***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.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Yeah the idea he was fired for a seminar is too dumb to take seriously. He was the same dude back in 14-15 and he wasn’t getting fired when he was going to the WS

Personally I think his tone deaf comments to Flanagan showed he wasn’t a good bet to actually fix the pitching woes . The fact Sherman didn’t wait 2 weeks implies he heard the comments and didn’t like them

It basically just showed he was far more interested in hiring and drafting people that fit his moral compass. Giving underperforming players year after year because he liked them as people...being a baseball GM passed him by.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Mecca

It basically just showed he was far more interested in hiring and drafting people that fit his moral compass. Giving underperforming players year after year because he liked them as people...being a baseball GM passed him by.

I think it’s more accurate to say his methods never really worked outside of a 3 year window. He was big on “toolsy” guys and the modern game doesn’t reward that. It might start being rewarded a bit more with the changes to lift base running and ban shifts, both of which would help a Dayton

The window he hit was two fold: he had a really young team of athletes in a brief time offense was severely suppressed. Also notable was the fact the strike zone was bigger in that window which rewarded contact hitters which we had. Putting the ball in play was at a premium. His athletes patrolled the biggest field in MLB which gave us a HFA

And his toolsy relievers were dominant. Which was immediately copied by the rest of baseball. To his credit he hit on a slew of FA and trades in that window too which he deserves 100% credit for

[Mecca]

Also since it was brought up check this out..

71% of Royals draftees in recent years have had public references to their religion on their social media profile. Iirc it was at least double any other team.

[tk13]

Man they were flat out killing the Royals on MLB Network this morning. Writers, former players, etc. all saying this was handled poorly especially for someone who is as respected as Dayton. That was interesting.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by tk13

Man they were flat out killing the Royals on MLB Network this morning. Writers, former players, etc. all saying this was handled poorly especially for someone who is as respected as Dayton. That was interesting.

Here is where the issue lies, they all like Dayton Moore as a person. Nicky Lopez has a quote saying that Dayton Moore cares about them as people first and players second and that's rare..

Guess what it's rare because it's how you end up with a terrible team. Sure it sounds great on the surface about what a great dude you are to care about these people..but that same thought process is how you end up with Ryan O'Hearn never going anywhere.

Dayton Moore, good dude, not made to run a baseball team at this stage. Also Dayton kept making boneheaded comments, I think that sped this process up for Sherman.

[nychief]

Originally Posted by tk13

Man they were flat out killing the Royals on MLB Network this morning. Writers, former players, etc. all saying this was handled poorly especially for someone who is as respected as Dayton. That was interesting.

Well, they can get ****ed. We are the ones who have to watch this tire fire year in, year out... I'm sorry their favorite youth pastor lost his job - but he is responsible for this.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Mecca

Here is where the issue lies, they all like Dayton Moore as a person. Nicky Lopez has a quote saying that Dayton Moore cares about them as people first and players second and that's rare..

Guess what it's rare because it's how you end up with a terrible team. Sure it sounds great on the surface about what a great dude you are to care about these people..but that same thought process is how you end up with Ryan O'Hearn never going anywhere.

Dayton Moore, good dude, not made to run a baseball team at this stage. Also Dayton kept making boneheaded comments, I think that sped this process up for Sherman.

Is ROH a good guy? I booed him as he walked back the dugout last summer and he said “F you” to me.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Is ROH a good guy? I booed him as he walked back the dugout last summer and he said “F you” to me.

Maybe, maybe not, the point is Moore values the relationships with these people as people not as ballplayers when he's supposed to be fielding the best team possible.

When you as a GM are invested as someone as a person and not an asset that clouds decision making. You almost have to be sociopathic in the way you run a sports team, you can't let personal feelings cloud your judgement.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Is ROH a good guy? I booed him as he walked back the dugout last summer and he said “F you” to me.

He probably reads your posts here.

[siberian khatru]

I thought Sherman did an outstanding job laying it all out there yesterday, explaining why he made the change and what he expects going forward. It was very reassuring, also shut the door on most of the speculation.

I still see concerns that JJ will be "just another Moore." But after what Sherman just said -- and did -- why in the world would JJ just pick up where Moore left off? He clearly has been given expectations and direction, and it will be evident to Sherman pretty quickly if he's not committed to that. In fact, I would think Sherman would be pretty pissed if he kept JJ only to see some tinkering around the edges.

I bet a lot of us have had bosses that gave us a lot of responsibility with high expectations married with confidence in our abilities. You tend not to want to let the boss down.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by penguinz

He probably reads your posts here.

I hope so!

[Sassy Squatch]

Yeah, Sherman couldn't have been more clear about what he expects going forward, and it ain't what Moore was doing.

[Mecca]

Originally Posted by Superturtle

Yeah, Sherman couldn't have been more clear about what he expects going forward, and it ain't what Moore was doing.

But Jon Heyman is mad!

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by tk13

Man they were flat out killing the Royals on MLB Network this morning. Writers, former players, etc. all saying this was handled poorly especially for someone who is as respected as Dayton. That was interesting.

Handled poorly? My God, how much more rope did Dayton need?

Can he not be praised for winning two pennants and a WS (in a short time frame) while ALSO being held accountable for failing to field a competitive team post-2017?

This Jeff Flanagan stuff (and I like him, BTW) about how hard it is for a small market team to win a WS? Well, jeebus, apparently it's A LOT EASIER than winning 81+ games in the regular season over a 16-year period.

There's no reason why it has to be a feast/famine, either/or prospect ("You can be like Tampa and Oakland and have no WS, or you can be the Royals with one WS and a whole bunch of shit the rest of the time."). Sure, WS are hard to come by. But who says the trade-off for one has to be multiple 100-loss seasons?

[nychief]

We are about to see a full analytics shake up of the organization. I'm ready for it.