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Another two months have passed, so it is time for another Progress Report. Like last time, I used NWRoyal's top 65 prospect list heading into the season, and assign them grades. These grades are cumulative, with some changing dramatically since the beginning of the season
Wil Myers Injuries, too many strikeouts, and a .697 OPS has led to a disappointing season so far
Player
Position/Level
Grade
Comments
OF/AA
D+
Eric Hosmer
1B/ML
A
Has been a solid contributor for the Royals as a rookie.
Mike Moustakas
3B/ML
C+
Moose has really struggled since being promoted, but should have plenty of time to figure things out
Mike Montgomery
LHP/AAA
C-
Battled consistency and control problems. Monty is pitching in a hitters environment, 5.19 ERA is average.
John Lamb
LHP/AA (DL)
-
Surgery should not be crippling to career, but completely wastes a year
Christopher Dwyer
LHP/AA
D-
A not terrible FIP is the only thing keeping Dwyer from receiving an F.
Danny Duffy
LHP/ML
B+
Has the pitching arsenal to succeed, but has battled some unexpected control problems in the majors.
| Jake Odorizzi | RHP/AA | A | Completely dominated High-A, and has shown good control in AA. May battle home run issues. |
| Christian Colon | SS/AA | C- | Slowly starting to hit better, but overall numbers not impressive. |
| Aaron Crow | RHP/ML | A | Crow has been very effective out of the bullpen this season for the Royals |
| Lorenzo Cain | OF/AAA | A- | Has hit very well for the Storm Chasers, probably ready to be called up. |
| Cheslor Cuthbert | 3B/Low-A | A | Numbers are very impressive in Low-A, and Cheslor is only 18. |
| Brett Eibner | OF/Low-A | C- | Power and patience numbers are there, batting average should come around. |
| Johnny Giavotella | 2B/AAA | B+ | Numbers are solid, but not amazing in hitters league. |
| David Lough | OF/AAA | B- | Slightly better than average hitter in AAA. Will probably need injuries/trade to see playing time in the majors. |
| Tim Collins | LHP/ML | C | Walks are starting to turn into a real problem, peripherals predict doom on the horizon |
| Jeremy Jeffress | RHP/AA | D | Royals are still trying to convert him into a starter, with no success. Jeffress will probably struggle until he is moved back into the bullpen. |
| Tim Melville | RHP/High-A | B- | Strikeouts are still a little low, but has been effective this season. |
| Robinson Yambati | RHP/Rookie | F | 18.85 ERA, 9.15 FIP. Gross |
| Yordano Ventura | RHP/Low-A | B | Strikeouts and walks look good, but is allowing too many homeruns. |
| Salvador Perez | C/AAA | B- | Was an average hitter in AA, but apparently played fantastic defense (he did throw out a ton of runners). Has been promoted to Omaha. |
| Derrick Robinson | OF/AA | C- | Starting to hit better, but hitting numbers still are below-average. Does have 41 steals. |
| Louis Coleman | RHP/ML | A | Has been impressive out of the Royals pen. SSS, but Coleman looks good against lefties in spite of his motion. |
| Jason Adam | RHP/Low-A | C+ | Control and strikeouts looks fine, but has really struggled with home runs. |
| Will Smith | LHP/AA | C+ | Has had bad luck stranding runners and with BABIP, but needs to strikeout more batters to take the next step as a prospect. |
| Paulo Orlando | OF/AA | D | Completely flopped in AAA, but has hit well since his return to AA. |
| Kevin Chapman | LHP/AA | A- | ERA has not been great this season, but FIP shows that he has been strong out of the bullpen. Striking out 32% of batters in AA. |
| Everett Teaford | LHP/AAA | B+ |
Teaford has pitched well in AA, but just ok in the majors in a small sample. It looks like the lefty is a full-time reliever now. |
| Tyler Sample | RHP/High-A | C- | Sample pitched above his head to start the season, but has now regressed too far the other direction. He needs to strikeout more than 14.5% of batters |
| Buddy Baumann | LHP/AA | C | Has not pitched since June 26 because of a shoulder injury, but solid strikeout numbers still make him an intriguing prospect. |
| Noel Arguelles | LHP/High-A | B+ | Shoulder issues may be the cause of Arguelles's lower than expected strikeout numbers, but has compensated with excellent control. |
| Jeff Bianchi | INF/AA | C- | Bianchi has been a below-average hitter in AA, and a .344 BABIP indicates he has not been the victim of bad luck. |
| Crawford Simmons | LHP/Rookie | - | Has missed the majority of the season due to injuries. Should return soon |
| Clint Robinson | 1B/AAA | B | Numbers have cooled considerably, along with the buzz surrounding him. |
| Jarrod Dyson | OF/AAA | C | Dyson is an average hitter in AAA; will probably be nothing more than a novelty in the majors. |
| Patrick Keating | RHP/AA | C | Strong strikeout numbers, horrible home runs numbers and bad luck have led to a strange season of out the bullpen. |
| Greg Holland | RHP/ML | A | Holland has been the Royals most dominant pitcher out of the bullpen so far this season. |
| Manuel Pina | C/ML | C- | Did not hit well in AAA, but will get a chance to play catcher for the Royals because of the injury to Matt Treanor. |
| Lucas May | C/AAA | F | Was horrendous for the Royals, is now hitting well for the Diamondbacks AAA team. |
| Blaine Hardy | LHP/AA | D+ | Battled control issues in AAA, but has pitched much better since returning to AA. |
| Michael Antonio | SS/Rookie | B- | Antonio has played fine so far, but numbers are not dominant. Showing improved plate discipline. |
| Kelvin Herrera | RHP/AAA | A | Started the season in High-A, now is in AAA. The hard-throwing righty has been electric for all three teams. |
| Humberto Arteaga | SS/Rookie | F | wRC+ of 44, with a BABIP of .296. Ugly start will only be improved by cutting strikeouts and increasing walks. |
| Justin Marks | LHP/High-A | B- | Intriguing strikeouts numbers, but has battled home runs and bad luck. Has pitched better than 4.73 ERA indicates |
| Elisaul Pimental | RHP/High-A | B | Pimental has pitched well in the summer heat, lowing his ERA two runs since June 1st. Has flashed improved control this season. |
| Jorge Bonifacio | OF/Rookie | B- | Has hit well, but will need to cut strikeouts (24.1%) and increase walks (4.1%) to maintain consistencty |
| Lance Zawadzki | SS/AAA | D- | Posting decent power for a shortstop, but the rest of his hitting numbers are weak, especially in a hitters league. |
| Rey Navarro | INF/AA | B+ | Overall numbers in High-A cooled after a scorching start, but were still strong enough to earn a promotion. Has been below average in AA, but not terrible. |
| Nathan Adcock | RHP/ML | C- | Not as bad as 5.36 ERA indicates, but has essentially been a replacement level pitcher. |
| Edgar Osuna | LHP/AA | D- | Osuna has had a disastrous season pitching (although he has been a victim of bad luck). Is currently on DL for shoulder injuries |
| Jose Bonilla | C/High-A | D | Has really struggled hitting over the summer; partly because of bad luck, and partly because he is not that good |
| Henry Barrera | RHP/AA | D | Missed most of the season because of an injury, and has shown electric but wild stuff in eight appearances. |
| Greg Billo | RHP/Low-A | A | Billo has quietly dominated Low-A this season, and has the peripherals to back it up. Potential diamond in the rough. |
| Kevin Pucetas | RHP/AAA | C- | Has numbers similar to Montgomery without the potential. But, he is not Jose Guillen |
| Yowil Espinal | 2B/Low-A | F |
Espinal has been horrible all season, posting a .257 wOBA in 262 PA. |
| Orlando Caxito | SS/Low-A | F | Caxito has also been horrible for the Cougars this season, posting a .243 wOBA in 182 PA. |
| Keaton Hayenga | RHPLow-A | - | Hayenga has missed most of the season with an injury. |
| Jin-Ho Shin | C/Rookie | C- | Has improved as a hitter from last season, but is still below average. Shin needs to cut down on strikeouts |
| Willian Avinazar | RHP/Rookie | - | Avinazar has only pitched 13 innings this season, with mixed results. |
| Mike Mariot | RHP/High-A | A- | Mariot has pitched well as a starter or reliever this season; improving his strikeout numbers would greatly boost his value out of the pen. |
| Brandon Sisk | LHP/AAA | B+ | Sisk has been effective out of the bullpen for the Naturals and Storm Chasers, but walking 12% of batters faced is too high. |
| Justin Trapp | SS/Rookie | A | The suspension has not slowed Trapp down; the shortstop has a 140 wRC+ mostly thanks to a surge in power. |
| Leonel Santiago | RHP/Low-A | A | Santiago continues to impress, owning a 2.86 FIP. |
| Murray Watts | 1B/Low-A | C | A .353 OBP is the only thing saving his offensive season; his strikeouts are way up while his power is way done. |
| Brian Fletcher | OF/Low-A | A | Fletcher has hit well, but looks like a candidate for regression. A low walk rate plus a .393 BABIP makes him unlikely to continue posting a .428 wOBA |
| Pat White | OF | Retired |
Out of the sixty players that I assigned grades to, I calculated the GPA of our farm system to be 2.38, or about a C+ average. I think that is an accurate representation of how our farm system has performed this year; it has not been a disaster, but it has not been as awesome as it was last season. My grading system is not perfect; I assume every prospect is equal in value, which is clearly a false assumption. For the final season grades, I would like to find a way to weight the system, but I am not sure how I would do that. Please sound off in the comments about any grades you agree with, disagree with, or something that surprised you. Lastly, I will not be able to post a Following The Royals Top Prospects post this week; I will be in Chicago hanging out with some friends and getting ready for a metal show (I don't own a laptop). So check out Dubya's Top Farm Perfomers or Pine Tar Press for your prospect fix if things get really depressing on the major league front.