MOD #2: Royals

by eazyb81 on May 29, 2007 3:56 PM EDT

With just over a week until the draft, it's time to start narrowing down who we like and who we don't like. I said in the first Royals mod that I want to focus on high-ceiling players to help inject some talent into our system. This is one of the strongest drafts for preps in some time, and therefore I think it would be wise to lean towards HS athletes early on.

There has been a lot of discussion on who KC should take with their first pick, and I have set up a poll so we can finally put this one to bed and move on.

After the 1st round, there should be many interesting names to sift through that offer some promise. We've talked about some high school players, but who are some college players that you are high on? I have some names in my head, but I am wary about naming them here, so I'd like to hear what everyone else thinks.

Poll

Who Should KC Take At #2?

Josh Vitters

3 votes

Matt Wieters

22 votes

Ross Detwiler

0 votes

Mike Moustakas

1 votes

Jarrod Parker

2 votes

Rick Porcello

31 votes

59 votes | Poll has closed

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Comments

Wieters

I like Wieters for 2 reasons

he will be ready very quickly
high school pitchers are such a risk....

I will admit that Boras scares me though....

Porcello projects high but i think you have to go with Witers and pencil him in for a 2009 debut....maybe Buck has one more good year and you can move him for a young pitcher

Frank Tanana is my all time favorite player and he was a member of VTTigers beloved team....my tribute to VTTigers

by gashousegang on May 29, 2007 3:55 PM EDT reply actions

Hmmm

just like we were penciling in Hochevar for opening day of 2008?

Don't get me wrong, I definitely understand where you're coming from, but i'm not sure we should focus too much on who can get here the quickest and/or who is the safest.

Just my 2 cents.

Founder of the Rowdy Hardy Fan Club

by eazyb81 on May 29, 2007 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions

Wieters

Best combo of upside/safety in the draft. A possible position switch later is at this point irrelevant. Also, since the HS crop is so deep, it stands to reason that there will be other high ceiling prep pitchers later in the draft who could have just as good of shot as Porcello.

by KCSlayer on May 29, 2007 4:57 PM EDT reply actions

non-Royals fan

I think you have to look at the Royals in terms of player development. Do they have any success developing pitching in the last 10 years? Greinke? Porcello seems fairly polished for a prep pitcher, but do you trust Kansas City to properly develop him and guide him to the big leagues? Wieters is a finished product, for the most part, and KC lacks an impact catching prospect in their system. To me, it's a slam dunk at 2, regardless of the raw talent Porcello has.

by phuturephillies on May 29, 2007 5:34 PM EDT reply actions

Porcello or Wieters

For KC's sorry state of affairs, either one of these two would be a good pick. A MLB contract for Porcello would be a huge mistake for KC. Wieters seems close to ready so would be of immediate help to KC. The Royals can't really develop anyone so the player development aspect is a wash. They do better with Wieters since he is closer to KC in experience.

by daveyork on May 29, 2007 5:39 PM EDT reply actions

Porcello

Is who I would take.

But you really can't go wrong with Wieters or even Vitters.

by doublestix on May 29, 2007 5:42 PM EDT reply actions

Josh Vitters

haha

Drafting Wieters is a no-brainer to me because of these things in this order

The percentage that he will become a contributor to the big club is high.
The solid chance of being a key contriobutor at a key position combined with being an asset in the lineup as a hitter from both sides of the plate. . . the type of player he will be.
The fact that he is ALSO closer than all the High School players. Its time for the Royals to start valuing EACH SEASON a bit more and this pick will go a long way to warsds that.

If getting to the Royals soon was his #1 sellking point, Id say no too but, I feel he is at the very top in upside as well. Keep in mind that if you know something I dont about ANY of the HS pitchers ....which wouldnt be too hard. I have seen a little of all of tham except none of Porcello.

casedog

by casejud on May 29, 2007 6:21 PM EDT reply actions

Question for the Pro-Wieters crowd

What would you do with Wieters if John Buck continued this torrid pace? Would you be fine with the pick if we had to move him off catcher because of Buck?

I know it goes completely against the golden draft rule of BPA, but I can't help but think that Buck may have turned the corner, and it might not be the smartest move to draft a polished catcher at #2 overall.

For those of you wanting Wieters, do you think Buck's performance thus far is a fluke? Or are you sticking by a BPA approach? Wouldn't KC be screwed if they take Wieters with the 2nd overall pick and Buck continues to mash the ball for the next few years? Gordon at 3rd, Shealy/Butler at 1st....where would you put Wieters?

I know i'm getting WAY ahead of myself, but I can't help but wonder.

Founder of the Rowdy Hardy Fan Club

by eazyb81 on May 29, 2007 6:55 PM EDT reply actions

Well...

I'm not convinced that Buck can keep up this type of performance
I'm not convinced that Shealy can put up any type of decent numbers in the majors
Butler will probably be a DH

Going by all of that, its not unlikely that Wieters will easily fall into a spot in the lineup. Even if Buck and Shealy do turn the corner and put up continually good numbers, they will both be hitting the FA market soon so you trade one or both of them for more prospects at other positions.

Having a surplus of good players is not a problem.

by KCSlayer on May 29, 2007 7:05 PM EDT up reply actions

Buck

Seems like Buck only plays every other day anyway.

by limozeen on May 29, 2007 9:45 PM EDT reply actions

I actually could see

Wieters taken #1 over Price by TB so then I would take Price at #2. If not, I'd likely go Porcello at #2.

by Havok1517 on May 30, 2007 2:54 AM EDT reply actions

My take

I absolutely take Price if he's there, which he probably won't be. I'm not interested in Vitters; he's too far away and he's a corner guy...I know you don't draft for need, but this team needs pitching. If I'm not taking a pitcher (Price), I want a guy who's going to be a sure thing (i.e., Wieters).

If Price isn't available, I would take either Porcello or Wieters (like everyone else has been saying). I know signability shouldn't be a factor, but my decision would be based on whether or not we could avoid giving Porcello a major league contract. If the Royals don't think they can get Porcello without a major league contract, then I'm taking Wieters.

by ajohnst1 on May 30, 2007 12:14 PM EDT reply actions

My take

Absolutely go with Rick Porcello, you can't pass up a guy who is 6'5", perfect mechanics, and 4 plus pitches. I am also not convinced that Wieters can stay behind the plate, b/c I think that the wear and tear on a big guy like that would be too much, and I don't want to spend a top 2 pick on a 1B. I would also take Vitters before Wieters.

Here's some guys that I like that might be available in Round 2:

Matt Cusick- IF- College
Ryan Dent- IF- High School
Danny Duffy- SP- HS
Kellen Kulbacki- OF- College
Jon Lucroy- C- College
Travis Mattair- SS/3B- HS
Nick Noonan- 2B- HS
Greg Peavy- SP- HS
Kevin Rhoderick- SP- HS
Austin Romine- C- HS
Julian Sampson- SP- HS
Victor Sanchez- 3B- HS
Tommy Toledo- SP- HS
Matt West- IF- HS
Chris Withrow- SP- HS

by adschofield on May 31, 2007 3:03 PM EDT reply actions