Non-Hyped Royals Prospects: CF Alex Llanos

by Freneau on Feb 7, 2011 10:39 PM EST in Kansas City Royals Minor Leagues

Yes, the Royals have a stocked minor league system. But not everyone can be Eric Hosmer. Our latest foray into the obscure world of non-hyped Royals prospects highlights Alex Llanos. For a buzz-less guy, Llanos was a reasonably high draft pick, as he was taken in the 6th round of the 2008 draft. Despite that decent first line to his resume, Llanos has never really put up any numbers that generated subsequent interest. In three Minor League seasons, he has posted a composite .239/.288/.326 line. On draft day 2008 I decided to make Alex Llanos my favorite Royal prospect, for absolutely no reason. Since I made that decision however, I've had a hard time remembering Llanos was still alive.

Llanos's internet life-story is considerably confused by the fact that another minor league baseballer named Alex Llanos, existed. That Llanos was playing in the Independent Leagues in the late 2000s, and is currently a coach. For that reason, the best season of Llanos's career on his Baseball Cube page wasn't even his own season.

Now our Alex Llanos began his baseball life at the Puerto Rico Baseball Academy. Weirdly, he actually went there because it was close to his house and his parents like their math program. As it turns out however, the P.R. Baseball Academy has a really serious baseball program. It's almost, and I hope I'm not being unfair here... it's almost as if that's really all they do. Llanos struggled in 2008, but in his second go-round in Arizona, he improved to .311/.366/.467 line. In Arizona, but solid. Then Llanos fell on his face as a Chukar in 2009. Buzz-killed.

Llanos did better in 2010, hitting a still pedestrian .259/.308/.362. Like seemingly every other CF acquired during the Dayton Moore Era, Llanos is fast and... purported to be in the possession of a tool or too. The good news is that Llanos remains young (oh, if we could all say that!). 2011 will be Llanos's age-20 season, so there's still years left remaining on his baseball adolescence. In September of 2010, Clark Fosler called him a possible hidden gem. I could write that 2011 is a big year for Llanos, but I don't even know if that's the case. He might not even be a productive player at the AA level for another two years. Well, again, we're all bored as hell and not going anywhere anyway. What say we keep him on our radars?

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I suspect in 4-5 years we will look at Llanos

The same way we look at D-rob now.
I just don’t think hes got enough to make it as anything but a #4 outfielder/AAA guys.
But there is always time….

"We don’t have guys with a long history of being effective in the seventh and eighth innings."
~Trey Hillman, master of understatements.

by RoyalPug on Feb 7, 2011 11:06 PM EST reply actions

I dont understand

the waste of time on these non-hyped prospects, is it that slow of an offseason? this guy will never get above AAA……whats the point

i would like to have a photographic memory, but it never developed

by beltran42 on Feb 8, 2011 2:19 AM EST reply actions

Yes, and even if it had a point it, is self defeating.

Now that they have had a front page story on Royals Review, they are hyped now.

Go Royals!

by BabyBlues on Feb 8, 2011 2:32 AM EST up reply actions

My head is spinning

Relive Royals History at royalsretro.blogspot.com

by RoyalsRetro on Feb 8, 2011 8:56 AM EST up reply actions

you got Heisenberg'ed

The whole problem with the world is that fools & fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. ~ Bertrand Russell

by SagehenMacGyver47 on Feb 8, 2011 1:16 PM EST up reply actions

Or is it that Wil is useing his powers to make

them hyped prospects now?

Go Royals!

by BabyBlues on Feb 8, 2011 2:35 AM EST up reply actions

What else is there to do?

The top prospects have been covered to death, the MLB team is going to suck, and we’ve argued about DM and Glass all offseason. Is there something else worth our time and attention?

by AxDxMx on Feb 8, 2011 8:32 AM EST up reply actions

are you writing in to cancel your subscription?

Making watching baseball as fun as doing your taxes.
My Twitter feed.

by Matt Klaassen on Feb 8, 2011 8:39 AM EST up reply actions 5 recs

U Fuckin' A

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

by philofthenorth on Feb 9, 2011 1:24 AM EST up reply actions

How can this be any more of a wast of time than stuff like the DMIT?

Which by the way I found extremely entertaining,

The prophecy has been fulfilled.

by mitchfreakingmaier! on Feb 8, 2011 9:38 AM EST up reply actions

You're joking, right?

What is the point of the Royals Radio Affiliate series? It is to shine some light on something Royals related that people don’t talk about much. It is a special interest story. It isn’t a “this prospect is important and will be in KC soon” story. Now, you may not find it interesting. That’s cool. But can we cool it with the “what’s the point” posts? Some find it interesting. That’s the point. End of story.

You may know me as NYRoyal.

by Scott McKinney on Feb 8, 2011 10:47 AM EST up reply actions

P.S.

Feel free, beltran42, to write your own post about whatever you feel is less of a waste of time.

The whole problem with the world is that fools & fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts. ~ Bertrand Russell

by SagehenMacGyver47 on Feb 8, 2011 1:19 PM EST up reply actions

I really enjoy

reading about this non-hyped prospects

by Kalle Anka on Feb 8, 2011 6:55 AM EST reply actions

me too

Fire Everyone

by billybeingbilly on Feb 8, 2011 9:57 AM EST up reply actions

Actually, it wasn't Craig

it was me (Clark), the one without hair. I keep hoping that there are more similarities between Llanos and Carlos Beltran other than being drafted by the Royals and being from Puerto Rico, but that seems less likely the deeper he gets into his career. I actually think 2011 is a very big year for Llanos as, after 2011, he will stop being ‘young’ and start being the dreaded ‘old for his level’.

by racf on Feb 8, 2011 9:56 AM EST reply actions

good point

I actually think 2011 is a very big year for Llanos as, after 2011, he will stop being ‘young’ and start being the dreaded ‘old for his level’.

sorry about messing up the name.. will fix

by Freneau on Feb 8, 2011 10:06 AM EST up reply actions

Does anyone else get the spammy picture of the woman when you google Alex Llanos?

by Freneau on Feb 8, 2011 12:14 PM EST reply actions

The "peluqueria y estetica" picture?

BTW, that means “hairdresser and beauty”. I’m glad Alex has another career to fall back on if baseball doesn’t work out for him.

Or did you mean this picture?

You may know me as NYRoyal.

by Scott McKinney on Feb 8, 2011 12:21 PM EST up reply actions

Somebody with more time on their hands

should check out if there are PR Baseball Academy “successes” out there. In 2007, the Royals also used their 6th round pick on an Academy product, Fernando Cruz, and infielder who I believe they converted to catcher in 2009 and then turned back into and infielder in 2010. He was young for the draft in 2007, but will now be an underwhelming 21 year old in low-A ball if he makes it back this year after posting a .536 OPS in 109 games in Burlington IA last year.

It's all ball bearings these days!

by CentralChamps20?? on Feb 8, 2011 1:09 PM EST reply actions