Possibly goes top 10 but is a big, physical SP with ace potential. Moore and co. will be all over him if he slips a bit and could offer top 10 money at No. 16
OF Jarred Kelenic, Waukasha West HS, WI
Spoiler!
Kelenic is the top prep bat, toolsy OF. Royals would be ecstatic to have shot at him.
1B Triston Casas, American Heritage HS (FL).
Spoiler!
Tremendous raw power, best in HS bats. Royals typically like HS arms or HS bats with "special" tools. He qualifies.
RHP Carter Stewart, Eau de Gallie HS (Ga).
Spoiler!
Another big, physical specimen with huge upside. More likely to be available mid-first than Rocker.
ANY Any, Any (Any). Any current top projected pick who slides for injury concerns. Includes current top prospect prospect SP Brady Singer, U of Florida.
Current Prospects to Watch:
OF Seuly Matias - Huge tools. Hit 2 HR in Lexington (A) season opener.
1B Nick Pratto - Top pick in 17 has advanced approach and good glove; needs to start tapping into power in first full year in minors. Also at Lexington.
OF Michael Gigliotti - Good defender in CF, good OBP skills, plus baserunner. Next mainstay in CF for KC, IMO. Advanced college bat also starting at Lexington.
OF Khalil Lee - Probably has highest upside in Royals' system. Could hit 30 HR in majors, could steal 30 bases. Plus defensive ability in RF. Nice test at Wilmington this year.
3B Emmanuel Rivera - Really nice approach and good contact skills. Power is still developing. Also getting a good test at Wilmington.
SP Foster Griffin - Made nice strides in 2017. Needs to continue to progress in 2018. Could be a lefty version of Jakob Junis (good breaking ball that he can really manipulate, OK fastball, good command).
1B Samir Duenez - Duenez still is intriguing, hoping for a step forward in his power production this year at Northwest Arkansas, which would turn him into a legit prospect.
Others to keep an eye on:
SP Gerson Garabito (Wilmington), OF Marten Gasparini (Lexington), C MJ Melendez (Lexington), RP Tyler Zuber (lexington), RP Richard Lovelady (Omaha), SP Dan Tillo (Lexington), SS Nicky Lopez (NWA), SP Scott Blewett (NWA), OF Brewer Hicklen (Idaho Falls),
In general, Lexington and Wilmington are the most interesting spots to watch. Nice depth and a lot of interesting pieces at both. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mecca:
It's great they won and it was different but I will ask one question...is that series played today or in 15? With the juiced ball that'd hurt the 15 team. Posted via Mobile Device
Who cares?
That’s a MLB issue no one could have anticipated. Without the juiced ball we very well could be talking about our playoff runs in either 16 or 17. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Mecca:
It's great they won and it was different but I will ask one question...is that series played today or in 15? With the juiced ball that'd hurt the 15 team. Posted via Mobile Device
Who cares? This is a complete BS question because they aren't playing in today's game, and you are just trying to be difficult. They built a team for the style of baseball that was successful at the time.
But if you want a statistically accurate answer, do remember that most people believe the ball was juiced after the 2015 All Star break. The study that set all this off compared baseballs before and after the 2015 break and found the latter had a less dense core, which correlated exactly with when home runs shot up, so technically they did win the World Series with the juiced ball. [Reply]
The real funny thing about it is whether it was intentional or not, that 15 team was so good it really changed how other teams approached the game. Now everyone tries to build elite bullpens. A team like the Astros went from striking out a ton to encouraging their guys to make contact, and they actually did and won a World Series. You'll see people credit the Astros for it but the Royals did it first. [Reply]
Originally Posted by tk13:
The real funny thing about it is whether it was intentional or not, that 15 team was so good it really changed how other teams approached the game. Now everyone tries to build elite bullpens. A team like the Astros went from striking out a ton to encouraging their guys to make contact, and they actually did and won a World Series. You'll see people credit the Astros for it but the Royals did it first.
I love this especially because how the Royals were called the “Kansas City Base Hits” in the 15 series leading up the Astros.
Astros fans didn’t seem to be laughing after Game 4, though. [Reply]
They put a team together that was the best in baseball for 2.5 years. Last half of the 13 season they were on a fucking tear.
Then after yo died and all the injuries hit we just didn't have it.
Originally Posted by SAUTO:
They put a team together that was the best in baseball for 2.5 years. Lost half of the 13 season they were on a ****ing tear.
Then after yo died and all the injuries hit we just didn't have it.
Those couldn't be seen.
It was the perfect storm of players who believed in each other and one of the best bullpens that baseball has ever seen. [Reply]
Here is the fact: Every team who wins the World Series gets lucky. Sometimes it's because they avoided getting unlucky. A key injury or two and most teams wouldn't make it. The Royals avoided injuries and fielded healthy teams in the playoffs.
Some teams get lucky and get suddenly hot in the playoffs - the Royals hit a lot more home runs in the 2014 playoffs than they were expected to.
You can say the same thing for most teams. Some are just absolutely stacked, like this years Yankees, but even they don't have depth everywhere. If Severino gets injured they wouldn't stand a chance against the Sox or the Astros.
Take the championships when you can get them. Who cares if you get lucky. Embrace the luck and hope it happens again in the next decade. [Reply]