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.

[DeepSouth]

Originally Posted by alnorth

We can't do that, and there is not a GM in baseball who would make that move, given the history of the club, the fanbase, and the reality of what the Shields trade meant.

This is not video game or strat-o-matic baseball, this is the real thing, with a team that hasn't made the playoffs in almost 3 decades, and after you have already essentially gone all-in for this season 2 years ago.

A few people in this thread have basically said that we're out of it anyway, so we may as well get what we can, but they are just flat-out wrong. The odds are not good, but even the most pessimistic simulations still have it at about 10-15%. Trading Shields and Holland for some low-level prospects undeniably harms if not destroys what little playoff chances we have. Maintaining those small odds for this season is worth more to the team and the fans than what little we may be giving up by not trading them. I wouldn't add to the team, we pretty much need to win or lose with this team, there's no season in burning some real high-level prospects to improve for this season.

Dude, you said what I was trying to say. You just said it better.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I love armchair GM. Sign Sanchez and Santana! Of course t takes two to tango. Did it ever occur to anyone most FA really don't want to play (or frankly live) here? We are poor and we're not a sexy city for a 30 year old male many of whom are Latino anyway. We ha to trade for Shields because a guy like him normally won't sign here.


People will whine about Shields all day (even though the Fangraphs article says he's been the 13th best pitcher in all of MLB since coming and has been "everything we hoped for"). But we all know the culprits of our failure and last nights game was great reminder of why Shields can't take us to the playoffs.

WTF are you talking about. Santana WAS HERE.

[lcarus]

We're taking the division folks. I have a very positive outlook today for whatever reason (caffeine?). Tomorrow I'll be back to normal and I'll say we have 0 chance of a division title or wild card...

[Anyong Bluth]

Originally Posted by alnorth

We can't do that, and there is not a GM in baseball who would make that move, given the history of the club, the fanbase, and the reality of what the Shields trade meant.

This is not video game or strat-o-matic baseball, this is the real thing, with a team that hasn't made the playoffs in almost 3 decades, and after you have already essentially gone all-in for this season 2 years ago.

A few people in this thread have basically said that we're out of it anyway, so we may as well get what we can, but they are just flat-out wrong. The odds are not good, but even the most pessimistic simulations still have it at about 10-15%. Trading Shields and Holland for some low-level prospects undeniably harms if not destroys what little playoff chances we have. Maintaining those small odds for this season is worth more to the team and the fans than what little we may be giving up by not trading them. I wouldn't add to the team, we pretty much need to win or lose with this team, there's no sense in burning some real high-level prospects to improve for this season. But, we just can't wave the white flag.

Plus, you trade away those guys now with where we sit, and good luck attracting FA to come play here without grossly overpaying. It sets a terrible tone of the franchise's mindset.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

WTF are you talking about. Santana WAS HERE.

Santana was traded, he didn't have choice.

[SAUTO]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Santana was traded, he didn't have choice.

that's true, but if we had actually offered him a fair multi year deal he would have taken it.

[BigCatDaddy]

Originally Posted by JASONSAUTO

that's true, but if we had actually offered him a fair multi year deal he would have taken it.

But nobody offered him what he thought was fair. He ended up signing for exactly what the qualifying offer was the Royals offered.

[siberian khatru]

By my count, after last night the Royals this year are 4-8 in games that end 2-1. That seems like an extraordinarily high number of 2-1 games played, but I don't know how it compares to other teams.

I do know that last year the Royals were 3-3 in 2-1 games.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

We weren't going to the playoffs with Shields or Myers. It's stunning to me that people can't see such an obv concept.

This. The playoff shot rested on Butler, Hosmer and Moose not totally busting. They all did this year and even with a bit of bounce back the rest of the way, to little to late. No way Ventura and Duffy both go all year, Shields is ok but we still trot Guthrie and Chen out there every 5th day. This is not a playoff team. People should accept that and not set themselves up to be disappointed come September.

[Mecca]

I didn't like the Shields trade when it happened, but it is what it is. Moore needed to save his job and he apparently did enough to do that so his personal mission was accomplished.

Pretty sad that we gave up our best offensive prospect and "threw in" players who Tampa turned into valuable pieces. You can look back at it now and it's even worse than it was then. This team is an offensive joke and on top of that this pitching staff would be good without Shields. You'd add Odorizzi back and odds are there's more than enough money to pay Santana without the Shields or Davis contracts.

Of course it's hindsight but tons of people hated this trade when it happened so is it really hindsight?

[siberian khatru]

The Indians are trading Justin Masterson to the Cardinals

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) July 30, 2014

[ChiefsCountry]

Are people really bitching about Guthrie as a 5th starter and Chen as an injury fill in? Geez.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Are people really bitching about Guthrie as a 5th starter and Chen as an injury fill in? Geez.

When your offense is this bad you need 5 aces to stand a shot.

When people say things like "hey the back of the Royals rotation is better than most" that's true it is. But it doesn't help when your run production is this god ****ing awful.

[Prison Bitch]

People need to understand that what destroyed our playoff chances was a guy who never played here: Chris Sale. Our internal debate over him led us to choose Colon on the draft. Had we not done that, we'd have made the playoffs. (And not lost games to him either)

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Mecca

When your offense is this bad you need 5 aces to stand a shot.

When people say things like "hey the back of the Royals rotation is better than most" that's true it is. But it doesn't help when your run production is this god ****ing awful.

Yep.