Top 20 PRE-SEASON Royals Prospects in Review
by John Sickels on Jul 1, 2006 2:21 PM EDT
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Top 20 PRE-SEASON Royals Prospects in Review
This is the PRE-SEASON list. That means it was generated BEFORE THE SEASON STARTED and that the grades were PRE-SEASON. Anyone complaining about the grades based on 2006 performance will be smacked up the side of the head with a Dee Brown autographed bat.
1) Alex Gordon, 3B, Grade A
Hitting .300/.403/.506 for Double-A Wichita, 20 doubles, 10 homers, 38 walks, 16 steals in 17 attempts. Basically everything expected, hitting for average and power, getting on base, playing good defense, even good speed contributions.
2) Billy Butler, OF, Grade B+
Hitting .326/.389/.500 with 22 doubles, 10 homers for Wichita, strong numbers especially given his age at 20. I think he's going to be a fine hitter.
3) Justin Huber, 1B, B+
Got off to a hot start, promoted to Kansas City and sat on the bench for three weeks, got rusty, sent back to Omaha and (not surprisingly) went into a slump. Now hitting .259/.339/.468. He can do better than that if they let him.
4) Jeff Bianchi, SS, B
Season got off to a late start due to injury rehab. Currently 10-for-21 in rookie ball (.476) with two homers. Should move to a higher level soon.
5) Luis Cota, RHP, B-
3-7, 7.52 in 15 starts for High Desert. Still showing good stuff, above average velocity, but control problems are deadly in High Desert.
6) Chris Lubanski, OF, B-
Hitting .258/.336/.416 with 21 doubles for Wichita. Cold start, got hot in May, then went cold again. This fits his usual pattern. I expect he will go on a hot streak in July and August and finish with good numbers.
7) Denny Bautista, RHP, C+
Look great early in the season, then tweaked a muscle and went on the DL. His mechanics have been a mess since he came back, ruining his control, and he is currently struggling in Omaha (6.88 ERA in four starts).
8) Shane Costa, OF, C+
15-for-44 (.341) for Omaha, hit .248/.280/.384 in 39 games for the Royals. I think he is a .270-.280 hitter at the major league level in a full season, but lack of home run power may make him a "tweener."
9) Chris McConnell, SS, C+
Hitting just .171/.259/.204 in 60 games for Class A Burlington. Quite disappointing, as he was expected to hit following his strong performance last year in short-season ball.
10) Mitch Maier, OF, C+
Hitting .278/.337/.440 with 15 doubles, eight homers for Wichita. Doing OK, looking more and more like a possible fourth outfielder. His defense has developed into a major asset.
11) Donnie Murphy, 2B, C+
Hitting .234/.301/.394 for Wichita, struggling with injuries. Status is slipping.
12) Andres Blanco, SS, C+
Hitting .253/.310/.359 for Omaha. Good glove but his hitting leaves a lot to be desired. Makes contact but does not drive the ball.
13) Billy Buckner, RHP, C+
7-1, 3.90 in 16 starts for High Desert, 85/47 K/BB in 90 innings. Pitching very well actually; remember what a 3.90 ERA in High Desert means. Although his control still needs some work I'd be willing to promote him to Double-A at this point.
14) Chris Nicoll, RHP, C+
3-5, 2.84 in 13 starts for Burlington, 74/20 K/BB in 76 innings. Pitching quite well, showing strong command of decent stuff.
15) Kila Kaaihue, 1B, C+
Hitting .178/.270/.223 in 61 games for Wichita, with ZERO homers. He hit for power in the low minors but seems totally overmatched in Double-A.
16) Mike Aviles, SS, C
Hitting .252/.281/.376 for Omaha. Seems to have topped out as a hitter, with utility work his eventual destination.
17) Joseph Dickerson, OF, C
Just activated from extended spring training, is 12-for-34 (.353) so far for Idaho Falls.
18) Brent Fisher, LHP, C
Just activated from extended spring training, has a 12/1 K/BB in his first 10 innings (allowing one run) for the AZL Royals. He has excellent control and should move up to Idaho Falls or Burlington later this summer.
19) Angel Sanchez, SS, C
Similar to Blanco, has a good glove but a questionable bat. Currently at .285/.350/.353 for Wichita.
20) Danny Tamayo, RHP, C
Has thrown 26 innings for Omaha, going 3-2, 4.21 with a 26/4 K/BB. On the DL with shoulder trouble.
Comment: A mixed bag. Gordon and Butler look great, and Huber was doing well before rotting on the bench in the majors for no apparent reason. I think he will rebound. Lack of pitching depth is a major issue. Nicoll and Buckner look good, but control problems hamper Cota and Bautista. Between Blanco, Sanchez, Avila, and Murphy the Royals should be able to find a useful utility man, but none of them look like potential regulars at this stage.
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Buckner
p.s.
Hochevar
what would grade Hochevar and where would you rank him?
Royals' Signees
SIGNING UPDATE: We've received a number of emails from fans wanting to know the status on our draft picks. Well, the scouting department has been very busy and has signed every pick between the second and 17th rounds, as well as 21-23, 31 and 50. Hope that helps!
(Pardon this mini-rant in advance: "Hope that helps!"?!? We (the fans) hope that Hochevar is signed soon, and that he and an unusually high percentage of these draftees/signees can actually help the Royals become competitive again. For the record, yes, I'm still hoping for all of that.)
I'm glad the Royals have signed so many of their early picks (including the fastest guy in the draft), but equally disappointed that there was not a word about Hochevar there. I don't have a Star subscription, but I haven't heard any talk on local sports radio or seen any links to stories or columns on Hochevar's signing negotiations online either. On the other hand, Alex Gordon did not sign immediately last year, so Hochevar could still be signed in a shorter timeframe.
In the post-draft coverage on local sports radio, many broadcasters speculated that Hochevar, despite being a Boras client and a much higher selection in 2006 than in 2005, would be signable for something close to $4M or less. That figure would have represented a significant increase over the Dodgers' offer last year, and Hochevar made some money as a pro last year, and he would be crazy to not sign two years in a row.
The other train of speculative thought suggested that if Hochevar required more money than the Royals cared to spend, the team would attempt to arrange a sign-and-trade deal with another team. Perhaps the Dodgers wouldn't mind getting him a year later, especially for the right deal -- and surely there is some interest from other teams, too.
Cordier
I think 10-20 will look a lot different next year once some of KC's recent draft picks are eligible for the list. Guys like Murphy, Blanco, Kaaihue, Aviles, and Tamayo drop off and be replaced by Jason Taylor, Derrick Robinson, Harold Mozingo, and Brett Bigler.
i think
I dont nessecarily agree with that but its a reasonable statement. He was one of the few pitchers in the system at the time with anysort of upside.
Since the preseason hes only made 3 Pioneer league starts, its not like a ton has changed.
Why did he miss last year BTW..injury i assume but what sort
by nms on Jul 3, 2006 4:08 AM EDT up reply actions
knee surgery
AAA
by cool hand Charlie on Jul 2, 2006 4:59 PM EDT reply actions
No rush
Since the Royals aren't in a pennant race and Teahen has been showing some signs of improvement, I see no reason to rush Alex Gordon, either. I'll agree that promoting Gordon to AAA Omaha this year would be OK, but if Gordon is helped by any time in AAA at all, why not a full season of AA this year and as much AAA time as he needs next year?
I'd hate to see the Royals repeat the same mistake with Gordon (or Butler or any of their current prospects) which ruined so many other KC prospects in the past few years: entitlement. Major-league roles should be earned, not given or taken for granted. Baseball is a team sport with winning and losing team efforts, I wonder whether young major-leaguers would make fewer selfish rookie mistakes if the focus of their minor-league careers had always been on team objectives rather than individual stats and individual promotions. When the Twins developed their youth movement, the organization tried to keep the prospect classes together to win and move up together, and it worked. I hope the Royals learn and copy as much as they possibly can from the Twins, Angels, and any other organization which develops a higher percentage of prospects.
For now, I'm more worried about Huber and Costa. Huber should make the Royals' 2007 Opening Day roster at first base, and it would be great if the starting OF included DeJesus, Gathright, and Costa. Unfortunately, 2/3 of that OF need to show a lot of improvement now, and neither may get enough of a chance unless Emil Brown and Reggie Sanders are dealt by the deadline.
Alan Moye
by Chief @ Minor League Ball on Jul 3, 2006 5:02 AM EDT reply actions
Moye
by kevinagee on Jul 4, 2006 1:34 PM EDT up reply actions
Butler vs. Gordon
Gordon is 2 years a 2 months older than Butler. Gordon looking more athletic and like he'll age better seems like the only reason why someone would predict better offensive production for Gordon over Butler. Of course Gordon's defense is much better and at a superior position (3B vs LF/RF/DH).
Butler is a stud
He's been one of the most consistent all-around hitters in the minors the last 2 years.
He has everything at the plate. Power, average, and discipline.
I'd still rate Gordon ahead of him due to the athleticism, defensive position, and threat on the basepaths.
by youALREADYknow on Jul 3, 2006 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions
Agreed
Even if one prospect is considered to have more potential than another, the one closest to the majors should probably get the higher ranking.
all things considered
Unless they hit .180, there shouldn't be much downside. Gordon seems like he could duplicate what Ryan Zimmerman is doing fairly quickly, and Butler seems to have the wherewithal to have at least modest success right now in the bigs.
by davidrmark on Jul 7, 2006 1:46 PM EDT reply actions
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