***Official 2023 Royals Season Repository Thread***

[ChiefsCountry]

2023 – A new beginning for the Royals. Matt Quatraro era begins. A year to see which of our young players will make up the core going forward. Can Bobby Witt Jr become a superstar SS or will go to the hot corner? Will Brady Singer take the next step forward? Will Salvy be Salvy? Will Big Vin or Pratto take first base? Will they find a position for MJ? Who else emerges from the youth movement? Not to mention the development of the new downtown stadium.

Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Jordan Lyles, RHP
Ryan Yarbrough, LHP
Josh Taylor, LHP
Aroldis Chapman, LHP

Top 10 Prospects from Baseball America
1. Gavin Cross, OF
2. Cayden Wallace, 3B
3. Drew Waters, OF
4. Ben Kudrna, RHP
5. Frank Mozzicato, LHP
6. Maikel Garcia, SS
7. Tyler Gentry, OF
8. Nick Loftin, OF/3B
9. Angel Zerpa, LHP
10. Carter Jensen, C

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Seems to have worked well enough for the Athletics...

It works if you want a stadium in a different city.

[PHOG]

Originally Posted by Mecca

It works if you want a stadium in a different city.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Also tanking while asking for a stadium is kinda idiotic.

Not if when you open the new stadium and all the talent will be ready to win big

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Not if when you open the new stadium and all the talent will be ready to win big

But that isn't what is going to happen, this set of prospects is nowhere near what the last set was. And on top of that what they did was extremely rare, that for the most part never pans out that way.

If anything if they aren't going to be an active FA team you are looking at needing a whole nother round of big time prospects before they are competitive.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by Mecca

But that isn't what is going to happen, this set of prospects is nowhere near what the last set was. And on top of that what they did was extremely rare, that for the most part never pans out that way.

If anything if they aren't going to be an active FA team you are looking at needing a whole nother round of big time prospects before they are competitive.

Who says anything that it is this current group outside of Witt and Vinny? If you are tanking its going to be a 3 to 4 year process and it generally works. Which lines up with the time line of a new stadium.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Who says anything that it is this current group outside of Witt and Vinny? If you are tanking its going to be a 3 to 4 year process and it generally works. Which lines up with the time line of a new stadium.

Ok then so you are admitting this time isn't going to be any good until like 29, that's sad.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Mecca

The Royals have never once conveyed they are tanking on purpose though...the A's have.

Also tanking while asking for a stadium is kinda idiotic.

To his credit JJ Picollo did flat out say they were aiming more for 2024 or 25 which is a way different approach than Dayton took. He'd never say tanking I'm sure but basically using this as an evaluation year of what we have, which obviously doesn't look good.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by tk13

To his credit JJ Picollo did flat out say they were aiming more for 2024 or 25 which is a way different approach than Dayton took. He'd never say tanking I'm sure but basically using this as an evaluation year of what we have, which obviously doesn't look good.

Its very much exposing that a lot of these young players may not be what they were thought to be...

But at the same time how do you throw out evaluation year and give Hunter Dozier playing time, dudes been ass for 3 years.

Right now you've got Witt and Vinny and hopefully Melendez but it gets bleak real quick after that.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Mecca

But that isn't what is going to happen, this set of prospects is nowhere near what the last set was. And on top of that what they did was extremely rare, that for the most part never pans out that way.

If anything if they aren't going to be an active FA team you are looking at needing a whole nother round of big time prospects before they are competitive.

Witt/Pasquantino has every chance (and I'd go 2-1, in fact) of being better than Hosmer/Moustakas.

Melendez continues to be a pivot point for you guys, IMO.

Wasn't it 2011 that BA said the Royals have 'the greatest farm system of all time!' or something like that?

So y'all had Moose, Hosmer and Myers. Duffy, Montgomery, Lamb, Odorizzi, Jeffress and....stuff. Dwyer I guess.

I'd say Witt, Pasta and Melendez can or even SHOULD be better than Moose, Hosmer and Myers. Salvador Perez came out of nowhere. The rest of that vaunted group was mostly used as trade bait.

It's the pitching and supporting players that need work. Supporting players just kinda happen when you try; it's not that hard to get them and if the Royals weren't tanking, they'd have 'em. Though finding a Lorenzo Cain as an underrated badass will be tough. Not sure what to tell you there. But the rest of that position player group from 2014 isn't that difficult to replicate or surpass.

But SPs is a tough nut. Volquez, Ventura, Duffy is a solid 1-3 (or was at the time). But is it something they truly can't recreate? Obviously you need Singer to stop sucking and then Bubic to stay healthy while Keller continues to progress. That's a viable 2-4-5 if Singer gets it figured out. If you manage to hit on a SP with your 1st or 2nd who can lead a rotation and then fill in the 3 spot with a reliable veteran (not unlike Cueto) you're again similarly situated to the 2014 squad.

The elephant in the room was that bullpen. And frankly, you just don't plan on that. It happens. Oftentimes by blind dumb luck.

I dunno - I don't think it's as insane as you do. There's a path to relevance but it comes with far more consistent and reliable player development than we seem to have seen from the Royals this year. Too many young guys have gone backwards.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Witt/Pasquantino has every chance (and I'd go 2-1, in fact) of being better than Hosmer/Moustakas.

Melendez continues to be a pivot point for you guys, IMO.

Wasn't it 2011 that BA said the Royals have 'the greatest farm system of all time!' or something like that?

So y'all had Moose, Hosmer and Myers. Duffy, Montgomery, Lamb, Odorizzi, Jeffress and....stuff. Dwyer I guess.

I'd say Witt, Pasta and Melendez can or even SHOULD be better than Moose, Hosmer and Myers. Salvador Perez came out of nowhere. The rest of that vaunted group was mostly used as trade bait.

It's the pitching and supporting players that need work. Supporting players just kinda happen when you try; it's not that hard to get them and if the Royals weren't tanking, they'd have 'em. Though finding a Lorenzo Cain as an underrated badass will be tough. Not sure what to tell you there. But the rest of that position player group from 2014 isn't that difficult to replicate or surpass.

But SPs is a tough nut. Volquez, Ventura, Duffy is a solid 1-3 (or was at the time). But is it something they truly can't recreate? Obviously you need Singer to stop sucking and then Bubic to stay healthy while Keller continues to progress. That's a viable 2-4-5 if Singer gets it figured out. If you manage to hit on a SP with your 1st or 2nd who can lead a rotation and then fill in the 3 spot with a reliable veteran (not unlike Cueto) you're again similarly situated to the 2014 squad.

The elephant in the room was that bullpen. And frankly, you just don't plan on that. It happens. Oftentimes by blind dumb luck.

I dunno - I don't think it's as insane as you do. There's a path to relevance but it comes with far more consistent and reliable player development than we seem to have seen from the Royals this year. Too many young guys have gone backwards.

The best overall player on that team was Lorenzo Cain...to many things for that team broke right to get to those WS.

I'm not going to grade on tripping into a bucket and getting lucky, logically speaking with the attrition rate of baseball, the shitty development the Royals have had, it's gonna be awhile.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Mecca

The best overall player on that team was Lorenzo Cain...to many things for that team broke right to get to those WS.

I'm not going to grade on tripping into a bucket and getting lucky, logically speaking with the attrition rate of baseball, the shitty development the Royals have had, it's gonna be awhile.

Small market teams will always have to get a lot of things to break right to win it all.

All they can do is be prepared to capitalize on the opportunity. If the Royals don't make the Greinke trade and get Cain, etc... the rest of those pieces falling into place make them an 85 win ballclub.

Sure, they're going to have to make some good moves - winning a championship isn't easy.

But I'm speaking mostly to the prospect pool caliber. The 2011 Royals prospect pool ended up being pretty damn overrated. And the guys they have at the head of their class right now could easily be just as good. Especially if Cross busts out and BECOMES that Cain sort of player - as a guy taken that high could. And you have to figure they're picking top 5 this year so they'll get another handful of strong prospects.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Small market teams will always have to get a lot of things to break right to win it all.

All they can do is be prepared to capitalize on the opportunity. If the Royals don't make the Greinke trade and get Cain, etc... the rest of those pieces falling into place make them an 85 win ballclub.

Sure, they're going to have to make some good moves - winning a championship isn't easy.

But I'm speaking mostly to the prospect pool caliber. The 2011 Royals prospect pool ended up being pretty damn overrated. And the guys they have at the head of their class right now could easily be just as good. Especially if Cross busts out and BECOMES that Cain sort of player - as a guy taken that high could. And you have to figure they're picking top 5 this year so they'll get another handful of strong prospects.

Possibly, but what gets me is small markets are paying money now..just not this one or Oakland.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Possibly, but what gets me is small markets are paying money now..just not this one or Oakland.

To what purpose?

Again - they're tanking. They're trying to rebuild the prospect pool. Throwing another $50 million at back of the rotation starters or middle relievers isn't going to do anything other than get them to maybe 70 wins. And in so doing, it will actually take them further away from playoff contention.

Now if they're still being cheap in 2025, I'll get it. And yeah, this process has probably taken 2 years longer than it ought but that was due in large part to Moore refusing to acknowledge the reality in front of him and deal guys like Whit, Perez, Barlow, etc... when they were at/near their peak value.

But for now, they're simply better served eating shit this year and probably next.

[duncan_idaho]

I talked about this briefly yesterday, but the plan for the next five years pretty much has to be:

1) Lock up and build around Witt, Pasquantino, and Melendez
2) Hope you get one more really good everyday starter out of Nick Loftin, Maikel Garcia, Michael Massey, and Nick Pratto.
3) Get Brady Singer back on track and extend him. Get a pair of credible MLB starters out of Keller, Lynch, Alex Marsh, Kris Bubic
4) Do a better job of development in the minors and start accelerating good pieces into the majors off the backs of that.

No easy chore.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by tk13

To his credit JJ Picollo did flat out say they were aiming more for 2024 or 25.

Yippee!

Btw DM did say it could take 10 years when he was hired. He ended up being right. But then after 2017 it was: complete by 2021. Now it’s 2025. When that time arrives it’ll be shifted back to 2029.

When 2029 comes around……