2023 – A new beginning for the Royals. Matt Quatraro era begins. A year to see which of our young players will make up the core going forward. Can Bobby Witt Jr become a superstar SS or will go to the hot corner? Will Brady Singer take the next step forward? Will Salvy be Salvy? Will Big Vin or Pratto take first base? Will they find a position for MJ? Who else emerges from the youth movement? Not to mention the development of the new downtown stadium.
Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Jordan Lyles, RHP
Ryan Yarbrough, LHP
Josh Taylor, LHP
Aroldis Chapman, LHP
Top 10 Prospects from Baseball America
1. Gavin Cross, OF
2. Cayden Wallace, 3B
3. Drew Waters, OF
4. Ben Kudrna, RHP
5. Frank Mozzicato, LHP
6. Maikel Garcia, SS
7. Tyler Gentry, OF
8. Nick Loftin, OF/3B
9. Angel Zerpa, LHP
10. Carter Jensen, C [Reply]
Royals' pick at No. 8 in Baseball America's final mock:
8. Royals — Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) HS
Slot Value: $5,980,100
Total Bonus Pool: $12,313,500
There are a lot of underslot rumors for the Royals here at No. 8. Whether that’s a function of draft philosophy or simply where they’ve found themselves on the board is a tougher question. Think back to 2021, when Kansas City pulled a surprise and took lefthander Frank Mozzicato at pick No. 7 and signed him to a $3.55 million deal for almost $2 million in savings. Texas catcher Blake Mitchell is the name that could make sense, though Mitchell is more highly regarded than Mozzicato at the time and I’m not sure how much savings that deal would net. He’s more of a split-camp sort of player given some teams’ aversion to prep catchers, but those who like Mitchell think he could be a star. Florida shortstop Adrian Santana could be another player they like, for this pick or a later one, and they are also linked with Noble Meyer, Rhett Lowder, Chase Dollander and the college hitting trio of Brayden Taylor, Jacob Wilson and Kyle Teel. There’s no shortage of options here and this could also be the high-water mark for Matt Shaw.
Update: No real update here, I’m sticking with Blake Mitchell because he’s so heavily associated with the club for this pick. If he doesn’t go here he could potentially slip down into the back of the first. All of the top arms could make sense here, too.
Dart Throw Later Picks: SS Adrian Santana; RHP TJ Nichols [Reply]
8. Royals
Callis: Brayden Taylor, 3B, Texas Christian (No. 15)
After the two SEC outfielders, Taylor is the Royals' favorite college bat. High school catcher Blake Mitchell gets mentioned here a lot and could go in the 7-10 range, fit in the teens or drop into the 20s. Lowder or Dollander would make some sense too.
Mayo: Blake Mitchell, C, Sinton (Texas) HS (No. 14)
There’s interest in Meyer, but many in the industry felt they wouldn’t go the high school pitching route again this year. They could look at the college hitters available, like Teel, as well as the college arms mentioned above, but Mitchell could be a money-saver up this high, allowing the Royals to be aggressive later on. [Reply]
Originally Posted by cabletech94:
Serious question: should the hitting coach have been fired already? I wish someone would tell the players there’s no such thing as a 5 run home run.
MJ Melendez alone would have gotten people fired in many organizations. [Reply]
I’m on my way to the draft. A couple thoughts: - Teel is the third best college bat in the class imo. He just so happens to also play a premium position. Seems like a no brainer to me. He checks every single box for me. No need to overthink it.
- Max Clark falling to 8 is the absolute best case scenario today barring something absolutely insane happening. He’s got an argument for being the best prep bat in the class. True 5 tool CF prospect and if he falls to 8, it’s a lock. Everything else goes out the window.
Is it conceivable that the Royals could have another run like they did from 2013-16 with their homegrown talent on the roster now like they did then in the very near future? I understand trades were a major part of our success then, but we still had that core of guys at the center of it that came up through the minors. Any shot at that, or is that too much to ask at this point in time? [Reply]
I’m on my way to the draft. A couple thoughts: - Teel is the third best college bat in the class imo. He just so happens to also play a premium position. Seems like a no brainer to me. He checks every single box for me. No need to overthink it.
- Max Clark falling to 8 is the absolute best case scenario today barring something absolutely insane happening. He’s got an argument for being the best prep bat in the class. True 5 tool CF prospect and if he falls to 8, it’s a lock. Everything else goes out the window.
Originally Posted by Bowser:
Is it conceivable that the Royals could have another run like they did from 2013-16 with their homegrown talent on the roster now like they did then in the very near future? I understand trades were a major part of our success then, but we still had that core of guys at the center of it that came up through the minors. Any shot at that, or is that too much to ask at this point in time?
The Royals have 2 players that have played over expectations this year... Garcia and Hernandez..that's it everyone else is below.
The Starting pitching is beyond terrible and on top of that a lot of the hitters are failing...
Let's add on that Quartraro probably wasn't the right hire for this type of team..he's far to laid back. Pratto gets ejected... Melendez argues with the ump in a series where the strike zone was routinely awful for Royals hitters and Q just sits there...doesn't go out to back his players, sometimes you need to get ejected to show the guys you got their backs... [Reply]
Originally Posted by Bowser:
Is it conceivable that the Royals could have another run like they did from 2013-16 with their homegrown talent on the roster now like they did then in the very near future? I understand trades were a major part of our success then, but we still had that core of guys at the center of it that came up through the minors. Any shot at that, or is that too much to ask at this point in time?
One name that continues to rise is HS SS Colin Houck. A celebrated HS QB, the thought is that once Houck concentrates fully on baseball, he will explode. Hearing his name has high as 8 to #Royals. #Diamondbacks at 12 also have strong interest.
One name that continues to rise is HS SS Colin Houck. A celebrated HS QB, the thought is that once Houck concentrates fully on baseball, he will explode. Hearing his name has high as 8 to #Royals. #Diamondbacks at 12 also have strong interest.
