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 gblowfish:
I don’t think Dayton Moore is a good GM, even with the jewelry, and my evidence is his own words, his own thinking, his own transactions. The Royals are going to wander until he’s let go."
GMDM is not perfect, but taking his words at face-value is the most basic and elementary mistake to make when evaluating him as a GM. It's why national analysts so often misread and underestimate him.
And something tells me GMDM prefers it that way. [Reply]
What's so goddamn frustrating about the last two lineups is that it's Ned contradicting himself.
Early in Esky's career, Ned refused to pinch-hit for him in late-game pressure situations because he said it was crucial to his development -- he needed to "learn to hit" in those circumstances.
Now, he sits O'Hearn and Phillips against LHP because, apparently, he's afraid that starting them will retard their development or something. This from a guy who is about as anti-platoon as you can find. Yet, now he thinks it's important to play Drew Butera -- DREW BUTERA -- at first base TWO NIGHTS IN A ROW to protect a young hitter. If those guys can't learn on the job in a season like this, when will they?
And I won't even get into the madness that is accepting lower-quality prospects rather than eating salary when trading good players, while forking over hundreds of thousands of dollars in plate-appearance bonus money to a really shitty player in Esky. [Reply]
I like Joe Sheehan a bunch, but he misses the mark on a few things he said there.
First, let’s revisit his comments about the Shields/Davis trade. They did not spend 16 months trying to turn Davis into a starter.
They spent 3-4. He moved to the bullpen late in 13 and was in the bullpen to start 2014. They talked about him having a floor of being a high-value reliever. So that didn’t come out of nowhere.
Second, saying those two trades are the only things Moore has done overlooks the overhaul of the farm system from complete laughing stock to an elite system that was one of the best in recent memory.
Third, as pointed out, it takes something Moore said at face value. Which we know is folly. [Reply]
Originally Posted by siberian khatru:
Why wait til then?
Why not both? There are plenty of games left this season and next and the Royals will be competing in neither season. Sitting on the bench for 2 games isn't the end of the world.
Take a breather buddy. If they don't care about losing games, then you shouldn't be getting that worked up either. [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
One other thing Sheehan was way off on:
The Royals farm should no longer be described as “terrible.”
It’s not a leading system, but it’s firmly in that second 12-20 range now.
It’s the Alex Smith of farm systems. With quite a bit of upside, actually.
Yeah farm system isn't too bad now. We have quite a few players that are looking real good. Crappy thing about it is that I'm not sure how many pitchers are having great seasons. [Reply]