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.

[Mother****erJones]

Originally Posted by alnorth

No. Given that Japanese star-level players tend to want to play in the coasts or Texas, we'd have to blow away every other offer to make him come to the midwest, and even a competitive offer would be too risky for KC given our resources.

edit: to be clear, since we don't actually have to pay the posting fee to talk to him (the old rules said we couldn't even talk to the guy unless we won the bid), someone in the Royals front office ought to have a chat with his agent just in case he freakishly comes from a long line of asian Royals fans and no one ever found out about it, but as soon as its clear that we can't get him, hang up the phone and never talk about it again.

Good call....not!

[lewdog]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

Different perspective on things, it's cool.

I'm giving you the perspective, kid. It's ok to hate things.

[Sure-Oz]

Royals should've signed Cruz and left Gordon at leadoff, since he's doing that anyway

[Stanley Nickels]

Originally Posted by Simplicity

I love the game of baseball. I love those who contribute to the great sport and respect the good in people. Jeter has been more then sensational for the game of baseball, his work ethic and his attitude towards the game is really something to advertise to the youth in the game. Although I'm not a fan of the Yankees as an organization, doesn't mean I can't respect those who made the game of baseball enjoyable for all of America.

How do you feel about "the game of baseball," though?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by lewdog

I'm giving you the perspective, kid. It's ok to hate things.

The Cardinals.

[TambaBerry]

Is Ned going to skip Chens start with today off?

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by dingleberry

Is Ned going to skip Chens start with today off?

I hope so.

[htismaqe]

You guys don't hate the Cardinals and Yankees. You're jealous of them.

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by htismaqe

You guys don't hate the Cardinals and Yankees. You're jealous of them.

I don't hate either of the teams. Their fans annoy the crap out of me. Same with the Red Sox. (no offense MIAdragon)

[duncan_idaho]

I think the biggest problem with the lack of power is that the Royals' swings are so geared for the outside part of the plate, everyone seems to have lost the ability to hit the inside pitch.

Turning on inside pitches is the easiest way to drive the ball out of the yard.

We saw this yesterday with Hosmer... he drove that ball to the wall that Jones made the nice running catch on. It was a pitch right down central, and he got jammed by it a little bit.

I don't think it's as simple a problem as Pedro Grifol, though. It's becoming more and more clear that - just like with the pitching instruction guys were receiving - something was broken in the minor league system's hitting instruction (not surprising, considering that dumbass Jack Maloof was and still is involved at that level).

Moore had to make some changes with the pitching instruction when guys like Montgomery, Duffy, Dwyer, etc. started stalling at AA and above. It's probably past time to make a change with the hitting instruction, too.

Gordon, Hosmer and Moustakas especially were all the premium power-hitting prospects in their respective drafts. Somewhere along the way, they have lost that. Could it be all three guys just "busting" to a certain degree? Sure, it could. But when you're 0-3 on guys with that type of power as draft picks (and whose power still flashes in game action), clearly something is wrong.

Also: All of this shifting that teams are now doing is going to hurt teams that rely on balanced approaches/contact hitting/up-the-middle approaches more than anything else.

The speed and defense and contact game are going to be minimized with all these shifts. Can the Royals adjust?

[Simplicity]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I think the biggest problem with the lack of power is that the Royals' swings are so geared for the outside part of the plate, everyone seems to have lost the ability to hit the inside pitch.

Turning on inside pitches is the easiest way to drive the ball out of the yard.

We saw this yesterday with Hosmer... he drove that ball to the wall that Jones made the nice running catch on. It was a pitch right down central, and he got jammed by it a little bit.

I don't think it's as simple a problem as Pedro Grifol, though. It's becoming more and more clear that - just like with the pitching instruction guys were receiving - something was broken in the minor league system's hitting instruction (not surprising, considering that dumbass Jack Maloof was and still is involved at that level).

Moore had to make some changes with the pitching instruction when guys like Montgomery, Duffy, Dwyer, etc. started stalling at AA and above. It's probably past time to make a change with the hitting instruction, too.

Gordon, Hosmer and Moustakas especially were all the premium power-hitting prospects in their respective drafts. Somewhere along the way, they have lost that. Could it be all three guys just "busting" to a certain degree? Sure, it could. But when you're 0-3 on guys with that type of power as draft picks (and whose power still flashes in game action), clearly something is wrong.

Also: All of this shifting that teams are now doing is going to hurt teams that rely on balanced approaches/contact hitting/up-the-middle approaches more than anything else.

The speed and defense and contact game are going to be minimized with all these shifts. Can the Royals adjust?

It's an amazing deal that we've come this far and still at .500. Something needs to switch mentally or mechanically soon if we want to make something out of this season... We can't live off of 4 HRs a week for the whole year.

[WilliamTheIrish]

Originally Posted by CoMoChief

At this point the Royals need to be projecting these kinds of #'s (listed below). This is what they SHOULD be doing, and what we all expect from them. The only problem is, they're not who we all thought they were.


* This team should be hitting anywhere from 160-170 HRs a season, which would rank them approx 10th-15th (based on last season's ML team stats). For the past 20 years, Royals are always in the bottom 5 of this category...people need to stop blaming Kauffman Stadium for this.

* This team should be hitting around a collective .270-.280BA, which would rank them in the top5 (based on last season's ML team stats). Last season they were top 10 (9th), batting a collective .260, so there's no reason why this stat can't improve.

Folks, with our pitching staff, this is a WS team if our guys would be able to produce these kind of numbers:


1.RF-Aoki .285BA 7HR 55RBI 85R 15SB
2.2B-Infante .300BA 10HR 55RBI 65R
3.1B-Hosmer .290BA 25HR 85RBI 15SB
4.DH-Butler .300BA 35HR 105RBI
5.3B-Moustakas .285BA 25HR 80RBI
6.LF-Gordon .285BA 25HR 85RBI 15SB
7.C-Perez .290BA 20HR 80RBI
8.CF-Cain .265BA 10HR 55RBI 20SB
-->OF/PR-Dyson .260BA 40SB**
9.SS-Escobar .270BA 5HR 60RBI 40SB**

**Anytime when either Escobar or Dyson are on 1B with no one on 2B, with a RHP on the mound, these guys need to be stealing.

Where - - did you come up with these numbers?

[Three7s]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I think the biggest problem with the lack of power is that the Royals' swings are so geared for the outside part of the plate, everyone seems to have lost the ability to hit the inside pitch.

Turning on inside pitches is the easiest way to drive the ball out of the yard.

We saw this yesterday with Hosmer... he drove that ball to the wall that Jones made the nice running catch on. It was a pitch right down central, and he got jammed by it a little bit.

I don't think it's as simple a problem as Pedro Grifol, though. It's becoming more and more clear that - just like with the pitching instruction guys were receiving - something was broken in the minor league system's hitting instruction (not surprising, considering that dumbass Jack Maloof was and still is involved at that level).

Moore had to make some changes with the pitching instruction when guys like Montgomery, Duffy, Dwyer, etc. started stalling at AA and above. It's probably past time to make a change with the hitting instruction, too.

Gordon, Hosmer and Moustakas especially were all the premium power-hitting prospects in their respective drafts. Somewhere along the way, they have lost that. Could it be all three guys just "busting" to a certain degree? Sure, it could. But when you're 0-3 on guys with that type of power as draft picks (and whose power still flashes in game action), clearly something is wrong.

Also: All of this shifting that teams are now doing is going to hurt teams that rely on balanced approaches/contact hitting/up-the-middle approaches more than anything else.

The speed and defense and contact game are going to be minimized with all these shifts. Can the Royals adjust?

Well, in Gordon's case, he seems like he's wanting to pull everything. Pitchers have been going on the outside half of the plate, and he's been breaking a lot of bats and rolling over on it and hitting slow rollers to 2nd. Hosmer's swing seems geared towards the middle of the field/opposite field. It's quicker than it was earlier in the season, but he's not getting any backspin when he makes contact.

As for Moustakas, he's the only one really showing any power at all, and almost all of it pull power. He looks like he's trying to make an effort to go to left field, but he doesn't strike me as the type who can just flare liners in that area. He needs to shoot for the left field gap. But the whole line-up seems to have the "opposite field" mind-set, and that's flawed as pitchers will tear you apart on the inside half of the plate. Aoki's finding that out right now.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I think the biggest problem with the lack of power is that the Royals' swings are so geared for the outside part of the plate, everyone seems to have lost the ability to hit the inside pitch.

Turning on inside pitches is the easiest way to drive the ball out of the yard.

We saw this yesterday with Hosmer... he drove that ball to the wall that Jones made the nice running catch on. It was a pitch right down central, and he got jammed by it a little bit.

I don't think it's as simple a problem as Pedro Grifol, though. It's becoming more and more clear that - just like with the pitching instruction guys were receiving - something was broken in the minor league system's hitting instruction (not surprising, considering that dumbass Jack Maloof was and still is involved at that level).

Moore had to make some changes with the pitching instruction when guys like Montgomery, Duffy, Dwyer, etc. started stalling at AA and above. It's probably past time to make a change with the hitting instruction, too.

Gordon, Hosmer and Moustakas especially were all the premium power-hitting prospects in their respective drafts. Somewhere along the way, they have lost that. Could it be all three guys just "busting" to a certain degree? Sure, it could. But when you're 0-3 on guys with that type of power as draft picks (and whose power still flashes in game action), clearly something is wrong.

Also: All of this shifting that teams are now doing is going to hurt teams that rely on balanced approaches/contact hitting/up-the-middle approaches more than anything else.

The speed and defense and contact game are going to be minimized with all these shifts. Can the Royals adjust?

Agree 100% with all this. Whatever it is, it's mind boggling.


Will Myers seems to be having a sophomore slump as well....

[htismaqe]

Originally Posted by Three7s

I don't hate either of the teams. Their fans annoy the crap out of me. Same with the Red Sox. (no offense MIAdragon)

I grew up a Cardinals fan as did my dad. These days I'm a Royals fan, mostly because of this board and the guys here. I'm just not a hardcore baseball fan.

At any rate, I was poking fun...