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.

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

Duffy

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

MLB needs to respond to the marketplace and shorten games. There is zero doubt fans want shorter games and surveys show this. When you factor in the 10-min attention span of their future customers, the milennials, it's a no-brainer. Calling strikes is one of the few options they have but when you do, you slash runs. To compensate you have to increase speed.


The move towards expanded instant replay is a step in the wrong direction. It'll bore the shit outta fans and increase game lengths. Sorry but a blown call over the course of 162 games isn't worth the endless delays coming on board.


Finally they should limit pitching changes. They're awful. Watching some of the NL playoffs those d-bag managers were doing multiple swaps in the same half inning. You should get 1 pitching change in an inning. ("You can't do that Bitch!" says Duncan. Yes we can! Yes we can!)

I'd actually be just fine with one pitching change an inning. I think that's a good idea. Though I'm sure NL honks would claim it takes the strategy out of the game... and then go masturbate to a montage of the best sac bunts of Tom Glavine's career.

Ultimately, I think deadening the ball would be the biggest helpful factor. Games would move faster. Fewer walks. More strikes thrown. Faster-paced games.

But it would depress offense, which probably is a bigger net loss in terms of fan appeal than speeding up the game.

[Discuss Thrower]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I'd actually be just fine with one pitching change an inning. I think that's a good idea. Though I'm sure NL honks would claim it takes the strategy out of the game... and then go masturbate to a montage of the best sac bunts of Tom Glavine's career.

Ultimately, I think deadening the ball would be the biggest helpful factor. Games would move faster. Fewer walks. More strikes thrown. Faster-paced games.

But it would depress offense, which probably is a bigger net loss in terms of fan appeal than speeding up the game.

I mean is there any hard statistical evidence that you have to switch pitchers in those situations in order to win or is it just conventional baseball wisdom without the backing due to small sample size.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I'd actually be just fine with one pitching change an inning. I think that's a good idea. Though I'm sure NL honks would claim it takes the strategy out of the game... and then go masturbate to a montage of the best sac bunts of Tom Glavine's career.

Ultimately, I think deadening the ball would be the biggest helpful factor. Games would move faster. Fewer walks. More strikes thrown. Faster-paced games.

But it would depress offense, which probably is a bigger net loss in terms of fan appeal than speeding up the game.

The walk and HR rate is pretty much where it should be, I think. So, I'm not sure I agree with deadening the ball to reduce home runs even further.

There are too many strikeouts, and bringing the pitcher back another couple feet should fix that. I don't think the length of the game is a real problem right now, but reducing strikeouts and having more balls in play would incidentally shorten the game as well.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by Discuss Thrower

I mean is there any hard statistical evidence that you have to switch pitchers in those situations in order to win or is it just conventional baseball wisdom without the backing due to small sample size.

If you are playing to lefty/righty matchups then having multiple pitching changes can easily be statistically justified.

I don't see a problem with pitching changes, if a manager wants to buzzsaw through his entire bullpen, fine.

[Deberg_1990]

It sucks that some MLB games are 4 hours, but its probably a small percentage that are that long. I think its more a problem with the post season games than the regular season. nearly every post season game runs long now days.
Posted via Mobile Device

[-King-]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I'd actually be just fine with one pitching change an inning. I think that's a good idea. Though I'm sure NL honks would claim it takes the strategy out of the game... and then go masturbate to a montage of the best sac bunts of Tom Glavine's career.

Ultimately, I think deadening the ball would be the biggest helpful factor. Games would move faster. Fewer walks. More strikes thrown. Faster-paced games.

But it would depress offense, which probably is a bigger net loss in terms of fan appeal than speeding up the game.

Wouldn't lessening pitching changes raise offensive outputs? Since you can't do a bunch of matchup based pitching changes and also because you're stuck with the 2nd pitcher even if he's giving up a lot of hits.

[chiefsfan987]

Since you're talking about speeding up the game, I think one thing they absolutely should do is force the batters to stay in the batters box. Once they get in, keep your ass in the batters box. Don't allow them to call time out or get out of the box every damn pitch unless they broke their bat or there was a wild pitch or something. You could take a lot of time off a game just by not allowing them to do that. When you come to the plate you should be ready to hit. I'm tired of the pitchers and hitters playing chicken.

[-King-]

Originally Posted by chiefsfan987

Since you're talking about speeding up the game, I think one thing they absolutely should do is force the batters to stay in the batters box. Once they get in, keep your ass in the batters box. Don't allow them to call time out or get out of the box every damn pitch unless they broke their bat or there was a wild pitch or something. You could take a lot of time off a game just by not allowing them to do that. When you come to the plate you should be ready to hit. I'm tired of the pitchers and hitters playing chicken.

Hey, Cain needs to make 75 glove adjustments each at bat! Can't take that away from him.

But seriously, sometimes it does get pretty ridiculous, Cain being one of the worst offenders I see. There's no reason he needs to adjust his gloves every pitch.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by chiefsfan987

Since you're talking about speeding up the game, I think one thing they absolutely should do is force the batters to stay in the batters box. Once they get in, keep your ass in the batters box. Don't allow them to call time out or get out of the box every damn pitch unless they broke their bat or there was a wild pitch or something. You could take a lot of time off a game just by not allowing them to do that. When you come to the plate you should be ready to hit. I'm tired of the pitchers and hitters playing chicken.

I disagree.

This penny-ante stuff about regulating pitching changes or where a batter can stand seems worthless to me. As long as the pitcher throws 60.5 feet from the plate, the delay doesn't matter. Its already a 3 hour game, who cares about a few more or less minutes?

[KChiefs1]

Every day that passes I think this might happen.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1...-ervin-santana

Kansas City Royals Need to Re-Sign Pitcher Ervin Santana

Associated Press Santana is still out there, and the Royals still need a starter.

It's March and Ervin Santana is still sitting out there in free agency without a home. The Kansas City Royals still have a glaring hole at the top of their starting rotation.

The solution for both sides would seem to be pretty simple at this point: a one-year deal for the $14.1 million qualifying offer that Santana turned down at the start of free agency. It allows both sides to save face and move forward for the 2014 season.

Santana would come back to the Royals with the understanding that the Royals would not place the compensation tag on Santana again after this season, making him a true free agent. They could also offer a handshake agreement to trade him if the team falls out of contention by the July trade deadline.

It seems obvious. But it hasn't happened yet. Why?

The 31-year-old Santana was excellent for Kansas City in 2013, and in the process, he salvaged his career and looked primed to cash in on a pitching-starved free-agent market. Don't be deceived by his 9-10 record; the rest of the numbers are indicative of a top-tier starter—a 3.24 ERA in 211 innings with a 1.142 WHIP.

The draft pick compensation has obviously become a bigger hindrance to all of the players and teams in MLB more than anyone would have anticipated. In the past, teams would not have been nearly so reluctant to surrender draft picks. Teams have now come to the understanding that young, cost-controlled prospects are the most valuable commodity in the sport.

This slow market should actually be helping the Royals at this point. At the start of free agency, it looked extremely unlikely that Santana would return to Kansas City. Now, unless Santana wants to give himself away, the Royals are clearly his best option at this point.

Which begs the question: What else might be holding up a deal for Santana?

Besides being reluctant to surrender a draft pick, teams might simply be wary of Santana's inconsistent performance and be unwilling to commit to a long-term deal when they are unsure of the return. Santana has always displayed tremendous stuff, but the results have mostly failed to live up to expectations during his career after a solid start.

Santana spent his first eight seasons with the Los Angeles Angels, posting a 96-80 record with a career ERA of 4.19. Indicative of his struggles to put it all together with the Angels was the fact that he only posted three seasons of a sub-4.00 ERA during in his eight-year stint with Los Angeles.

Payroll might be another factor playing a huge part in keeping the Royals from re-signing Santana. Last year, the Royals spent $81.8 million on player salaries. This year, they are already on the books for $90 million without Santana. Increasing payroll another $14 million might be tough to justify, but this would be a one-year deal to try and get the team to the playoffs.

This is a huge year for Kansas City. The Royals finished with a 86-76 record in 2013, good enough for third place in the AL Central. Kansas City has to seize the opportunity in front of it to try and make the playoffs this season. The Royals will likely lose staff ace James Shields to free agency at the end of the season, putting even more pressure on Kansas City to make the most of the 2014 season.

On paper, the Kansas City rotation will be led this season by Shields and veteran Jeremy Guthrie. Earlier in the winter, the Royals invested $32 million into a four-year deal with lefty Jason Vargas. The deal for Vargas seemed far too rich back in November and looks even worse now in March. That money looks like it would have been much better spent on trying to bring back Santana and solidifying the Royals rotation.

Kansas City general manager Dayton Moore and manager Ned Yost were both given two-year contract extensions, taking them both through the 2015 season. Even with the extensions, patience must be running out and there has to be some frustration from fans and ownership about the Royals' inability to get over the hump within the division. Last season was only the second time since 1993 that the Royals have finished with a winning record.

The Royals have a good, young core of position players like Alex Gordon, Eric Hosmer and Salvador Perez, along with a great bullpen headed by Greg Holland. The Royals are a team who might be capable of surprising in the American League this season

But without Santana, it's hard to see the Royals contending for a playoff spot.

[duncan_idaho]

Random thoughts today:

I still don't place any likelihood on it - especially since Santana's agent has taken the hard line stance that they want 4 years and $50 million and will wait until the day after the draft to sign, so the draft pick compensation doesn't apply - but signing Santana certainly would increase the upside for this season. And would likely have to be balanced out by trades that move guys like Hochevar and Davis and maybe even Crow for whatever return can be gained at this point, no matter how minimal it might be.

At that point, I think you see Chen start the year as the No. 5 starter, with both Ventura and Duffy in Omaha. Whichever of those two is performing better likely gets the call at the end sometime between end of April/middle May to take over the 5 spot, with Chen sliding to the bullpen.

And even if all that happened, I wouldn't be surprised if Vargas has a better season than Santana.

Anyway... on the subject of pitching... I have a little bit of optimism about John Lamb for the first time since Spring training of last year. He has to show he can maintain it over a full start/outing and over the course of a season, but if his velocity is back in the 90-94 range, that's a really nice cherry on top from a guy almost everyone had left for dead.

TINSTAAPP still applies to all of thse pitching prospects, but the more you have, the better your chances of hitting with some of them.

Unless you're the Mets. In which case your current trend seems to be that you hit with every single one of them.

[TLO]

Hochaver injured. UCL injury.

Best case scenario he's back in late May or June.

[-King-]

Luke Hochaver shut down for 2-4 weeks with a UCL sprain.
Posted via Mobile Device

[C3HIEF3S]

Hoch torn UCL. Out until may according to twitter.