In March the Royals acquired John Whittleman from Texas in exchange for... considerations. That again. Whittleman was once a highly-considered prospect, but he's fallen on hard times in recent years.
Whittleman was taken in the 2nd round of the 2005 Draft by Texas. Whittleman hit well as an 18 year old in 2005 and in his second season at A ball Clinton, he turned in the best season of his career in 2007. That was more or less the peak for Whittleman.
Whittleman is playing regularly for Wilmington this season. He's not hitting great, but he's shown some random power early, which might be a positive development. Time will tell.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | Aff | G | PA | 2B | 3B | HR | SB | CS | BB | SO | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 18 | Rangers | Rk | TEX | 51 | 229 | 12 | 8 | 0 | 11 | 4 | 35 | 42 | .279 | .393 | .426 |
| 2006 | 19 | Clinton | A | TEX | 130 | 530 | 21 | 3 | 9 | 7 | 6 | 60 | 97 | .227 | .313 | .343 |
| 2007 | 20 | 2 Teams | A-A+ | TEX | 124 | 535 | 34 | 1 | 17 | 5 | 6 | 86 | 124 | .264 | .379 | .461 |
| 2007 | 20 | Clinton | A | TEX | 95 | 406 | 25 | 1 | 14 | 5 | 3 | 63 | 91 | .271 | .382 | .476 |
| 2007 | 20 | Bakersfield | A+ | TEX | 29 | 129 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 23 | 33 | .240 | .372 | .413 |
| 2008 | 21 | 2 Teams | A+-AA | TEX | 127 | 564 | 38 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 89 | 122 | .257 | .373 | .394 |
| 2008 | 21 | Bakersfield | A+ | TEX | 118 | 525 | 36 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 81 | 113 | .257 | .370 | .392 |
| 2008 | 21 | Frisco | AA | TEX | 9 | 39 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 9 | .258 | .410 | .419 |
| 2009 | 22 | Frisco | AA | TEX | 127 | 527 | 28 | 1 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 80 | 110 | .224 | .345 | .361 |
| 2010 | 23 | 2 Teams | AA-A+ | TEX | 107 | 441 | 20 | 1 | 12 | 1 | 3 | 67 | 104 | .215 | .333 | .371 |
| 2010 | 23 | Bakersfield | A+ | TEX | 33 | 140 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 32 | .248 | .379 | .487 |
| 2010 | 23 | Frisco | AA | TEX | 74 | 301 | 14 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 42 | 72 | .201 | .312 | .320 |
| 2011 | 24 | Wilmington | A+ | KCR | 17 | 70 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 16 | .258 | .329 | .500 |
| 7 Seasons | 683 | 2896 | 157 | 16 | 59 | 29 | 23 | 424 | 615 | .242 | .353 | .392 | ||||
The exciting thing here, if you can find one, is that Whittleman can take a walk. However, his extremely spotty batting average profile, coupled with low power numbers, produce a weak offensive profile. I've read online that Whittleman is decent afield, but with these numbers, it hardly matters.
With all due respect, it's hard to divine why the Royals wanted Whittleman at all. As a former 2nd round pick, he's clearly got, or had, some scouting attractive traits, but nothing so far has translated.
Like many non-hyped prospects, Whittleman is fighting to save his career in 2011. He's 24 and he needs to hit.