Free Agent Signings:
Carlos Santana
Mike Minor
Michael Taylor
Ervin Santana
Top 10 Prospects:
1 Bobby Witt Jr., SS
2 Asa Lacy, LHP
3 Daniel Lynch, LHP
4 Jackson Kowar, RHP
5 Erick Pena, OF
6 Nick Loftin, SS
7 Kyle Isbel, OF
8 Khali Lee, OF
9 Jonathan Bowlan, RHP
10 Carlos Hernedez, RHP [Reply]
Originally Posted by BWillie:
I usually see kids of great players exceed expectations. Mahomes, Currys, Klay, etc. Mondesi kinda doesn't fit the mold as he was highly touted but I expect him to finally break thru this year. Woud be awesome if BWJ became the next real star for the Royals. As far as REAL stars Id say offensively we've only had a few since Brett. Damon, Dye, Sweendog (injured tho). Lets go.
Always felt the Vegas 73.5 was about 8-10 short. But I was wrong the 18-19 when I called low 70s and we went high 50s(!)
I never spent any time worrying about Mondesi because his glove and speed automatically make him above replacement. Hes a 1-2 WAR guy floor. His bat is always gravy. Yes a great defensive SS (something I wanted to evaluate Witt on this spring but he didnt play there? That said he’s the 10-yr solution at SS - Ripken style - the day he arrives here)
Singer and Dozier are the stars this year. 83-79. I’m pounding Vegas by 10 full. [Reply]
The hype around Bobby Witt Jr. is just totally insane to me. It reminds me of everything we were hearing about Mahomes before he became a starter. I have never been this excited about a Royals prospect. Back when we had the best farm system in the league and all kinds of highly regarded prospects, guys that absolutely lit up the minors too, I never thought any of them would turn into the type of star I think BWJ is gonna be. I just have this feeling that he is gonna be in a league with Tatis and Soto. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dlphg9:
The hype around Bobby Witt Jr. is just totally insane to me. It reminds me of everything we were hearing about Mahomes before he became a starter. I have never been this excited about a Royals prospect. Back when we had the best farm system in the league and all kinds of highly regarded prospects, guys that absolutely lit up the minors too, I never thought any of them would turn into the type of star I think BWJ is gonna be. I just have this feeling that he is gonna be in a league with Tatis and Soto.
I thought Wil Myers was going to be Ryan Braun. Other than that, I've not seen this type of upside from a Royals prospect.
He's got all the tools Mondesi did but the makeup, the adjustments, etc. set him so far apart. [Reply]
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Always felt the Vegas 73.5 was about 8-10 short. But I was wrong the 18-19 when I called low 70s and we went high 50s(!)
I never spent any time worrying about Mondesi because his glove and speed automatically make him above replacement. Hes a 1-2 WAR guy floor. His bat is always gravy. Yes a great defensive SS (something I wanted to evaluate Witt on this spring but he didnt play there? That said he’s the 10-yr solution at SS - Ripken style - the day he arrives here)
Singer and Dozier are the stars this year. 83-79. I’m pounding Vegas by 10 full.
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
I thought Wil Myers was going to be Ryan Braun. Other than that, I've not seen this type of upside from a Royals prospect.
He's got all the tools Mondesi did but the makeup, the adjustments, etc. set him so far apart.
Imagine him hitting full potential and Mondesi doing what he did at the end of last season for the whole season. [Reply]
Originally Posted by dlphg9:
The hype around Bobby Witt Jr. is just totally insane to me. It reminds me of everything we were hearing about Mahomes before he became a starter. I have never been this excited about a Royals prospect. Back when we had the best farm system in the league and all kinds of highly regarded prospects, guys that absolutely lit up the minors too, I never thought any of them would turn into the type of star I think BWJ is gonna be. I just have this feeling that he is gonna be in a league with Tatis and Soto.
I agree there's something special. Only thing that makes me pause is Royals hitting prospects always seem to be slow to get up to speed. [Reply]
Originally Posted by duncan_idaho:
I thought Wil Myers was going to be Ryan Braun. Other than that, I've not seen this type of upside from a Royals prospect.
He's got all the tools Mondesi did but the makeup, the adjustments, etc. set him so far apart.
Gordon was BB America minor league POY and the 2007 #2 overall prospect to Dice-K. [Reply]
Royals confident after successful spring by
Anne Rogers
Originally Posted by :
The buzz around Royals camp was all anybody could talk about in the early part of Spring Training. After an offseason full of moves that signaled Kansas City's desire to contend over the next few years, players and coaches took that momentum into spring.
As of Friday morning, the Royals are 14-7 in the Cactus League, where records don’t matter but certain performances do. And Kansas City has seen its lineup start to mesh, its rotation solidify and its bullpen come together through those performances.
“You can put as much or as little value in Spring Training -- I put value on good baseball,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “We’ve been playing good baseball. Guys have been doing their job, putting together good at-bats. We’ve watched a number of pitchers throw good stuff. You can’t convince these guys, just like you can’t convince me, that those things don’t have value to what we’re trying to do over the long haul. There’s no carryover once we start into April -- we get that. Except for the belief that you have.”
Here’s a sampling of what the Royals have learned throughout camp:
Best development: The Royals have seen what Adalberto Mondesi can do to their lineup when he’s healthy and has his swing in a good place. In September of last year, he hit .356/.408/.667 across 100 plate appearances with six home runs and 20 RBIs. And the Royals were hoping that Mondesi would bring that momentum, along with good health, into the offseason and Spring Training. Despite a slow start because of a pitch that hit his foot in live batting practice, Mondesi seems to be comfortable and free at the plate, hitting .308/.357/.577 this spring. The Royals have put him at the top of the lineup to maximize his at-bats and see how he fits among their other top-of-the-order hitters.
“I think what we’ve seen is a continuation from what we saw at the end of the season,” Matheny said. “Anybody that watched this club and watched Mondi at the end of last season can say that’s one of the best baseball performances they’ve ever seen in their life, so you know that’s there. And when that’s there, he can hurt you in so many different ways. He’s in a good spot right now, and when he’s in a good place, we want to see him up there as often as possible.”
Heading into the regular season, Mondesi and the Royals are focused on keeping his health intact and him in a good place.
Unfortunate events: The Royals stayed relatively healthy throughout Spring Training, with only a few days off for hitters like Andrew Benintendi and Michael A. Taylor because of sore backs. Reliever Josh Staumont was delayed getting into camp because of a COVID-19 infection. It has caused him to take it slow as his strength increases, but he’s been flashing higher velocity recently and is on track for Opening Day.
Performance-wise, it’s worth keeping an eye on second baseman Nicky Lopez, who has hit .118/.231/.147 as of Friday morning. He acknowledged Monday that it has been hard to not see results and production when he comes to the plate, but he’s confident in the plan that he and hitting coaches John Mabry and Terry Bradshaw have put in place. But Lopez will have to execute once the regular season rolls around since the Royals have other options to use at second base if more production is needed there.
Player who opened eyes: The Royals knew they had a special talent on their hands when they drafted Bobby Witt Jr. second overall in the 2019 Draft, and he backed it up last year at the alternate training site. Then, he put it on full display this spring, hitting .289/.325/.526 across 40 plate appearances. He has power, speed and above-average defensive skills to play shortstop and second base. Having only played 37 professional games -- none above Rookie-level -- the Royals pumped the brakes on Witt’s debut and will have him start the season in the Minor Leagues. But what he showed this spring on the field and in the clubhouse, earning the respect of his older and veteran teammates, only confirmed to the Royals that Witt will fit in and be able to help the club when he’s ready -- and that could come soon.
Wow moment: Which 484-foot home run should we choose? Witt’s on March 8 or Jorge Soler's on Sunday? Or maybe we could look at Seuly Matias' near 500-foot (the estimated distance wasn’t clear at Goodyear Ballpark) home run that hit palm trees.
Regardless, the Royals showed serious power this spring. Perhaps you can credit the Arizona air for the distance, but there’s no denying that the balls Witt, Soler and Matias hit were crushed. And the Royals were pleased with the hard-hit rates they saw all spring from their hitters.
In case you missed it: Jakob Junis has added a cutter. Whatever role he ends up in for the Royals this year, the pitch was needed and will be useful for him to keep hitters off balance instead of relying so much on his slider. And the pitch is a legit weapon.
Top outfield prospect Kyle Isbel has started in right field in the past two games for the Royals, including Thursday’s 10-1 win over the D-backs at Surprise Stadium. The club’s No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Isbel singled and went from second to home on an infield hit, part of his .933 OPS this spring. The 24-year-old has earned the trust of Kansas City’s coaching staff with his fielding, and his name has stayed in the conversation for a big league roster spot.
"He's another guy who is in the mix,” Royals manager Mike Matheny said. “We're trying to get as many looks as we can before we make our final decision."
Typically, Spring Training lineups aren’t worth overthinking because of how teams try to maximize at-bats and attempt different combinations. But as Cactus League games wind down, lineups start to come together the way they might look on Opening Day. Here’s what the Royals’ lineup looked like on Thursday:
1. Whit Merrifield, 2B
2. Andrew Benintendi, LF
3. Adalberto Mondesi, SS
4. Salvador Perez, C
5. Carlos Santana, 1B
6. Jorge Soler, DH
7. Hunter Dozier, 3B
8. Michael A. Taylor, CF
9. Kyle Isbel, RF
That looks like an Opening Day lineup. Though the Royals often spoke this offseason about Merrifield playing right field, the trend lately has been to put him at second base so that he might be able to take over if the position falters offensively. Nicky Lopez, who had been pegged as the second baseman, has a .378 OPS in 39 plate appearances this spring, which could make Merrifield the club’s best option in the infield as Lopez makes adjustments.
If Hunter Dozier stays at third base -- where he has played the majority of Spring Training games -- instead of moving to right field, that opens a starting spot for Isbel or Jarrod Dyson, who the Royals signed to be their fourth outfielder early in camp.
“We got Dyson for a reason,” Matheny said. “He can be a guy that brings us a couple things, that’s why his value is so big to us. Play him anywhere in the outfield. Elite runner. A guy who has won. So he fills a lot of the things that we knew going in that we’d like to have from our bench.”
The Royals' bats were hot in Thursday’s Minor League game against the Dodgers, too, which featured a home run from Bobby Witt Jr., a double from Dyson, a double from Erick Pena, an RBI double from Nick Pratto and a three-run homer from Heath in their 9-2 win.
Witt raked; what about other KC prospects? by
Anne Rogers
Originally Posted by : 1. Bobby Witt Jr., SS
For most of camp, Witt was forcing the question of if he should make the roster. He was showing everything the Royals wanted to see offensively and defensively, hitting .289/.325/.526 across 40 plate appearances. He launched a 484-foot home run. He flashed his speed. He showcased his skill at shortstop and showed he could learn quickly at second base. Having only played 37 professional games after being drafted No. 2 overall in 2019, the Royals thought it was best for Witt to start the season in the Minor Leagues -- either at Double-A or Triple-A -- and allow him to hit his way to the Majors, likely at some point in 2021.
What he showed this spring, though, proved that the Royals’ faith in him is well-placed.
“Just getting the opportunity to play and be in big league camp is truly just an honor and I’m truly grateful for it,” Witt said early in camp. “I’m trying not to take [for granted] any of it.”
2. Daniel Lynch, LHP
Lynch made his final Cactus League start on Wednesday, allowing one run in two innings with one strikeout. The tall lefty had a high ERA (7.71 across 11 2/3 innings) but went up against Major League hitters and saw some innings get away from him due to pitch selection or location. The pitch he showed the most improvement with was his changeup -- the same pitch he focused on the most at the alternate training site. It’s a weapon that will help him out long-term, and Lynch will continue to get stretched out for when the Royals need him this year.
3. Asa Lacy, LHP
The Royals’ first-round Draft pick last year, Lacy was invited to his first Major League camp for the atmosphere, getting him in the clubhouse with other prospects, Major League players the Royals coaching staff. The Royals were intentionally slow with him because of the gap between big league camp and the Minor League season, so Lacy has been limited to bullpen sessions for the last few weeks. The 21-year-old will begin his progression in the next week or so, with facing hitters in live batting practice the next step for him.
4. Jackson Kowar, RHP
Kowar put together his best start on Sunday, throwing three scoreless innings with two strikeouts. He’ll get one more Cactus League start on Friday, further building him up to be ready to help the Royals at some point in 2021. Kowar has allowed eight runs in 10 1/3 innings, and he’s shown this spring that when his two offspeed pitches are on, he can be dangerous. He’ll continue to focus on his curveball and fastball command to make sure he’s ready when the Royals need him.
“He’s had a couple outings now where he’s just showing who he can be,” manager Mike Matheny said Sunday. “You have that kind of velocity and that kind of changeup, if you’re controlling the strike zone at all with your fastball, you’re going to have success. [The curveball] has come a long way, especially in a year’s time.”
5. Kyle Isbel, OF
Isbel has gained the trust of the Royals’ coaching staff to cover any outfield spot, which is high praise for when he gets to Kauffman Stadium’s expansive outfield. The 24-year-old takes quality at-bats, with hard-hit balls and improving plate discipline. Before Wednesday’s start in right field, Isbel posted a 1.049 OPS across 29 at-bats, showcasing his power and speed. The Royals have been impressed with the way he’s matured as a well-rounded player, and he could be used as a depth piece this season when needed.
6. Erick Pena, OF
A late non-roster invitee to Royals big league camp, Pena has been used mainly in B games and as a late-inning replacement. The 18-year-old has yet to get a hit in seven Cactus League at-bats, striking out five times, but he’s been soaking up the big league experience after the Royals signed him during the 2019-20 international signing period. He still has a long way to go but is someone to keep an eye on over the next few years.
7. Nick Loftin, SS
Loftin had one of the highest floors in the 2020 college Draft class, and he’s shown that this spring. He’s only seen 13 at-bats in Cactus League play, but the 22-year-old flashed some solid instincts at shortstop and received praise from the coaching staff about his ability to take feedback and apply it quickly.
“He just looks like a shortstop,” Matheny said. “Threw him into some games that he had tough plays out of the gate and did a nice job. Excited to watch him to continue to show his visibility.”
8. Jonathan Bowlan, RHP
One of the pitchers in the vaunted 2018 Draft class, Bowlan made strides on par with Lynch and Kowar last season and could see his debut come this year, too. The big right-hander got most of his work in on the backfields at the Royals’ Spring Training complex, but he pitched an inning on Wednesday against the Angels, giving up a three-run home run to Justin Upton but then settling down to get Albert Pujols to ground out to end the inning. Bowlan has flashed an improving changeup that was a major focus of his work in 2020. Given his command, durability and makeup, Bowlan figures to be a workhorse starter in the future. But his physicality and fastball-slider combination would fit well in a big league bullpen, too. If the Royals need more arms sometime this season, Bowlan could be one to turn to.
9. Nick Pratto, 1B
As someone who Matheny recently called “the most improved player in camp,” Pratto just looks comfortable in the box -- and the results prove it. Pratto has swatted four home runs this spring, hitting .360/.429/.960 across 25 at-bats. The 22-year-old still needs some more time to develop in the Minors -- and the Royals are covered at first base for the next two years with Carlos Santana -- but Pratto’s bat is starting to match his defense as the Royals continue to view him as their future first baseman.
10. Austin Cox, LHP
Another pitcher in the 2018 Draft, Cox struggled at the alternate training site in 2020 but came into Spring Training back on track. In 4 1/3 Cactus League innings, Cox struck out six without allowing a run. He’s on the same path as Bowlan; Cox is being stretched out as a starter, but his big arm wouldn’t be out of place in the back end of the bullpen, especially if he’s needed this year.
“You watch him pitch, and you watch his repertoire as far as an explosive fastball, and he does a real nice job at the bottom of the zone,” Matheny said. “Good changeup, control of the breaking ball, and just a good rhythm and good disposition. Everything that you’re kind of looking for. … He’s in that conversation as we start talking about what we’re going to need for this season. I think Austin Cox is going to have to be in that conversation of some potential help at some particular point.”
Originally Posted by Prison Bitch:
Gordon was BB America minor league POY and the 2007 #2 overall prospect to Dice-K.
Yeah, I was working at SN then and he was our National minor league player of the year. But even then, the buzz was not the same. He didn’t have “best player in baseball” skills. [Reply]