For all things Royals in 2022. #3 minor league system according to Baseball America. The Bobby Witt era should begin this year. Will Salvy still be the homerun king? How does the glut of infield players work out? Will the young pitchers take the next step?
Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Zack Greinke, P
Amir Garrett, P
Taylor Clarke, P
Top 10 Prospects from Baseball America
1. Bobby Witt, SS
2. Asa Lacy, P
3. MJ Melendez, C
4. Nick Pratto, 1B
5. Jackson Kowar, P
6. Kyle Isabel, OF
7. Frank Mozzicato, P
8. Ben Kudrna, P
9. Jonathan Bowlan, P
10. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B
Duncan's Top Royals Prospects
Spoiler!
1. Bobby Witt, Jr., SS. MLB.
This status lasts about another 4 weeks, but let’s take a moment to appreciate having the top guy in the minor league prospects lists for at least a little while longer. Witt has prodigious ability and the question is really just IF he can meet it. They have not had a prospect like this in my lifetime, and really probably ever. Combine insane raw physical skills (right there with Adalberto Mondesi and Willie Wilson in the ranks right behind Bo Jackson) with unbelievable work ethic, a humble-but-confident nature, and already having shown he can struggle and overcome to achieve big success, and you have the tools for a show-stopping centerpiece. Oh, and throw in the former-player’s kid aspect on it on top of things, and there is every reason to believe he’s going to succeed and succeed big.
2. M.J. Melendez, C, AAA Omaha.
I was early on putting him in this slot last year, and I don’t regret it. The power, the ability to be a good defender behind the dish as well as having the athletic ability to play 3B or LF, too, and you have a really valuable overall piece and FANTASTIC understudy for Salvador Perez.
3. Asa Lacy, LHP. AA Northwest Arkansas
Whoa, let’s get crazy again. Lacy has outstanding stuff. Top of the system. He got hurt and lost his command during COVID times, but appears to be back on track so far this spring. If his command sticks, this is a guy who can move quickly. And his ceiling is really second to nobody in the minor league pitching ranks.
4. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B. AA Northwest Arkansas
Vinnie starts the season back at AA due to the guy who follows him on the list here. He just hits, folks. I love his combination of contact, loud contact, plate discipline, and lack of strikeouts. The Billy Butler comparisons are annoying (in that I will NEVER refer to this man as Italian Breakfast except in the instance that just occurred), but the Billy Butler comparisons are also fairly apt… if you made Butler a lefthanded hitter, AND improved his body/athleticism from a 20 to a 40, AND if you added that little extra touch of power we all wished Butler could consistently find.
5. Nick Pratto, 1B, AAA Omaha.
Hey, let’s stay at 1B. Pratto has flashy power and I love his batting eye AND his hand-eye coordination. The hair he’s been rocking this spring is also pretty sweet. I slot him just behind Pasquantino simply because I think his bat profile is more volatile. The glove and arm are sweet/plus for 1B, though.
6. Jonathan Bowlan, RHP, AAA Omaha
Bowlan is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and this ranking is assuming that recovering is successful. If it his, you’re talking about a big, consistent SP who throws hard enough and has enough of a repertoire to really make things happen. If the recovery goes well, he may be shuttling to the majors in July to reinforce the rotation.
7. Nick Loftin, CF, AA Omaha.
Loftin is a guy who has really grown on me. I saw him as a quasi super-utility guy when the Royals drafted him, The full-time shift to CF (which means they think he has the speed and the overall defensive ability to handle CF in Kansas City) adds a lot of value here. The ultimate positive offensive upside is similar to peak Whit Merrifield, maybe with a touch more early power.
8. Michael Massey, 2B, AA Northwest Arkansas.
Massey was an absolute revelation last year, hitting for power and average and keeping his K rate down while playing a really strong 2B. He has a very sweet, short lefthanded stroke. This is another aggressive rating, but Massey has proven himself through a tough minor league assignment already, and the arrow is pointed up.
9. Ben Kudrna, RHP, Rookie Ball
Kudrna is a big, physical specimen with a lot of upside and potential. The fastball and slider are already nearly MLB-level in terms of velocity and movement (command needs work). Kudrna is a guy who, with luck, and health, and good development, could ascend to the top of a rotation.
10. Frank Mozzicato, LHP, Rookie Ball.
Mozzicato has a curveball that suggests he has a feel for spin. If you want to dream, you hope that the next 2-3 years turn the 175 he weighed when drafted into a rock-solid 220/225 and carries with it an increase in fastball velocity from 90-91, sitting 87-88, to 96-97, sitting 93-94. You pair his ability to spin the ball (which also suggests he should be able to easily master a sweeper slider) with that type of fastball velo and a changeup he already has a feel for, and it’s an exciting profile.
He has a little more to go in terms of growing into that projectability than Kudrna, which is why he slots right behind him.
11. Alec Marsh, RHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Marsh missed a lot of 2021 to injury, but the hard-throwing righthander is another guy who could move quickly once the minor league season starts. He’s undeniably got the stuff of a quality major-league pitcher. The question is if he can master enough command to cash it in. This guy is a great example of TINSTAAPP.
12. Angel Zerpa, LHP, AAA Omaha
Zerpa might quickly outperform this slot. His stuff ticked up in 21 and he ended the season making a start in the majors. He’s nice depth to have, and honestly, I’m a big fan of just throwing numbers at pitching. Zerpa definitely helps create the depth you need to generate a top-notch and reliable home-grown rotation.
13. Maikel Garcia, SS, AA Northwest Arkansas
Garcia is a really intriguing hitter, a righthanded hitter who has a nice combination of contact skills and control of the strike zone (this cousin of Alcides Escobar is less savvy with the glove and more savvy at the plate). The Royals protected him for a reason (he’s on the 40-man).
14. Carter Jensen, C, A ??
Jensen is a local product whose bat will probably push him off C (as well as the Royals depth at that spot throughout the organization). This is a future 1B profile, and a nice one. He makes a lot of loud contact and shows an ability to lift the ball. Should be fun to watch this year.
15. Ben Hernandez, RHP, A+ Quad Rivers
Hernandez missed a good part of 2021 but still has that butterfly changeup and a classic pitcher’s profile. He’ll need to find a reliable swing-and-miss secondary to make it in the bigs, but if not, the fastball velocity and changeup should make him a quality high-leverage reliver.
16. Dylan Coleman, RHP, AAA Omaha
Speaking of relievers, Coleman is a hard-throwing righthander who probably spends most of 22 in the Royals’ pen. ½ of the compensation for the Rosenthal trade a few years back, Coleman has a big fastball and nasty breaking ball.
17. Will Klein, RHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Speaking of relivers, everything I just said about Coleman? Yeah, you can say it about Klein, too. Klein regularly toyed with hitters at high A last year, striking out 121 hitters in just 70 1/3 innings pitched. For those counting at home, that’s a 15.5 K/9 rate. Yep. That’ll play.
18. Anthony Veneziano, LHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Here’s another big, power arm. Veneziano hasn’t been relegated to bullpen only yet, though. His fastball bumped into the high 90s last year on a starter’s workload. He’s still looking for a changeup, but if he doesn’t find it, you’re looking at a really promising future bullpen fireballer.
19. Erick Pena, OF, A ?
Pena did… not have a strong 2021 full season debut. His struggles look a lot like those of Pratto and Melendez in 2019. Pena has the same type of raw toolkit to work from as those two, with great hands and natural power. He needs to fix a hitch in his swing and calm it down, but so did Melendez. Of this second ten grouping, Pena has the highest upside and could jump right into the top 5 of the org ranks.
20. Darryl Collins, OF, A+
Collins is an international signing out of Europe. I like the hitting package here – good eye and contact skills. He needs to make more loud contact, but if he can, really a nice guy.
Overall takeaways:
This is a system with a lot of depth. We could go another 10-12 deep and still be talking about guys with a good shot to make the majors. The changes to the organization’s approach are bearing fruit, as even less-heralded draftees are stepping forward.
The combination of upside (Witt, Melendez, Lacy), depth, and guys you can dream on is fun. It may not produce quite as much as the 2011 group did, but it does offer a more sustainable system, less reliant on a few big-ticket guys.
Kiley McDaniel on the radio today said he thinks the Royals were going to take Cade Horton if he was available. He went to the Cubs at #7 which was considered a reach. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
The guy drafted ahead of Asa Lacy - Max Meyer - made his MLB debut Saturday. They guy we took can’t even get out of 1 inning at AA.
Orioles are 46-46 in easily the toughest division. They have a good young core and the #4 and #5 prospect in MLB.
Skunkhead’s days are numbered, along with the entire FO. They have to be
Lacy has been a real disaster. Injuries, command issues. Just not good. (He had those at aTm as well, and only had the one good season of performance and health).
The guy many wanted instead - Austin Martin - hasn't translated his power to wood bats and is middling along at AA.
The HS player's KC was most connected to were Zac Veen and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Both have been excellent.
And the best HS player from that class was nabbed by the Cardinals at 21 - Jordan Walker. KC wasn't connected to him at all and I doubt he was on their board (as he's a hulking, not-overly athletic corner guy, which they tend to not draft high). [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
Lacy has been a real disaster. Injuries, command issues. Just not good. (He had those at aTm as well, and only had the one good season of performance and health).
The guy many wanted instead - Austin Martin - hasn't translated his power to wood bats and is middling along at AA.
The HS player's KC was most connected to were Zac Veen and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Both have been excellent.
And the best HS player from that class was nabbed by the Cardinals at 21 - Jordan Walker. KC wasn't connected to him at all and I doubt he was on their board (as he's a hulking, not-overly athletic corner guy, which they tend to not draft high).
If we do clean house this offseason, who is on your wishlist? Would the O's be a good organization to raid? Don't you like a pitching coach that works for a team out west? [Reply]
Originally Posted by Tylerthigpen!1!:
If we do clean house this offseason, who is on your wishlist? Would the O's be a good organization to raid? Don't you like a pitching coach that works for a team out west?
It seems like the Brewers are over achieving in their pitching development or at least Light years ahead of the Royals. I’d look to poach someone in their organization. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Tylerthigpen!1!:
If we do clean house this offseason, who is on your wishlist? Would the O's be a good organization to raid? Don't you like a pitching coach that works for a team out west?
Scene:
Dayton Moore and John Sherman enter the stage. Moore takes the mike.
“You know, it’s been a tough year. We thought we were ready to win, and we… were not. But you know what, this isn’t just about wins and losses. It’s about raising men and fathers. And we succeeded at that. So in a way, it’s like we won the World Series. Isn’t that right, Mike?”
Moore looks around for Mike Matheny.
“Mike? Are you there? JJ?”
Moore continues looking for them, glances at Sherman, they shrug.
Sherman takes the mic. “Hey, let’s check the cameras backstage. Maybe they’re still in study group.”
The screen above them pans through some backstage shots. First the area right around the entrance tunnel. Empty. The hallway. Empty, finally the green room. Matheny and Picollo are sprawled on the ground, not moving, debris and bibles and milk and cookies spilled everywhere.
“What the,” Moore sputters. “Let’s get somebody back there and help them …”
Moore is interrupted by a loud crash over the loudspeakers. Suddenly, the opening bars of The Bad Guy begin blasting.
Mitch Holthus stands up from the announcing book. “That’s not Matheny’s music. Who is it? Oh my god. Oh my god! Oh maiiihhh gawwwwwhhhhhdddd!”
Moore looks around frantically, fear on his face. His eyes meet Sherman’s and they go back-to-back.
“Now hold on folks. Everything’s going to be fi—“
Moore breaks off as a hooded figure appears next to the stage, folding metal chair in hand. He hops onto stage and stars intently at Moore, his face hidden by the hood.
“You? No, it can’t be! John, what’s HE doing here. We renounce you, agent of the Enemy! Be gone, in the name of …”
As Moore talks, Sherman turns and backs away from him. The hooded figure steps forward, raising the chair in a menacing fashion.
Moore has a moment to let out a terrified scream as the hooded man rushes forward and smacks him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The hooded figure looks at Sherman.
Slowly, Sherman’s face breaks into a wide grin that grows maniacal as he begins nodding furiously.
“Yes. Do it. The fans hate has made you strong. It gives you … focus.”
The hooded figure smashes the prone figure in the face with the chair. Then the ribs. Then one more shot to the face.
The music reaches a crescendo. The hooded man drops the chair and dramatically reaches up to the hood. With a flourish, he throws it back, revealing the stone-cold serious face of Jeff Luhnow.
Holthus loses his mind. “Oh my god, it’s the mad scientist, the man without remorse. The Bad Guy!” [Reply]
Dayton Moore and John Sherman enter the stage. Moore takes the mike.
“You know, it’s been a tough year. We thought we were ready to win, and we… were not. But you know what, this isn’t just about wins and losses. It’s about raising men and fathers. And we succeeded at that. So in a way, it’s like we won the World Series. Isn’t that right, Mike?”
Moore looks around for Mike Matheny.
“Mike? Are you there? JJ?”
Moore continues looking for them, glances at Sherman, they shrug.
Sherman takes the mic. “Hey, let’s check the cameras backstage. Maybe they’re still in study group.”
The screen above them pans through some backstage shots. First the area right around the entrance tunnel. Empty. The hallway. Empty, finally the green room. Matheny and Picollo are sprawled on the ground, not moving, debris and bibles and milk and cookies spilled everywhere.
“What the,” Moore sputters. “Let’s get somebody back there and help them …”
Moore is interrupted by a loud crash over the loudspeakers. Suddenly, the opening bars of The Bad Guy begin blasting.
Mitch Holthus stands up from the announcing book. “That’s not Matheny’s music. Who is it? Oh my god. Oh my god! Oh maiiihhh gawwwwwhhhhhdddd!”
Moore looks around frantically, fear on his face. His eyes meet Sherman’s and they go back-to-back.
“Now hold on folks. Everything’s going to be fi—“
Moore breaks off as a hooded figure appears next to the stage, folding metal chair in hand. He hops onto stage and stars intently at Moore, his face hidden by the hood.
“You? No, it can’t be! John, what’s HE doing here. We renounce you, agent of the Enemy! Be gone, in the name of …”
As Moore talks, Sherman turns and backs away from him. The hooded figure steps forward, raising the chair in a menacing fashion.
Moore has a moment to let out a terrified scream as the hooded man rushes forward and smacks him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The hooded figure looks at Sherman.
Slowly, Sherman’s face breaks into a wide grin that grows maniacal as he begins nodding furiously.
“Yes. Do it. The fans hate has made you strong. It gives you … focus.”
The hooded figure smashes the prone figure in the face with the chair. Then the ribs. Then one more shot to the face.
The music reaches a crescendo. The hooded man drops the chair and dramatically reaches up to the hood. With a flourish, he throws it back, revealing the stone-cold serious face of Jeff Luhnow.
Holthus loses his mind. “Oh my god, it’s the mad scientist, the man without remorse. The Bad Guy!”
Long have I waited, and now your coming together is your undoing.
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
Lacy has been a real disaster. Injuries, command issues. Just not good. (He had those at aTm as well, and only had the one good season of performance and health).
The guy many wanted instead - Austin Martin - hasn't translated his power to wood bats and is middling along at AA.
The HS player's KC was most connected to were Zac Veen and Pete Crow-Armstrong. Both have been excellent.
And the best HS player from that class was nabbed by the Cardinals at 21 - Jordan Walker. KC wasn't connected to him at all and I doubt he was on their board (as he's a hulking, not-overly athletic corner guy, which they tend to not draft high).
Walker's not going to be mistaken for a SS anytime soon, but he has 15 steals this year to 4 CS. And he's been much better than expected at 3b. He's a deceptively solid athlete. Long-term he's likely a 1b, but I'm talking in his late 20s/early 30s long-term. That's nearly a decade from now.
I'd have put him in RF by now, personally. But I think the Cards are hedging their bets a bit with Arenado's final opt-out provision this off-season. [Reply]
Dayton Moore and John Sherman enter the stage. Moore takes the mike.
“You know, it’s been a tough year. We thought we were ready to win, and we… were not. But you know what, this isn’t just about wins and losses. It’s about raising men and fathers. And we succeeded at that. So in a way, it’s like we won the World Series. Isn’t that right, Mike?”
Moore looks around for Mike Matheny.
“Mike? Are you there? JJ?”
Moore continues looking for them, glances at Sherman, they shrug.
Sherman takes the mic. “Hey, let’s check the cameras backstage. Maybe they’re still in study group.”
The screen above them pans through some backstage shots. First the area right around the entrance tunnel. Empty. The hallway. Empty, finally the green room. Matheny and Picollo are sprawled on the ground, not moving, debris and bibles and milk and cookies spilled everywhere.
“What the,” Moore sputters. “Let’s get somebody back there and help them …”
Moore is interrupted by a loud crash over the loudspeakers. Suddenly, the opening bars of The Bad Guy begin blasting.
Mitch Holthus stands up from the announcing book. “That’s not Matheny’s music. Who is it? Oh my god. Oh my god! Oh maiiihhh gawwwwwhhhhhdddd!”
Moore looks around frantically, fear on his face. His eyes meet Sherman’s and they go back-to-back.
“Now hold on folks. Everything’s going to be fi—“
Moore breaks off as a hooded figure appears next to the stage, folding metal chair in hand. He hops onto stage and stars intently at Moore, his face hidden by the hood.
“You? No, it can’t be! John, what’s HE doing here. We renounce you, agent of the Enemy! Be gone, in the name of …”
As Moore talks, Sherman turns and backs away from him. The hooded figure steps forward, raising the chair in a menacing fashion.
Moore has a moment to let out a terrified scream as the hooded man rushes forward and smacks him in the face, knocking him to the ground. The hooded figure looks at Sherman.
Slowly, Sherman’s face breaks into a wide grin that grows maniacal as he begins nodding furiously.
“Yes. Do it. The fans hate has made you strong. It gives you … focus.”
The hooded figure smashes the prone figure in the face with the chair. Then the ribs. Then one more shot to the face.
The music reaches a crescendo. The hooded man drops the chair and dramatically reaches up to the hood. With a flourish, he throws it back, revealing the stone-cold serious face of Jeff Luhnow.
Holthus loses his mind. “Oh my god, it’s the mad scientist, the man without remorse. The Bad Guy!”
What a thing of beauty.
Is there a world where Jeff Luhnow works for an MLB team again or is he blackballed? [Reply]
Originally Posted by :
It’s been a difficult season for the Kansas City Royals at the big league level, the club is currently in last place in the American League Central and 13.5 games back in the wild card race. If there’s been a silver lining to this season it’s the continuing development of their young hitters at both the big league level and within their farm system. Bobby Witt Jr. has taken on a full-time role and has started to emerge as the player the Royals envisioned when they selected him with the 2nd overall pick in the 2019 draft. They’ve also promoted several of their position player prospects to the big leagues, including Vinnie Pasquantino, MJ Melendez, and Kyle Isbel. In the minor leagues they’ve seen several of their top hitting prospects take a step forward this season, a group that includes players such as Michael Massey, Nick Pratto, and Tyler Gentry.
All of these hitters at one point were touched by the Royals hitting development program — a program that has been overhauled in recent years to meet the vision of the Royals front office. Among those tasked with building this program is Drew Saylor, who joined the organization in late 2019 after a season with the Pirates as their assistant hitting coordinator. Saylor has spent time in his professional career in a number of roles with the Rockies, Dodgers, Pirates, and Royals. He’s been a hitting coach, manager, assistant hitting coordinator, and is now the hitting coordinator for the Royals. Last week, he talked with Down on the Farm about the Royals’ progress this season and his thoughts on some of their young hitters.
Down on the Farm: Can you talk about the role of the hitting coordinator and how it’s different from a hitting coach?
Drew Saylor: Instead of focusing on the 12 or 13 guys you have at an affiliate, the coordinator is responsible for all the hitters across the entire system. You have to be able to think across a number of different levels. Whereas when you’re a hitting coach, you get a plan or strategy from your coordinator — for example, we need this player to reduce his swing and miss 10% on breaking balls and here is how we’re going to do that — and then you’re in the fire, grinding every day, and working through the process with the player. Helping them understand how they approach their at-bats. When you’re a coordinator, all those things are important, but you’re building more systems and strategies. You have to think more longitudinally about development. You have to be able to know where a player was, where he is now, and where you want him to go. When you’re a hitting coach, you’re on the ground floor, you’re at sea level. When you’re a coordinator you have to be able to be at that level, but also get up to the 10,000 foot level to understand the bigger picture — this is the strategy for this hitter today, if it works, we feel this guy can be here in six months, a year, two years. In addition, you have to be able to conduct continuing education with your coaches and stay up to speed with the industry trends and processes.
Down on the Farm: When you go to an affiliate, do you have a specific goal in mind? What are you trying to accomplish?
Drew Saylor: There are usually a few different hot spots you are trying to address. Maybe it’s making sure you nail a conversation with a certain player. You always have a goal when you’re there, but when you go into town you want to be available for people to have those 1-1 conversations, whether it’s with players or staff. There’s a lot that can be gained when going to an affiliate, but there’s also points too where if a player has questions or disagreements, we can spend the necessary time to comb through the issue. We can work through all the information we have at our disposal to be able to help them be more convicted or re-commit to the process. There is a lot of value from those visits. I think the old school thought was — the coordinator comes in, he’s going to fix this player’s swing, he’s the swing guy. It’s not that we don’t do that from time to time, but that’s not necessarily the most useful allocation of your time as the coordinator. If you educate your coaches, have the right systems in place, and the lines of communication are open, I can do that from any place. You can find the gaps in development and then apply the strategy through your coaches.
One of the things that people are recognizing in the game is that the rate of development is the gap, it’s not necessarily a question of if you develop. I think that’s one of the things that we are doing well here in Kansas City, consolidating those developmental timelines for our players.
Down on the Farm: Different organizations prioritize different areas when it comes to hitting development. Do the Royals have a hitting philosophy they follow?
Drew Saylor: Our three mantras are, know thyself, swing at stuff you can hit hard, take stuff you can’t, and be elite in your preparation. Those are our foundational mantras. Our vision, when myself, Alex Zumwalt, Keoni De Renne, and Mike Tosar, had the chance to re-vamp this department, we wanted to make sure those ideas were getting through to our players and coaches, so that if you come and watch any of our affiliates those three ideas are visible and being communicated without talking to any one of us. If we do those things well, then we are going to be able to develop players consistently.
Down on the Farm: You mentioned a change in vision with that group of coaches, can you talk about what’s changed since you started in Kansas City? What has been implemented that wasn’t there before?
Drew Saylor: The first thing is implementing a player-centric model. We want to make sure that every rep our guys are taking is helping them move forward in their careers. It’s a daunting task, but that’s the way you are able to accelerate developmental timelines. The tough part is the preparation piece to prepare for those reps. I think John Wooden was way ahead of his time in that process — taking the necessary time to prepare to practice. Understanding what the practice plan is for that day. I think that’s one of the things we’ve been able to do here fairly consistently, we’ve over emphasized being prepared for that hour and 15 minute cage routine. We want to make sure that 45 minutes to an hour of batting practice is preparing us for the game that night. For us that’s where it all really starts. From there, it’s using all the information, taking an individual approach with all of our players, and then being able to put that all back together in a team environment.
Down on the Farm: What’s the toughest part for a hitter when moving up to the big leagues?
Drew Saylor: That’s always the toughest step. We are continuing to trend up as an organization, which is what we want. We want to be able to show growth and development, which we are. That’s the toughest level. It’s the pinnacle of the sport, and it’s incredibly difficult. But that’s our goal, we want to develop players that are ready to go up there and have an impact on our major league team and help us win more baseball games.
Some of it depends on the individual. It’s the elite of the elite throwing up in the big leagues. The way pitching development has been the last 10 years, it’s ahead of the curve to where hitting is at in terms of development. I do think that it’s become more accepted to train at velocity, to train off machines. Even a few years ago, there was a negative view on using machines and velocity to train. We need to do everything possible to prepare our hitters to compete at the next level. Exposing them to more information and making sure they are prepared to face the best pitchers in the world.
Down on the Farm: I want to ask about a few specific hitters in the Royals organization. Vinnie Pasquantino has had an incredible season, what’s something that most people don’t know about him as a hitter?
Drew Saylor: He’s an elite decision maker. Really strong bat to ball skills, and then he has the God given talent that when he hits the ball, he hits it extremely hard. He’s a guy last year that had more extra base hits than strike outs. I think what people don’t realize is that Vinnie is a master craftsman. He’s constantly thinking about hitting, his game, and how he can help his teammates. He’s always looking for a way to win. We talk about trying to find value at the margins in our department, and I think Vinnie embodies that across the board. Most people don’t realize just how much of a student of the game he is, and how much time he spends on his craft. Obviously, we are incredibly excited to see him graduate to the big leagues and help our team win more games up there.
Down on the Farm: It seems like Michael Massey has taken another step forward this season. He’s also hit for a lot more power as a professional than as an amateur. Can you talk about the progress he’s made as a professional hitter?
Drew Saylor: Mass has an incredible skill that when he swings, the bat and ball tend to make more contact that most other players. The biggest change we’ve made with Michael is focusing on having the mindset of working your at-bat, but also understanding that you need to wait for the pitcher to put the ball in a place where you can drive the baseball. Getting him to trust that process has allowed him to drive the baseball more often. Just like Vinnie, he’s a student of the game. He thinks pretty analytically and critically about the game. I also think that cleaning up some of the mechanical stuff with regard to his turn, he was a pretty handsy hitter, and I think his hands tended to jump his turn a bit. Really, we just had him learn to trust that his hands would end up going where they needed to go and it’s allowed him to make better contact more often.
Down on the Farm: Nick Pratto is having another strong season, what stands out when you watch him?
Drew Saylor: Again, I’m going to sound redundant here, but Nick is another guy that’s a master craftsman. Nick is a guy who understands how to game-plan, he understands his swing really well, and thinks at a level that I really haven’t experienced in my career as a player or a coach. Someone who is always thinking about optimizing his process. I don’t have enough adjectives to describe Nick Pratto, but he’s an elite decision maker, he has really good hand-eye coordination, and obviously the power is there. There’s a reason he was the 14th overall pick in the draft.
Down on the Farm: Drew Waters just entered the organization. First question, what is the process for onboarding a new player into the organization? Second question, have you had a chance to see him yet and what have you noticed?
Drew Saylor: I’m in Rochester right now, so the first day Drew was here I was able to introduce myself in-person and shake his hand. Really the first step in any process is getting to know the person, getting to know their journey, understanding their path in the game and their background, their family dynamic. Giving them a chance to share with us what their perception is of themselves as a human, then as an athlete, and then the last step is as a hitter. That process has gone really well so far with Drew, I think he’s a bright, intelligent, baseball player and person. In terms of other stuff with onboarding with respect to hitting, it’s the usual stuff — what’s your routine, what do you like to do? Then introducing our three mantras and our general process as an organization. Reinforcing that we are developing you as a player and as a person. Everything we take into consideration is going to be centered around you. It’s a very player-centric model that we have here in Kansas City. Those are critical moments when a player comes into an organization.
Down on the Farm: Who is a player in the Royals system who hasn’t had a huge year statistically, but you feel has had a great year in terms of their development as a hitter?
Drew Saylor: I think Carter Jensen is that guy. He’s a guy who’s had a very low batting average on balls-in-play for half a season, but he’s been making really good swing decisions. His walk rate is almost double what the league average is, his strikeout rate is about average. He has really strong offensive weapons and makes good decisions. He was a 3rd round pick out of high school, only 18-years-old playing in the Carolina League — not only that, he’s also playing behind the dish as a catcher. I think the development curve for a guy who makes that type of jump is always steep, but I’ve been really proud of the maturity, the curiosity, that Carter has displayed. I just saw him last week — I was really excited to continue watching him develop and grow. A lot of that is a testament to Carter, but also to our coaches and staff.
Down on the Farm: You’ve mentioned swing decisions a few times, do you think swing decisions and plate discipline can be taught and developed?
Drew Saylor: I think it’s a complex question. I think we’re still trying to figure it out. Most organizations are looking for a way to decrease the swing and miss and make quality contact, but swing decisions are the start. When you start to look at the decisions you can see what the product of those decisions are, but we need to figure out how we can change the process to help us improve the end product. You’re always at the mercy of what you do and don’t swing at, and a by product of that is when you choose the right pitches to swing at, you put yourself in the best position to leverage the bat-to-ball quality of contact.
Thanks for taking the time to speak with us, Drew!
