Minor league item of note: winning the A All-Star game MVP seems to have helped something click for Pratto. He’s hitting .299/.370/.813 since, while cutting his K rate by 5 percent and nearly doubling his walk rate to a healthy 11 percent.

Suspect it might just be a confidence thing.

He looks a lot more like the polished bat with advanced approach we expected.

Kyle Isbel’s hot start as a pro has continued. His OPS for the year is over .900 and he’s showing a nice blend of getting on base, hitting for some power, and swiping bases. Not sure on his D in CF, but he’s a really nice pull from round 5.

Pratto, Melendez, Gigliotti, Matias, Sebastian Rivero, and Isbel are going to be an interesting group of bats to watch tackle Wilmington next year.
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The Rays have consistently run the best shop in baseball over the past decade. It’s amazing what they’ve done with the resources provided.

I’d love to raid some of their pitching development brain trust. They’re doing it right (though I think Friedman already took the best talent with him to La).

They’ve rebuilt their farm system and are setting up for another nice run from 2020-on.
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I know you don’t know but what’s your opinion of where next year’s #1 pick will end up if the Royals draft them? Wilmington? Arkansas?

Witt Jr or whoever?
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Are you still buying in on Gigliotti after the blown knee?

If you are this team is going to have a bunch of solid OF prospects without many anywhere else...that could be a bit of an issue or it's also a reason to not be to worried of Lee can stick in Center or not.
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Witt is a high school guy so he would start low.
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40-yr old Kevin Cash appears to be quite the stud. It's amazing that they went from Joe Maddon to Cash. Silverman and Neander have done a really nice job with that Franchise.
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I want lee to stick in CF because his profile plays better there, but if he does have the size/strength gains many think will push him off CF to a corner, that might help his profile play up some more.

Lee - Gigliotti - Matias could be one heck of a defensive OF, with plus-plus arms in both corners and tremendous range.

As for Gigs, yeah, I’m still high on him. He’s a good OBP/speed guy who plays plus D in CF. Most ACL recoveries are done with no less o explosiveness or twitch these days, so I’m optimistic.

Blake Perkins has also done exciting things with Wilmington and is a better defender Than Gigs (better arm).


It depends on who they draft. If it’s a HS player like Witt, they’d likely start in Idaho Falls and maybe see Lexington if they prove ready for it.

If it’s an advanced college player like Ruschmann, I’d expect an assignment directly to Lexington.
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I know it's nothing to be super worried about but if you do draft Ruschmann and him and Melendez both develop one of them either has to be traded or moved off of catching and if you believe in Pratto as a prospect I'm not sure where the guy would go.
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Here are nine Royals minor leaguers who are flying under the radar in 2018:

1. Jecksson Flores, UTL: At 24 years old, Flores is enjoying a breakout season at Double-A Northwest Arkansas. He entered Wednesday batting .318/.366/.442 in 109 games. He’s excelled while earning more and more playing time, moving past some teammates in the progress. So, how surprising is the offensive production? Flores, a native of Venezuela, had never really hit; he hadn’t posted an OPS above .700 since a short season at Idaho Falls in 2015. But then he started to show some offensive flashes last winter, when he batted .287 with a .333 on-base percentage in the Venezuelan winter league.

Flores is viewed internally as a strong worker and a possible utility-type option down the road. He’s already 24 and will be 25 in October. But he’s stolen 25 bases in 31 attempts. And he’s started games at third base (40), second base (34), shortstop (18), left field (11) and center field (3).

2. Tad Ratliff, RHP: What’s more rare than a Newberry — a 37th-round pick making the major leagues? How about an undrafted free agent from Lenoir-Rhyne, a Division II school in North Carolina? Ratliff, a 22-year-old who signed with the Royals as a free agent in June 2017, followed a strange route to the professional level. And thus far, he’s done OK, turning some heads at Low-A Lexington. He entered Wednesday with a 1.81 ERA in 44 2/3 innings in relief. He’s also struck out 50 while issuing just eight walks. At 6-foot-2 and 240 pounds, his fastball sits in the low to mid-90s with a slider and split-changeup.

3. Yohanse Morel, RHP: Morel, 18, was the youngest player acquired in June when the Royals sent reliever Kelvin Herrera to the Washington Nationals. (The club also landed third baseman Kelvin Gutierrez and center fielder Blake Perkins.) Something of a long-range stock because of his age, Morel is already offering positive returns. At 6-feet and 170 pounds, he’s competing in the Arizona Rookie League when many Dominican pitchers would still be in the Dominican Summer League. And he’s posted a 4.00 ERA with 36 strikeouts and eight walks in his first 36 innings, including seven starts. His fastball has been clocked up to 96 mph, according to scouts, and he’s said to have a mature and advanced feel for pitching.

4. D.J. Burt, 2B/UTL: One of the fastest players in the system, Burt was drafted in the fourth round out of Fuquay-Varina (N.C.) High School. His high draft status, solid tools and walk rate have kept him firmly on the radar. But he’s rarely been considered a certain major leaguer. This year, he’s repeating a level at High-A Wilmington after posting a .654 OPS in 2017. But he’s shown some progress with the bat. He entered Wednesday batting .296/.382/.387 in 98 games. Scouts remain somewhat varied in their evaluations. He’s never hit for power. He possesses a stocky build at 5-foot-9. After mostly playing second base in 2017, he’s started games at third, second, shortstop and the outfield this season. He’s also drawn 53 walks in 98 games, though, and his speed could elevate his eventual ceiling.

5. Austin Cox, LHP: Drafted in the eighth round in June, Cox, 21, put up big strikeout numbers (124 in 87 2/3 innings) at Mercer University in Macon, Ga. He continued to rack up strikeouts at Rookie-level Burlington, recording 51 in his first 33 1/3 innings. Cox, who is listed at 6-foot-4 and 185 pounds, has also walked 15 batters and allowed 14 earned runs. But he has a tendency to pound the strike zone and attack hitters.Club officials have been pleased with his advanced feel for pitching — he’s already more of a pitcher than a “thrower.”

6. Travis Jones, 1B/3B/OF: Looking for a sleeper in the mold of Whit Merrifield? Consider Travis Jones, a 6-foot-4 former collegiate standout at Texas who dropped to the 29th round in 2017. Jones is batting .285/.393/.389 with seven homers while splitting half the season at Low-A Lexington and half at High-A Wilmington. He started at third base and the two corner outfield positions while playing alongside first baseman Nick Pratto at Lexington. But he’s made 46 starts at first base for Wilmington since moving up a level. He’s already 22, and his age will likely keep him under the radar as he moves through the system. Yet the Royals see potential in his tools, intangibles, work ethic and ability to play multiple positions.

7. Nathan Eaton, UTL: Here is another sleeper candidate with positional flexibility. Eaton, 21, was drafted in the 21st round in this year’s draft. He played in college at Virginia Military Institute. He’s hitting .350/.436/.571 with 14 stolen bases in 52 games at Rookie-level Idaho Falls. The craziest number? In addition to three homers and 16 doubles, Eaton has 10 triples in 242 plate appearances. The stat is perhaps the best summation of his playing style. At 5-foot-11 and 185 pounds, Eaton does not have size or standout tools. But he plays hard and has started games at four positions (third base, second base, center field and right field). He could be a collegiate player to track in the long term.

8. Kyle Isbel, CF: It’s possible that Isbel is already too clearly on the radar to be included on this list. But if he isn’t yet, he will be soon. After being selected out of UNLV in the third round in June, he opened his first season at Idaho Falls with a .610 slugging percentage and 12 stolen bases in 25 games. After earning a promotion to Low-A Lexington, he has continued to produce at the plate. He’s batting .298/.362/.456 in 29 games in the South Atlantic League. He’s swiped another 12 bases (in 13 attempts). He also projects as a versatile defensive weapon despite opening his career in the outfield.

9. Carlos Hernandez, RHP: Signed as an amateur out of Venezuela, Hernandez is a 6-foot-4 right-hander whose profile and potential has remained confined to scouts, prospect gurus and die-hard fans. That could finally change as Hernandez graduates to the upper levels of the minor leagues. For now, he is a 21-year-old with a 3.29 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 79 1/3 innings (15 starts) at Low-A Lexington. From an age standpoint, he could move upward in the organization with the club’s recent college picks. With a lively fastball and a good frame, he’s already caught the eye of rival scouts.
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If Ruschmann is your top guy, I think you just draft him and go with it and let the chips fall where they may.

While I’m very high on Melendez, he may not overcome his K tendencies to be a good enough hitter to play every day.

If they both reach full upside as defenders and hitters, you could rotate them through C and DH and keep both fresh without a drop-off in offensive or defensive production from the C spot. Each gets 3-4 games a week behind the dish, a game at DH, maybe 2, and a day off.
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via GIPHY

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After winning 18 for us, Vargas signed a 2/16 with Mets. And dropped a massive fart-bomb:


14s 58ip 3-8 7.67era (!) 5.98fip -0.5fWAR
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Nicky Lopez has hit 8 HR in the minors this year. More than I expected. I was worried about his power, but that is pretty decent for a young guy who they said power was his worst tool.

I'm not high on Perkins ceiling being much more than a 4th OF, which can be pretty good (see Jarrod Dyson). He just can't seem to hit because he doesn't swing. I bet his greatest fear is when he knows they might throw him a strike. Just feel like Gigliotti is a much better version of Perkins.

I like the fact that we have some guys that project as major league players who are athletic and can roam the spacious K, though. I miss Dyson & Cain, who IMO were the most underrated Royals in our World Series years.
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Cain was underrated, finishing 3rd in the MVP race?
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If you ask Royals fans who they think contributed the most to the World Series runs, they'll say Hosmer and Moose. Cain was our best player IMO - and it wasn't even that close. I'd even argue that Jarrod Dyson was AS IMPORTANT as Hosmer and Moose, even. I can't wait to hear Jarrod Dyson stories up in the booth when he comes back for games 30 years from now.

I'm pretty sure I was on record saying I wanted to keep Cain instead of Gordon. I know it wasn't an either or thing, and Cain didn't accept whatever we offered but maybe we could have tried harder.

And look at that, Cain is leading the NL right now in WAR. I feel like quiet, introverted guys aren't lauded by fans as much as the Hosmers etc. Gordon just gets the popular public opinion because he's a Midwest guy.
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