We now cover prospects #18-13.  Some of these players (Herrera, Fortuna, and Sample for example) are in about they same place I would have ranked them last year--or perhaps they even dropped a little bit--not because their performance was bad but there is a lot of competition for spots as we move towards the top 10.  That is a good sign in my opinion.  Your questions and comments are, as always, welcomed.


#18--Kelvin Herrera--RHP--Age:19

#17--Carlos Fortuna--RHP--Age:19

Another young international signee.  Fortuna won't turn 20 until right before the season starts.  Like Herrera, he has a good Fastball--better velocity than Herrera but not as good command.  His curve and changeup are inconsistent.  As you can see, he gives up the base on ball more often than he should.  Think of him as a raw high school draft pick.  He will probably (as I mentioned above) be a part of a very talented Burlington, Iowa staff in 2010.  Success for him will mean limiting the walks and using his stuff to put away more hitters.

#16--Tyler Sample--RHP--Age:20

The Royals picked Sample out of Cherry Creek HS in Colorado.  He's a 6' 7" righty who has already had Tommy John surgery as a high school sophomore.  He struggled mightily in 2008 but made big progess in 2009 as the Royals worked on fixing his mechanics.  As you can see, his control improved greatly and he was much less hittable.  His strikeouts dropped but I think he'll get some of those back as he puts together his delivery.  Sample has an above average fastball and curve.  He needs to develop an effective changeup.  Did I mention the Burlington, Iowa pitching staff he could be a part of in 2010 is pretty talented?

#15--Louis Coleman--RHP--Age:23

Something about KC teams and LSU.  The Royals took Louis Coleman in the 5th Round of the 2009 draft.  Coleman had a 2.93 ERA in his Senior season while pitching 129IP.  He's a little older than most college draftees (he was a Senior pick and was even a draft eligible Sophomore).  He has a good fastball/slider combo that he commands very well.  He has a 3/4 delivery that makes him very tough on right handed hitters.  He was practically unhitable in his professional debut showing that he can get strikeouts and ground balls.  He also didn't give a homerun in his pro debut.  The Royals used him in relief and fast tracked him.  He could begin 2010 in AA or even AAA.  If he does well there, he could be on of the first 2009 draftees to make it to the big leagues.

#14--Johnny Giavotella--2B--Age:22

Johnny G. was our 2nd Round pick in 2008 out of the U. of New Orleans.  He signed quickly and got in 300 ABs in High-A posting a 776 OPS.  In 2009, he went to Wilmington and posted a 731 OPS--so he was worse in 2009, right?  He increased his walk rate, decreased his K rate, and had the same ISP.  He looks to have suffered from Wilmington's home park and a low BABIP.  I'm a big believer in his bat but the biggest question is his glove.  He's got decent speed so perhaps he can improve.  He better because there aren't many other places for him on the diamond beyond 2B.  I wouldn't be surprised to see him blow up at AA this year with a strong OBP and decent power.  Some similar strengths/weaknesses to Alberto Callaspo.  Another note: he was a relatively young for a college draftee so he will be just 22 to start the season.

#13--Kila Kaaihue--Age:25