*** Official 2016 Royals Repository, Version 1 ***

[duncan_idaho]

And so it begins: The Royals' second straight attempt to repeat as AL Champions, and first attempt to repeat as World Series champions.

In this thread, we'll track all non-gameday action. Roster moves, prospect news, etc.

I'll start the thread as usual, with division rivals thoughts. I still like KC to repeat as AL Central champs. Here's how I see the rest of it shaking out:

2) Indians - they have the pitching (and seem to have at least semi-Kluber-ed Cody Anderson, who added 3 mph to his fastball in the offseason). Will the offense hold up? I think this is a team that ends up looking a lot like the 2014 Royals. Francisco Lindor will solidify their IF defense over the full season, and is a help with the bat. I think this club is still a year away from really breaking through - the offense still has a lot of question marks - but I like them to nab a wildcard spot.

Key Player(s): Michael Brantley. When Brantley returns - and how he hits when he does - will be critical to the Indians' ability to be good enough on offense.

Jason Kipnis. Kipnis has been an enigmatic offensive performer for the past several years. If he finally has a good offensive campaign from start to finish, Cleveland could make real noise.

Something of interest to me: For all the acclaim the Twins' farm system gets, I look at the Indians young players, and would much rather have them. Brad Zimmer is going to be a very good all-around CF. Clint Frazier has huge power potential and should arrive soon (2017). Lindor is a young stud.

3) Tigers - Old and dependent on a few stars. If Verlander and Sanchez are healthy and effective, they will be playoff contenders. I'm sure JD Martinez will continue to hit roid-aided bombs. I'm also pretty sure Victor Martinez's days as a huge power threat are gone.

Key player: Justin Verlander. Detroit people would have you believe he figured out how to succeed without his big fastball in September of last year. If that's true, and he returns to dominant form, Detroit will likely contend again.

Something of interest to me: Will Jose Iglesias stay healthy and not try to kill teammates in the dugout? His defense makes the whole group much better.

4) Twins - They won't lead the division or be in playoff contention for as long this year, but Minnesota will avoid the cellar.

Key Player: Miguel Sano. Huge power, huge K rate. Can he continue to drive the ball and be a plus offensive player? Probably needs to cut that 35 percent K percentage to do so.

Something of interest to me: Will teams challenge Sano inside with hard stuff? Working away, away, just lets his power play up. Also - will Mike Berardino continue to be the biggest beat writer homer in MLB?

5) White Sox - still managed by a shitty manager who can't control his clubhouse (The blame for the LaRoche thing really should fall on him, not the GM). Still have a shitty overall defense and a lot of douchebags on the team. They will once again look better on paper than they actually perform.

Key player: Carlos Rodon. The White Sox need Rodon to take a big step forward to make an actual move this season. He's got the talent...

And, as always, here are the prospects.

Duncan’s Top 20 for 2016:

Spoiler!

1. Raul Adalberto Mondesi, SS, BOTH: Tools, tools, tools. RA has tools galore. At his best, he’s an All-Star SS who plays elite D, hits 15-20 HR, swipes 40 bags, and is an ideal 1, 2 or 3 hitter. At his worst, I think he looks a lot like Alcides Escobar. Plate discipline is his biggest challenge at this point, but evaluators are confident that will come with time. Clear No. 1
2. Kyle Zimmer, RHP: He’s pitching again and staying healthy, which is nice. He’s pitcing out of the bullpen to build back his arm strength, which is less nice. But still has that high upside, just a lower floor now. Ideally, the team will use him as a bullpen weapon in September (because he has earned it) and then give him a chance to transition back to starting for 2016.
3. Bubba Starling, CF, RH: Starling has been up and down this year but put himself back on the map by greatly improving his K rate while also improving across the slash line as a hitter. His defense and baserunning are MLB ready; if Starling can work himself into a league average hitter, he can be a solid MLB regular who plays great D in CF while hitting 15 HR and swiping 20 bags.
4. Miguel Almonte, RHP: Still love the body, FB/CH combo. Results aren’t eye popping, but he’s still low enough and early enough in the development to prize those things over performance. Still a solid No. 3 starter upside, and just a year and some change away from potentially being ready to contribute at the MLB level.
5. Jorge Bonifacio, RF, RH: Emilio’s little brother got off to a horrible start in 2015 but has heated up as the season went on. He also is translating BP power to game power for the first time, with 15 HR just past the mid-way point of his season. Despite his disappointing 2014, he has a chance to build his way back into legit prospect status – and still is only 22. Next challenge for him should be Omaha, but that may wait for the start of the 2014 season.
6. Scott Blewett, RHP: Blewett has a nice two –pitch mix already and is off to a strong start. With his size (6-6) and a good fastball/curveball combo, Blewett could eventually turn into a good No. 3 starter, with a MLB-average changeup.
7. Nolan Watson, RHP: The Royals’ 2015 sandwich pick is a polished prep arm who is adding velocity and explosiveness to a good, polished base. Likely to move quickly.
8. Ashe Russell, RHP: The 2015 top pick probably needs more work than Watson, but the upside is really nice. Again, advanced two-pitch mix that will depend on him adding a changeup. Could be a very good NO. 2 if it all adds up.
9. Balbino Fuenmayor, 1B/DH, RH: The Balbino came out of basically nowhere in 2015 to earn a Futures Game spot. Big power and an improved two-strike approach have turned the late bloomer into a legit prospect. He’s blocked at the MLB level currently by Eric Hosmer and Kendrys Morales, but Fuenmayor’s combination of power hitting and good average/strike zone control makes him intriguing.
10. Cheslor Cuthbert, 3B, RH: Cheslor probably is not going to be the star KC was hoping for when signing him out of Nicaragua, but he does look like he can be a solid reserve for an MLB club. Good defense at 3B paired with a solid plate approach and some gap power plays fine off the bench. He becomes a lot more interesting if they think he can stick as a 2B, which they have experimented with.

Spoiler!

11. Chase Vallot, C/DH/1B: I really like Vallot’s power and plate discipline combo. His bat will probably force him from behind the plate, but he’s held his own despite being extremely young for every level he has faced.
12. Alfredo Escalera-Maldonado, OF, RH: Escalera-Maldonado earned a promotion to Wilmington at age 20, which is pretty advanced movement for that age. He’s an athletic outfielder who has shown some plate discipline at an early age, which is encouraging. Doesn’t sound like he can stick in CF long term for KC, but his bat has become one to watch.
13. Pedro Fernandez, RHP: I haven’t seen much of him, but like the reports I’ve heard on his fastball and general makeup. Could become the next Almonte/Mondesi, though he’s more likely to land in the pen than either of them.
14. Elier Hernandez, OF, RH: Elier Hernanez teamed with Escalera-Maldonado in breaking out at Low-A and earning a promotion to Wilmington. It’s still early for this guy – he is just 20 years old – but he doesn’t take walks and hasn’t developed the prodigious power many thought he had the potential for. Still worth watching.
15. Hunter Dozier, 3B, RH: Dozier is reworking his swing mid-season, which generally will cause production to do what his has done: Nose dive. The changes he made entering the season (seemingly geared towards increasing his power production) were a disaster, and now he’s trying to get back to what he used to be. Still looks great and checks most of the scouting boxes, but the performance hasn’t matched, and it almost knocked him out of the list.
16. Christian Binford, RHP: After a breakthrough 2014, Binford struggled mightily at AAA and suffered a demotion. His upside remains similar – a back-end starter who can eat innings – but Binford’s lack of velocity and reliance on command have caught up to him so far.
17. Marten Gasparini, OF, SH: Gasparini is intriguing because of his speed and athleticism. He’s a LOOOOONG ways from the majors and young for his level, but reports on his bat speed, swing, and speed remain positive enough to keep him on the bubble.
18. Eric Skoglund, LHP: Skoglund had a nice year at Wilmington. I'm skeptical because his K rate is lower than I like to see for a guy at A+ - just 7/9, and usually guys lose a strikeout or two/9 as they move up the chain from there - but he has excellent control, walking 1.17 batters/9. 6-7 lefties with great control who get lots of ground balls - like Skoglund - have a chance to overcome bad K rates.
19. Ryan O'Hearn, 1B/LF: A lefty stick with power, O'Hearn was a savings signing as an 8th round pick, but a change in his approach increased his power - while increasing his K rate. After Vallot, probably the best pure power prospect in the Royals system.
20. Josh Staumont, RHP: I was terrified of this guy's control problems, and he walked nearly a batter an inning in his pro debut (32 BB in 40 1/3 IP). Staumont's nasty, nasty stuff (plus-plus fastball, plus slider) could make him a very good late-inning reliever who strikes out more than a batter an inning, if he can develop average or slightly below-average control. If he really masters the control, you're talking about a potential Greg Holland type, but that's a TALL task.

[Anyong Bluth]

[Anyong Bluth]

Part 2:

The Offense Strikes Back



Part 3:

Return of the Eibner

[Kidd Lex]

What's the Royals record with AG out the last two years?

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by KevB

He's gone opposite field several times and seems to have serious patience. Assuming he's a good defender (as advertised) , not sure he's much of a downgrade from what Gordo was giving us. Leave Whitt at 2nd and plug Eibner in left and let's roll.

Eibner hasn't played LF but maybe a handful of times, however. He's primarily been a CFer.

[DeepSouth]

The Royals face LHP Smiley today. With Gordon and Moose out (both bat left handed), the Royals might actually do better against a left handed pitcher. Eibner, Merrifield, and Cuthbert all bat right handed. There should only be one left handed batter in the Royals lineup, Hos.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by Why Not?

Yeah, if he keeps this up and you consider his post season numbers, it would not shock me to see him as a $15-$20 per year guy. I don't care. Pay him.


Edit:

I just looked up salaries for 1st baseman. Hos is getting $15 minimum.

Lol. Wishful thinking.

Alex just got an average of 18 mil. over 4 seasons. (In what was considered to be a 'bargain') Alex is over 30 years old. He is not near the offensive player Hoz is.

Hoz will be 27 when he hits FA after 2017 season. He is a Gold Glover, an All-Star (this year) who is finally realizing his immense offensive potential, a World Champ who has shown the ability to be clutch in the post season and exhibits great leadership qualities.

Oh, and Scott Boras is his agent.

Hoz will get a MINIMUM $25 mil a year and probably end up somewhere in the $25-$30 mil a year range. The Yankees (more than likely) or some other big market team will open the bank for him.


Enjoy these last two years of Hoz. It will be his final ones in a Royals uniform.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Yep. I'll thank him when he goes and give him a standing ovation when he returns wearing any other laundry.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by WilliamTheIrish

Yep. I'll thank him when he goes and give him a standing ovation when he returns wearing any other laundry.

Agreed. No issues with him getting his money at all.

He will have given us 7 years at the big league level, one title (at least), 2 pennants (at least) and a lifetime of memories.

Just please don't sign with the White Sux (or anyone else in our division for that matter)

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by The GMDM Hypothesis

What's the Royals record with AG out the last two years?

He sucks now but he's a huge draw. They need him to sell tickets, place was totally empty this past week

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Lol. Wishful thinking.

Alex just got an average of 18 mil. over 4 seasons. (In what was considered to be a 'bargain') Alex is over 30 years old. He is not near the offensive player Hoz is.

Hoz will be 27 when he hits FA after 2017 season. He is a Gold Glover, an All-Star (this year) who is finally realizing his immense offensive potential, a World Champ who has shown the ability to be clutch in the post season and exhibits great leadership qualities.

Oh, and Scott Boras is his agent.

Hoz will get a MINIMUM $25 mil a year and probably end up somewhere in the $25-$30 mil a year range. The Yankees (more than likely) or some other big market team will open the bank for him.


Enjoy these last two years of Hoz. It will be his final ones in a Royals uniform.

Yeah, your right. $20 would be a gift at this point.

[siberian khatru]

Hunter Dozier has come back down to earth at Omaha:

8 for his last 39, zero XBH, 1 BB, 15 Ks

[Why Not?]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Just please don't sign with the White Sux (or anyone else in our division for that matter)

This I am not worried about. I don't think, unless they blew him away financially, he would leave KC to go to the White Sox,Twins or Indians and I simply don't see the Tigers having over $50 in 1st baseman contracts.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Lol. Wishful thinking.

Alex just got an average of 18 mil. over 4 seasons. (In what was considered to be a 'bargain') Alex is over 30 years old. He is not near the offensive player Hoz is.

Hoz will be 27 when he hits FA after 2017 season. He is a Gold Glover, an All-Star (this year) who is finally realizing his immense offensive potential, a World Champ who has shown the ability to be clutch in the post season and exhibits great leadership qualities.

Oh, and Scott Boras is his agent.

Hoz will get a MINIMUM $25 mil a year and probably end up somewhere in the $25-$30 mil a year range. The Yankees (more than likely) or some other big market team will open the bank for him.


Enjoy these last two years of Hoz. It will be his final ones in a Royals uniform.

Until last year, Gordon had actually been a far superior offensive player as Hosmer. This is the first year Hosmer has come close to putting up something similar to Gordon's career year in 2011. (Gordon's offensive performance tends to be underrated here sometimes, just sticking up for it).

That aside, Hosmer IS going to get more than $15 million a year.

The price point is going to start at $20 million/year and only go up from there. Now that he's finally reached his full potential - hitting for power as well as average and producing like a true middle-of-the-lineup bat - it likely goes higher.

Brandon Belt has been a better player overall than Hosmer leading up to this year and just signed an extension - that looks like a bargain now at $13 million annually. Hosmer will be looking for more than that.

7 years, $150 million is the floor for Hos's contract. I expect it will land around 7/180 when all is said and done.

While it would be awesome for KC to do that, it also would run the risk of turning into a Joe Mauer-like stone around the team's neck.

I think he does see some appeal in being a lifelong Royal and the panache that comes with that nationally and locally/for life after baseball, which will give them a chance, if not a great one.

I don't see $30 million/year unless Hosmer goes .300/35 this year and next, but that IS a possibility.

Upside of that is that if he becomes that hitter, I think there's a good shot the Royals win another WS this year or next.


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[Prison Bitch]

One big reason we brought AG back was to backfill Hosmer at 1B in years 3&4 of his deal. Can't be striking out 30% of the time If he wants to play a premium offensive position tho

[Kidd Lex]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

He sucks now but he's a huge draw. They need him to sell tickets, place was totally empty this past week

If they signed him to sell tickets the revenue they would need to offset $15 million annually is huge. Revenue does not equal profit, but every payroll dollar spent is one dollar off the bottom line. Don't see the ROI, but I could be wrong. We need him to produce, and at a decent rate these next few years. Hoping this time off has him watching tape and figuring out what caused the gaping hole in his swing. Reminds me of his early career struggles, and that's worrisome for an aging veteran.