*** Official 2018 Royals Repository ***

[duncan_idaho]

The season is upon us, even if spring is not.

2018 MLB Draft Picks
#18
#33 - Compensation (Eric Hosmer)
#34 - Compensation (Lorenzo Cain)
#40 (Competitive Balance Round A)

018 Draft Names to Watch

RHP Kumar Rocker, N Oconnee HS, Georgia.

Spoiler!

Possibly goes top 10 but is a big, physical SP with ace potential. Moore and co. will be all over him if he slips a bit and could offer top 10 money at No. 16

OF Jarred Kelenic, Waukasha West HS, WI

Spoiler!

Kelenic is the top prep bat, toolsy OF. Royals would be ecstatic to have shot at him.

1B Triston Casas, American Heritage HS (FL).

Spoiler!

Tremendous raw power, best in HS bats. Royals typically like HS arms or HS bats with "special" tools. He qualifies.

RHP Carter Stewart, Eau de Gallie HS (Ga).

Spoiler!

Another big, physical specimen with huge upside. More likely to be available mid-first than Rocker.

ANY Any, Any (Any). Any current top projected pick who slides for injury concerns. Includes current top prospect prospect SP Brady Singer, U of Florida.

Current Prospects to Watch:

OF Seuly Matias - Huge tools. Hit 2 HR in Lexington (A) season opener.

1B Nick Pratto - Top pick in 17 has advanced approach and good glove; needs to start tapping into power in first full year in minors. Also at Lexington.

OF Michael Gigliotti - Good defender in CF, good OBP skills, plus baserunner. Next mainstay in CF for KC, IMO. Advanced college bat also starting at Lexington.

OF Khalil Lee - Probably has highest upside in Royals' system. Could hit 30 HR in majors, could steal 30 bases. Plus defensive ability in RF. Nice test at Wilmington this year.

3B Emmanuel Rivera - Really nice approach and good contact skills. Power is still developing. Also getting a good test at Wilmington.

SP Foster Griffin - Made nice strides in 2017. Needs to continue to progress in 2018. Could be a lefty version of Jakob Junis (good breaking ball that he can really manipulate, OK fastball, good command).

1B Samir Duenez - Duenez still is intriguing, hoping for a step forward in his power production this year at Northwest Arkansas, which would turn him into a legit prospect.

Others to keep an eye on:
SP Gerson Garabito (Wilmington), OF Marten Gasparini (Lexington), C MJ Melendez (Lexington), RP Tyler Zuber (lexington), RP Richard Lovelady (Omaha), SP Dan Tillo (Lexington), SS Nicky Lopez (NWA), SP Scott Blewett (NWA), OF Brewer Hicklen (Idaho Falls),

In general, Lexington and Wilmington are the most interesting spots to watch. Nice depth and a lot of interesting pieces at both.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Chris Meck

when you think about it, the back to back WS were really an aberration. NONE of our blue chip guys from the "BEST FARM SYSTEM IN BASEBALL" really became stars. Hosmer has never become what he was projected to be. Moose finally did, sort of, last year. I mean, Salvy is a fantastic defensive catcher with some power, but has never hit for average. Duffy has not been the frontline ace he was expected to be. Ventura was, well, Ventura, and maybe he would've put it together, maybe not. None of the other pitchers developed. None. We've not really truly developed anyone in a very, very long time. They were good enough AS A TEAM, along with Cain, Gordon, and the bullpen, which was freakishly good, but comprised largely of failed starters that converted well to relief.

I wouldn't call it an aberration - the best farm system in baseball was the backbone behind the best team in the AL in 2014 and the best team in baseball in 2015.

Moore's scouting worked, but there are components of his development that are concerning, especially since he will be prevented from loading up on Latin American talent like he did in the first go around.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

That turd Jack Maloof was the minor league hitting instructor for a long time before his disastrous stint as hitting coach in 2013, so I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

I'm amazed that the hitting coach of an MLB team had coached and convinced an entire team of his players to swing on pitches low in and out of the zone.

How long did we go without homering in 2013 before our savior Miguel Tejada came along? It was truly baffling.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Cain is the guy who did develop into what he was supposed to be..and he was largely developed by another organization.

Perez in a lot of ways should be considered a bonus, I don't ever remember him being on a top 100 list, he was never thought of the same way the other guys were around baseball. Hosmer, Moose and Myers were suppose to be stars. Duffy was supposed to be an ace...hell Mike Montgomery and John Lamb were suppose to be somebodies.

I won't go any further into pitching there really isn't an argument, they flat out sucked balls at developing pitchers. I do think their hitting approach like duncan said of "if they are producing leave them alone" led to a lot of big league struggles for those guys.

If a lot of bad habits had been broken early on in the organization it may have taken a bit longer for them to get here but we may have seen better players or some guys make it that didn't.

Some of it can be chalked up to developmental approach.

But some of it is also misunderstanding Baseball prospects and how different a beast it is.

The “elite” prospects the Royals had in the farm system in 2011 were Hosmer, Moustakas, Myers, and Lamb. That system had a crazy amount of depth, but guys like Duffy and Ventura and Chris Dwyer and etc who were on the back half of the top 100 were never expected to be superstars.

John Lamb’s injury killed him as a major leaguer. Never got his fastball back, lost the special command he had. Injuries happen.

Duffy was seen as a likely 3 with a 2 ceiling, never an ace. Montgomery was the same.

There is no such thing as a pitching prospect is a thing for a reason, the biggest reason being that if you have 4 pitching prospects, an AVERAGE return would be for one to be at least 80 percent of what he expected, two to bust, and one to be useful but as a bullpen guy or back-end starter.

An above average return would cut one of those busts out.

If you’re elite at developing pitching, like the Cardinals and Rays have been, you hit on 1/2 or close to it of your pitching prospects.

Compare what the Royals got out of Hosmer and Moustakas to what the Twins are getting out of their version of those two - Buxton and Sano (with Buxton being a more elite prospect by a wide margin than anyone else).

It also should be noted that guys like Perez and Cain and Dyson and Holland and Herrera, all key contributors to the run, were developed into far more than it was thought they would be. Have to apply credit in those situations, too.

[BWillie]

Duncan is Peter Gammons. Peter Gammons is Duncan.

I'm convinced.

[banecat]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Duncan is Peter Gammons. Peter Gammons is Duncan.

I'm convinced.

Has he gone on record as saying that there should be sixteen teams in NYC and fourteen in Boston yet?

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Duncan is Peter Gammons. Peter Gammons is Duncan.

I'm convinced.

I've yet to see Duncan unzip for a Curt Schilling effigy, so that's gonna be a no from me.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Duncan is Peter Gammons. Peter Gammons is Duncan.

I'm convinced.

Nah, I know Peter. I’m not Peter Gammons.

I’m a smarter, better looking version of Dave Cameron, without the raging ego and with the realization that analytics can’t tell me everything about Baseball and need to be combined with scouting sense.

Oh, and with a less annoying voice and less caustic, asshole-ish writing style.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

There was a lot of chatter about some things Myers had to fix as a hitter when he got to Tampa, so I think there’s something to that.

That turd Jack Maloof was the minor league hitting instructor for a long time before his disastrous stint as hitting coach in 2013, so I don’t think it’s a coincidence.

They were old school for too long, and the outcomes of that were overcoaching pitchers and forcing them into a specific box, and not coaching hitters enough as long as they were succeeding.

I think it has improved.

Re: Hosmer and his swing, maybe another org could have broken his bad habits... but not sure how many could have.

Are you worried that Dayton Moore offered alot of money to Hosmer.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Nah, I know Peter. I’m not Peter Gammons.

I’m a smarter, better looking version of Dave Cameron, without the raging ego and with the realization that analytics can’t tell me everything about Baseball and need to be combined with scouting sense.

Oh, and with a less annoying voice and less caustic, asshole-ish writing style.

Cameron is pretty damn smart. Annoying, biased, and socially awkward. But highly intel

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Titty Meat

Are you worried that Dayton Moore offered alot of money to Hosmer.

Worried? No. It’s a move in character with Moore.

I’m damn relieved they didn’t go that high for him, though.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Cameron is pretty damn smart. Annoying, biased, and socially awkward. But highly intel

For sure, he is.

He’s not smart enough to be objective about his blind spots or accept that he might not know everything... or that a formula might not be able to tell him everything.

[BWillie]

Brad Keller actually does suck. Just took a while. He was just pulling a Junis by making us think he might be good.

[siberian khatru]

Regression is a bitch

[Al Bundy]

Dozier looked really bad in that at bat. He was frozen

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Brad Keller actually does suck. Just took a while. He was just pulling a Junis by making us think he might be good.

Oh noes! He had a bad inning!

Moron.