2014 Royals Repository

[duncan_idaho]

With my 6,000th post on ChiefsPlanet (it only took me 12 years to get here), I bring you: The 2014 Kansas City Royals Repository.

To be discussed here: All things Royals, as they attempt to post another winning season and make it back to the playoffs for the first time since 1985.

25-man RosterAvailable HERE

AL Central Standings:

Link

Duncan's Top 20 Royals Prospects

Spoiler!

1) 3B Hunter Dozier ETA: 2015
Dozier started slowly at A+ Wilmington but caught fire in May and June, earning a mid-season promotion to AA Northwest Arkansas. Big, strong kid with good plate discipline skills and solid power who projects to be an above-average glove at 3B with solid power.

2) SS Raul (Adalberto) Mondesi ETA: 2017
Mondesis is the opposite of Dozier…. Started red-hot at Wilmington before back spasms derailed him for a few weeks and hasn’t gotten it going since coming back. Scouting reports have been great – defense and speed both improved over the offseason. Still a chance to be an elite SS, with 40 SB speed, plus glove, .300 average and some pop.

3) LHP Sean Manaea | ETA: 2015
Scouting reports outperform the stat line so far. Missing a ton of bats at A+ but not preventing runs like you’d expect to see. Needs to work deeper into games (gradually working about an inning deeper/month so far this year) and improve control. Walks are biggest concern right now, but could be elevated due to work on extra off-speed offerings. Still has No. 2 starter potential, could be higher if the great control he exhibited before his hip surgery eventually comes back.

4) RHP Kyle Zimmer| ETA: 2015
Should be NO. 1 on the list and is probably the Royals most VALUABLE current prospect, but he hasn’t thrown a ball in 4-5 weeks and had only been throwing for 2-3 weeks when he was shut down then.

5) LHP Brandon Finnegan| ETA: 2015
Top 2014 draft choice is an undersized lefty who will start at A+ Wilmington after anchoring CWS run for TCU. Good fastball, better slider, change that needs work to stick as a starter, but if he sticks, No. 2/No. 3 starter upside. Likely a top 10 or even top 5 pick if he doesn’t miss 1 start in the middle of the college season as a precautionary move.

6) RHP Miguel Almonte| ETA: 2016
Have heard some say Almonte is more advanced as a pitcher at A+ than Yordano Ventura was (comparison because both were cheap signs out of Latin America). Really advanced changeup and a curve that is working out well (where the ‘more advanced’ comment comes from). Fastball velo is good but not great – 92-94. Like Manaea, working on his second-best offspeed pitch and leaning less on his bread-and butter (changeup), which has hurt his numbers a bit.

7) RHP Christian Binford 2017
Reverse case of “don’t just scout stat lines.” Based on his stats at A+, you’d think he was an elite prospect, but there are questions about Binford’s stuff playing up at higher levels. Tall righty with great command of fastball, slider and a good and still developing changeup. None of those pitches profiles as better than average, though, limiting his likely upside to back-end rotation guy.

8) SS Orlando Calixte| ETA: 2016
I still like him more than many. Good combination of SS/MI skills and power. Started hot at NWA but in a slump at moment.

9)LHP Foster Griffin | ETA: 2019
Tall, projectable lefty taken in 2014 draft. Viewed as a great value in the sandwich round and probably would have been KC’s pick at No. 17 if Finnegan hadn’t fallen. High school arm who is going to take a while to develop.

10) RF Jorge Bonifacio| ETA: 2016
Hasn’t hit as well as expected in his second go-round at AA NWA. Power still sapped, and average skills have dipped. Once looked like he might be an option in RF at some point in 2015, now looks like 2016 is optimistic. Still young for his level.

11) 3B/2B Cheslor Cuthbert| ETA: 2016
Cuthbert has had better luck at NWA than Boni and is also extremely young for level. HE’s been moved to 2B since Dozier was promoted, which could put a new spin on Cuthbert’s prospects. If he sticks at 2B, bat plays up much better. Good OBP/plate discipline and solid power, but needs to continue improving contact skills

12) C Chase Vallot| ETA: 2020
Young (just 17) C with tremendous power. One of the top prep bats and a great value for KC where it got him. If he sticks at C, expect him to move slowly, but the bat may force the issue (or force him to another position).

13) C Zane Evans| ETA: 2017
GA Tech product has handled Wilmington better than most RH bats and probably is in line for a promotion to NWA sometime soon. Decent pop, decent skills behind the plate. Could be a nice reserve catcher.

14) RHP Scott Blewett| ETA: 2020
Tall, projectable righty with a fresh arm but some injury concerns on his shoulder that slipped him out of Round 1 of MLB draft. Big time potential.

15) CF Bubba Starling | ETA:
Bubba Starling has great tools. Bubba Starling (still) can’t hit. That’s all I have to say about that.

16) 1B Samir Duenez| ETA:
I still like him, even though the attempt to run him through full season ball at 17 did not go well.

17)LF/RF Elier Hernandez| ETA:
Hernandez still pops up in scouting reports but still is very raw and toolsy.

18) RHP Pedro Fernandez| ETA:
Pop-up player on the same track as Ventura and Almonte. Similar signing, similar profile. One to watch over next few years.

19) SS Marten Gasparini| ETA:
Royals’ most expensive international signing likely moves to CF eventually, but his speed and athleticism are intriguing abilities. Early reports from complex ball are very positive on him.

20) RHP Niklas Stephenson| ETA:
Interesting pop-up candidate who found 10 more MPH on his fastball by using a weighted ball during workouts over the winter. Now sits mid-90s with fastball and is dominating at rookie ball (after having an ERA over 8 there a year ago). Likely promoted to a higher challenge soon.

[Prison Bitch]

He figured out what? He has 1 extra base hit in 17 games now, and it was the misjudged flyball (in the sun) Saturday. His power is sapped, it's good as gone. There is no way this guy should be a cleanup hitter in the A.L.

[shakesthecat]

Originally Posted by theelusiveeightrop

Butler going first to third yesterday was impressive.

Yep. My wife even commented on the nice divot he left.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

He figured out what? He has 1 extra base hit in 17 games now, and it was the misjudged flyball (in the sun) Saturday. His power is sapped, it's good as gone. There is no way this guy should be a cleanup hitter in the A.L.

Sadly, i have to agree. Sure, hes hit more, but all i have seen is singles. Woopee! Aoki and Escobar have shown more power.

[Deberg_1990]

Oh boy....here come the Butler apologists now......


Mellinger




I guess I should be used to this by now, but Sunday’s column was about the worst (first?) slump of Billy Butler’s life which means most of the emails and voicemails have been about how Butler stinks and should be, at best, a pinch hitter in the National League.


Billy Butler is a very good hitter, whether people acknowledge it or not

A significant — or at least significantly loud — segment of Royals fans refuses to acknowledge that Butler has established himself as one of the game’s better hitters. That doesn’t make it any less true, but just for fun some numbers:

Since 2009, Butler’s first full season, he ranks 13th in adjusted OPS among players with at least 3,000 plate appearances. Lower the cutoff to 2,500 plate appearances and he’s 25th. That’s behind sluggers like Miguel Cabrera and Evan Longoria and Adrian Beltre, and ahead of guys like Dustin Pedroia, Victor Martinez and Mark Teixeira.

Over that same span, only Robinson Cano has more doubles. Butler is 17th in total extra-base hits, again, behind guys like Joey Votto and Andrew McCutchen and Albert Pujols, and ahead of guys like Ben Zobrist, Justin Upton and Jose Bautista.

Now, obviously, Butler needs to hit to be valuable. Most of the players listed here play defense, and some of them quite well. Many of them hit more home runs. With the possible exceptions of Cabrera, Martinez and Pujols, none of them are as slow as Butler. So Butler’s 40 doubles aren’t necessarily as valuable as someone else’s 40 doubles.

But it’s also true that Butler’s lack of defense and 30-HR seasons are a big part of why he’s making $8 million with a team option for next year, instead of $15 million on a long-term contract.

Martinez, for instance, has similar offensive numbers over the last four or five years and is making $12 million this year at the age of 35. Jay Bruce is just a year younger with similar numbers — Butler out OPS+-es him 126 to 118 — but he’s a good right fielder so he’s making $10 million this year, $12 million in 2015 and $12.5 million in 2016 with a team option for 2017.

Anyway, the point is that Butler does one baseball thing very well. He also has distinct and obvious flaws that sometimes overshadow his One Very Good Thing.

But he is the roster’s most established hitter, so even on a team built on speed and defense, the Royals need their slow DH to get past this slump and drive in runs with line drives to cash in on this season’s opportunity.

Butler has shown signs in recent days. His single on Sunday was as hard as any ball he’s hit this season. With that in mind, the Royals are likely moving him back to the cleanup spot tonight.

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2014/04/21...#storylink=cpy

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by shakesthecat

Yep. My wife even commented on the nice divot he left.

shakesthecat is the house!

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

He figured out what?

How to get the bat to strike the ball with more regularity and putting it in play in order to reach base safely. Compared to the rest of the season before the Twins when he was hitting .160.

[Bowser]

My fear with Butler is that he's turned into a slap hitter with no speed. If you're going to have guys hit singles, at least have guys that might be able to squeeze in a hustle double from time to time. I don't know for sure, but I'm thinking we may never again see the Butler from two years ago.

[Prison Bitch]

Mellinger's column is dumb because it's out-dated. Nobody disputes Butler could hit in 2009, or that he had power when he hit 29 homers in 2012. We're talking about NOW. NOW, he is not a valuable hitter at all. He hit 51 doubles five years ago and it's declined every single season. He hit 14 homers last year and probably wonj't even do that this year. He's not a premier hitter NOW in the least.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Mellinger's column is dumb because it's out-dated. Nobody disputes Butler could hit in 2009, or that he had power when he hit 29 homers in 2012. We're talking about NOW. NOW, he is not a valuable hitter at all. He hit 51 doubles five years ago and it's declined every single season. He hit 14 homers last year and probably wonj't even do that this year. He's not a premier hitter NOW in the least.

Agree 100%. Hes absolutely hurting this team if he cant drive in runs.

The problem is, are there any better options? The Royals have no choice but to keep running him out there and praying he returns to his form of 2-4 years ago.

[tyton75]

We are stuck with whatever we can get out of him this year, but hopefully they are smart enough to get him traded, or at least let him go after the season.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Mellinger's column is dumb because it's out-dated. Nobody disputes Butler could hit in 2009, or that he had power when he hit 29 homers in 2012. We're talking about NOW. NOW, he is not a valuable hitter at all. He hit 51 doubles five years ago and it's declined every single season. He hit 14 homers last year and probably wonj't even do that this year. He's not a premier hitter NOW in the least.

If Butler doesn't swing back around and start driving the ball again, this is entirely correct.

FACT: Even including last season (assuming it is a "down" outlier like 2012 was an "up" outlier), Billy Butler's track record is that of a very, very good and established major league hitter.

FACT: His power outage last year, combined with his slump to start this season, is very concerning. If he continues to struggle driving the ball as this season goes on, you have to start looking at 2013-14 as the new normal for Butler.

FACT: A resurgent Billy Butler is a key component for KC. If he doesn't hit, this team will have a hard time as currently constructed.

[alnorth]

I do agree that its early to write off Butler for 2014, but the reason why I'm more concerned than I otherwise would be is its not like he's scorching liners right at outfielders. Yeah he's had a few hard-hit outs here and there, but almost every one of his hits are rolling out of the infield.

[Deberg_1990]

Yea, i dont truly believe he will stay this bad the whole year. He will most likely bounce back of course. But by how much? 15 HRs and 60-70 RBIs? Not good enough IMO.

[Sure-Oz]

The Royals don't have a cleanup hitter so they have to improvise with the dude that is likely to get the most singles

[Shogun]

I still say move Esky to Cleanup