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.

[alnorth]

If anyone cares, we probably have lost Maxwell, there's very little chance he clears waivers.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by alnorth

If anyone cares, we probably have lost Maxwell, there's very little chance he clears waivers.

Completely devastated.

[RockChalk]

Originally Posted by alnorth

If anyone cares, we probably have lost Maxwell, there's very little chance he clears waivers.

Trying to dump my playoff ticket package for 1/2 price

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by alnorth

If anyone cares, we probably have lost Maxwell, there's very little chance he clears waivers.

Once Coleman flames out, I happily await Getz' return to the major league roster.

[penguinz]

Originally Posted by alnorth

If anyone cares, we probably have lost Maxwell, there's very little chance he clears waivers.

Why would anyone care?

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

Once Coleman flames out, I happily await Getz' return to the major league roster.

Let's get Willie Bloomquist back while we're at it.

[mr. tegu]

Finally Maxwell is gone. I will assume this means that once Infante comes back Gio will stay here.

[lewdog]

I'll take the game thread tonight unless someone objects. I haven't done one for weeks and the Royals and I both sit at .500.

[Unsmooth-Moment]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I'll take the game thread tonight unless someone objects. I haven't done one for weeks and the Royals and I both sit at .500.

Something changes tonight. It's shit or get off the pot time.

[SPATCH]

It's weird. I used to "like" these guys and really pull for them and want to see them do well, but I've grown really tired of them. Butler and Gordon are quiet and ineffectual. Hosmer and Moustakas seem like douchebags. The whole aura and vibe of this team has started to disgust me. idk, I don't think I would mind if they blew the whole thing up.

[kcjayhawks5]

Originally Posted by SPATCH

It's weird. I used to "like" these guys and really pull for them and want to see them do well, but I've grown really tired of them. Butler and Gordon are quiet and ineffectual. Hosmer and Moustakas seem like douchebags. The whole aura and vibe of this team has started to disgust me. idk, I don't think I would mind if they blew the whole thing up.

I haven't been this disinterested in the team in a long time. I think it's because deep down I just don't see them finishing above .500 and if they do, it still won't be enough to make the playoffs. I really hope I'm wrong, but god damn I just don't see it. The team is pretty gutless and it starts at the top of the organization. Doomed from the start.

[SPATCH]

Originally Posted by kcjayhawks5

I haven't been this disinterested in the team in a long time. I think it's because deep down I just don't see them finishing above .500 and if they do, it still won't be enough to make the playoffs. I really hope I'm wrong, but god damn I just don't see it. The team is pretty gutless and it starts at the top of the organization. Doomed from the start.

I've felt like the team wasn't very good for a while, but I have never felt this way about the Royals before--where I kind of don't like the players on a personal level.

[CoMoChief]

I think we all just have to accept the fact that these players that came up through the minor leagues with all of that hype, just aren't who we all thought they were going to be. At this point in many of there careers you just have to accept that. If they don't get it now, then they're probably not ever going to. I just don't think everyone is going to just flip a switch one day and then all of a sudden they're crushing the ball all over the field. This has been a long never ending ongoing problem. They can't hit big league pitching. They can't figure it out to where they're producing consistently. Now I understand many high first rd draft picks don't pan out, but if you look over the last decade, or going back to Zack Greinke, all of these other teams have gotten players like Strasburg, Harper, Longoria, Trout, McCutchen, Scherzer, and you can go on. The Royals haven't done shit in the draft other than Greinke, and Soria, and neither are still with the club, and recently they've been terrible in the draft. The sad thing is we took our best hitting prospect in forever, and traded him away for a two year rental on a pitcher that isn't going to make a difference either way because we can't score any runs offensively. The Royals took all of their eggs and put them into the basket and gambled on the fact that guys like Gordon, Hosmer, Butler, Moustakas would be the meat of the lineup and they'd rank towards the top of the majors in team batting stats. But they're just the ****ing opposite. And it sucks. And the future does not look bright.

[Sure-Oz]

Royals are 7 games back of the tigers. Last season they were 2 back at this time

[Prison Bitch]

I DVR nearly all the games, and find myself FF through them because we never score. Who wants to watch Billy Fatass ground out to short and Aoki slap 18 foul balls down the LF line before hitting a lazy flyball?


I really can't see how they're going to draw any crowds this summer. They're horribly boring to watch. Nobody can justify 3 hours (and another 1 hour drive time/parking) to sit bored watching these weaklings at the plate.