• The numbers haven't been there for Royals righty Daniel Cortes in the AFL, as he's posted a 7.84 ERA in six starts despite striking out a batter per inning. Still, there's a lot to like about the 21-year-old's potential. He's been touching up to 96 mph on my gun with late tail, coupling it with a hard high-70s curve with good depth. Cortes has good arm action, and the velocity is easy, but he's been leaving his fastball up and still needs to show he can command it on the corners of the plate.

Cortes has been primarily a fastball/curveball guy, and the organization sent him to the AFL to concentrate more on throwing quality strikes with his changeup, and in scouting parlance, he's "flashed" a few solid ones. There's some sink and a good angle there, but it's just not consistent. Though he hasn't thrown it much in game action, he's also been toying with a slider to see whether that could be a usable third offering.

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