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.

[BlackHelicopters]

The Royals had a lot go right last year, namely strong rotation, very strong bullpen, great defense and relatively injury free. If we want to win the division, all those things need to happen again AND our offense must be improved. Lots of ifs.

[Canofbier]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

I made waves last winter when I claimed I would eat a bowl of my own sh*t if Sal Perez cracked 30 HR as Yost claimed was possible. (I don't know if he even ended up halfway there).


I will make the same offer this year. If we win the AL and go to the World Series, not only will I eat a bowl of my own sick. I will ask Duncan and Al North and every other long suffering Royals fan to chip in and make it a true bed-pan. I ain't even playin.

Dude, don't expect the rest of us to play along just because you're into weird shit.

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by theelusiveeightrop

The Royals had a lot go right last year, namely strong rotation, very strong bullpen, great defense and relatively injury free. If we want to win the division, all those things need to happen again AND our offense must be improved. Lots of ifs.

You are underestimating just how bad our offense was. We can take a lot of regression.

[Cephalic Trauma]

Originally Posted by Canofbier

Dude, don't expect the rest of us to play along just because you're into weird shit.

"Hey, everyone poop in a bowl and I'll eat it. Won't that be funny?"

[tk13]

ESPN is saying Miguel Cabrera's contract is 10 years, $300 million.

That's including the 2 years left on his current contract. Not sure if those salaries remain the same or not. It extends his contract another 8 seasons.

[SPchief]

I see 10 292 total thru 2023 guaranteed. Their owner doesn't care, he'll be dead by then.

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by KCUnited

It's 83 this year and I hope they can outperform it again. I'm just pointing out that I've read some outrageous shit before, but calling someone a battered fan for picking a Royals team to win 80 games is up there.

Dang dude calm down. It was a tongue in cheek joke which I thought was pretty obvious.

[alnorth]

I think the best way to show what I'm thinking about the Royals is to actually post a couple probability distributions, where each box is 2.5%. This has both how I felt about the team before the 2013 season began, and how I feel now about 2014.

I didn't calculate anything, this is just how likely I think each win total roughly is based on my gut feel. (I could break it up more finely to smooth it out and also get the edge cases beyond the 95% interval, but I wanted to keep it simple)



Last year I picked 86, and thats where they hit. I believed there was some upside maybe to 90 or so, but I also felt that if things went bad, it could go drastically bad.

This year I think the range is narrower, its a better team and the upside is a little better (though I'm just not seeing 98+ even if everything goes right), but I think the floor is now a lot higher. This also means that a better team on paper could easily do worse than the 2013 squad just due to luck and we all know that, but this is how I'd quantify it.

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

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

Just caught that.. Nice!

[mr. tegu]

Originally Posted by lewdog

Clearly better than last year? The rotation is worse and you really think the bullpen can pull off another year like last year?

What makes you so sure the rotation will be worst? Will Vargas be worst than Santana? Most likely. Will Chen/Duffy/Ventura be better than Duffy/Davis/Mendoza? I think so.

People keep forgetting that Davis and Mendoza started 39 games last season. They combined for an ERA near 11. I am not so sure that on a whole our pitching won't be better. In games started by those two, the Royals went 15-24.

[alnorth]

The Royals have shipped Patrick Schuster back to Arizona.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by theelusiveeightrop

The gauntlet has certainly been laid down

You have been putting out some really funny 1-liners lately brah.

[WhawhaWhat]

Report: Miguel Cabrera agrees to 10-year, $300 million extension with Tigers

[alnorth]

Cabrera's extension is 8/248, 31 AAV. He'll be 40 in the last year of that contract.

edit: to clear any confusion, he's already under contract two more years. This extension is tacked onto the end of the current deal, which is why we have different numbers flying around for 8 or 10 years.

[WhawhaWhat]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Cabrera's extension is 8/248, 31 AAV. He'll be 40 in the last year of that contract.

Hard to believe he's still only 30. Seems like he's been around for like 15 years already. Could be the best hitter ever.