BA Royals top 10...Mikey Monty #1
link...below
http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/organization-top-10-prospects/2012/2612809.html
list after the jump...
BA Royals top 10
1. Michael Montgomery - SP
2. Derek 'bubba' Starling - OF
3. Wil Myers - OF
4. Jake Odorizzi - SP
5. Chez Cuthbert - 3B/SS
6. John Lamb - SP
7. Kelvin Herrera (the exceptional Reliever)
8. Jason Adam -SP
9. Chris Dwyer - SP
10. Yordano Ventura - SP
2015 PROJECTED lineup: AND Best Tools :
| Catcher | Salvador Perez | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Base | Eric Hosmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Second Base | Johnny Giavotella | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Third Base | Mike Moustakas | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Shortstop | Alcides Escobar | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Left Field | Wil Myers | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Center Field | Bubba Starling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Right Field | Alex Gordon | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Designated Hitter | Billy Butler | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Starter | Mike Montgomery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Starter | Danny Duffy | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Starter | Jake Odorizzi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Starter |
John Lamb #5 SP and CL: Hochevar / Soria |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Comments
Montgomery
I was definitely surprised by this ranking - I personally have Myers, Starling, Cuthbert, and Odorizzi ahead of him right now (in that order). Also, considering that most have Myers firmly in the top 15 overall, does that mean logically that whoever did this list has Montgomery in their top 15? I know he has really good upside, but seems extremely aggressive to me.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
by BenMc5 on Jan 18, 2026 9:17 AM EST reply actions
Speaking of Myers
Never understood why he was that highly thought of considering the power output thus far. Do people see a lot more power down the line or are we only talking moderate power with good hit tool and OB skills?
Mourning Guy Carbonneau...
Royals obscure player to watch in ST: Lenny DiNardo
by playingwithfire on Jan 18, 2026 10:35 AM EST up reply actions
yeah, well obviously
I mean look at his frame the guy is going to hit for more power as time wears on ….. remember how Joe Mauer didn’t hit for a lick of power in the minors and then in the last year at the Metrodome, (before the mammonth Target Field now a days) Mauer went bizzerk and hit 28 homers in one season (’09) after missing all of April in that 2009.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/photo-logan-morrison-bryan-petersen-share-tub-drink-043548597.html
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 18, 2026 11:05 AM EST up reply actions
Yeah, but Mauer's power surge
Is pretty distant memories now. Injuries aside he didn’t even hit 10 the following year. The .222 ISO that year looks more and more like the exception rather than the rule. Wil Myers also doesn’t play catcher anymore. If he’s still a catcher with this kind of hitting profile then sure he’s an elite guy, but he’s an OF now.
Mourning Guy Carbonneau...
Royals obscure player to watch in ST: Lenny DiNardo
by playingwithfire on Jan 18, 2026 11:37 AM EST up reply actions
I think it's more for average and OBP
While picking a teammate as a comp seems lazy, he’s could basically be a Billy Butler with solid OF defense and great avg/obp, and he has a high chance of reaching that level, which would be extremely valuable to many teams. Of course, he has projection for more…he has the large build and sweet swing that could get him into the 20-25 HR range annually, if not more. Keep in mind many hitters that were not projected to hit for big power gained that ability down the road (Adrian Gonzalez, Travis Hafner).
Hitters can develop power far more often than powerful guys can learn how to hit (Starling).
The 2008 Rogelio Moret League Fantasy Baseball Champions!
by The Congo Hammer on Jan 18, 2026 11:06 AM EST up reply actions
adrian gonzalez was picked #1 overall while being a 1b who wasnt projected to hit for power?
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Jan 18, 2026 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
Billy Butler K% was 12.5% in AA and AAA
Wil Myers K% in AA was 20.9%. He’s never been below 15.8% (A+). Even in A-ball it was 18.7%. I think Billy Butler is a terrible comp.
I just don’t see how he has elite contact ability. He can take a walk sure, but it’s not Ackley level elite either. While he was a Catcher maybe it made sense to rank him highly, but as a corner OF with questionable power, why is he still ranked so high?
by valencia on Jan 18, 2026 2:06 PM EST up reply actions
For me, when all is said and done
I think the best careers will go in this order:
1. Hosmer
2. Myers
3. Moustakas
4. Butler.
www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor
by alskor on Jan 19, 2026 1:02 AM EST up reply actions
Don't take this as a knock on Butler...
Its a strong quartet and I generally think Butler’s offensive skill set is underrated… but he is a DH.
www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor
by alskor on Jan 19, 2026 1:02 AM EST up reply actions
Wow
If all 3 of those guys are reasonably better players than Bully Butler (who is really relegated to DH at his age due to circumstance), the Royals will be very fortunate. He’s not Adrian Gonzalez, but Butler isn’t even 26 & has had a nice career thus far.
by Matt0330 on Jan 19, 2026 8:53 AM EST up reply actions
i don't think Moose
will have a better career than Butler though i do think they will generally comparable careers once you include position adjustments
Hosmer and Myers though, i’d agree with
by blue bulldog on Jan 19, 2026 8:55 AM EST up reply actions
where's the late bloomer on that list AL ?
Alex Gordon
he deserves probably a mention too.
5th? I don’t know i think he could end up a better player than Moustakakas (gordon) but not as overall valuable a player in LF whilie Moose is at 3B.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/photo-logan-morrison-bryan-petersen-share-tub-drink-043548597.html
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 19, 2026 10:10 AM EST up reply actions
That's a good question
My first instinct is to place him 3rd. Have to think about that one, though.
www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor
by alskor on Jan 20, 2026 10:17 PM EST up reply actions
Myers has plenty of power
20+ HRs a year shouldn’t be a problem. Makes lots of hard contact, but needs to incorporate his lower half better.
www.bullpenbanter.com
twitter: @alskor
by alskor on Jan 18, 2026 4:00 PM EST up reply actions
300/400/500...ish
that is a special hitter. He doesn’t have to hit for a ton of power to have a rare profile.
by ROBERTS04 on Jan 18, 2026 11:01 PM EST up reply actions
He has to hit for pretty darn good power to have
.200 ISO
Mourning Guy Carbonneau...
Royals obscure player to watch in ST: Lenny DiNardo
by playingwithfire on Jan 19, 2026 1:31 AM EST up reply actions
That's only 1.67 bases per hit
Major league average last year was 1.56, and that includes pitchers who would drag it down a little. So it’s above average, but not a whole lot.
by MjwW on Jan 19, 2026 5:08 PM EST up reply actions
#1
I can’t see this at all. It’s not that he doesn’t still have a ceiling of such a highly ranked prospect but with his recent injuries and struggles, third is the highest I could have seen him.
by jedjethro on Jan 18, 2026 9:22 AM EST reply actions
oops
that should have been “+1” in the subject line.
by jedjethro on Jan 18, 2026 9:23 AM EST reply actions
Certainly a disconnect btw Baseball America and other sites on this.
For example, Baseball Prospectus has Montgomery rank #6 and only a 3 star rating, while Myers and Starling are #1 and #2 with a 5 star rating each. Wonder what the guys at BA know that everyone else doesn’t.
by johnorpheus on Jan 18, 2026 9:45 AM EST reply actions
maybe BA's previously poor track record
at ranking pitchers
hasn’t changed that much
by blue bulldog on Jan 18, 2026 10:17 AM EST up reply actions
I think the question should be
What everyone else knows that the guys at BA don’t.
The 2008 Rogelio Moret League Fantasy Baseball Champions!
by The Congo Hammer on Jan 18, 2026 11:06 AM EST up reply actions
lol
he would actually laugh at that maybe and, I did too. He certainly is just one guy and, not “the guys at BP”. I love his podcast but, there are several guys here who I would trust to rank prospects more skillfully than KG.
"Does it make your life easier to just throw a quick, racist term at somebody? A man who has seen the things I’ve seen… experienced the loss and pain that I’ve experienced… I transcend race, hombre." - Kenny Powers
by casejud on Jan 18, 2026 9:59 PM EST up reply actions
I think this ranking of Monty at #1 by BA, echos what John Sickles was comencing earlier
That simply pitchers and hitters are two completely different animals and ranking them together is really just a fabrication of the mind.
I like John’s top 50 Hitters and top 50 pitchers better than the community top 100 for this reason.
its awkward having both compared to one another for me, and maybe BA is saying something here with Myers below Monty in that Myers is a COF Monty is a potential #2 or even #1 type of starter. And really Myers isn’t a Josh hamilton impact level bat, at least yet.
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/photo-logan-morrison-bryan-petersen-share-tub-drink-043548597.html
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 18, 2026 10:59 AM EST reply actions
Hey Steve
You said you don’t like comparing the two, then right after that, you compared the two. ??
"Does it make your life easier to just throw a quick, racist term at somebody? A man who has seen the things I’ve seen… experienced the loss and pain that I’ve experienced… I transcend race, hombre." - Kenny Powers
by casejud on Jan 18, 2026 10:01 PM EST up reply actions
BA's Stubborn/Inflexible Nature
I personally think this ranking of Montgomery is in line with BA’s nature. BA ranked Montgomery 19th overall last year and clearly they have him ranked similarly this year. From my observations, BA has trouble letting prospects go (see BA’s love of Hicks). BA does not usually hit top prospects if they do not develop quite according to plan.
I think this ranking is more an indictment of Myers, who BA ranked in the top 10 overall last year. It seems they likely have him in the 30-50 range this year.
by jaroche6 on Jan 18, 2026 2:55 PM EST reply actions
i sorta agree with this
though as you point out, they are dropping Myers
by blue bulldog on Jan 18, 2026 6:35 PM EST up reply actions
Myers was injured for most of last year then when fully healthy dominated the AFL
He will be in the 20-25 range imo.
by Bronzillo on Jan 18, 2026 8:08 PM EST up reply actions
You misunderstand
I was not arguing for Myers to be ranked lower. I just suspect BA may rank him lower if they rank both Montgomery and Starling ahead of him. Plus, I do not see how BA can possibly justify ranking Montgomery higher than he was ranked last year, meaning, logically that Myers must be ranked in the 30-50 range by BA.
by jaroche6 on Jan 19, 2026 12:26 AM EST up reply actions
Gotcha
Your right about Monty. I’m a huge fan and I’m shocked they have him #1. This could only be if they’re basing his projection almost entirely on physical tools which ARE the best in the system. The trouble is, he has been exposed in the upper minors (AA ‘10 wasn’t dominant either) as better hitters lay off his secondary stuff.
Moore claims that his change got a full grade better in ’11, but that is hard to see as he struggled to control it for most of the season. He did finish fairly strong, especially cutting down on his walk rate the last month.
2012 will be an important year for Monty, starting with ST in the Surprise, Ariz big league camp. If he out performs Crow and Duffy he could conceivably win the final rotation spot.
Unlikely but not out of the question.
by Bronzillo on Jan 19, 2026 1:21 AM EST up reply actions
he's spot on with the change
heard a scout mention it to. it’s a f’ing great pitch.
guy just needs to throw more strikes with his fastball. always seemed to get behind in the count.
i’m interested to see how he does in 2012 now that they’ve completely laid off the restrictions in his throwing program also. i don’t really buy it that much but maybe there’s something to it.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
http://twitter.com/doublestix
by doublestix on Jan 19, 2026 1:41 AM EST up reply actions
Good info
Doug Henry, his PC at Omaha said his main problem is he dicks around too much with the lesser players that should be automatic outs instead of attacking them, which naturally leads to needless base runners and high pitch counts.
I’ve heard of this problem reasoned before with players and although it sounds like an easy fix, it doesn’t always happen.
To me, it sounds like a lack of focus which sometimes goes away with repetition and maturity, and sometimes doesn’t.
I honestly have no idea what to expect from Montgomery this season. He is a likable player with a shitload of talent and seems to work hard, so I’m super hopeful. Big year for John Lamb too, although it won’t get going right away.
by Bronzillo on Jan 19, 2026 2:21 AM EST up reply actions
i like
BA’s optimism for Lamb
i think the TJ surgery is going to drop him a lot farther for most people than it should
by blue bulldog on Jan 19, 2026 8:59 AM EST up reply actions
Lamb's Dad,
James Lamb, has his own blog. It’s pretty good. In addition to John reports, I think he works (or has in the past) in the baseball industry, and has some good insights.
http://baseballprospectdad.wordpress.com/
If you (someone) wanted advice on how to raise a son as a baseball prospect, or into one, this is a great site.
by Bronzillo on Jan 19, 2026 4:21 PM EST up reply actions
James is a scout for the Marlins I think
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
http://twitter.com/doublestix
by doublestix on Jan 20, 2026 1:12 AM EST up reply actions
yep excellent point with the should be easy outs
Greg Schaum has mentioned this as well and as the season went on it was pretty evident. saw a few four pitch walks on the 8 and 9 hole hitters which was embarrassing.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
http://twitter.com/doublestix
by doublestix on Jan 19, 2026 1:34 PM EST up reply actions
Monty started off well last year and had a pretty solid ST
in big league camp. He was one of the last roster cuts….There were a couple times after May when he was ONE solid start away from a call up. Chen and Davies both had injuries fairly close to each other and the job was his (or Mazzaro’s) for the taking.
That was when he just completely went in the tank. I think I remember charting a stretch where he gave up something like 58 runs in 59 IP and royals nation freaked out. NOOOOOO!!!!!
It didn’t help that around the same time, Dwyer was getting shelled even worse in AA and Lamb’s elbow exploded.
Thank god that nightmare is over…..isn’t it?
by Bronzillo on Jan 19, 2026 4:36 PM EST up reply actions
top 6
same names, far different order for me. right now i got … 1. Myers, 2. Cuthbert, 3. Montgomery, 4. Starling, 5. Lamb, 6. Odorizzi
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
http://twitter.com/doublestix
by doublestix on Jan 18, 2026 3:52 PM EST reply actions
i have them
wil - bubba - cheslor/monty … still not sure who i prefer yet… cheslor and monty will be real close on my top 100 too… probably both between 25-30.
I think I have Wil around 8-10, and Bubba not far behind
by daveh33 on Jan 18, 2026 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
damn...so you've gotta have the royals really close to the top system then?
Fire Everyone
by billybeingbilly on Jan 19, 2026 12:01 AM EST up reply actions
I do.
Think they have very top talent with solid depth.
Strong top 3 hitters- Myers,Starling, Cuthbert
Strong top 3 pitching- Monty, Odorizzi, Lamb
Stud reliver-Kelvin Herrea, (Jeremy Jefferess has the stuff to very good but can’t put it together.)
Promising starting pitching- Chris Dwyer, Jason Adam, Yordano Ventura, Noel Argulles, Kyle Smith, Bryan Brickhouse.
- international prospect this year Elier Hernandez and Jorge Bonifacio who is becoming well known.
Solid bench/role players- Brett Eibner, Christian Colon, Cam Gallagher, Tim Mellville(depth starter)
Sleeper-Greg Billio.
I think this system has all the different pieces you are looking for and their top 6 to 10 should challenge anyone elses. Beyond that there are still a lot of interesting guys and depth even with the large amount of graduations. Pretty impressive if you ask me.
by vic1124 on Jan 20, 2026 12:56 AM EST up reply actions
yeah doublestx i'd be along you're lines
I’d go
1. Cuthbert
2. Myers
3. Montgomery
4. Starling
5. Lamb
6. Odorizzi
http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mlb-big-league-stew/photo-logan-morrison-bryan-petersen-share-tub-drink-043548597.html
by SteveHoffmanSlowey on Jan 18, 2026 9:20 PM EST up reply actions
Myers in LF, Gordon in RF?
Seem backwards to anyone else?
by siddfynch on Jan 18, 2026 11:32 PM EST reply actions
yeah
no reason to switch them. Gordon currently is in LF, and Myers in RF. no reason to change that.
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
http://twitter.com/doublestix
by doublestix on Jan 19, 2026 1:35 PM EST up reply actions
not Melky helps. :)
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
http://twitter.com/doublestix
by doublestix on Jan 19, 2026 3:42 PM EST up reply actions
Hopefully not
That sounds like a terrible way to project where OFs should play. Steve Garvey had NO errors back in 1984…let’s hope BA wasn’t arguing for him to play SS instead of Garry Templeton.
by siddfynch on Jan 19, 2026 10:07 AM EST reply actions
I don't really see
the connection between errors and assists
by blue bulldog on Jan 19, 2026 11:12 AM EST up reply actions
Agreed
Although, in general, if a LF plays good defense and has a strong, accurate arm, he might be a good candidate for RF.
With Gordon, I wouldn’t move him until the current RF at that time proves he can’t cut it. Gordo is finally comfortable and kicking ass. No reason to mess with that as doublestix said.
by Bronzillo on Jan 19, 2026 4:48 PM EST up reply actions
IMO Gordon is horrible in LF. But at least passable. He is so stiff, has terrible reads,
and can’t get to many balls. Yeah, if he actually reads the ball correctly and gets going he will likely not screw it up. I do think his bat will improve, a lot. Enough that it will carry his D. But I wouldn’t go overboard and try to sell his D like he is anywhere close to average.
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 2:41 AM EST up reply actions
You have just exposed yourself as clueless
He is NOT horrible in any way. his UZR in ’11 was, 10.5!
He is an above average fielding LF who has a great arm and just won the frickin’ GG.
Seriously, get a clue.
by Bronzillo on Jan 20, 2026 12:35 PM EST up reply actions
LOL
First of all no need for the name calling. Second, using GG is a terrible way to determine a fielders value. And UZR is a questionable stat. From what I have watched I really didn’t like his reads and his jumps seemed to be quite slow. What did you see when watching him?
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 1:33 PM EST up reply actions
So you watched him and came to that conclusion?
That truly baffles me. Dude is above average easily, decent speed, makes very good reads, takes good angles, and gets the ball into the infield extremely fast. should only get better since he is relatively new to the position.
by vic1124 on Jan 20, 2026 5:38 PM EST up reply actions
dude has never actually seen him play,
he just watched some highlight videos. I think he just likes to talk out his bung.
by Bronzillo on Jan 20, 2026 6:06 PM EST up reply actions
very good reads and angles?
I strongly disagree with that, this is his biggest weakness. Can other KC fans verify one way or another?
ps: not you Bronzillo
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 6:58 PM EST up reply actions
based on BIS data
“His ratings were -8/-14 (eight plays below average, 14 bases below average). "
http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/yankees/post/_/id/25170/gold-glove-voters-miss-on-brett-gardner
Basically they are saying he was one of the lowest rated LF but had a very good arm.
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 2:04 PM EST up reply actions
well, i can't agree with this at all
R.I.P. cwhitman412, Frederick0220, & Mets2k9
http://twitter.com/doublestix
by doublestix on Jan 20, 2026 1:18 PM EST up reply actions
Just watched his hilights from last year
and have to say he is much improved. His arm is very good. But over half of these highlights where he makes a great catch it’s because he took a bad route. I am impressed with some of the catches where he makes a good read. And he does make up for his mistakes many of the times by still getting to the ball even if it’s an event.
It looks like he is reading the ball a bit better and his routes are improving. Maybe he can continue that trend?
IMO his UZR was high because of Melky. Several of those highlight plays he had no business being in CF territory but Melky was so bad.
Again, he has improved beyond what I thought he was capable. I still think too often he gets poor reads or routes and many times you can see him slow down then speed up, etc.
http://kcbbh.blogspot.com/2011/11/alex-gordon-2011-defense-highlights.html
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 2:03 PM EST up reply actions
I watched 140 games last year
Considering he never played the OF before the end of last yr, he did fine and his routes got better every week. He isn’t “slow” at all, he stole 17 bases last year … Its like your just making stuff up.
If you don’t think he was worthy of winning the GG and maybe Brett Gardner should have won, fine. But to say that he is a “terrible” leftfielder is just plain ignorant.
You probably know more about the crap outfielders you have in SD but you don’t know more about Alex Gordon than me. I have followed his whole career closely.
With that, I’m finished with you. Go troll somebody else’s comments. Good day sir.
by Bronzillo on Jan 20, 2026 3:10 PM EST up reply actions
having a bad day?
You quote GG as a determining factor for his D. Then you quote UZR but don’t answer the BIS data which when you separate his arm, which is very good, from his fielding shows that it is below average.
Further you quote SB as an indicator of speed. When I talk about him being slow it’s based on his reads, his stop and starts when taking a route.
I do think he is poor fielder but a great arm. If you want to disagree go ahead.
Oh, and I don’t know why you mention SD since I don’t follow them at all.
Am I a troll because I disagree with you? Or because you don’t have answers for my questions?
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 3:37 PM EST up reply actions
LOL
Note to self: Don’t ever get into a pissing match with a player’s mom.
by siddfynch on Jan 20, 2026 4:25 PM EST up reply actions
hahaha
exactly. And the more reasonable I get and the more I combine what I have seen with what others studied I get more insulting replies. Too funny.
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 6:57 PM EST up reply actions
Fine, we will use your BIS data
Baseball Info Solutions is a system that measures “Good Fielding Plays”
In this, Gardner lead the league with 33.
Gordon was 2nd with 31.
Sorry, not enough to make up for the much, much, better arm and the 20 assists.
It also contradicts your claim that he is a below avg fielder.
31. Second in baseball in the metric that YOU chose.
Go suck on a lemon and bother me no more.
by Bronzillo on Jan 20, 2026 6:00 PM EST up reply actions
hahahaha
you realize the 31 plays includes the assists? You also realize I was NOT talking about good fielding plays? BIS does more than just measure that, they have other measurements.
I like how each reply of yours gets more and more angry as you continue to ignore my main points.
by pedrophile on Jan 20, 2026 6:56 PM EST up reply actions














