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.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

The first thing I want to see when camp opens is what kind of shape Moose and Butler are in. Last year both of them were really out of shape.

Depends upon how you gage "out of shape". If they were both training for Fraternity Beer Chugging Titles, I'd say they both came in as peek level performers.........

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

The first thing I want to see when camp opens is what kind of shape Moose and Butler are in. Last year both of them were really out of shape.

Couple that with the rumor that Moose won't put in extra time in the hitting cages scares me the most. Butler, he is always going to be that shape.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by theelusiveeightrop

Couple that with the rumor that Moose won't put in extra time in the hitting cages scares me the most. Butler, he is always going to be that shape.

I didn't hear that rumor. I heard he doesn't like watching tape/video/breaking down his swing that way, but likes hitting in the cage quite a bit.

He's pretty old school in his approach in general, so hitting in the cage makes sense.

[BlackHelicopters]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I didn't hear that rumor. I heard he doesn't like watching tape/video/breaking down his swing that way, but likes hitting in the cage quite a bit.

He's pretty old school in his approach in general, so hitting in the cage makes sense.

You are correct.

[alnorth]

Just ran my simulator 25 times for the hell of it:

n=25

Royals AL Central Finish

Division Champs: 8
2nd: 13
3rd: 4
4th: 0
Dead f'ing Last: 0

Playoffs

Made it: 16
Didn't make it (includes losing a 163rd game): 9

Lost Wild Card Game: 4
Lost ALDS: 7
Lost ALCS: 0
Lost World Series: 2 (swept by the Braves, lost to the Braves in 5)
Won World Series: 3 (swept the Pirates, beat the Braves in 5, beat the Dodgers in 7)

Hmmm... my simulator may be a little too optimistic for the Royals.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Just ran my simulator 25 times for the hell of it:

n=25

Royals AL Central Finish

Division Champs: 8
2nd: 13
3rd: 4
4th: 0
Dead f'ing Last: 0

Playoffs

Made it: 16
Didn't make it (includes losing a 163rd game): 9

Lost Wild Card Game: 4
Lost ALDS: 7
Lost ALCS: 0
Lost World Series: 2 (swept by the Braves, lost to the Braves in 5)
Won World Series: 3 (swept the Pirates, beat the Braves in 5, beat the Dodgers in 7)

Hmmm... my simulator may be a little too optimistic for the Royals.

By the way, that is pretty ****ing cool. REP

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by ChiTown

By the way, that is pretty ****ing cool. REP

Thanks, still bored on my lunch hour. Gonna run one more season and show all the details, no matter what happens. Ready... and, go:

DET 102-60
KC 76-86
CLE 71-91
CWS 70-92
MIN 67-95

ALW: TEX
ALE: BOS
Wild Card #1: OAK
Wild Card #2: TB

Well, that was anticlimactic. No playoffs to simulate, and in this particular season the AL Central really sucked and Detroit kicked all our asses. Oh, well.

[Mr. Laz]

Kansas City Royals Appreciate Jeremy Guthrie’s Team-Friendly Move

January 24, 2014 12:36 pm EST by Doug LaCerte
Jeremy Guthrie
Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports
One of the bigger Kansas City Royals stories I missed during my sports-related dark period involves patience, understanding and camaraderie. It’s a pretty darn uplifting thing to write about, especially compared to the usual up-and-down rigors of the MLB offseason and especially compared to the incredibly upsetting way the Kansas City Chiefs‘ season ended which I’m still not totally over.
Thanks to things like the recent news about Jeremy Guthrie, though, I’m slowly working through it.
On the Jan. 13, the Royals announced that Guthrie worked with them to restructure his contract in order to free up $3 million for 2014′s payroll. The team’s GM Dayton Moore explained specifics to local media and then gave the vaguest of vague explanations as to why the restructuring was used to save money this season. “We’re looking to maximize our payroll the best way we can,” Moore said.
This restructuring of the veteran righty’s contract will surely be well-appreciated by fans and management alike. Guthrie now joins former Royals ace Gil Meche as guys who will be remembered for helping out their team in special and selfless ways. Moves like this breed confidence as players buy into the team’s ability to succeed enough to make sacrifices for it. This may seem overstated for a subtle rearranging of millions of dollars (and an additional $200,000), but Guthrie went out of his way to improve the team’s chances at winning right now. That warrants a non-sarcastic tip of the cap in any regard.
Whatever Moore’s murky quote will portend remains to be seen. The recent news regarding Masahiro Tanaka keeps KC’s chances of signing a high-profile pitcher remote. I hope I’m wrong, but as of now I assume that $3 million isn’t enough to make a splash in the soon-to-be-ravenous, post-Tanaka pitching market.
Doug LaCerte is a writer for Rantsports.com. Follow him on Twitter @DLaC67, “Like” him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google.

Read more at http://www.rantsports.com/mlb/2014/0...IxlYT74eEgg.99

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by alnorth

Thanks, still bored on my lunch hour. Gonna run one more season and show all the details, no matter what happens. Ready... and, go:

DET 102-60
KC 76-86
CLE 71-91
CWS 70-92
MIN 67-95

ALW: TEX
ALE: BOS
Wild Card #1: OAK
Wild Card #2: TB

Well, that was anticlimactic. No playoffs to simulate, and in this particular season the AL Central really sucked and Detroit kicked all our asses. Oh, well.

NEG REP

[alnorth]

Just for laughs, let me see how many seasons it takes before the Twins make the simulated playoffs...

After 200 seasons, still no playoffs...

edit: 500 seasons, they finished 2nd twice but still no playoffs for the Twins.

edit2: finally happened, in season #512, and boy the AL Central is a flaming train wreck in that season.

MIN 83-79
KC 80-82
CLE 76-86
DET 75-87
CWS 63-99

[alnorth]

KC's 2014 ZiPS projections are out.

It seems to say that our lineup will be decent and the bullpen will be solid, but they are far less optimistic about our rotation than we are.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by alnorth

KC's 2014 ZiPS projections are out.

It seems to say that our lineup will be decent and the bullpen will be solid, but they are far less optimistic about our rotation than we are.

I never place much stock in these things, anyway.

Hitting projections rarely make logical sense. For example, where do they get the projection that Aoki's BA will fall 6 points off his career average and his OBP will drop 20 points?

The Vargas projection is especially bad.

[gblowfish]

Uncle Hud was on 610 for an hour today. He said he was going to try to be a little calmer this year. Yeah, right...

[alnorth]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Uncle Hud was on 610 for an hour today. He said he was going to try to be a little calmer this year. Yeah, right...

Its not just his manic craziness, the guy just seems... well... dumb. He adds nothing. Being calm might actually hurt him because I think all he adds to the broadcast is his frenzied style.

[BlackHelicopters]

Any truth in the rumor that Hud was in the car with dime bag?