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.

[Hootie]

Originally Posted by KCCHIEFS27

Uhh, the Rays have the least amount of errors in the AL and the third best fielding percentage. The Royals? 7th best in the AL for errors and fielding percentage.

that means absolutely nothing

the Royals make up for all of that with the crazy insane amount of runs they save

the advanced metrics for our team defense are ridiculous

[tk13]

Originally Posted by 'Hamas' Jenkins

I don't know if the average fan is sophisticated or patient enough to buy that line of thinking, especially with a team that has struggled as much as the Royals. They look at the here and now.

If the Royals win 86 games this year, then he can point to an upward trajectory and secure some extra years despite hurting their long-term viability.

Could be. We don't know what the Royals record would've been these last two years... or if Myers would've even panned out. They could've lost 100 games and Moore would be gone.

[cmh6476]

Originally Posted by lewdog

That Shields trade is gonna look awesome when we finish runner-up to the final wild card spot this year!

can't wait for the ticker tape parade through P&L

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by KCCHIEFS27

Uhh, the Rays have the least amount of errors in the MLB and the third best fielding percentage in the AL. The Royals? 7th best in the AL for errors and fielding percentage.

FP and errors tell a small portion of the story. Every ball that you don't get to is just as bad as an error.

I'd rather have a shortstop that gets to 30 extra balls a year and commits 15 errors than a guy with telephone booth range who picks every ball that hits his glove.

[Hootie]

Derek Jeter won like 5 gold gloves being [amongst] the worst defensive shortstop in the AL

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

I have no doubts that Shields is a great, great, fantastic clubhouse guy. I don't even have anything against him. I love his competitiveness even if he's been league average, at best this year.

However...we have the best ****ing defense I've ever seen. They literally make every one of our pitchers have numbers that are better than they should be.

I can't ****ing imagine what Shields, Vargas, and Guthrie's numbers would look like without our defense out there.

I play DFS on FanDuel and read advanced pitching stats every day and our defense is hilarious...

Look at our team defense compared to everyone else:

http://rotogrinders.com/articles/Adv...ri_7_25-341649

Our defense is great... but I guarantee you even with that defense, a rotation of Chen, Hochevar, Luis Mendoza, Will Smith and Jonathan Sanchez isn't setting the world on fire. It certainly didn't two years ago, with many of these same guys... albeit younger. And for all his faults I'd rather have Francoeur in RF than Aoki.

['Hamas' Jenkins]

Originally Posted by tk13

Could be. We don't know what the Royals record would've been these last two years... or if Myers would've even panned out. They could've lost 100 games and Moore would be gone.

Certainly. That's why I think he made the trade. He improved his odds of being in KC in 2015 at the cost of a better chance to compete.

It's the personnel equivalent of living off a home equity line of credit.

[Hootie]

those is how much better our defense is than even the #2 defense in baseball right now:

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.asp...ers=0&sort=8,d

[Hootie]

that was 2013

this is 2014

(still the best, by a pretty decent margin)

http://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.asp...ter=&players=0

[Lex Luthor]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Odorizzi was a throw in from the Greinke trade. That was just extra ammo used to get Shields.

Odorizzi was a hell of a lot more than a throw in. At the time of the Greinke trade, Rany talked about what a great prospect Odo was and said he had the potential to develop into a top of the rotation guy. Throwing Odo into the Shields trade was the thing that made it truly horrible.

[Hootie]

throw ins like Odorizzi when you're already losing the deal is why teams like the Rays and A's are good small market teams...and teams like the Royals suck.

[Prison Bitch]

Lol at the deal being bad. Shields is at 6.8 WAR now and Davis is at 3.4. Yeah, picking up 10+ WAR is so easy any GM could do it! These are factored for defense anyway. Last year Myers was so awesome he put up the same war Dyson did and about what Lough did.


Dayton stole Myers in the 3rd anyway by money whipping him. Doesn't e get credit for drafting and then developing him into the currency he was? (Myers has been a total zero this year by the by). DM got everything he wanted from this deal. The Bermuda Triangle of Hos-Moose-Fatass is what sunk us. Period.

[Hootie]

where are you getting those outrageous WAR numbers?

[Hootie]

oh, and...uhm what?

There is a chance Shields and Davis are both gone next year.

Tampa will still have many cost controlled years of Myers and Odorizzi.

Odorizzi is already looking like a definite #2 starter for years to come...

and if you want to give up on Wil Myers that's your prerogative...I think he's still going to go to several all-star games.

we got totally raped in that trade. to a laughable extent.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by Hootie 2.0

where are you getting those outrageous WAR numbers?

Fangraphs

And they're easily the best in the biz on metrics.