RR Royals #3 Prospect

by doublestix on Oct 15, 2008 11:10 PM EDT Comment 22 comments

#1 Mike Moustakas, 3B
#2 Eric Hosmer, 1B
#3 ???

Voting kinda stalled, so Hosmer is the winner for the #2 poll

Vote for who you believe is the Royals #3 prospect.

Short scouting reports:

Daniel Cortes | RHP | 21-years-old | 6-foot-6, 225 pounds
-Big workhorse body, fastball sits 93-96 and can peak higher. Already has plus curve. Changeup still lags a bit, as does command of fastball.

Daniel Duffy | LHP | 19-years-old | 6-foot-3, 185 pounds
-Four pitch lefty. Fastball 88-93, has been clocked higher in the past. Good curve, good change, both potential to be plus. Still needs to improve fastball command, but made huge strides this year thanks to improved mechanics.

Kila Ka'aihue | 1B | 24-years-old | 6-foot-3, 230 pounds
-Tremendous plate discipline with very good power. Defense at 1B isn't particularly great, but it plays. Charts all of his AB's and strives to get better. Not a great minor league track record. Nearly big league ready if not already there.

Tim Melville | RHP | 18-years-old | 6-foot-5, 205 pounds
-Extremely projectable with present stuff. Already 91-94 with chance for plus curve and change. Scouts love his long term fastball projection, think he could throw very hard.

Carlos Rosa | RHP | 24-years-old | 6-foot-1, 185 pounds
-Smallish righty with great fastball. Ranges 92-95 with a little sink. Plus hard slider, his best pitch. Good change but inconsistent. Might be a bullpen guy long term. Nearly big league ready.

Poll

Who is the Royals #3 prospect? (players listed in alphabetical order)

Daniel Cortes, RHP

106 votes

Daniel Duffy, LHP

15 votes

Kila Ka'aihue, 1B

54 votes

Tim Melville, RHP

31 votes

Carlos Rosa, RHP

11 votes

Other (give reason)

3 votes

220 votes | Poll has closed

1 recs | Comment 22 comments

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Comments

as much as i like kila as a legit prospect

Cortes is a front line starter in the making

by ZeppelinDZ on Oct 16, 2008 10:29 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

he got his ass

handed to him again today in the AFL. 3 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs (all earned). He did get his ERA out of the 20s though. This is starting to worry me……

by gordonrules on Oct 16, 2008 11:26 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

not a huge deal...

i know he is specifically working on his changeup, maybe that is causing some problems. who knows.

Rowdy Hardy Fan Club member.

by doublestix on Oct 17, 2008 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't know....

If I send a kid to a GREAT fall league, I don’t restrict him. I say, have success whatever it takes…

The time to work on the change is in pens, winter league, spring training, extended spring training… you get the idea. Let the kid shine!!

Don't forget to send your broken maples to the US Forest Service.

by 306008 on Oct 17, 2008 3:39 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

AFL is the perfect time to work on a new pitch, mechanics or whatever

The AFL is basically extended spring training. They aren’t “games that count.” It’s practice. They need to do what is best for his development. Improving his secondary pitches and/or his control is a hell of a lot more important than giving him an enjoyable experience and sparkly stats in some offseason league.

This is just my opinion. I could easily be wrong.

by NYRoyal on Oct 17, 2008 8:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Cortes, no question

Just like bros before hos – pitchers before hitters.

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Oct 16, 2008 11:43 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i'm still surprised hosmer snagged #2

by royalsreview on Oct 16, 2008 12:41 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

I say Kila

Just because of all the TINSTAPP caveats. It’s the classic upside v. uh, non-upside debate. Kila looks like he could be a league-average 1B by July. Cortes could be a strong #2 guy in a couple years, but, well, there’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.

by billexgordler on Oct 16, 2008 1:07 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Certainly looks like Kila will make the top 5 anyway.

Go Royals!

by BabyBlues on Oct 16, 2008 1:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

kila seems to slot into #4 fairly easily at this point

with sickels giving him 3, a clear 2nd place in this poll, i think i’m ok with that

by ZeppelinDZ on Oct 16, 2008 2:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

#4 will probably come down to Kila versus Melville

…with the loser taking the #5 spot, and Rosa probably taking #6.

by DarthYoshi on Oct 16, 2008 6:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i predict duffy ahead of rosa

by ZeppelinDZ on Oct 17, 2008 9:20 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

its interesting how none of these votes have really been close

consensus?

by royalsreview on Oct 16, 2008 2:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i think you can expect that at the top, 5-10 people start to become more interchangeable

by ZeppelinDZ on Oct 16, 2008 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

What is the timetable...

For Cortes…

by GoBabies!! on Oct 16, 2008 5:39 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

September of next year...

Rowdy Hardy Fan Club member.

by doublestix on Oct 16, 2008 5:49 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

...maybe for a cup of coffee, and only if he happens to impress in the hitter-crazy PCL...

…and that is still a bit optimistic. Realistically, I think the earliest we can expect Cortes to make a play for a 25-man roster spot is during 2010 spring training. If he does well, he’s in, and if not, he’ll start the year in Omaha and probably get ticketed for a midseason call-up if/when one of our starters gets injured.

by DarthYoshi on Oct 16, 2008 6:17 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

seeing as he'd be eligible for the rule 5...

I think they’ll call him up at the very least for a Kila like showing to throw a few innings so long he doesn’t have a Lumsden type meltdown in AAA. Like I said in another thread though, if he makes good progress I won’t at all be surprised if he’s in the rotation by July or August. Maybe unlikely, but it wouldn’t shock me at all.

Rowdy Hardy Fan Club member.

by doublestix on Oct 16, 2008 6:46 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

we can stick him on the 40-man roster without calling him up

I don’t think there is any question that the Royals will protect Cortes if he doesn’t pitch in the bigs in 2009.

I would be fairly surprised and unhappy with a decision to call up Cortes in July or August. With the possible exception of Hoch, Moore hasn’t seemed like the type to rush his pitchers through the minors, and Cortes did have some rough patches here and there during his first year of AA ball, which indicates that another full year of the minors is almost certainly the best course of action regarding him. But what would piss me off the most about calling Cortes up too soon in 2009 is that we almost certainly won’t be contending for a playoff spot, and rushing Cortes for almost any reason will probably do more good than harm. He is one of the best prospects in baseball right now, he needs to be treated with kid gloves.

by DarthYoshi on Oct 16, 2008 8:38 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs