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.

[ThaVirus]

[alnorth]

Apparently MLB wanted to adopt something similar to the NCAA's "must slide" rule for home plate, where the catcher couldn't ever completely block the plate, and the runner would be required to slide if the catcher had the ball.

The MLBPA objected for now, but left open the possibility of agreeing to it for 2015. They didn't think there was enough time in spring training to teach catchers to not ever block the plate even with the ball and to teach runners about the must-slide rule, they thought it would be a lot easier to just basically make runners try to avoid contact and see how that works out for 2014.

They also added something in that basically says that if the runner acts as if the must slide rule was in effect, then he would never be called out for running into a catcher, so it may be good for the players to start acting as if must slide was in effect anyway.

[alnorth]

According to Heyman, Santana still wants 4/50, and that asking price will not drop even after the season starts.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by alnorth

According to Heyman, Santana still wants 4/50, and that asking price will not drop even after the season starts.

Good plan.

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by alnorth

According to Heyman, Santana still wants 4/50, and that asking price will not drop even after the season starts.

Only takes one stupid GM

[alnorth]

Just saw an article on scheduling that was interesting. If we don't have a really good April, then we're in trouble. The Royals might have the easiest schedule in the entire AL for the first month and a half. (The bad news is, if we don't have the easiest first 6 weeks, then Detroit's early schedule might be easiest)

[Nightfyre]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I don't like that rule, then... the runner has to give up and allow himself to either be tagged out or run-down if the catcher gets the ball before he gets there and is blocking the plate? If the catcher is going to try to block the plate, the runner should have the ability to run him over.

I mean, in most cases an athletic player will be able to try a hook slide. But... takes some of the human element out, in my opinion.

THe rest of the rule is fine, though.

I think the rule is good. Catcher can't block the plate without the ball. Batter can't demolish the catcher if he has the ball to try and jar it loose. Safer for everyone. The catcher still must have the ball and apply a tag so it's not like it's an automatic out.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Nightfyre

I think the rule is good. Catcher can't block the plate without the ball. Batter can't demolish the catcher if he has the ball to try and jar it loose. Safer for everyone. The catcher still must have the ball and apply a tag so it's not like it's an automatic out.

I think the objection is what if the runner makes a mistake and he's gonna be out by a mile? Before, he'd just try to destroy the catcher. Now, the catcher can block the plate and there's no way (barring a crazy Houdini move) to score.

I don't have much sympathy for the runner because if he makes such a bad decision rounding third that the catcher's got the ball with plenty of time to block the plate, then he probably should be tagged out.

[alnorth]

We should also note that there's one situation where the old rules still apply. If the catcher set up properly giving the runner part of the plate, but the throw home forces him to step in the runner's path to field the ball and in the umpire's judgment the catcher had to go there to catch the ball, then its game on, the runner can try to wreck the catcher and knock the ball loose, and no one would be penalised for blocking the plate or for running into the catcher.

[KChiefs1]

Saw the top 100 right now & they had 6 Royals on it. Not bad.

[Cephalic Trauma]

Hey Lew. I realize I'm late, but cool pics bro!

[stonedstooge]

Eddie's glad he's not 3rd base coach anymore. He wouldn't have been able to send anyone with that new rule

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by alnorth

We should also note that there's one situation where the old rules still apply. If the catcher set up properly giving the runner part of the plate, but the throw home forces him to step in the runner's path to field the ball and in the umpire's judgment the catcher had to go there to catch the ball, then its game on, the runner can try to wreck the catcher and knock the ball loose, and no one would be penalised for blocking the plate or for running into the catcher.

I didn't read the extended version of the new rule, but I read the abridged version to say that the runner is not forbidden to blow up the catcher unless he deviates from the direct path to home base.

With the new rule, I think that it's still in a catcher's best interest to block the plate straight-on if he's intent on making an out. If he stands off to one side of the line or the other, it becomes much easier for the runner to slide around him on the other side (which he's still allowed to do, I think).

If I'm correct on that, we should still see plenty of physical clashes at home, for better or for worse.

[alnorth]

Yeah, after reading this story, it looks like I did not fully understand the rule.

If the catcher has the ball, then he's allowed to block the plate if he wants, but the runner is then allowed to crash into him. The only thing they were eliminating with this rule is the vicious hit where the catcher gave the runner part of the plate, but the runner decided to kill the catcher anyway.

It looks like they are allowing it only because it would be hard to get some catchers to change their instinct in such a short time, but its still in the best interest of each team to teach their catchers the swipe tag unless they don't really give a damn about the health of their catcher.

[Canofbier]

In other important baseball news, this man exists: