Royals Review Prospect Pulse: August

by nwroyal on Aug 9, 2009 8:05 PM EDT in Royals Minor Leagues Comment 44 comments

I know you were desperately wondering and hoping if there would be an August Prospect Pulse--well here it is-a little late but hopefully worth the wait.

Well, it was an busy month for the minors in July. We lost Dan Cortes and Derrick Saito in the "incident". Eric Hosmer, Mike Montgomery and Jordan Parraz were among those promoted and Dan Gutierrez made his 2009 debut. Hosmer's promotion was puzzling. He wasn't exactly tearing up Burlington. Montgomery, on the other hand, was ready for a new challenge and is rapidly becoming a very good prospect. Wilmington is now a loaded ballclub--with 6 of the top 12 Royals prospects (by my rankings) playing in Delaware. Gutierrez has made a handful of appearances and I'm not sure if he is now a reliever or if they are just being careful with his arm. You could do a lot worse following the Royals minor leagues than checking Wilmington's box score.

In August, we have the draft signing deadline--where I think we'll see Chris Dwyer and Will Myers sign. We found out this week that Aaron Crow--since he came from an independant league is not required to sign by August 17--which concievibly means this could drag into the winter. I'm still hopeful Crow will sign around the deadline when Bud starts allowing over slot deals and the market is set by those signing around him.

Finally, if the season, ended today the Royals would draft 2nd overall. They are 5 games back of the Nats at the time I write this and I'm actually starting to believe they could finish with the worst record in baseball--which might allow them to draft Bryce Harper or perhaps Stephen Strasburg--althought it is far from a sure thing that either of those guys will be availible. If either of them are, I'm rooting for us to be the worst (besides there is an outside chance that we might see regime change).

Here is the list. The stats for pitchers: k/9-bb/9--FIP. for hitters: avg/opb/slg

Rank	Name	Last Month	Age	Level	Month Stats	YTD	Comment
1	Eric Hosmer-1B	1	19	High-A	Low-A 275/356/431 High-A 220/256/244	Low-A 255/352/385 High-A 220/256/244	Just started to heat up at Burlington and then promoted--they must really want him and Moose together.
2	Mike Montgomery-LHP	5	20	High-A	Low-A 7.4/4.4/3.36 High-A 7.5/7.5/4.33	Low-A 7.8/4.2/3.36 High-A 7.5/7.5/4.33	The kid is doing great and should continue with a good number or K's and grounders--a winning combo.
3	Mike Moustakas-3B	2	20	High-A	196/244/384	253/297/421	Ugly, ugly month for him.
4	Aaron Crow-RHP	3	22	NA	NA	NA	He doesn't have to sign by Aug 17--I'm still hoping it gets done by then--when all the over slot deals come in the final few days.
5	Dan Duffy-LHP	4	20	High-A	9.5/4.4/2.85	8.2/3.9/3.39	Pitching well in the 2nd half
6	Jeff Bianchi-SS	6	22	AA	279/330/365	High-A 307/364/437 AA 329/377/454	He's one of the streakiest hitters we have in the minors.
7	Tim Melville-RHP	8	19	Low-A	11.0/4.4/3.01	8.4/4.1/4.16	Showing his stuff
8	Kila Kaaihue-1B	7	25	AAA	224/387/329	257/401/462	A down month but still a 387 OBP. how many Royals have that in a good month?
9	J. Giavotella-2B	12	22	High-A	306/387/398	259/369/372	He's right on schedule.
10	David Lough-CF	10	23	AA	343/367/524	High-A 323/373/477 AA 330/364/496	Just keeps hitting
11	Jordan Parraz-RF	13	24	AAA	292/370/417	AA 358/451/553 AAA 292/370/417	Has adjusted to AAA and is a darkhourse for 2010 KC RF
12	Dan Gutierrez-RHP	11	22	High-A	6.0/0.0/2.17	6.0/0.0/2.17	He's pitching--it's relief-but at least he's back on the mound.
13	Will Myers-C?	14	19	NA	NA	NA	Signing Aug. 17
14	John Lamb-LHP	18	19	SS	Bur 10.0/4.7/5.58 IDF 8.4/2.8/4.45	Bur 8.0/3.5/4.72 IDF 8.4/2.8/4.45	Good 08 draftee.
15	Chris Dwyer-LHP	28	21	NA	NA	NA	He's signing on Aug 17
16	Kelvin Herrera-RHP	15	19	DL	NA	1.7/0.0/3.50	I wish I had an update on this guy
17	Disco Hayes-RHP	17	26	AAA	5.1/1.7/3.52	AA 4.0/1.4/3.19 AAA 4.2/1.0/3.52	Glad Hayes is still in AAA with our incredible ML bullpen.
18	Carlos Rosa-RHP	16	24	AAA	9.4/2.8/2.31	9.3/4.8/4.25	Glad Rosa is still in AAA with our incredible ML bullpen.
19	Tyler Sample-RHP	21	20	SS	9.4/4.7/2.95	AZ11.25/4.5/3.07 BUR 9.4/4.7/2.95	Putting it together some
20	Greg Holland-RHP	23	23	AAA	3.0/6.0/9.33	AA 9.5/4.8/3.48 AAA 3.0/6.0/9.33	Rough start at AAA
21	Oh Crap	I left	one	space	open and I'm	not going to	reformat the list from 21 on
22	Juan Abreu-RHP	NR	24	AA	High-A 12.6/1.8/1.30 AA 14.9/10.1/3.72	High-A 1.8/6.8/3.73 AA 14.9/10.1/3.72	Live arm, tore up High-A, we'll see how he does in AA-obviously control will be key.
23	Keaton Hayenga-RHP	36	21	SS	5.3/3.8/3.55	5.5/3.0/3.27	Recovered from shoulder injury 2 years ago, now needs to improve K rate.
24	Blaine Hardy-LHP	33	22	Low-A	8.7/1.9/2.24	8.5/1.6/2.62	Keeps on with good numbers.
25	Carlos Fortuna--RHP	23	19	SS	5.1/8.0/8.17	7.24/6.26/5.85	Good arm, bad month
26	Salvador Perez-C	24	19	SS	229/290/349	283/353/400	Welcome to a bunch of catchers who have potential but aren't hitting.
27	Yowil Espinal-SS	25	18	SS	160/269/245	215/321/348	Has cooled off considerably, but talent is still there.
28	Chris Lubanski	31	24	AAA	AZ 500/563/1000	264/358/396	Back to Omaha from injury
29	Sean McCauley-C	26	20	Low-A	196/245/239	226/289/305	I think he's been hurt
30	Paulo Orlando-CF	21	23	High-A	308/372/410	260/306/367	interesting month but we've seen this before
31	Jose Bonilla-C	27	21	Low-A	189/265/270	231/285/338	The Miguel Olivo of Burlington, Iowa.
32	Barry Bowden-RHP	35	24	Low-A	12.7/5.1/2.12	10.6/4.3/3.12	Non-drafted kid keeps dealin'.
33	Jason Taylor-3B	39	21	LowA	267/330/400	261/325/405	Back from suspension and doing OK, but is repeating low-A
34	Derrick Robinson	NR	22	High-A	174/211/239	235/282/304	I thought he was overrated at the start of the season, but I still hold a little bit of hope
35	Malcolm Culver-3B	41	19	SS	231/294/359	240/315/420	Had a down month but I like this kid
36	Hilton Richardson-CF	44	20	SS	304/360/449	323/370/411	inflated average from BABIP, but still very talented.
37	Brandon Sisk-LHP	46	24	High-A	14.4/3.6/2.29	12.1/2.4/2.15	Crazy numbers--watch this guy.
38	Alex Llanos-CF	NR	18	SS	345/409/560	317/370/472	Speedy CF is supposed to have a good bat--he's starting to show it this year.
39	Leondy Perez-RHP	NR	19	SS	8.9/1.5/3.70	8.9/2.3/4.23	Good stats from the young RHP--don't know much about him.
40	Dusty Odenback	NR	21	Low-A	SS 6.4/2.7/2.94 Low-A 8.0/4.0/3.09	SS 6.4/2.7/2.94 Low-A 8.0/4.0/3.09	09 draftee is already at low-A
41	Mike Lehman-RHP	40	20	Low-A	3.4/4.2/5.69	4.5/4.2/4.98	Tough month for the youngster in Low-A
42	Ben Theriot-C	NR	21	SS	346/404/404	333.408/413	09 draftee has gotten on base in limited at bats
43	Deivy Batista-SS	NR	21	SS	296/298/561	309/327/583	Not very young, doesn't get on base--but loads of power.
44	Mario Lisson-SS	43	25	AAA	242/283/354	AA 206/287/279 AAA 246/279/422	Best SS in the Royals organization? That's damning with faint praise.
45	Jerico Blanco--OF	50	17	DSL	262.324/338	250/339/396	Numbers are so-so but lots of talent
46	Brian Paukovits-RHP	45	22	SS	6.8/3.7/5.54	8.5/4.2/4.51	Had a rough August.
47	Nick Van Stratten-OF	42	24	High-A	191/283/362	Low-A 320/395/449 High-A 191/283/362	Finding High-A a challenge.
48	Henry Barrera-RHP	29	23	DL	NA	12.2/14.7/5.71	Injured.
49	Jarrod Dyson-CF	NR	24	AA	250/343/293	Low-A 343/397/403 AA 275/345/305	Typical speedster--no power.
50	Blake Wood-RHP	20	23	DL	NA	5.8/2.9/4.32	Still injured

Player of the Month: Mike Montgomery--left handed with good stuff, gets ground balls. He's got a higher ceiling than Dan Duffy and I really like this kid. He got promoted to High-A and it will be interesting to see how he does. Needs to keep his control in check. He's a very good prospect right now and with a strong finish could be a top pitching prospect heading into 2010.

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Louis Coleman?

I’m a little surprised Coleman didn’t make your top 50 prospect list. He was a 5th rd pick this summer and already seems to be adjusting well to pro ball. Also, I know he has been in Burlington but the Royals website lists him with Wilmington now. Does anyone know if he just got promoted?

by PG_Hawk06 on Aug 7, 2009 11:02 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Coleman

Yeah, he slipped through the cracks. He did just get promoted and is on the fast track-which is good since he was a college senior.

by nwroyal on Aug 7, 2009 11:14 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

maybe he is #21

"Things could always be worse." - Buddy Bell

by buddyball on Aug 7, 2009 12:16 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

But Oh Crap has been playing so well

Jeff Zimmerman - Protecting the world from RBI's and Wins from my mom's guest house.

by Jeff Zimmerman (TucsonRoyal) on Aug 7, 2009 2:08 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

"Oh Crap" Should

Be starting for the big team.

I used to be an A's fan until they left town and got good.

by philofthenorth on Aug 7, 2009 3:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think he already is

by BrRoyal on Aug 7, 2009 3:43 PM EDT up reply actions 1 recs

Also,

Someone may have mentioned it in another thread: The Royals signed 14th round pick Crawford Simmons to a $450,000 contract—he was considered a top 5 round talent but fell due to signability concerns. He signed for 2nd-3rd round money.

by nwroyal on Aug 7, 2009 11:22 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Rec'd as always

Good stuf nw royal

by The #1 Bockel on Aug 7, 2009 11:24 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Great stuff on the Pulse

Perhaps Louis Coleman was that blank spot at 21?

When super delayed gratification meets with underachieving veteran they laugh at the Royals, just a hypothesis though

by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Aug 7, 2009 11:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

some Q's

Jarrod Dyson – despite the lack of power, he’s got a good OBP – is that translatable to the higher levels?

Greg Holland – haven’t heard much about him, does he have the stuff to advance to the ML club eventually, or has he hit his ceiling?

"The life of a (Royals) fan must be lived forward but can only be understood backward" -- Kierkegaard (more or less)

by benfunke on Aug 7, 2009 12:02 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Jarrod Dyson, seems to not play the game the right way, he is outside the process with that OBP

When super delayed gratification meets with underachieving veteran they laugh at the Royals, just a hypothesis though

by MarioVanPeebles Republic of China on Aug 7, 2009 12:35 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dyson

is Joey Gathright v2.0 with a lower OBP in the minors than Gathright posted. I’ve seen him play and he appears to be the quintessential slap hitting speedster that DM loves. Expect him to be our leadoff hitter soon.

by steady d on Aug 7, 2009 5:53 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Watching dyson play

is exactly like Gathright. Takes terrible routes on balls but makes up for it with his speed.

by rockchalks7 on Aug 8, 2009 12:08 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i wouldn't say holland has hit his ceiling

he was promoted to AAA this year after showing great strikeout capabilities at every stop so far. He’s not off to a great start in Omaha, but I don’t think we should draw too much from a couple of relief appearances immediately following a call-up.

by 9il on Aug 7, 2009 1:15 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

that's good to hear his K numbers have been strong

"The life of a (Royals) fan must be lived forward but can only be understood backward" -- Kierkegaard (more or less)

by benfunke on Aug 7, 2009 3:51 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Dyson and Holland

Piccollo earlier this year named Dyson as someone flying under the radar—and he can draw a walk—but he’s got no power and is already 24—so the ceiling isn’t high

Holland has got good stuff—like mid 90s fb—he just has had a rough start in AAA—so pretty much ditto to what 9il said

by nwroyal on Aug 7, 2009 5:28 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I saw him once

Control was not necessarily his friend. His stuff alone was impressive, but it didn’t seem like he always knew where the ball was going. Somewhat Robinson Tejada-esque.

Yeah, it was a stupid screen name.

by CentralChamps2009 on Aug 11, 2009 8:01 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Coleman has got to be in the blank spot.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Aug 7, 2009 2:03 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Good stuff.

What about the kid from Florida? Can’t think of his name… Pitcher…

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Aug 7, 2009 2:04 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

he's s Cy Young candidate

I'm not a sabermetrician, but I do play one at Driveline Mechanics.

Can't get enough of me? Check out my Twitter feed.

by devil_fingers on Aug 7, 2009 4:12 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions 0 recs

from the 09 draft?

Keating—is that the guy?—reliever at IF with big time K numbers in relief. The hardest part of doing this list is sorting through all the relievers at every level. I don’t know much about his stuff—but the numbers are very good and he gets lots of ground balls to boot.

by nwroyal on Aug 7, 2009 5:33 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

yes, he was the one I was thinking about.... I'd say he's top 50.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Aug 8, 2009 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the post

haven’t had a chance to read yet, but I will. Tell me, with our players, where do you think we rank in our minor leagues, from 1-30?

Kansas City Royals - rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic since 1994.

by Home Run Tony Cogan on Aug 7, 2009 2:27 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

31

by AxDxMx on Aug 7, 2009 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

tough to say

Moose and Hoz have had rough years but a lot of guys right below them have had good year—then we add Crow, Myers and Dwyer. BA had us at #12 going into the season—but they had some rough things to say at midseason—I’m still guessing #10-15.

by nwroyal on Aug 7, 2009 5:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Based on the quality of our current ML team, it's

likely to be improved if we promoted the South African 16 yo to the show.

Hopes fade once again from blue to red. Go New Chiefs!!

by kabrink on Aug 7, 2009 2:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

i completely forgot about that guy

oh, prospects. when will they all work out at a rate that makes me feel like giving a damn isn’t a waste of time?

by 9il on Aug 7, 2009 5:18 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

makes me feel like giving a damn isn’t a waste of time

yes, unfortunately, our beloved team is a complete joke and a complete waste of time – again

Hopes fade once again from blue to red. Go New Chiefs!!

by kabrink on Aug 8, 2009 12:54 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

would stick Cole White somewhere in there

like the ranking of montgomery also. terrific prospect. he’ll be in the running for #1.

baseball rules.

by doublestix on Aug 7, 2009 6:29 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yeah, White too

dang, the Royals have a lot of young relievers.

It will be really interesting to see how top 100 prospect lists handle the Royals—how far they drop Moose and Hoz and how far they bump Montgomery

by nwroyal on Aug 7, 2009 6:42 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

i just noticed hosmer's home/away splits in wilmington (though a small sample)

home ops .182
away ops .799

it seems like playing in that park would be a disadvantage for our organization in that it might guide players to learn the game a different way than it will be anywhere else.

by 9il on Aug 7, 2009 7:15 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

also

not sure if this has been mentioned at all…

take a look at Bianchi and Lough’s numbers. better at AA.

baseball rules.

by doublestix on Aug 7, 2009 9:07 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sorry but I can't support this list without

Rowdy Hardy!

He’s owning AA. Those major leaguers will never figure out how to hit an 80 mph fastball. He HAS to be a top 50 prospect!

Rowdy NAO!

by jsolo on Aug 7, 2009 7:45 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Sugar Ray Marimon is

plotting to take Rowdy’s “Best Name” title

Sugar Ray Marimon is the kid’s real name too

Graduate with a B.S. from the Dayton Moore School of Stats Analysis

by BHWick on Aug 9, 2009 9:11 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Someone talk to me about...

David Lough. My coworker used to play ball with him in HS and says he has a plus arm, hits with gap power, and has some speed. What do you guys know?

How come it's a penny for your thoughts but you have to put your two cents in? Someone is making a penny.

by Grantastica on Aug 8, 2009 12:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

lough is awesome

he has every tool. needs to hit LHP better, other than that he is good to go. saying he has gap power sells him short. he has legit 15-20 HR potential. Granderson with less walks maybe, but better BA. love love love. easily one of my top 6 or 7 ’spects.

baseball rules.

by doublestix on Aug 8, 2009 5:50 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

I like him a lot

He doesn’t look like a ball player when he’s just walking around but he’s a great player. Very athletic. I saw him make an amazing catch in Springfield… robbed a HR. Good swing. Hits liners. Fast.

Coffee. The NEW Performance Enhancing drug for Sport's Writers. Just ask Ken Rosenthal.

by 306008 on Aug 8, 2009 2:36 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

No love for Paulo Orlando?

Since the all-star break he has an OPS over .800 in Wilmington. Why drop him 9 slots?

Go Royals!

by BabyBlues on Aug 8, 2009 11:51 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

typo

He was actually ranked #32 (not #21) in July—so he moved up two slots.

by nwroyal on Aug 8, 2009 11:59 AM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

ah, ok, that makes more sense.

Go Royals!

by BabyBlues on Aug 8, 2009 1:43 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Great stuff

Thanks for all your efforts with this.

by cookierojas73 on Aug 8, 2009 12:24 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the analysis

Wilmington has now won 12 in a row. It would be great if both Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas won their leagues. Looking forward to a bright future.

by Valcour on Aug 8, 2009 6:32 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Nice run down

www.rockchalktalk.com for pretty good KU baseball coverage

by James Quinn on Aug 9, 2009 9:58 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs

Wilmington Blue Rocks

Season Ticket holder in Wilmington here…

First of all, YES!!! Louis Coleman ABSOLUTELY should be on this list. He has done nothing but get batters out LIKE CRAZY since coming to Wilmington. It will be interesting to see if they use him as a starter (as he was in college), or as a reliever (as he has been since joining the Royals organization.

Honestly, Clint Robinson should be on this list too. I was amazed to see Clint’s “Brother From Another Mother” Derrick Robinson on this list… But no Clint? No offense to D-Rob. He plays a GREAT centerfield, and runs like his behind is on fire… But, he’s gotta get on base before that speed is put to any use (same goes for Paulo Orlando).

I noticed somebody mentioned Hosmer’s home/away splits. I can’t for the life of me figure out why his splits are like that. The stadium isn’t that large… Even for Advanced-A (400 to straight away center). Besides, that should only cause a dip in his power numbers (which it hasn’t for Moustakas)… It shouldn’t make a difference in their averages at all.

On a completely different note… Danny Duffy really is a heck of a nice guy. Seriously, probably the nicest ballplayer I’ve ever met. He’s been on fire since coming back from his back problems too.

GO ROCKS!!! Mills Cup in ’09!!!

by Jason K on Aug 24, 2009 2:41 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs