer 2012" and go back to his old ways.

They seem to think he's past all of that. If they're right, he should be able to play through that issue.

[gblowfish]

I watched last night until Ventura was done. Some observations:
1) Ventura looked good, but he's got a funky delivery. Hope his shoulder and elbow hold out. If he keeps pitching like this, he'll be a fine replacement for Santana. We'll see how he holds up during the grind of the season. He could use a little more muscle.

2) Moose looks like a new player. He doesn't look "doughy" like he did last year. He looks like a ball player, and you can tell he's much more comfortable at the plate. Last year he looked lost up there. If he comes around and hits .260 or better, it will be a vast improvement. His defense has always been good to very good. I think the light switch finally got kicked for this guy and he gets it now. Let's hope he has a breakout year like Hosmer did last year.

3) I love Sal Perez. I watch him more than any other player. He calls a good game and just has a calming effect on our pitchers. They know he'll block everything, and will shoot down about half (or more) of the guys who try to steal on him. Such a blessing after the years and years of lousy catchers we've had.

4) Breakfast looks trimmer too, but he's still slow on the bases. Hopefully he won't hit into as many DPs this year.

5) Gordon's move down in the lineup could be a very good thing. He's not really a lead off guy. He'll have more RBI's in the five or six hole.

6) Gio is the classic "AAAA" player. He thrives in Omaha, can't quite hack it in the bigs.

If we can avoid going Oh for May, we might have a shot this year. Detroit is weaker, Cleveland about the same, Twins a little better, Chisox has Sale and that's about it.
I like our chances.

[duncan_idaho]

One thing about Ventura's mechanics:

He's got a little of the Tim Lincecum step-over (extreme stride) technique going on. That's where all the extra velocity comes from. It helps him create front-side separation and generate all the velo.

It's a little risky as a tactic, but he isn't as extreme as Lincecum.

He's also bigger and stronger/thicker than Lincecum. Looks like a legit 6-0, 195/200ish now, as Dave Eiland has said, rather than 5-8, 160 (Lincecum's true size).

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

One thing about Ventura's mechanics:

He's got a little of the Tim Lincecum step-over (extreme stride) technique going on. That's where all the extra velocity comes from. It helps him create front-side separation and generate all the velo.

This is true.

[C3HIEF3S]

For anyone who wants to relive the beauty that was last night

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by C3HIEF3S

For anyone who wants to relive the beauty that was last night

Thanks

[TLO]

Originally Posted by C3HIEF3S

For anyone who wants to relive the beauty that was last night

His ability to locate that curve was so damn impressive.

I hope this kid stays healthy.. please oh please let him stay healthy.