Royals Review Prospect Pulse: May
by nwroyal on May 7, 2009 2:32 AM EDT
in Kansas City Royals News
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PrintIt's time to check in and see how things are going on the farm. Since, April was a shorter month, I went ahead and included stats up through yesterday. We still have a lot of players in Extended Spring Training--especially those pitchers who the Royals want to limit the workload for this year. The stats for hitters are the triple slash ones and for pitchers its: ERA/K/BB.
Not a great start to the year--our hitters are doing OK and some of our pitchers are really struggling. A couple of bright spots are Jeff Bianchi and Chris Lubanski--both of whom had very encouraging starts. I'm getting a little worried about Dan Cortes and Blake Wood. Luke Hochevar isn't eligible for the list, but if he were, I'd have him 3rd. He'd done everything that's been asked of him at AAA. Hopefully, we'll see him with the big club soon.
| Rank | Name | last month | age | level | month stats | YTD | Comment |
| 1. | Eric Hosmer-1B | 1 | 19 | A | 221/344/299 | Started off slow but has been hitting better lately. Having trouble with leftys | |
| 2. | M. Moustakas-3B | 2 | 20 | A+ | 265/311/482 | Much better start this year, look for him to get better as year goes on | |
| 3. | Dan Duffy-LHP | 5 | 20 | A+ | 4.21/24/9 | first few starts=lights out, struggled more the last couple of times | |
| 4. | Dan Cortes-RHP | 3 | 22 | AA | 5.96/17/11 | has been a little unlucky but still disappointing | |
| 5. | Kila Kaaihue-1B | 4 | 24 | AAA | 216/416/432 | still hitting, look for BA to improve | |
| 6. | Dan Guitierrez-RHP | 6 | 22 | XST | I'm hoping we'll see Gutierrez this month | ||
| 7. | Mike Montgomery-LHP | 7 | 19 | XST | My guess:Montgomery may not be assigned until beginning of June | ||
| 8. | Jeff Bianchi-SS | 13 | 23 | A+ | 333/419/531 | Great start--drawing more walks | |
| 9. | Carlos Rosa-RHP | 8 | 24 | AAA | 3.00/12/3 | good numbers, could see KC this summer | |
| 10. | Blake Wood-RHP | 9 | 23 | AA | 7.56/14/6 | Mr. Inconsistency | |
| 11. | Tim Melville-RHP | 10 | 10 | XST | See Montgomery | ||
| 12. | J. Giavotella-2B | 11 | 21 | A+ | 237/366/447 | Good start, numbers should get even better | |
| 13. | Kelvim Herrera-RHP | 14 | 19 | XST | Not sure what is up with him | ||
| 14. | Chris Nicoll-RHP | 18 | 25 | AA | 0.57/15/5 | Really like this guy, ERA is Greinkesque | |
| 15. | David Lough-CF | 19 | 23 | A+ | 320/395/440 | A sleeper who is waking up | |
| 16. | Joe Dickerson-OF | 15 | 22 | AA | 243/341/365 | so-so start at AA | |
| 17. | Tyler Sample-RHP | 16 | 19 | XST | look for him at Idaho Falls in June | ||
| 18. | Derrick Robinson-CF |
12 | 21 | A+ | 217/287/228 | Really disappointing start--showing no power. | |
| 19. | Henry Barrera-RHP | 20 | 23 | XST | is he hurt? |
||
| 20. | John Lamb-LHP | 21 | 18 | XST | short season ball | ||
| 21. | Ed Cegarra-RHP | 23 | 19 | XST | not sure why he is in ext. ST | ||
| 22. | Chris Lubanski-OF | 30 | 24 | AAA | 308/388/462 | Bounce back and becoming a prospect again | |
| 23. | Greg Holland-RHP | 24 | 23 | AA | 3.07/12/3 | Another one of our pretty good reliever prospects | |
| 24. | Salvador Perez-C |
17 | 18 | A | 151/167/189 | Burlington: the place where young hitters are humbled | |
| 25. | Disco Hayes-RHP | NR | 26 | AA | 0.96/7/2 | Here comes the Disco Band Wagon! | |
| 26. | Jose Bonilla-C | NR | 20 | A | 176/222/275 | Burlington: turning young hitters into Tony Pena Jr! | |
| 27. | Jordan Parraz-OF | NR | 24 | AA | 355/425/403 | I'll take him over Tyler Lumsden every day of the week. | |
| 28. | Adrian Ortiz-CF | 26 | 22 | A+ | 278/280/347 | But he sure is fast! | |
| 29. | Tug Hulett-2B | NR | 26 | AAA | 306/406/471 | Jeff Keppinger 2.0 | |
| 30. | Brian McFall-1B | NR | 25 | AA | 275/344/500 | He's the Mike Jacobs of AA | |
| 31. | Paulo Orlando-CF | 27 | 23 | A+ | 192/234/341 | If we gave him back to the White Sox, would they take HoRam too? | |
| 32. | Jose Duarte-CF | NR | 24 | AA | 296/402/358 | Fast start but is returning to earth | |
| 33. | Nick Francis-OF | NR | 23 | A | 289/366/518 | Those numbers in Burlington in April translate to MLE of 425/542/876 | |
| 34. | Clint Robinson-1B | NR | 24 | A+ | 370/414/642 | great numbers, but his age/position are working against him | |
| 35. | Blaine Hardy-RHP | NR | 22 | A | 2.38/28/0 | The next in the long line of great Royals Hardy Prospects | |
| 36. | Sean McCauley-C | NR | 20 | A | 152/211/227 | Burlington: emasculating young hitters for 50 years | |
| 37. | Luis Cota-RHP | NR | 23 | A | 4.26/15/5 | A long hill to climb as he comes back from inury | |
| 38. | Brent Fisher-LHP | NR | 21 | A | 6.19/11/8 | Those numbers in Burlington=not good | |
| 39. | Sam Runion-RHP | 29 | 20 | A | 7.88/9/9 | why did we use a 2nd round pick on him? | |
| 40. | Jason Taylor-1B | 25 | 21 | SUS | Not in Extended ST--Royals will probably suspend him even after his 50 games are up |
Player of the Month:
Jeff Bianchi: Has hit like crazy this month. The improved plate discipline so far is very encouraging. I haven't heard how his defense has been. If he can stay healthy, he could be an above average middle infielder. If he stick at short, he could be quite valuable.
There is the update, we'll check back in at the beginning of June and see how things are going.
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Kelvin Herrera
Was just assigned to Burlington, Iowa
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Kelvim pitching tonight
so far:
5ip 3h 0r 0w 1k
good start for him, I’m not sure if he’s going to come back for the 6th or not.
This has been a very disappointing start to the season
not that a months worth of stats should mean we’re falling apart, but the players i would most expect to benefit the royals aren’t off to great starts. Except Bianchi, who should be playing well in Wilmington given his age and Moustakas.
I’m anxiously awaiting the assignment of Melville, Montgomery, and Hayenga.
Isn't Bianchi old for A ball? 23 seems old for me.
but im starting to like the young catchers in the system, even though most are struggling right now, last season they all seemed to hit nicely, probably just slow start/sample size whatever, but the guys in A ball are nice too see.
"I can resist everything but temptation." - oscar wylde
I'm actually...
…a little bit wrong on that—he’s 22—turns 23 in October. 22 for a middle infielder at High-A is not bad. Some 22 year olds in High-A are there b/c they have stagnated. Bianchi has been injured—so I view him a little bit differently: he’s still got a nice ceiling—but the injury factor is also an issue.
oh okay, that makes sense (injury)
So he really is still a prospect i suppose. For some reason 22 still seems alittle old, but of course not everyone is rushed around like billy butler, anyways. I hope he continues to show this improved patience at the plate and hot hitting, its great to see guys who have struggled in the past start to figure stuff out.
"I can resist everything but temptation." - oscar wylde
a lot of top college guys are drafted at around
22ish and high A is considered a very aggressive assignment for most
"I'll take some Coco with that please"
22 isn't that old when he lost nearly 2 seasons to injury
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
He was actually injured twice
Had two seasons of rookie ball, was raking in both, and had a season ending injury in both (one was a back injury, I can’t remember the other). He only played 28 games in 05 and 12 games in 06. When he came back from the second, he went to Burlington IA for his first full season and really struggled. Last year in Wilmington was similar. But , if he had gotten a full short season in say in 2007 for Idaho Falls, he’d be exactly on target. Because of the injuries, he’s essentially been playing catchup until this year. It’s looking like he has caught up—I’d like to see him in NWA before the end of the year.
Sometimes you just gotta roll the potato.
by CentralChamps2009 on May 7, 2009 10:33 AM EDT up reply actions
What's up with
Montgomery, Melville, and Sample? I’d expect them to be assigned by now normally.
This space for rent.
Monty and Melville
I think both those guys will see Burlington, Iowa soon—I’m sure the Royals have a target number of innings for those guys and will handle them accordingly. I’ve read some over at RoyalsCorner from somebody who has watched ex. ST games and said that Melville looks really good.
Sample is a bit more raw and will probably go to short-season ball.
B. Wood had another not so great but not terrible outing today,
6 IP 6H 3ER 2BB 4SO 2HR — in a 3-0 loss to Springfield, it was only a 7 inning game.
"I can resist everything but temptation." - oscar wylde
What's your ballpark estimate
on how long it takes Moustakas to get to NW Arkansas? I’m planning on making it to a few games there this summer and it would be awesome to see him hit.
"You know what, I mean I cried in bed for a while, moaning 'Why!? Why did this have to happen?'"
Zack Greinke on the Brad Pitt - Jennifer Aniston split
i bet not till next season unless he goes on a complete tear like he did second half of last season.
"I can resist everything but temptation." - oscar wylde
by cfizzle on May 6, 2009 3:59 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
Yeah, I think he stays in Wilmington all year
That team is built to win a minor league championship and I think DM values having a core group of prospects play together and win together. I think Moose will start at NW Ark next year and then he might make a mid year jump to Omaha. But perhaps Moose could force their hand if he goes berserk this year.
by nwroyal on May 6, 2009 4:50 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
So what you're saying is that Chris Nicoli definitely will be as good as Zack Greinke, right?
On another note, a serious (and embarrassing, for me) question: what exactly is the difference between extended spring training and the minors. I mean, I get sort of the general idea, but why do some minor leaguers go to one and not the other, and for that matter, why do some rehabbing major leaguers go to XST and some to the minors? Who are the games against in XST?
I’ve actually tried to look this up and stuff, and I guess I"m just too dumb to understnd.
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
Nicoll
I have noticed his numbers as well, what kind of pitches does he throw and how hard?
Go Royals!
Nicoll
His pitch arsenal is fastball, curveball, slider, change. He used all four pitches as a starter, but last year he was moved to the bullpen where he throws mostly fastball-curve, mixing in some changeups and I don’t think he throws the slider at all anymore. His fastball has merely average velocity (low 90’s) but his control of the pitch is excellent, making it a plus pitch overall. His curve is also pretty good, but not great (decent break, excellent control). He uses those two pitches to get a lot of strikeouts and give up few walks.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on May 7, 2009 4:16 AM EDT up reply actions
Is he still starting?
I thought I saw that he’s a reliever now.
Sometimes you just gotta roll the potato.
by CentralChamps2009 on May 7, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Yes, he's relieving
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on May 7, 2009 12:12 PM EDT up reply actions
Minor League Relief pitching is weird
I saw that Chris Hayes started and pitched 6 innings the other day, but he is a relief pitcher.
He didn't start
it was an extra innings game.
I don't know how to put this but I'm kind of a big deal.
Extended spring training
The difference between XST and the minors is that XST is a lot like spring training. The emphasis is on instruction, practice, working out, getting into shape and for some rehabbing from an injury. Some “games” are played between organizations whose ST facility are in the same area, but they exhibitions rather than real games that count for something in the minors. Minor leaguers go to XST instead of being assigned to a real minor league team for one or more of the following reasons: 1) rehabbing from an injury, 2) the organization wants the player to get more attention from instructional staff in more of a practice setting before being assigned to a real team (this is common for guys drafted out of HS the prior summer), 3) no room for the player at the moment on the minor league team the organization eventually wants to put him on. As far as major leaguers going to XST as opposed to the minors, I think that is mostly about the nature, extent and timing of the injury. Typically DL’d players go to a minor league assignment when they are healthy and ready to play but just need to get back into the flow of playing in a real game. Players go to XST usually for more serious injuries that take longer to rehab. These facilities are equipped for working out to build a player’s strength back up and XST is a low-stress environment largely out of the public eye where players can play when not yet 100% because there are no consequences.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on May 7, 2009 4:10 AM EDT up reply actions
thanks
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
by Matt Klaassen on May 7, 2009 10:11 AM EDT up reply actions
Greg Schaum
Was saying on post-game last night something about Daniel Gutierrez hiring Scott Boras (a good sign that they think he’s a future star) but that Boras wanted Gutierrez to rehab with his people while the Royals wanted him to rehab with their people. Anyone hear that? I only got a few snippets of it.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
that site is overrated and full of nerds
they actually had the nerve to criticize Dayton Moore this offseason. 17-11, losers! If it ain’t broke, don’t fi it.
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
by Matt Klaassen on May 7, 2009 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions
he still rules
I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.
by Matt Klaassen on May 7, 2009 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Assigned to Wilmington
Supposedly he will be a LOOGY there.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
Supposedly he is a submariner now too.
Him and Chris Hayes were on the same team last year. Coincidence?? I think not!!!
Disco Hayes
Just this Q & A from his blog tells me I should like this kid a lot more than I already do:
Did you know you are my favorite player?
Jacob J., Haverhill, NH
I had never heard of you until you emailed me. But I did know that IF you existed, I would have been your favorite player. So it’s a bit hard to answer your question. I think in a philosophical sense, no. But realistically, it’s hard to not look in the mirror every day and know I’m the favorite player of thousands of people I’ll never know. I’ll go with yes. And you’re welcome.
Tongue in cheek or not, that’s awesome.
(Plus, I’m still cheesed that that British twerp beat Mrs. Disco for the Best Job in the World).
Sometimes you just gotta roll the potato.
by CentralChamps2009 on May 7, 2009 12:24 PM EDT reply actions
Has Lubanski earned a call-up
If Maier/DDJ/Jose/Coco gets hurt?
My love for Shane Costa has been well documented, and I still think if given the shot blahblahblah, but Lubanski has put up decent numbers the last 2 seasons in Omaha
BOOM! ROASTED!
Honestly,
I think he has a big platoon split. He hits righties pretty well with some power, not so much against lefty’s (what else is new for a Royals Lefty). It’s possible he could work out in an outfield platoon with some time at DH. In fact, a bench with him and say Shealy would give the Royals decent pinch hitter options against both righties and lefty’s.
If someone gets hurt
Who else is there? I would think it has to be Lubanski. Costa is hurt.
Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com
He should be the next OFer up, if needed
Even when Costa is healthy. I don’t know if the Royals FO sees it that way, but I do. My opinion is that I feel like I know Costa isn’t very good. So if we need another OFer, let’s give Lubanski a look. And the Royals need more help vs. RHP than vs. LHP. That being said, I’m anything but sold on Lubanski, even as a 5th OFer.
The immoderate moderator
by Scott McKinney on May 8, 2009 4:57 AM EDT up reply actions
number 40. jason taylor
too bad the other KC team didnt get JT; that would have worked out much sooner
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