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.

[Bowser]

Well hopefully David Glass doesn't get all puffy chested and drop a decree of NO SANTANA, PERIOD if the opportunity arises to get him back.

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

Santana aside, I'm just hoping that Duffy and Ventura have the type of spring where it's embarrassingly negligent on Ned's part to put Chen in the rotation. I like him coming out of the pen and being the spot starter for when those young guys need a week off or when they get dead arm.

Chen is a perfect situational guy. I'm not interested in how well he performed as a started when Mendoza flamed out last year (and he did).

Chen's strength is out of the bullpen at this point in his career.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Well hopefully David Glass doesn't get all puffy chested and drop a decree of NO SANTANA, PERIOD if the opportunity arises to get him back.

As others have said, it's HIGHLY doubtful that Santana's agent is doing anything more than posturing...and doing it desperately, I might add. He's a bad agent. None of this has to do with Glass. He's a bad enough on his own merits...but this has nothing to do with him, I'm guessing.

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

Battered wife syndrome has to end. If we tank, we tank. But stop letting previous seasons and experiences dictate your optimism/pessimism. It's weak.

It's all I know. I've been beaten so badly.

[tmw4h5]

The Indians announced yesterday that they've agreed to a minor league deal with former big leaguer Kyle Davies. The right-hander did not receive an invite to Major League Spring Training, however. Davies, still just 30 years old, spent the 2013 season pitching with the Twins' minor league system as he recovered from shoulder surgery. Davies posted a 3.41 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 across three levels, though he didn't pitch at Triple-A. He has a 5.59 ERA in 768 Major League innings between the Braves and Royals.



The greatest day ever.

[Infidel Goat]

Happy Pitchers and Catchers Report Day!

[LoneWolf]

Originally Posted by Infidel Goat

Happy Pitchers and Catchers Report Day!

The Michael Sam thread has been moved to DC.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by tmw4h5

The Indians announced yesterday that they've agreed to a minor league deal with former big leaguer Kyle Davies. The right-hander did not receive an invite to Major League Spring Training, however. Davies, still just 30 years old, spent the 2013 season pitching with the Twins' minor league system as he recovered from shoulder surgery. Davies posted a 3.41 ERA with 7.3 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9 across three levels, though he didn't pitch at Triple-A. He has a 5.59 ERA in 768 Major League innings between the Braves and Royals.



The greatest day ever.

HIRAM! Awesome. Hopefully, he can set some records with the Indians... keep elevating that ERA so he ends up with the clear worst ERA of all time from a starter with more than 500 IP. Or whatever that was.

Originally Posted by Bowser

Well hopefully David Glass doesn't get all puffy chested and drop a decree of NO SANTANA, PERIOD if the opportunity arises to get him back.



Chen is a perfect situational guy. I'm not interested in how well he performed as a started when Mendoza flamed out last year (and he did).

Chen's strength is out of the bullpen at this point in his career.

I'd imagine the plan is that Chen will make 10-15 starts and then pitch out of the bullpen as the long guy. Basically the same role he was pretty effective in a year ago.

If KC can use this to cover some of the innings Duffy is not going to be able to toss, it makes a lot of sense. Danny is probably capped at 130 IP or so, and even that is pushing it. That means you need to cover about 10 starts out of his potential spot.

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

Santana aside, I'm just hoping that Duffy and Ventura have the type of spring where it's embarrassingly negligent on Ned's part to put Chen in the rotation. I like him coming out of the pen and being the spot starter for when those young guys need a week off or when they get dead arm.

Use him at the front end, and you keep those young starters fresh all year.

Originally Posted by alnorth

Agreed, Santana's agent is an idiot.

Yeah, he has really miscalculated and done poorly. He's a strange guy who apparently has like 5 clients. Not sure how he makes a living on that (unless he has absolutely NO overhead).

It's hard to imagine an agent performly as poorly as this guy has. One of the reasons I can't fault them too much for NOT seeing this downturn in the Santana market coming.

[alnorth]

Spring Training is off to a rocky start for the Mariners

Mariners already having worst spring ever

Jesus Montero reported to camp. He apologized to the team for his PED suspension last season. At least Montero had a productive offseason, right? Umm ... "I gained a lot of weight in my country," he said. "So, now, I'm on a program to lose weight. I'm working really hard to get my weight back . I wasn't doing nothing (after finishing winter ball), just eating."

Hisashi Iwakuma, third in last year's American League Cy Young voting, will miss 4-to-6 weeks with a strained tendon in his finger, meaning he likely won't be ready for Opening Day. Is this a bad time to mention that Iwakuma has never had back-to-back healthy seasons in his career?

Top prospect Taijuan Walker, expected to be in the rotation, has a sore shoulder. He said it's no big deal. Manager Lloyd McCLendon said it's no big deal. Why do I fear it's a big deal?

Franklin Gutierrez alerted the team that he's going to sit out the entire season due to a return of the gastrointestinal issues that have plagued him in the past. Luckily the Mariners have other good defensive outfielders like Corey Hart and Logan Morrison on the team.

[Prison Bitch]

Jack Z's numbers are numbered. (For anyone that gets that pun, a high five from me)

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Use him at the front end, and you keep those young starters fresh all year.

I'm in the minority, but I don't agree with this at all. While the evidence is spotty, I've noticed some real strong performances from Chen during the hotter months. He's had struggles with the early season over the past few years. I think his key value is to give the young arms a rest in the middle of the summer or when fatigue/deadarm sets in. I think a strong start is really important to this team and I think your best chance at a strong start involves both Duffy and Ventura forcing their way into the rotation from day one. Fifth starter will sit most of the first month anyway. I'd prefer that be Duffy over Ventura, so that he can be limited to about 150 innings this year.

[alnorth]

While looking something else up, I happened to notice that David Glass will turn 80 in 2015.

I wonder what the transition plan is? Is Dan Glass just going to inherit the team, or will they sell?

[CaliforniaChief]

Originally Posted by alnorth

While looking something else up, I happened to notice that David Glass will turn 80 in 2015.

I wonder what the transition plan is? Is Dan Glass just going to inherit the team, or will they sell?

Mark Cuban? LOL I wish.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by alnorth

While looking something else up, I happened to notice that David Glass will turn 80 in 2015.

I wonder what the transition plan is? Is Dan Glass just going to inherit the team, or will they sell?

Yes...I think this is pretty clear from his current involvement with the team. Whether he sells upon the inheritance is the real question. If he stays, I don't think that bodes well for the Royals. I think daddy actually holds Dan's ineptitude in check. David Glass might not be popular. Dan would be even less popular from what I've heard. I hope he cashes out and sells.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by alnorth

While looking something else up, I happened to notice that David Glass will turn 80 in 2015.

I wonder what the transition plan is? Is Dan Glass just going to inherit the team, or will they sell?

Hopefully Dan decides he would like to cash in and double Daddy's fortune by selling the team to OnGoal.

That ownership group + baseball=good years for all of us.

[RockChalk]

I think we all know that David Glass is one of "those" rich assholes that will live to be 100, with decent health along the way.