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.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Dyson was never going anywhere. If we sign Boni, we don't need Ciriaco or Valencia.

Oh, I know that. Even though Valencia is a more strategic piece than Dyson when you have a Bonifacio available, they were never going to walk way from him.

There are all kinds of lightning fast guys who can play a mediocre CF and be a pinch-run weapon but not really hit in baseball. And they're cheap and easily acquired.

[gblowfish]

Originally Posted by tyton75

Valencia is making this team; like it or not. Don't know if he could spell Escobar and Infante at times, but I would imagine he could occasionally.

Ned: "Can he bunt? Is he a good bunter??? FAP FAP FAP...."

[Sure-Oz]

If the Bluejays arent going to sign Erv, then who will at this point?

[Wilson8]

Originally Posted by Sure-Oz

If the Bluejays arent going to sign Erv, then who will at this point?

From USATODAY.COM from about 20 minutes ago…

Story is where they think Stephen Drew, Nelson Cruz and Ervin Santana will sign –

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/nels...b-free-agents/

Nelson Cruz – Baltimore Orioles

The Orioles just signed Ubaldo Jimenez, so they’ve already given up their first-round pick for the June draft. And with Chris Davis, Nick Markakis, J.J. Hardy and Matt Wieters approaching free agency, the Orioles should work to contend in the next couple of seasons.

Bringing on the slugging Cruz would mean fewer at-bats for DH Nolan Reimold, who struggled heftily in 2013, and outfielder David Lough, a useful player but not one capable of Cruz’s offensive production. Plus he would provide a hedge in case Markakis struggles as he did in 2013, and keeps the club from having to use Delmon Young in any capacity.

Stephen Drew – New York Mets

Drew and the Mets have been linked in rumor throughout the offseason, but the Mets keep downplaying the possibility they’ll actually sign him. After Matt Harvey’s elbow injury, the club appears unlikely to transition from rebuilding to contending in 2014. But the Mets’ stable of young arms other than Harvey mean they can reasonably hope to compete in 2015.

Adding Drew would give the team a good defender and solid hitter that’s supposedly open to playing multiple infield positions. Though his reported demand for an opt-out after Year 1 of any deal does not make sense for the Mets, bringing him in on a two- or three-year deal they find palatable would give them some flexibility and another steady hand in an infield that currently features question marks at shortstop and first base. And since the club’s first-round pick is protected and second-rounder went to sign Curtis Granderson, the Mets would only need part with a third-round pick to add Drew.

Ervin Santana: Chicago White Sox

OK, this one seems like a long shot, since most seemed to agree the White Sox were done with big-ticket purchases after the signing of Cuban defector Jose Abreu to a 6-year, $68 million deal. But the Sox’ first-round pick in 2014 — the third overall — is protected, and GM Rick Hahn quietly had what looks like a very good offseason.

Crazy as it might sound for a team that finished 63-99 in 2013, adding Santana would shore up a Sox rotation that includes young ace Chris Sale, unheralded but very good 25-year-old lefty Jose Quintana, and Erik Johnson, a 24-year-old righty who made five successful big-league starts in 2013 after a minor league campaign that saw him go 12-3 with a 1.96 ERA across Double- and Triple-A.

In the past seven months, the Sox have added four very promising young position players in Abreu, Adam Eaton, Matt Davidson and Avisail Garcia. Bringing in a solid starter like Ervin Santana could make them an unlikely Wild Card contender despite their 2013 finish.

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2014/02/nels...b-free-agents/

[Bowser]

Oh come on, not the ****ing White Sox. I'd almost rather see him with Detroit than those Chicago strokes.

[stonedstooge]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Ned: "Can he bunt in the early innings? Is he a good bunter??? FAP FAP FAP...."

Fixed

[KChiefs1]

I don't want Santana on the White Sox.

[Sure-Oz]

I'd really hate it if Santana was in the Al Central

[sedated]

Meh, seeing an AL central team sign Santana would be a roll of the dice. He is either a big piece toward hurting the Royals, or he is a money pit that goes back to his 5 ERA and costs them a chunk for a few years.

[KChiefs1]

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minor...rospects-free/


4 Royals in the top 100:

23. Kyle Zimmer:
In flashes, Zimmer was as good as any pitching prospect in the minors last year, his first full season after being the fifth overall pick in 2012. Now he has to show more than flashes.

26. Yordano Ventura:
The majors’ hardest-throwing starter has proven he can handle a minor league workload, but the smallish Ventura has to show he can do it over 162 games.

47. Raul Mondesi:
The toolsy teen is starting this season at the same age as most high school draftees. Mondesi’s production should climb as his body matures and his experience grows.

90. Jorge Bonafacio:
He can’t be Wil Myers, but a healthy, productive start—and maybe a bit more loft in his swing—will put Bonifacio on track to providing a reasonable facsimile.

[WhawhaWhat]

Saw this on mlbtraderumors.com this morning.

Oregon State left-hander Ben Wetzler was indefinitely suspended by the NCAA for inappropriate contact with a financial advisor after he was drafted in the fifth round by the Phillies last June, and Baseball America's Aaron Fitt reports (all Twitter links) that it was the Phils themselves who turned Wetzler in to the NCAA. The club also tried to report sixth-round pick Jason Monda, but Monda was cleared by the NCAA to continue playing for Washington State. Wetzler and Monda, both college juniors, turned to school rather than sign with the Phillies, and Fitt notes that it is "a significant departure from [the] industry norm" for teams to report on their unsigned players.

Scumbags in Philly.

[blake5676]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Saw this on mlbtraderumors.com this morning.



Scumbags in Philly.

Complete bullsh%t. And can the NCAA be a bigger joke? So sick of hearing about ridiculous stuff like this while they laugh with tons of $$$ in the bank.

On the other hand, good luck to Philly in getting any youngsters to believe and trust you again. Hopefully it bites them in the ass for awhile.

[blake5676]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minor...rospects-free/


4 Royals in the top 100:

Somewhat surprised there's no Almonte on the list but he made a couple of the others. No real surprises on the list for me. Was a little surprised at some of the ETA's on these guys. When I was looking it over it seemed like 40 out of the top 50 had 2014 ETA next to their names. Somewhat ambitious if you ask me.

Overall, nice to see us back in the top 10 after graduating so many 2 and 3 years ago. Latin America has been good to us

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by sedated

Meh, seeing an AL central team sign Santana would be a roll of the dice. He is either a big piece toward hurting the Royals, or he is a money pit that goes back to his 5 ERA and costs them a chunk for a few years.

+1

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

http://www.baseballamerica.com/minor...rospects-free/4 Royals in the top 100:

That's pretty terrible. Only 4? With where we've been drafting, and with the resources we've been allocating to the farm system? Brutal.