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.

[doomy3]

Originally Posted by Brainiac

What a load of Bullshit. Your hatred of Sweeney is making you irrational.

Gil Meche was crazy to do what he did. I wouldn't and neither would you. If you say otherwise you're lying to yourself.

Sweeney was a great player who gave the Royals a hometown discount to stay in town. he didn't "steal" anything. He was putting up Brett-like numbers until his back and neck injuries ruined him. I honestly don't understand the hate.

It's blowfish.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Brainiac

What a load of Bullshit. Your hatred of Sweeney is making you irrational.

Gil Meche was crazy to do what he did. I wouldn't and neither would you. If you say otherwise you're lying to yourself.

Sweeney was a great player who gave the Royals a hometown discount to stay in town. he didn't "steal" anything. He was putting up Brett-like numbers until his back and neck injuries ruined him. I honestly don't understand the hate.

Like I said, the only rational reason is if you think he roided up and broke his own body down because of it. There's obviously no proof he did, but he was playing during the height of the PED era. (If he did though, then you can kinda-sorta be justified in hating him, I guess)

I've had this argument with Sweeney-haters many times, and thats usually where they go if pressed. At this point, I'm tired of arguing over or defending the guy, I just move on.

[Prison Bitch]

Braniac's post was just awful. Carry on.

[alnorth]

Very interesting article by Olney today (behind the inside paywall). Ervin Santana is basically screwed and probably should have figured out the best deal available during the week of the QO. Lots of teams are worried about his elbow (huh? Again with the elbow? None of us ever heard about this before) Next year, you'll probably start to see 2nd-tier free agents taking the QO.

Also, the Royals did try to trade Billy Butler, but they found out that full-time DH's have almost no value anymore, unless they are incredible hitters. AL teams generally do not want a full-time DH anymore, most of them prefer to rotate the DH spot around to keep their good-hitting catchers in the game and to give their other starters a half-day off.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Very interesting article by Olney today (behind the inside paywall). Ervin Santana is basically screwed and probably should have figured out the best deal available during the week of the QO.

The dream lives on.

[Bowser]

So at this point, what are the chances we actually bring Santana back, if any?

[alnorth]

We have a $12.5MM team option with a $1MM buyout in 2015 on Billy Butler. If we let him go some fans will cry about same old Royals letting their best players leave, but honestly I don't know if he's going to be worth it. This feels like a contract year to me, where Billy needs to prove that we should keep him on another year as a full-time DH.

How good does he have to be for you to pay him 12.5 in 2015? Would it be enough if he repeated 2012 (.882 OPS, a little over 3 WAR), or would he need to do better than that?

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Bowser

So at this point, what are the chances we actually bring Santana back, if any?

The general consensus is that the odds go up every day we get closer to Spring Training. After the Garza signing, someone here said the odds went from about 1 in a 1,000,000 to about 1 in a 1,000, and I would argue those odds have since gone up to around 1 in 100 (Still a longshot, but the odds are increasing moving in our direction).

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Also, the Royals did try to trade Billy Butler, but they found out that full-time DH's have almost no value anymore, unless they are incredible hitters. AL teams generally do not want a full-time DH anymore, most of them prefer to rotate the DH spot around to keep their good-hitting catchers in the game and to give their other starters a half-day off.

This was explained literally thousands of times on this board during the season to the Royal fans who love Billy, but it never sank in. He's slow and he GIDP like crazy and he makes $8M and he hit only 15HR and you can platoon other regulars in that spot and get the same production. Yet our fans still continued to think he was Miggy Cabrera's peer. It was pathetic.


A Butler who hits like he did in 2012 with 300-29-110 or whatever is a valuable DH. But even then he only had a 3.0 WAR. Numbers don't lie.

[DeezNutz]

$12.5M for Butters seems a bit too steep.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by alnorth

We have a $12.5MM team option with a $1MM buyout in 2015 on Billy Butler. If we let him go some fans will cry about same old Royals letting their best players leave, but honestly I don't know if he's going to be worth it. This feels like a contract year to me, where Billy needs to prove that we should keep him on another year as a full-time DH.

How good does he have to be for you to pay him 12.5 in 2015? Would it be enough if he repeated 2012 (.882 OPS, a little over 3 WAR), or would he need to do better than that?

We are also making a horrendous error in judgment if we allow Hoch and Davis' contracts to dissuade us from making a serious run at Ervin. His signing turns this team from a wild card hopeful to a team that could make a serious run in the postseason.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by DeezNutz

$12.5M for Butters seems a bit too steep.

8M is too steep.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by alnorth

We have a $12.5MM team option with a $1MM buyout in 2015 on Billy Butler. If we let him go some fans will cry about same old Royals letting their best players leave, but honestly I don't know if he's going to be worth it. This feels like a contract year to me, where Billy needs to prove that we should keep him on another year as a full-time DH.

How good does he have to be for you to pay him 12.5 in 2015? Would it be enough if he repeated 2012 (.882 OPS, a little over 3 WAR), or would he need to do better than that?

He has to be 4/5ths Cabrera good. As frustrating as he can be in pressure situations, or his bad habit of GIDP as PB pointed out, he's still one of the better hitters on the team. If he plays this season at 2013's level or below, you pull the eject lever on his ass for 2015, fan favorite or no. He HAS to step up at the plate this season. It is his ONE JOB.

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

The general consensus is that the odds go up every day we get closer to Spring Training. After the Garza signing, someone here said the odds went from about 1 in a 1,000,000 to about 1 in a 1,000, and I would argue those odds have since gone up to around 1 in 100 (Still a longshot, but the odds are increasing moving in our direction).

This is great news. I'm going to do my best not to get overly excited, but it's nice to know that the chance is looking better and better (no jinx, dammit). Santana returning with the guys we brought in would almost be fap worthy.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

This was explained literally thousands of times on this board during the season to the Royal fans who love Billy, but it never sank in. He's slow and he GIDP like crazy and he makes $8M and he hit only 15HR and you can platoon other regulars in that spot and get the same production. Yet our fans still continued to think he was Miggy Cabrera's peer. It was pathetic.


A Butler who hits like he did in 2012 with 300-29-110 or whatever is a valuable DH. But even then he only had a 3.0 WAR. Numbers don't lie.

I was wondering when you'd chime in.

2013: Billy had the second highest WAR for a DH.

You've never responded to this point, nor do I expect you to. In addition, please point us to alternatives who would have outdone or matched Butler's production in 2013.

Billy exceeded the WAR of Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez for 2013, so as usual, your argument holds little to no factual merit (you are a professional at this by now).

Now, 8.5 million is a perfectly reasonable amount to pay Butler at his level of production, but 12.5 million is a different story.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

The general consensus is that the odds go up every day we get closer to Spring Training. After the Garza signing, someone here said the odds went from about 1 in a 1,000,000 to about 1 in a 1,000, and I would argue those odds have since gone up to around 1 in 100 (Still a longshot, but the odds are increasing moving in our direction).

If he hasn't signed a few days or so after pitchers and catchers report, then I think our odds will be at least 1 in 10 or 1 in 5 at that point. I agree its 1 in 100 right now, which means I am fully expecting him to sign somewhere this next week

If he doesn't, then it could mean that he has quietly reached a verbal agreement with the Royals to sign for 1 year, but not until after the regular season has started. The only way to make sure you don't get a QO is to wait till after opening day to sign on for the year.