Grandal to the Royals

by John Sickels on Jun 5, 2010 10:52 AM EDT

Multiple sources report this morning that the Royals have reached a pre-draft agreement with Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal.

I think this makes a lot of sense for the Royals, given the need for a catcher to replace Methuselah Kendall in the next year or two. Grandal is very advanced defensively and has shown strong offensive skills this year. It makes it more likely that Wil Myers will move off catcher though.

It will also have big ripple effects in the draft. I will work on a new Mock tomorrow reflecting last minute rumors.

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Good to hear

Not for the royals sake, just means the rest of the pack can look for higher ceiling talent. I’m wondering where pomeranz will land now, I’ll say the mets

by daman316 on Jun 5, 2010 11:21 AM EDT via mobile reply actions

?

Grandal is an above-average defensive catcher with a pretty good bat, that sounds “high ceiling” to me.

by mrkupe on Jun 5, 2010 11:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Um, yeah

Outside of the switch-hitting concerns, Grandal sounds (along with Colon maybe) like the best combo of polish and upside at a premium position that the college crop has to offer. Seems like he hit extremely well against ACC comp too.

by blackoutyears on Jun 5, 2010 12:50 PM EDT up reply actions

colon

He’s good . . .but when I think of him, I don’t exactly think “upside”.

by mrkupe on Jun 5, 2010 12:52 PM EDT up reply actions

Not in the typical sense

but he’s expected to provide above average offense at a MIF position in the majors. How many other MIFs are slated to go in the first round besides him and Machado? I’ve also read enough positive recent notes to think that Colon might be an underrated hitter. People are starting to say that he barrels the ball extremely well and he has hit very well the last two months, right? He’s confusing, as I can’t remember the last time I saw a guy get grades of 40 or less on his speed but have the same grader insist that he can stick at SS or 2B at worst.

by blackoutyears on Jun 5, 2010 1:00 PM EDT up reply actions

I don't think he can stick at SS

I look at him as a 2B and I’m not a huge fan. He should be a solid player, but I don’t see more than that.

by Jeff Reese on Jun 6, 2010 9:59 AM EDT up reply actions

He may even be one of the best hitters, too

Certainly if you want to look at his stats, he’s been one of the most productive among elite college bats. Combine that with defense which will play at catcher and you’ve got a really good prospect. I think he’s a little bit of a reach for the Royals, but if I were a KC fan, I wouldn’t be bothered by it.

by OremLK on Jun 5, 2010 12:57 PM EDT up reply actions

i'm not bothered

really once you get by the top 3, you could start to argue a lot of different prospects for the next few spots. not sure he’d be picked this high in a stronger draft class, but you gotta make do with the cards that are dealt.

baseball rules.

by doublestix on Jun 5, 2010 1:01 PM EDT up reply actions