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 Valiant:
Hosmer should not have been the one going for it. But he did. Not a royal, so makes me smile a little. Our catchers would have had it.
Yeah that's not on Hosmer, he should have still caught it, but that's on the catcher
Popouts are very hard for catchers to get to and they have the worst glove and the diamond to catch them - many practice to defer the moment someone calls for it - which Hos did - and then he immediately panicked and looked to the catcher when he realized where it was. I think Hos is used to Sal calling off everyone when a ball is in his zone - and we all have been spoiled by his defensive excellence behind the plate since 2011 (Hos included).
Hos said he called for it in postgame but lost it once he did. It's on Hos and he owned up to it. He's going to have to get used to playing without Sal. [Reply]
Offense should improve a little don't know how many games we'll be in only scoring 1 run but if we had any bullpen we'd be in first after 1 week and setting up for a nice April. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Al Bundy:
Maurer sucks balls.
It is unbelievable to me that people think this guy has promise. He sucks, hes always sucked, and always will sucks. It infuriates me not only that we like to use him in high leverage situations but also that hes even on the team in the 1st place.
And WTF was up with having Whit play 1B, then having Goins at 2b and then Soler in RF. Holy fucking shit that is abysmal fail. [Reply]
Royals general manager Dayton Moore said Sunday that swelling has "vacated" Perez's sprained left knee, and the catcher is expected to "get back a little bit before" the 4-to-6-week recovery timeline established March 28, Josh Vernier of 610 Sports reports.
Since Perez has yet to resume baseball activities, it's too early to predict with much confidence that he'll be ready to go by the end of April, as Moore seems to be forecasting. In any case, the fact Perez has healed a little faster than anticipated counts as positive news and may convince any owners with limited bench spots who were thinking of cutting him to think twice. The Royals will likely provide additional updates on Perez's condition over the next few weeks before a firmer return date is sussed out. [Reply]
So here's my question for anybody who is halfway familiar with grade 2 MCL sprains. How much is this going to linger for a heavy bodied catcher who (when healthy) catches a ton of innings? A lot of fans have been saying Salvy will end up playing a lot of first base sooner rather than later, but is that something we can expect soon? He's so irreplaceable behind home plate that that's tragic to think about.
Again, I know jack shit about MCL sprains and the long term ramifications of one for an MLB catcher. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bufkin:
So here's my question for anybody who is halfway familiar with grade 2 MCL sprains. How much is this going to linger for a heavy bodied catcher who (when healthy) catches a ton of innings? A lot of fans have been saying Salvy will end up playing a lot of first base sooner rather than later, but is that something we can expect soon? He's so irreplaceable behind home plate that that's tragic to think about.
Again, I know jack shit about MCL sprains and the long term ramifications of one for an MLB catcher.
I’d rather have Salvy at 1B than Merrifield. [Reply]
No clue on MCL sprains lingeringand if that’s a sign the ligament is likely to go later...
But there’s absolutely no reason to rush Perez back.
If you’re willing to throw games away while continuing to see if Brandon Maurer lives up to his potential (according to his arm talent), there’s no incentive to rush Perez back.
Bringing Perez back early is a move you make if you’re contending. [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
No clue on MCL sprains lingeringand if that’s a sign the ligament is likely to go later...
But there’s absolutely no reason to rush Perez back.
If you’re willing to throw games away while continuing to see if Brandon Maurer lives up to his potential (according to his arm talent), there’s no incentive to rush Perez back.
Bringing Perez back early is a move you make if you’re contending.
Perez should be brought back when he is completely healthy, and then traded before the deadline. [Reply]