Before we fully owned, or knew we owned completely nice things, like Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas as fully formed really exciting prospects, Royals fans looked to the edges and the margins for sources of hope. One of those minor stars was David Lough, a college outfielder taken in the 11th round of the 2007 draft. Lough hit well in a short stint that season, then was non-descript in his first full season as a professional. In 2009 however, when much was going wrong in the minors, he stood out, showing a broad base of offensive skills. And remember, the Royals never had good outfielders.
| Year | Age | Tm | Lev | PA | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | TB | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 23 | Wilmington | A+ | 250 | 28 | 71 | 15 | 2 | 5 | 30 | .320 | .370 | .473 | .843 | 105 |
| 2009 | 23 | Northwest Arkansas | AA | 253 | 41 | 78 | 13 | 2 | 9 | 31 | .331 | .371 | .517 | .887 | 122 |
| 2010 | 24 | Omaha | AAA | 531 | 65 | 129 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 58 | .280 | .346 | .437 | .783 | 201 |
| 2011 | 25 | Omaha | AAA | 516 | 87 | 145 | 26 | 11 | 9 | 65 | .318 | .367 | .482 | .850 | 220 |
In 2010, everything went the other way, the system went up and Lough had a middling 2010. Not awful, but a .783 OPS in AAA for a 24 year old... lough he was forgotten.
He rebounded in 2011, when we had moved on to bigger and better things, including new/latest outfielder Lorenzo Cain. Lough's David DeJesus-esque game returned: a useful average augmented by walks and doubles power.
The question is was that 2011 good enough to get even a little excited again?
Overall, the package is similar to what Mitch Maier produced at Omaha in 2008. Is that Lough's career path? Is that too optimistic? We joke about Mitch and how he never plays, but the man's accumulated over three years of Major League service time, and is set to earn $865,000 next season. Nice work if you can get it.
So talk to me Lough-hawks, should ye still exist.