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.

[CaliforniaChief]

That seems like a pretty reasonable deal to me.

[duncan_idaho]

I'm OK with signing Chen...

But Chen money + Hochevar money + Davis money gets you Ervin Santana.

From what I heard Moore say the other day, they knew he had a good offer on the table. 3-year deal makes sense in that case. KC might have to go 4 years to get it done, which is understandably risky. Especially if you're offering $12-14 million/year.

But still... I'd rather have one Ervin Santana than all three of those guys. Even with the long-term risk.

[tk13]

Yeah, but at the end of the day I'd rather round up all that money and make one offer to Shields. Even though that's a longer shot.

But as I've said before... we aren't winning anything unless we develop starting pitching. We just aren't. The rest is just hoping on a prayer. I guess that's why I'm not too worked up over Santana yet. We have to get at least 2 starting arms out of the current group. Pair them with guys like Guthrie and Vargas, and make a serious run at Shields and we are legit.

[tyton75]

I would love to have Santana on the team, believe me. But I think its smarter to have 3 healthy arms instead of one who has pitched a ton and could easily slide back to his pre 2013 stats.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by tk13

Yeah, but at the end of the day I'd rather round up all that money and make one offer to Shields. Even though that's a longer shot.

But as I've said before... we aren't winning anything unless we develop starting pitching. We just aren't. The rest is just hoping on a prayer. I guess that's why I'm not too worked up over Santana yet. We have to get at least 2 starting arms out of the current group. Pair them with guys like Guthrie and Vargas, and make a serious run at Shields and we are legit.

Greinke money for a guy who's 34 before the first pitch of that contract?

Hard to see that being a fit for KC.

Agree on developing star pitching internally. Must do a better job of that.

[tyton75]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Greinke money for a guy who's 34 before the first pitch of that contract?

Hard to see that being a fit for KC.

Agree on developing star pitching internally. Must do a better job of that.

completely agree

[duncan_idaho]

The good news on the pitching front is that there is help on the horizon. This year - and how Ventura develops - is a big indicator year for him.

Best case scenario:

Ventura pitches well and is in RotY consideration.

Zimmer and Manaea both have strong minor league seasons, and the Royals have a pair of top 15 prospects knocking on the door to start next season.

Miguel Almonte continues to develop and remains a top 50 type.

Could go really well... but TINSTAAPP

[Great Expectations]

This also allows Davis to stay in the pen while we hold Ventura out for a few months to keep an extra year of control.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Great Expectations

This also allows Davis to stay in the pen while we hold Ventura out for a few months to keep an extra year of control.

If we're truly going "all-in" this year, it may be more beneficial to give Ventura as many starts as possible.

[tyton75]

I kinda like the idea of keeping Ventura down and limit his innings to begin the season, then bring him up after the all-star break for the playoff push. Hell, maybe even bring Zimmer up at the same time if he's pitching well.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by tyton75

I kinda like the idea of keeping Ventura down and limit his innings to begin the season, then bring him up after the all-star break for the playoff push. Hell, maybe even bring Zimmer up at the same time if he's pitching well.

Ventura pitched 150 innings last year. Means he probably is good for 190-200 this year at most.

I wouldn't keep him down that long, as I think they need him pitching to his potential to make a really strong playoff push this year. But I could see limiting him a bit in Omaha to start the year and then bringing him up in early May.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by tyton75

I would love to have Santana on the team, believe me. But I think its smarter to have 3 healthy arms instead of one who has pitched a ton and could easily slide back to his pre 2013 stats.

When two of those healthy arms are Luke Hochevar and Wade Davis, I disagree.

Neither of those guys provides value that can't be found somewhere else. Bullpen pieces are easy to replace, especially with Moore around.

I'm leery of a long-term deal with Santana. Four years and $50 million or so would make me nervous. But it also gives much higher upside for this season than the alternative.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Greinke money for a guy who's 34 before the first pitch of that contract?

Hard to see that being a fit for KC.

Agree on developing star pitching internally. Must do a better job of that.

Obviously not as many years... but $20 mil or so a year? I mean is that any worse than giving $14 million to Santana? I don't think it'll happen but it's not completely outrageous. I think Shields is more consistent than Santana, and more important to the success of this pitching staff. He's a fastball/changeup guy, he stays in good shape, so he might age well.

I'm not sure Shields is getting $25M a year. We'll see though. It also makes sense from DM's perspective because it also helps justify the Myers trade.

[Prison Bitch]

Why should Ventura start at AAA? He's already proved he's a MLB-caliber starter last year. He has to be in the rotation day 1.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Why should Ventura start at AAA? He's already proved he's a MLB-caliber starter last year. He has to be in the rotation day 1.

I agree.

Speaking hypothetically, if you're concerned about an innings limit with him and want to limit his innings and pitch count but keep him on a starter's schedule, that might be easier to do in Omaha/the minors.

I wouldn't do it, personally. You can probably get the same effect by having him on the Opening Day roster, making him the 5th starter, and skipping some starts early in the year. But I'd probably just come out of the gate blazing with him and let him do what he can.

As a Latin American signing who did NOT sign for a big bonus immediately, Ventura is the type of guy who might fit in with a Perez/Escobar-type extension.