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.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

Jonny Gomes is a #Royals trade target, according to @jcrasnick. He's an interesting name to consider. Down year, but big power.

— David Lesky (@DBLesky) July 14, 2014

Highest HR total in his career is 21 and a couple of years with 20. Sounds about right for DM.

[Reaper16]

Best argument for acquiring Jonny Gomes is that the Royals would then never have to face Jonny Gomes, who always seems to destroy the Royals.

[Archie F. Swin]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

His max HR's in a yr was 21 - which he did once. He hasn't hit 20 HR's since 2009. Since when is that considered BIG POWER? Only for the R's I guess.....JFC

His SLG/OPS numbers are pretty sexy

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Highest HR total in his career is 21 and a couple of years with 20. Sounds about right for DM.

Gomes has very rarely been a full-time player. He's generally used as a platoon guy against LHP, which he murders.

For his career, he hits a HR about once every 20 ABs (20.4). That's pretty legit (Considering that if he could do that over a full season, he'd be a 30 HR guy).

Career .279/.379/.496 hitter against southpaws. .222/.307/.416 against RHP.

Only issue I really see is that he's a LF/DH guy. Playing him in RF would be an extreme stretch, maybe even worse than playing Ibanez out there at this point.

[Sure-Oz]

They really should pursue Byrd and Dunn...need 2 power/driving hitters in this lineup to have a decent chance.

This lineup as constructed isn't getting in the playoffs

[ChiTown]

We need an everyday RF'r so we can punt Aoki's ass off our roster. He's been a forgetful addition. Gomes is NOT that answer

[ChiTown]

Let me also say, that Raul Ibanez has to go. Great guy, but watching him play LF makes my stomach turn worse than watching him at the plate.

[Archie F. Swin]

Can we say now that what happened four weeks ago with the 10 game streak was just the planets aligning and the sun shining on a dogs ass? Did we just catch a string of slumping hurlers?

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

We need an everyday RF'r so we can punt Aoki's ass off our roster. He's been a forgetful addition. Gomes is NOT that answer

An Aoki/Gomes platoon might not be awful, if Aoki has a strong second half. It's possible he's just finished, but it's also possible he returns to being a .280/.350 hitter, which would still be valuable at the top of the lineup.

I'd prefer an everyday guy, too, but Gomes would be better than doing nothing.
If Aoki continues to be ineffective, Dyson and Gomes would be a pretty nice pairing.

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

They really should pursue Byrd and Dunn...need 2 power/driving hitters in this lineup to have a decent chance.

This lineup as constructed isn't getting in the playoffs

I don't think Dunn helps nearly as much as people seem to think it does. And there's the matter of needing to unload Butler in the deal.

This board has always been higher on Dunn than I think he warrants, though. The HR numbers are sexy... the rest of the package, not so much. I think there's a good reason he's never played on a team that wins consistently.

He'd be fine as a complementary piece if you're asking him to hit 6th or 7th and be a three outcome guy from that spot in the lineup, but if you're asking him to hit in the middle, I think you're going to be disappointed.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

Can we say now that what happened four weeks ago with the 10 game streak was just the planets aligning and the sun shining on a dogs ass? Did we just catch a string of slumping hurlers?

It was several guys hitting well at the same time. Cain, Gordon and Butler were all going really well in the middle of that streak.

It wasn't just the 10-game streak... it was nearly a whole month of pretty good offensive success.

They're going to need to finish 15 games over .500 in the second half to be in position to make the playoffs (that would put them at 89 wins, which should be about the right mark).

For them to do that, it's hard to imagine it happening without another winning streak of some significance. If they can manage another 7-8 game streak and finish 7-8 games over .500 in the rest of the games, I think they're in.

It's hard to imagine that happening without significant improvement from the offense, though.

[RockChalk]

You guys are all worrying over nothing. Ned pointed out that we've been a 2nd half team the last two seasons, so he's certain we will be again in 2014. Nothing needs to be added. Ned knows baseball and it's been guaranteed by a higher power that we'll tear MLB up the next few months.

[Archie F. Swin]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

You guys are all worrying over nothing. Ned pointed out that we've been a 2nd half team the last two seasons, so he's certain we will be again in 2014. Nothing needs to be added. Ned knows baseball and it's been guaranteed by a higher power that we'll tear MLB up the next few months.

Hope is not business plan

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by Archie F. Swin

Hope is not business plan

Well that's the kind of BS that he gives media (us) every single interview.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by RockChalk

Well that's the kind of BS that he gives media (us) every single interview.

Giving the media BS is a manager's/head coach's job. The GM gives him the players.

[alnorth]

Salvador Perez has been announced as the starting catcher for tomorrow's all-star game (replacing the injured Wieters). Salvy will bat 9th.