Here are prospects #12-7. This is where things get really fun as we get to players who you can dream on some. The next installment will, of course, cover #6-1. Unfortunately, it won't happen next week because I will be out of the country all week. So look for it in 2 weeks. You can probably figure out who the top 6 are, but the question will be what order they are in. Here are my humble thoughts and I invite your questions and comments.
#12--Jordan Parraz--RF--Age:24
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | PA | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 21 | Tri-City | NYPL | A_ss | HOU | 298 | 18 | 2 | 6 | 38 | 23 | 3 | 33 | 44 | .336 | .421 | .494 | .915 |
| 2007 | 22 | Lexington | SALL | A | HOU | 530 | 28 | 3 | 14 | 76 | 33 | 10 | 47 | 89 | .281 | .364 | .446 | .810 |
| 2008 | 23 | Salem | CARL | A_adv | HOU | 504 | 31 | 3 | 6 | 42 | 21 | 10 | 64 | 79 | .289 | .399 | .419 | .818 |
| 2009 | 24 | Northwest Arkansas | TL | AA | KCR | 269 | 17 | 3 | 7 | 42 | 4 | 8 | 29 | 25 | .358 | .451 | .553 | 1.005 |
| 2009 | 24 | Omaha | PCL | AAA | KCR | 53 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 14 | .298 | .358 | .426 | .784 |
| 6 Seasons | 2187 | 120 | 18 | 43 | 264 | 106 | 41 | 213 | 344 | .294 | .381 | .445 | .826 | |||||
How we got Parraz for Tyler Lumsden is something I'll never be able to figure out. Apparently the Astros messed us swing (it must have been really messed up for the Royals to fix it). Parraz was a third round pick out of college in Nevada in 2004. As you can see, he's posted pretty good OBP as he's climbed the ladder. Last year, he was out of his mind in AA and then went to AAA where he got a handful of at bats before getting injured. He plays OK defense in the outfield and has good athleticism. It's a shame he got hurt because with a good showing at AAA he could have thrown his name in the ring for 2010 with the big club. Instead, we will have to wait until 2010 to see how he does at AAA. He could be a mid season call-up.
#11--Chris Dwyer--LHP--Age:21
Dwyer was the Royals 4th Round pick out of Clemson. He was a draft eligible freshman because he was held back twice--making him 21 during his first year of college. His status gave him more leverage than most college players as he had the option of going back to school for 1, 2 or even 3 more years. He was considered a sandwich/2nd Round talent but slipped because of his bonus demands. The Royals eventually signed him for about $1.5 million. Dwyer has a fastball in the low 90s that can get up to 94, a excellent curve that is his best pitch and a good changup. He got 8 innings at Idaho Falls where he gave up 12 hits, 8 walks, and 15 k's. He has very good stuff but hasn't harnessed it yet. He will turn 22 as the season starts which is good (low mileage arm, less time in the injury nexus) and bad (not much room for projection). I wasn't really nuts about giving him that much money (I would rather have had HS C Max Stassi who Oakland took with the pick after ours) but he is a high ceililng arm who could go to Burlington next year.
#10--John Lamb--LHP--Age:19
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | ERA | G | IP | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | SO/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 18 | 2 Teams | 2 Lgs | Rook | KCR | 3.80 | 14 | 68.2 | 1.121 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 9.3 | 3.55 |
| 2009 | 18 | Burlington | APPY | Rook | KCR | 3.95 | 6 | 27.1 | 1.207 | 7.9 | 1.3 | 3.0 | 8.2 | 2.78 |
| 2009 | 18 | Idaho Falls | PION | Rook | KCR | 3.70 | 8 | 41.1 | 1.065 | 7.2 | 0.9 | 2.4 | 10.0 | 4.18 |
| 1 Season | 3.80 | 14 | 68.2 | 1.121 | 7.5 | 1.0 | 2.6 | 9.3 | 3.55 | |||||
John Lamb was projected to be a high draft pick coming out of high school in California. But he had a car accident that didn't allow him to pitch his Senior season. The Royals took him in the 5th Round--knowing he wouldn't make his pro debut for a year (a little bit similar to Keaton Hayenga) and signed him for a very reasonable $160,000. He has a good fastball and decent curve but still needs to work on his change. He commands his pitches well. He pitched better as the season went on last year--starting in short-season Burlington and moving up to Idaho Falls. He was young for a 2008 HS draftee and he could still grow and add velocity. He should start 2010 in Low-A Burlington.
#9--David Lough--OF--Age:23
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | PA | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 21 | Burlington | APPY | Rook | KCR | 92 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 12 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 13 | .337 | .380 | .477 | .857 |
| 2008 | 22 | Burlington | MIDW | A | KCR | 543 | 21 | 11 | 16 | 62 | 12 | 11 | 35 | 70 | .268 | .329 | .455 | .784 |
| 2009 | 23 | Wilmington | CARL | A_adv | KCR | 250 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 30 | 6 | 4 | 12 | 34 | .320 | .370 | .473 | .843 |
| 2009 | 23 | Northwest Arkansas | TL | AA | KCR | 253 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 31 | 13 | 4 | 12 | 30 | .331 | .371 | .517 | .887 |
| 3 Seasons | 1138 | 55 | 15 | 32 | 135 | 37 | 20 | 63 | 147 | .299 | .351 | .475 | .826 | |||||
David Lough was our 11th Round pick in the 2007 draft from Mercyhurst College. He was known as a good athlete but not much was expected from him. His first full season was 2008 when he put up some intriguing numbers at Burlington, Iowa. In 2009, he took off and established himself as a legitimate outfield prospect. He broke out at Wilmington and then was even better at Northwest Arkansas. The knock on Lough is that he may not cut it in CF so the bat needs to be very good to play in a corner outfield. Lough has trouble with lefties (much more so at AA than A). He doesn't walk a ton but he did increase his walk percentage once he got use to AA. He's got good speed. I'm guessing he'll got to Omaha for 2010. He's been a surprise so its hard to know what to expect but he reminds me a little bit of Seth Smith.
#8--Jeff Bianchi--SS--Age:23
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | PA | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | SB | CS | BB | SO | BA | OBP | SLG | OPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 18 | Royals | ARIZ | Rook | KCR | 122 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 30 | 5 | 2 | 16 | 22 | .408 | .484 | .745 | 1.229 |
| 2006 | 19 | Royals | ARIZ | Rook | KCR | 54 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 9 | 3 | .429 | .537 | .667 | 1.204 |
| 2007 | 20 | Burlington | MIDW | A | KCR | 403 | 19 | 0 | 2 | 36 | 15 | 4 | 25 | 72 | .247 | .296 | .315 | .611 |
| 2008 | 21 | Wilmington | CARL | A_adv | KCR | 431 | 34 | 5 | 10 | 61 | 13 | 4 | 20 | 95 | .255 | .290 | .442 | .732 |
| 2009 | 22 | Wilmington | CARL | A_adv | KCR | 245 | 12 | 2 | 4 | 28 | 12 | 2 | 20 | 47 | .300 | .360 | .427 | .787 |
| 2009 | 22 | Northwest Arkansas | TL | AA | KCR | 297 | 17 | 1 | 5 | 42 | 10 | 4 | 19 | 58 | .315 | .356 | .441 | .797 |
| 5 Seasons | 1552 | 93 | 12 | 29 | 203 | 56 | 17 | 109 | 297 | .288 | .339 | .434 | .773 | |||||
Our 2005 2nd Round draft pick, Bianchi has resurrected his prospect standing after a strong 2009 season. After a huge 2005 debut, he struggled with injuries for the next couple of years. Bianchi got off to a good start with Wilmington and then was promoted where he was absolutely on fire for his first few weeks at AA. He seems to be a streaky hitter. I've heard that his defense is fringy and there is precious little when it comes to minor league fielding data. Over at minorleaguesplits.com they have something called Total Zone (which is supposed to be a poor man's version of UZR)--he rates very favorably at SS. The Royals have had him spend some time at 2B but I think he needs to be given every opportunity to stay at SS. Bianchi is a very good prospect and really marks the point in the list when we get to really good prospects. Reid Brignac has been hyped as a top 100 Prospect and I think Bianchi is as good but doesn't get as much respect. He plays a premium position and has an average/good bat--that is valuable and makes Bianchi worthy of being a top 100 prospect in baseball, in my opinion. Bianchi will got to AAA but, of course, the Royals have a wealth of SS talent at the big league level. He isn't the best prospect in the Royals system but he might be the most important when it comes to helping the Royals in 2011/2012.
#7--Tim Melville--RHP--Age:20
| Year | Age | Tm | Lg | Lev | Aff | ERA | G | IP | WHIP | H/9 | HR/9 | BB/9 | SO/9 | SO/BB |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 19 | Burlington | MIDW | A | KCR | 3.79 | 21 | 97.1 | 1.356 | 8.2 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 8.9 | 2.23 |
| 1 Season | 3.79 | 21 | 97.1 | 1.356 | 8.2 | 0.9 | 4.0 | 8.9 | 2.23 | |||||
Melville was, at the beginning of 2008, considered the top HS prospect for that year's draft. He got out of the gate slowly during his senior season--due to several things including getting hit in the eye by a hockey puck. His stock dropped somewhat but was still considered a first round talent. He had a scholarship to North Carolina--contributing towards making him a tough sign which caused him to drop in the draft. The Royals took him in the 4th Round and eventually signed him for $1.25 million. Melville has a good fastball and curve and an inconsistent changeup. He had a good but not great 2009 at Burlington. He pitched better as the season went on and upped his K rate. He needs to reduce the walks and he'll be in good shape. He's got as much potential as any pitcher in the system, he just needs to harness his talent. He should go to Wilmington in 2010.