***Official 2022 Royals Season Repository Thread***

[ChiefsCountry]

For all things Royals in 2022. #3 minor league system according to Baseball America. The Bobby Witt era should begin this year. Will Salvy still be the homerun king? How does the glut of infield players work out? Will the young pitchers take the next step?

Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Zack Greinke, P
Amir Garrett, P
Taylor Clarke, P

Top 10 Prospects from Baseball America
1. Bobby Witt, SS
2. Asa Lacy, P
3. MJ Melendez, C
4. Nick Pratto, 1B
5. Jackson Kowar, P
6. Kyle Isabel, OF
7. Frank Mozzicato, P
8. Ben Kudrna, P
9. Jonathan Bowlan, P
10. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B

Duncan's Top Royals Prospects

Spoiler!

1. Bobby Witt, Jr., SS. MLB.
This status lasts about another 4 weeks, but let’s take a moment to appreciate having the top guy in the minor league prospects lists for at least a little while longer. Witt has prodigious ability and the question is really just IF he can meet it. They have not had a prospect like this in my lifetime, and really probably ever. Combine insane raw physical skills (right there with Adalberto Mondesi and Willie Wilson in the ranks right behind Bo Jackson) with unbelievable work ethic, a humble-but-confident nature, and already having shown he can struggle and overcome to achieve big success, and you have the tools for a show-stopping centerpiece. Oh, and throw in the former-player’s kid aspect on it on top of things, and there is every reason to believe he’s going to succeed and succeed big.
2. M.J. Melendez, C, AAA Omaha.
I was early on putting him in this slot last year, and I don’t regret it. The power, the ability to be a good defender behind the dish as well as having the athletic ability to play 3B or LF, too, and you have a really valuable overall piece and FANTASTIC understudy for Salvador Perez.
3. Asa Lacy, LHP. AA Northwest Arkansas
Whoa, let’s get crazy again. Lacy has outstanding stuff. Top of the system. He got hurt and lost his command during COVID times, but appears to be back on track so far this spring. If his command sticks, this is a guy who can move quickly. And his ceiling is really second to nobody in the minor league pitching ranks.
4. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B. AA Northwest Arkansas
Vinnie starts the season back at AA due to the guy who follows him on the list here. He just hits, folks. I love his combination of contact, loud contact, plate discipline, and lack of strikeouts. The Billy Butler comparisons are annoying (in that I will NEVER refer to this man as Italian Breakfast except in the instance that just occurred), but the Billy Butler comparisons are also fairly apt… if you made Butler a lefthanded hitter, AND improved his body/athleticism from a 20 to a 40, AND if you added that little extra touch of power we all wished Butler could consistently find.
5. Nick Pratto, 1B, AAA Omaha.
Hey, let’s stay at 1B. Pratto has flashy power and I love his batting eye AND his hand-eye coordination. The hair he’s been rocking this spring is also pretty sweet. I slot him just behind Pasquantino simply because I think his bat profile is more volatile. The glove and arm are sweet/plus for 1B, though.
6. Jonathan Bowlan, RHP, AAA Omaha
Bowlan is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and this ranking is assuming that recovering is successful. If it his, you’re talking about a big, consistent SP who throws hard enough and has enough of a repertoire to really make things happen. If the recovery goes well, he may be shuttling to the majors in July to reinforce the rotation.
7. Nick Loftin, CF, AA Omaha.
Loftin is a guy who has really grown on me. I saw him as a quasi super-utility guy when the Royals drafted him, The full-time shift to CF (which means they think he has the speed and the overall defensive ability to handle CF in Kansas City) adds a lot of value here. The ultimate positive offensive upside is similar to peak Whit Merrifield, maybe with a touch more early power.
8. Michael Massey, 2B, AA Northwest Arkansas.
Massey was an absolute revelation last year, hitting for power and average and keeping his K rate down while playing a really strong 2B. He has a very sweet, short lefthanded stroke. This is another aggressive rating, but Massey has proven himself through a tough minor league assignment already, and the arrow is pointed up.
9. Ben Kudrna, RHP, Rookie Ball
Kudrna is a big, physical specimen with a lot of upside and potential. The fastball and slider are already nearly MLB-level in terms of velocity and movement (command needs work). Kudrna is a guy who, with luck, and health, and good development, could ascend to the top of a rotation.
10. Frank Mozzicato, LHP, Rookie Ball.
Mozzicato has a curveball that suggests he has a feel for spin. If you want to dream, you hope that the next 2-3 years turn the 175 he weighed when drafted into a rock-solid 220/225 and carries with it an increase in fastball velocity from 90-91, sitting 87-88, to 96-97, sitting 93-94. You pair his ability to spin the ball (which also suggests he should be able to easily master a sweeper slider) with that type of fastball velo and a changeup he already has a feel for, and it’s an exciting profile.

He has a little more to go in terms of growing into that projectability than Kudrna, which is why he slots right behind him.
11. Alec Marsh, RHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Marsh missed a lot of 2021 to injury, but the hard-throwing righthander is another guy who could move quickly once the minor league season starts. He’s undeniably got the stuff of a quality major-league pitcher. The question is if he can master enough command to cash it in. This guy is a great example of TINSTAAPP.
12. Angel Zerpa, LHP, AAA Omaha
Zerpa might quickly outperform this slot. His stuff ticked up in 21 and he ended the season making a start in the majors. He’s nice depth to have, and honestly, I’m a big fan of just throwing numbers at pitching. Zerpa definitely helps create the depth you need to generate a top-notch and reliable home-grown rotation.
13. Maikel Garcia, SS, AA Northwest Arkansas
Garcia is a really intriguing hitter, a righthanded hitter who has a nice combination of contact skills and control of the strike zone (this cousin of Alcides Escobar is less savvy with the glove and more savvy at the plate). The Royals protected him for a reason (he’s on the 40-man).
14. Carter Jensen, C, A ??
Jensen is a local product whose bat will probably push him off C (as well as the Royals depth at that spot throughout the organization). This is a future 1B profile, and a nice one. He makes a lot of loud contact and shows an ability to lift the ball. Should be fun to watch this year.
15. Ben Hernandez, RHP, A+ Quad Rivers
Hernandez missed a good part of 2021 but still has that butterfly changeup and a classic pitcher’s profile. He’ll need to find a reliable swing-and-miss secondary to make it in the bigs, but if not, the fastball velocity and changeup should make him a quality high-leverage reliver.
16. Dylan Coleman, RHP, AAA Omaha
Speaking of relievers, Coleman is a hard-throwing righthander who probably spends most of 22 in the Royals’ pen. ½ of the compensation for the Rosenthal trade a few years back, Coleman has a big fastball and nasty breaking ball.
17. Will Klein, RHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Speaking of relivers, everything I just said about Coleman? Yeah, you can say it about Klein, too. Klein regularly toyed with hitters at high A last year, striking out 121 hitters in just 70 1/3 innings pitched. For those counting at home, that’s a 15.5 K/9 rate. Yep. That’ll play.
18. Anthony Veneziano, LHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Here’s another big, power arm. Veneziano hasn’t been relegated to bullpen only yet, though. His fastball bumped into the high 90s last year on a starter’s workload. He’s still looking for a changeup, but if he doesn’t find it, you’re looking at a really promising future bullpen fireballer.
19. Erick Pena, OF, A ?
Pena did… not have a strong 2021 full season debut. His struggles look a lot like those of Pratto and Melendez in 2019. Pena has the same type of raw toolkit to work from as those two, with great hands and natural power. He needs to fix a hitch in his swing and calm it down, but so did Melendez. Of this second ten grouping, Pena has the highest upside and could jump right into the top 5 of the org ranks.
20. Darryl Collins, OF, A+
Collins is an international signing out of Europe. I like the hitting package here – good eye and contact skills. He needs to make more loud contact, but if he can, really a nice guy.

Overall takeaways:
This is a system with a lot of depth. We could go another 10-12 deep and still be talking about guys with a good shot to make the majors. The changes to the organization’s approach are bearing fruit, as even less-heralded draftees are stepping forward.

The combination of upside (Witt, Melendez, Lacy), depth, and guys you can dream on is fun. It may not produce quite as much as the 2011 group did, but it does offer a more sustainable system, less reliant on a few big-ticket guys.

[Dartgod]

Originally Posted by BWillie

We have too many guys who play 1B/DH or cant really play OF.

Salvy
Pratto
Vinnie
Melendez
Dozier
OHearn

OHearn is easy. You just DFA. But when Salvy comes back you dont have any spots. I dont want Dozier in the OF or 3B. Hes a DH...and we already have three better ones.

Rivera > Dozier at 3rd and eventually Witt Jr may get moved there. Salvy and MJ cant catch at the same time.

Trading Pratto or Pasquantino appears inevitable to me. And Dozier has very little trade value, at least I suspect.

Trade Pratto or Pasquantino so we can keep Dozier?

[tk13]

Originally Posted by dallaschiefsfan

Context matters. It's not like he was striking out in the minors due to free-swinging / swing-and-miss ways. He's super patient and particular on "his pitch" and therefore, strikes out looking quite a bit. I actually think that plays up in the majors. The small sample size seems to bear that out thus far. As crazy as I get over umpires that won't call strikes on the edge of the zone, there are enough of those ego-monsters in the MLB umpiring ranks that might make Pratto into an OBP machine.

And on the larger subject of our rookie hitters, can we all just marvel at how competent and confident these guys look? I mean, the young guys that made up the 2015 WS team took SO long to get their stroke to a MLB championship level. These guys mostly look ready from day one. The amount of professional at-bats these guys are having is just super encouraging.

It is the bright spot of this season. The hitting development changes the organization made seem to be very legit. Guys are coming up and actually performing. Even before Dayton it always seemed like Royals prospects took a bit to get going but all of these guys look like they belong. Even guys like Eaton and Massey looked decent when they were brought up in the Toronto series.

[Vladimir_Kyrilytch]

Bwillie is the man. He spelled it "Vinnie", which is proper.

This "Vinny" business before bwillie will not stand.

He will not be traded.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by BWillie

We have too many guys who play 1B/DH or cant really play OF.

Salvy
Pratto
Vinnie
Melendez
Dozier
OHearn

OHearn is easy. You just DFA. But when Salvy comes back you dont have any spots. I dont want Dozier in the OF or 3B. Hes a DH...and we already have three better ones.

Rivera > Dozier at 3rd and eventually Witt Jr may get moved there. Salvy and MJ cant catch at the same time.

Trading Pratto or Pasquantino appears inevitable to me. And Dozier has very little trade value, at least I suspect.

You trade Dozier and DFA O'Hearn in your scenario. Unless you've missed it, Dozier is having a really respectable year. His RF is not bad. While he won't bring back much, thinking he's without value to another team is just ignoring the results.

Trading either of the two young, controllable players makes ZERO sense at this point, unless there's a significant return. Playing one of them in Omaha would be a better option until at least Beni is traded. Pratto can play LF, as he's shown in Omaha. Melendez can play some RF, as he's shown at MLB level already. Plenty of options to juggle these guys and their at-bats. Plus, with Salvy's injury, the smart move might just be that he sits on his days when not catching, rather than play DH every time. And finally...it's not like Salvy is going to be back this week. They'll likely have him play out his rehab assignment to the max. We're not really in need of him at this point - and thus, are under zero pressure to make such decisions.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

Trade Pratto or Pasquantino so we can keep Dozier?

Id trade Dozier for sure but you aren't gonna get much. I don't want Dozier on this team.

But Pratto. He may get you some ready AAA pitching that even our org couldn't **** up.

[Mizzou_8541]

Originally Posted by BWillie

We have too many guys who play 1B/DH or cant really play OF.

Salvy
Pratto
Vinnie
Melendez
Dozier
OHearn

OHearn is easy. You just DFA. But when Salvy comes back you dont have any spots. I dont want Dozier in the OF or 3B. Hes a DH...and we already have three better ones.

Rivera > Dozier at 3rd and eventually Witt Jr may get moved there. Salvy and MJ cant catch at the same time.

Trading Pratto or Pasquantino appears inevitable to me. And Dozier has very little trade value, at least I suspect.

Fair enough. But I wonder how much shelf life Salvy has left. Love the guy but he’s getting pretty old.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by Mizzou_8541

Fair enough. But I wonder how much shelf life Salvy has left. Love the guy but he’s getting pretty old.

Salvy is 32. He has some life left especially at DH.

Big Vin makes the most sense to trade. He has career DH written all over him.

[Prison Bitch]

Just make sal catch 100g, MJ 60. And maybe DH him 40g when Vinnie sits vs a LH

Really there’s plenty of room.

I don’t see them trading Vinnie Pratto or MJ. I’d see them dumping Salvy before they did that. Of course, he has negative trade value right now

[KChiefs1]

Should I get my hopes up on Zerpa?


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[tk13]

Of course we have a guy who is looking legit as a starter and now he gets hurt.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

Should I get my hopes up on Zerpa?


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Well he is 22. Hopefully he can learn on the job

[KChiefs1]

MJ Melendez needs a lot of work at catcher. I’m thinking he’d be better in the OF.


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[Al Bundy]

This will be the only season we have to watch Wyatt Mills play for the Royals, right?

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by KChiefs1

MJ Melendez needs a lot of work at catcher. I’m thinking he’d be better in the OF.


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Why does he suck so bad behind the plates even though reports from his milb seasons suggested he was a + defender back there?

[Vladimir_Kyrilytch]

Originally Posted by BWillie

Why does he suck so bad behind the plates even though reports from his milb seasons suggested he was a + defender back there?

Catcher defense is about to become mostly irrelevant with robo umps. I wouldnt sweat it.