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]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
With the draft in the books, I have fairly gross Allard Baird vibes from this one.
No consistent vision or plan going on there. They took a cheaper sign at #8 and don't seem to have a plan to really spend that money (and if the plan is to spend it on the kid they took at 44 and Dickey, I must say I think that plan is, frankly, pretty godsdamned stupid).
That's the most frustrating part of the whole thing for me. We can tolerate terrible baseball for a few years if we know there's a plan in place to build something special. But it doesn't seem to be there.
If management was as focused on the plan as much as ownership is on building a new stadium, we'd be on to something. [Reply]
Originally Posted by CaliforniaChief:
That's the most frustrating part of the whole thing for me. We can tolerate terrible baseball for a few years if we know there's a plan in place to build something special. But it doesn't seem to be there.
If management was as focused on the plan as much as ownership is on building a new stadium, we'd be on to something.
I guess I don't know that I agree with the no vision thing. They seemed to love his bat and raved about it saying that it would play middle order regardless of what position he plays. People keep saying it's a signability pick but that's not really true. He was rated by basically everyone as a mid first rounder. This wasn't a Mozzicato or Dozier situation where they took someone with a clear second round grade. Did they reach a little bit? Sure. But if you like his bat and think it's amazing then reaching a few spots isn't that crazy. Their second round pick was right where he was projected to go and one of the best players available, so that wasn't some sort of crazy reach.
To me it sounds like they took the best player on their board with their first two picks and that's all you can really ask for. Is it who I would have picked? No, but they didn't do something like take high ceiling/low floor guys who they can rush to the majors trying to win quickly. And honestly at this point the Royals have basically screwed up every position possible in the first round, so any pick is going to draw some ire. Dollander? We couldn't even get Asa Lacy to the bigs, to say nothing of our other 547 college pitchers we have drafted highly the past few years that haven't gone anywhere. Matt Shaw and Tommy Troy? Colon 2.0. Noble Myer? Lol no. You can be cynical about anyone at this point with the Royals. [Reply]
Originally Posted by SithCeNtZ:
I guess I don't know that I agree with the no vision thing. They seemed to love his bat and raved about it saying that it would play middle order regardless of what position he plays. People keep saying it's a signability pick but that's not really true. He was rated by basically everyone as a mid first rounder. This wasn't a Mozzicato or Dozier situation where they took someone with a clear second round grade. Did they reach a little bit? Sure. But if you like his bat and think it's amazing then reaching a few spots isn't that crazy. Their second round pick was right where he was projected to go and one of the best players available, so that wasn't some sort of crazy reach.
To me it sounds like they took the best player on their board with their first two picks and that's all you can really ask for. Is it who I would have picked? No, but they didn't do something like take high ceiling/low floor guys who they can rush to the majors trying to win quickly. And honestly at this point the Royals have basically screwed up every position possible in the first round, so any pick is going to draw some ire. Dollander? We couldn't even get Asa Lacy to the bigs, to say nothing of our other 547 college pitchers we have drafted highly the past few years that haven't gone anywhere. Matt Shaw and Tommy Troy? Colon 2.0. Noble Myer? Lol no. You can be cynical about anyone at this point with the Royals.
My problem is they drafted Mitchell because he will be an under slot pick, but they didn't really use that to their advantage. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Al Bundy:
My problem is they drafted Mitchell because he will be an under slot pick, but they didn't really use that to their advantage.
Source? Everyone keeps repeating this but I haven't heard anyone from the Royals say "we like his bat and we like that we can spread some money around later in the draft by saving costs here". Just because they liked a player slightly higher than consensus doesn't automatically mean they were doing it to spread money around later. [Reply]
Originally Posted by SithCeNtZ:
Source? Everyone keeps repeating this but I haven't heard anyone from the Royals say "we like his bat and we like that we can spread some money around later in the draft by saving costs here". Just because they liked a player slightly higher than consensus doesn't automatically mean they were doing it to spread money around later.
The Royals would never ever say that you doofus. Just like they wouldn't have said that about Hunter Dozier when he was drafted so they could pay underslot. [Reply]
Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat:
The Royals would never ever say that you doofus. Just like they wouldn't have said that about Hunter Dozier when he was drafted so they could pay underslot.
Yes I understand that, which is why I called out in my first post that there isn't any evidence this is a Dozier situation. He was projected to go as high as 5 picks later in mock drafts. We have absolutely no logical evidence that we took him as a sign ability pick and yet everyone is saying that he was. This is fans saying "I don't like the pick so they must be saving money to make it multiple guys to make up for the pick, but then they didn't take more guys so they screwed up and took an underslot guy but didn't really go throwing money around later". Not the logical "the royals liked him a little more than the consensus and yes they might have saved a small amount which is why they took the 11th rounder but their entire draft strategy was not cutting a huge deal for a massive reach like Dozier". [Reply]
Originally Posted by SithCeNtZ:
Source? Everyone keeps repeating this but I haven't heard anyone from the Royals say "we like his bat and we like that we can spread some money around later in the draft by saving costs here". Just because they liked a player slightly higher than consensus doesn't automatically mean they were doing it to spread money around later.
It's not just fans. It was viewed as an underslot pick when it was made by folks in the MLB draft community and in the days leading to the draft.
If it IS an underslot deal, and the savings are being spent on Wolters and Dickey, they better be right about those two guys and about Mitchell, too.
If it is NOT an underslot deal for Mitchell, they better be even more right about HIM. [Reply]
Originally Posted by SithCeNtZ:
Source? Everyone keeps repeating this but I haven't heard anyone from the Royals say "we like his bat and we like that we can spread some money around later in the draft by saving costs here". Just because they liked a player slightly higher than consensus doesn't automatically mean they were doing it to spread money around later.
They would never say that publicly. We will see when he does sign. [Reply]
Here is some 2024 draft news to keep an eye out on
Massive transfer portal news as RHP Chase Burns (5-3, 4.25 ERA) has announced he will be transferring to Wake Forest. One of the premier arms in all of college baseball, Burns has a thunderous FB (t 102) and a hellacious SL. Potential top-10 pick in 2024. pic.twitter.com/ZhCeh1wJGt
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) July 13, 2023
Burns must think the University of Tennessee coaching staff is letting him down, he had a 6.10 ERA as a sophomore.
Wake Forest's Rhett Lowder got picked seventh overall with good, not great stuff because he posted had a 30.6% K rate and a 26% K-BB. The whole WF starting rotation was good. He's going there to get fixed and maximize his profile. [Reply]
The A's are bringing up top prospect infielders Zack Gelof and Tyler Soderstrom, too. The Royals don't have second-half reinforcements like them to get excited about. [Reply]
