***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.

[siberian khatru]

Bobby Witt Jr. was called in Mike Matheny’s office. He found Whit Merrifield, Andrew Benintendi and Salvador Perez waiting to welcome him to the big leagues.

“Tears came to my eyes,” the Royals 3B said. #Royals

— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) April 5, 2022

[WhawhaWhat]

Pitchers and catchers will have the option of using signaling devices as they decide what pitches to throw in the upcoming regular season, sources told @Buster_ESPN.

This technology could help to advance MLB beyond the risk of the sign-stealing scandals. https://t.co/PQRmJvxORY

— ESPN (@espn) April 5, 2022

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by KCTitus

omfg...thread tools, ignore.

You seem nice

[cosmo20002]

Drew Butera Retires



Drew Butera has made the leap from the roster to the coaching staff, as Sam Blum of The Athletic reports that Butera will now act as the bullpen catcher for the Angels.

Butera was selected by the Mets in the fifth round of the 2005 draft but was traded before making it to the big leagues. In 2007, he was sent to the Twins as part of the deal for second baseman Luis Castillo. Butera went on to make his MLB debut as a Twin in 2010 and played parts of four seasons in Minnesota. Although he didn’t hit much in that time, he did rack up one significant career highlight in that stretch, as he caught Francisco Liriano’s 2011 no-hitter.

He was traded to the Dodgers at the deadline in 2013 and spent a season and a half there, catching a second no-hitter, this time with Josh Beckett in 2014. After that season, he was traded across town to the Angels, playing just ten games for them in 2015 before being traded to the Royals. This proved to be an extremely fortuitous deal for Butera, as Kansas City would go on to win the World Series that fall. In the final game of the series, the club’s starting catcher, Salvador Perez, was removed for a pinch runner, which led to Butera catching the final strike as Wade Davis struck out Wilmer Flores to clinch the title.

The following year was probably Butera’s best, at least at the plate. He hit .285/.328/.480 for a wRC+ of 115 in 56 games, a showing that earned him a two-year, $3.8MM deal to stay in KC. He was traded to the Rockies in the second year of that deal and then spent the next few seasons there, with a brief interlude in the Phillies organization for Spring Training 2019. Last year, he got into 12 games with the Angels, the team with which he will now stay on in his new role.

Butera, 38, finishes his career having made 1,473 plate appearances in 556 MLB games over 12 seasons, racking up 262 hits, 59 doubles, 5 triples, 19 homers, 123 runs scored and 123 runs batted in. He caught the final out of a World Series and a pair of no-hitters. MLBTR congratulates Butera on a fine playing career and wishes him the best in his coaching career and any other post-playing ventures.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/...a-retires.html

[tk13]

He did catch the final strike, but Butera's biggest contribution was taking that 10 pitch walk in game 4 against the Astros when the Royals made the big comeback. Kept the inning alive.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

Bobby Witt Jr. was called in Mike Matheny’s office. He found Whit Merrifield, Andrew Benintendi and Salvador Perez waiting to welcome him to the big leagues.

“Tears came to my eyes,” the Royals 3B said. #Royals

— Josh Vernier (@JoshVernier610) April 5, 2022

Tears came to my eyes too!

When I read “3B”

[Coach]

Glad to see BWJ making the roster, as he should. He's more than ready.

On a side note, I am not too thrilled about the pitching staff, especially with Hellen Keller pitching as #2. Keller sucked hard last year with a 4.72 FIP (Bubic was worse with a 5.14).

This should have gone as:

1. Greinke
2. Hernandez
3. Singer
4 and 5 between Keller, Bubic, and Lynch.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by Coach

Glad to see BWJ making the roster, as he should. He's more than ready.

On a side note, I am not too thrilled about the pitching staff, especially with Hellen Keller pitching as #2. Keller sucked hard last year with a 4.72 FIP (Bubic was worse with a 5.14).

This should have gone as:

1. Greinke
2. Hernandez
3. Singer
4 and 5 between Keller, Bubic, and Lynch.

This will not be a big deal. Keller is more likely to bounce back than continue regression. He's a good bet to lead the young arms in innings pitched, he has the longest history of effectiveness, etc. Bubic has been really effective this spring. Hernandez has not been sharp at all. Plus, in a month, it likely won't matter who started out as the 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5. And last year is history.

[Dartgod]

So who is planning on freezing their ass off for the home opener? I'm going on a vendor's dime with a co-worker, but I'm not thrilled that I will have to dress for a football game.

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

So who is planning on freezing their ass off for the home opener? I'm going on a vendor's dime with a co-worker, but I'm not thrilled that I will have to dress for a football game.

Yeah, I'm there. Letting the kids play a half day of hooky. Not sure how long they and the Mrs. will be able to last but we'll see.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by Coach

Glad to see BWJ making the roster, as he should. He's more than ready.

On a side note, I am not too thrilled about the pitching staff, especially with Hellen Keller pitching as #2. Keller sucked hard last year with a 4.72 FIP (Bubic was worse with a 5.14).

This should have gone as:

1. Greinke
2. Hernandez
3. Singer
4 and 5 between Keller, Bubic, and Lynch.

Bubic really turned it on in his last 14 games with a 3.68 ERA, 4.36 FIP. He pitched really well from July 17th through the end of the season. He pitched just as well if not better than Hernandez did during that stretch.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Coach

Glad to see BWJ making the roster, as he should. He's more than ready.

On a side note, I am not too thrilled about the pitching staff, especially with Hellen Keller pitching as #2. Keller sucked hard last year with a 4.72 FIP (Bubic was worse with a 5.14).

This should have gone as:

1. Greinke
2. Hernandez
3. Singer
4 and 5 between Keller, Bubic, and Lynch.

It's not just about last year, though.

Bubic has added a new pitch (the sweeper slider that has become quite popular of late) that layers well with his changeup and should let both the changeup and fastball play up. He's been good in spring training and was really good down the stretch last year.

Keller is probably somewhere in between the guy he was last year and the guy he was the year before that. Which is pretty good.

Hernandez hasn't been good this spring and I don't think will have a long leash. We'll see if they slot Singer in there. I think Lynch gets the nod for 5th starter when the turn comes up, with Singer transitioning to the pen full time.

This is the benefit of having pitching depth, finally, amongst prospects. If one dude doesn't work out, you aren't screwed.

[WhawhaWhat]

Cool drone video.

Flying through the finishing touches.#TogetherRoyal pic.twitter.com/7xHfKdHrH0

— Kansas City Royals (@Royals) April 6, 2022

[TLO]

Originally Posted by Dartgod

So who is planning on freezing their ass off for the home opener? I'm going on a vendor's dime with a co-worker, but I'm not thrilled that I will have to dress for a football game.

Not me. Looking forward to some games later on this spring/summer though.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

It's not just about last year, though.

Bubic has added a new pitch (the sweeper slider that has become quite popular of late) that layers well with his changeup and should let both the changeup and fastball play up. He's been good in spring training and was really good down the stretch last year.

Keller is probably somewhere in between the guy he was last year and the guy he was the year before that. Which is pretty good.

Hernandez hasn't been good this spring and I don't think will have a long leash. We'll see if they slot Singer in there. I think Lynch gets the nod for 5th starter when the turn comes up, with Singer transitioning to the pen full time.

This is the benefit of having pitching depth, finally, amongst prospects. If one dude doesn't work out, you aren't screwed.

What is the FO doing with all this monkeying around with the positions of Witt, MJ and Pratto? Loftin? What other org does that? These guys should be locked into a position so when they arrive they can step in more seamlessly

MJ is a catcher period. He’s been seeing time at 3B and OF? Salvy has 4 years left on his deal but he’s about ready to be a DH full time. MJ needs to come up after the ASG (so Salvy can start one more time for the AL) and to be the C for the next 6 years