***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.

[srvy]

The way he stood there at the plate and staired it down Id knock him down a few times tomorrow. But alas our manager won't.

[srvy]

This team needs a good bench clearing brawl.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by srvy

The way he stood there at the plate and staired it down Id knock him down a few times tomorrow. But alas our manager won't.

Stupid take.

[srvy]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Stupid take.

Pussy reply.

[cosmo20002]

How are they not bunting? Completely stupid.

[ChiefsCountry]

Should set up to bunt and sac fly with who we got up now

[cosmo20002]

This is when you bunt.
Both teams are stupid.

[ChiefsCountry]

That will work lol

[tk13]

It's a win.

[srvy]

Winner

[ChiefsCountry]

And the Royals win the Tuesday Night Beer League softball game tonight

[MAHOMO 4 LIFE!]

Originally Posted by srvy

The way he stood there at the plate and staired it down Id knock him down a few times tomorrow. But alas our manager won't.

Ohtani is the GOAT

[srvy]

Originally Posted by MAHOMO 4 LIFE!

Ohtani is the GOAT

So what I'd still make him eat some dirt.

[KChiefs1]

https://intothefountains.substack.co...l-lead-the-way

If you stayed up Tuesday night into Wednesday morning (thank you, West Coast baseball!) you were treated—or was it subjected—to some kind of ball game. The Royals held a 6-1 lead going into the sixth with starter Jonathan Heasley cruising. We know the 2022 Royals don’t do anything with ease and grace, so to expect the beating to continue would’ve been foolhardy.

Indeed, everything went bananas starting in that sixth. The Angels chipped away at that lead to tie the game in the seventh before the Royals again put some distance between them in the eighth and ninth innings.

But apparently everything Bobby Witt Jr. can do, so can Shohei Ohtani. In the end, aided by Manfred’s magic extra inning runners, the Royals prevailed in a game that ended with a 12-11 scoreline.

If you had told me last month that the Royals would participate in a 12-11 game this season, I wouldn’t have believed you. Had you told me they would participate in a 12-11 game and won, I would’ve thought you a lunatic.

Again…with a game like that where do you start?

I’ll try to do my bleary-eyed best. But first a favor…If you haven’t already, won’t you kindly subscribe to the newsletter? Or if you’re a hopefully happy subscriber, would you see fit to perhaps share Into The Fountains with a friend? It would be greatly appreciated as I try to stay caffeinated to cover these Pacific Time Zone games.

Friends, I write this without a hint of hyperbole…this was possibly the plate appearance of the year.

First, some context. Bobby Witt Jr. watched the first curve tickle the low edge of the zone for the first strike. He tried to hold up on a fastball up out of the zone for the second strike. At this point, Detmers had thrown a grand total of six pitches and was looking to make quick work of the Royals.

Bob had other ideas.

He fouled off pitch number three, a slider on the inside edge that could’ve been called a ball but we’ve all seen those types of two-strike borderline calls go against him this year. Witt Jr. spit on a fastball way up and out of the zone and a change in the dirt. Detmers came back with another fastball on the inner edge for four number two. After a curve that dropped well out of the zone, Detmers went exclusively with the fastball.

And on the tenth pitch, Bobby took it straight to Dong Town.

The 95.5 MPH fastball was located in Bob’s happy spot—dead center to a little bit inside. If he’s going to put a charge on a pitch, it’s helpful if it’s located in that vicinity.

Honestly, he has some impressive plate coverage across the vertical middle of the zone. But the pitch finished more on the inner third, where Witt Jr. posts a .261 ISO (stats are prior to Tuesday’s game). So when the pitch is located there to a right-handed batter, you’re thinking the ball will be pulled to left. If it’s going to right, it's probably because the batter was late and couldn’t get his hands inside the pitch and it ended up a weak jam shot.

That wasn’t a weak jam shot.

Look at how the kid keeps his hands inside of the baseball. Look how he drops the barrel to make perfect contact. It’s just a beautiful swing.

And he drove the ball to right field. An opposite field shot, it was the first time Bob went oppo-taco. This is his spray chart for base hits prior to Tuesday.

The power is already impressive to the pull field, but if he can start banging them out of the yard to center to right…look out.

He drove in another run in the seventh on an opposite field double, also on a 3-2 count. It was almost a carbon copy of the home run, just six degrees lower on the launch angle. Then came his second blast of the evening…On a pitch in practically the same location…And he hit it out just to the right side of center field.

I mentioned hyperbole earlier, and I feel like I need to be careful, but all three of these at bats were just special pieces of hitting. Go back and revisit that spray chart above and realize in one game Witt Jr. added 38 percent of his total extra base hits that are located from center field to right. And the Royals needed every single one of those runs he drove in.

Witt Jr. may not be in the Rookie of the Year conversation (at the moment), but he’s truly having a very fine start to his major league career. Entering the game on Tuesday, he had a 97 wRC+, a number that’s been steadily climbing. Baseball Savant provides a nice visual on rolling rate stats to illustrate how a player is performing relative to the league. Bob’s rolling wOBA chart shows how he found a comfort zone around plate appearance 120 or so.

Sure, he had a bit of a dip from 180 to 220, but that’s going to happen. The thing you like to see is the sustained time above the MLB average line is longer than the time below. And the peaks above the line are well above the inverse we see below the line.

Speaking of that AL Rookie of the Year race…while Bob hasn’t been part of that admittedly very early conversation Tuesday’s game alone has placed him there. Here are the current top three AL rookies ranked by fWAR.

The kid is going to be special.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by srvy

So what I'd still make him eat some dirt.

So dumb