Comparing the Star's Top 25 Prospect List to Ours

Bob Dutton has another good article this Sunday about the state of the Royals farm system. After talking with club officials and rival scouts he offers a few gems, such as the fact that John Lamb hasn't touched a baseball in fifteen months. Another nugget - other teams saw lefty Sam Selman as a reliever, but the Royals are committed to making him a starter. Also, Noel Arguelles apparently still exists.

What is interesting is the Top 25 list Dutton compiles in consultation with club officials and rival scouts. Let's compare the list with the rankings of Royals Review, compiled by Jeff Zimmerman in consultation with basement-dwelling pop-tart eaters. I should note that while Dutton compiled a Top 25 list, Jeff asked readers to list their top ten prospects.

The first surprising discrepancy is the listing by Dutton of John Lamb as the third best prospect in the system, and the best pitcher overall. Royals Reviewers listed Lamb sixth, and the third best pitcher behind Kyle Zimmer and Yordano Ventura. Apparently club officials are much more optimistic about Lamb's return from Tommy John surgery than we are.

Club officials also like pitcher Jason Adam slightly better than Royals Reviewers, Dutton lists him ninth while Royals Reviewers list him as the twelfth best prospect. Dutton quotes J.J. Piccolo as liking Adam's battle over adversity and finishing the season strong.

Royals Reviewers have jumped on the Kyle Smith and Sam Selman bandwagon much sooner than Dutton, listing the pair of pitchers seventh and ninth respectively. Dutton ranks the pitchers fourteenth and fifteenth respectively, noting that Smith's repertoire "doesn't dazzle."

Not surprisingly, pitcher Mike Montgomery ranks low on both lists. Royals Review has him fifteenth, Dutton has him sixteenth. Piccolo says Montgomery's performance is "hard to explain", but that he lefty has "lost a little bit of that swagger."

Dutton likes outfielder Elier Hernandez much more than Royals Reviewers, listing him eleventh, while RR lists him eighteenth. Dutton notes "only Starling has higher potential", despite a lackluster first professional season from Hernandez.

Chris Dwyer, a top prospect a year ago, ranks twenty-second on the Royals Review list, and fails to even make Dutton's list.

Pitchers Miguel Almonte and Michael Mariot were the only other prospects Royals Review listed that failed to make Dutton's list.

Dutton also lists infielder Jack Lopez, third baseman Patrick Leonard, outfielder Terrence Gore, and pitcher Colin Rodgers and Noel Arguelles in his top 25 list.