Down on the Farm

Every Friday, Beer League brings you some sort of farm update. This week, we're going to review the MLB Rule 4 draft (amateur players), 25 statistical player updates, and a brand new top 20 prospect list.

Coming into the 2010 season, many scouting corporations such as Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus ranked the Royals farm system somewhere in the middle of the pack. After picking in the top of the first round for nearly a decade, this was terrible news to Royals fans. If true, this news meant that despite the Royals' chances at top talent in the draft, they had failed to successfully scout and sign the real top players.

Even more disappointing was that (again, if true) Dayton Moore came to our franchise with the track record of being a scouting and farm-building expert. He took chances on drafting high school players like Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer with his 2007 and 2008 top 5 selections. Why were these picks so risky? High school players notoriously have high demands due to the immense amount of leverage they control. They are able to enter the draft, garner a top 5 selection, and (if they don't get the money they want) still honor their commitment to play college ball. If this happens, the team which selected that player will be compensated with the same pick in the following year's draft.

Regardless, our middle-of-the-pack ranking was due to these two players' combined lack of stellar production. Their 2009 stat lines left a lot to be desired by companies like Baseball America and especially the Royals.

In this unique situation, the Royals had two seemingly good explanations for their coveted young players' lack of statistics. For Moustakas, the organization understood he was playing in an extreme pitchers park with swirling wings. These aren't the kind of swirling winds which aid hitters in certain MLB parks (cough, NY). They are the type which push the ball back and keep it from the fence. "Moose" still mustered 16 homers, though.

Hosmer's story was a bit different. He mysteriously took a hiatus from playing while the local radio shows and Royals blogs tried to determine the reason. Finally, we learned he was having difficulty seeing the ball at the plate and needed special glasses. The amount of time required to get back into the game caused everyone to become skeptical.

Fortunately, both "Moose" and "Hos" are mashing, raking, and any other syllable for domination of the plate--actual stat lines will be shown below. This emergence of our "top hitting prospects" caused many people from these scouting organizations to re-evaluate their opinions on KC's farm system. Before the draft, we were thought of as a top 10 system.

Speaking of the draft, let's take a look at some of the key picks in 2010.

Round 1, pick 4: SS Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton

-The separation of talent in this year's draft was no secret. The top 3 were chiseled far away and above the rest. So, picking at 4 had its drawbacks. However, the Royals believe they selected the short stop of the future in Colon. In fact, most other MLB teams believe the same thing. No, he's not a toolsy freak like other high profile short stops, but he plays good fundamental baseball. He understands the game at an alarmingly high degree and has the leadership skills to become a positively vocal part of the Major League foundation. He should hit for average (as shown by his amateur stats) and some nice pop (16 homers as a junior this year). At 6 feet and about 190, he sports an athletic frame. Some think he may have to shift to second base if he let's his body go at all.

Player Profile= Placido Polanco (with pop)

Round 2, pick 4: CF Brett Eibner, Arkansas

-Eibner was on many team's boards as a first rounder...as a pitcher. He only pitched minimally in college, but the belief was if he focused and honed in on his pitching ability, he had endless potential. Why were the Royals able to snag him in the second round? Eibner wants to hit, and the Royals drafted him to do just that. He brings a ton of power from the right side (21 homers this year) and progressed nicely each year he was at Arkansas. The best part? He'll showcase this mashing ability as a toolsy center fielder. Remember that arm teams raved about? Imagine him beading balls in to the catcher from deep center. Is it just a bonus that he's got loads of speed and athletic ability. Sounds like the Royals' kind of player, huh?

Player Profile= Matt Kemp-ish

Round 3, pick 4: SS Michael Antonio, HS

-Another short stop? Yes. This kids quite a bit different than Colon. He was a pre-season high school All-American this year, only to let down just about every MLB team with his mediocre performance as a senior. He's looked at as a project. He's very raw, but the Royals believe they got the best player on the board here.

Player Profile: Too Raw to Tell

Round 4, pick 4: LHP Kevin Chapman, Florida

-This is a very exciting pick. After going through Tommy-John surgery early in his college career, Chapman rebounded to have an excellent year in 2010. He lights up the guns in the mid to upper 90's and looks to have closer-type stuff.

(FYI-no more player profiles)

Round 5, pick 4: RHP Jason Adam, HS

-Adam is a guy a lot of scouts thought would go in the second round. He has a commitment to play for Missouri, but supposedly about a million dollars can change that. Did I mention he's a local kid? Blue Valley North West. Lot's of upside here!

All in all, the Royals selected 1 second baseman, 1 first baseman, 7 short stops, 7 catchers, 9 outfielders, and 26 pitchers. There were 9 high school players selected and the rest were either college of community college guys.

Interesting to note that before the draft the Royals publicly stated they would look to draft short stop depth, catching depth, and lots of arms. Looks like they stuck to it.

Speaking of depth, let's take a look at the top 25 performers down on the farm in no particular order:

*indicates a blue chip prospect/player

AAA

*LF Alex Gordon= .370 9(2B) 1(3B) 10(HR) 29(RBI) 5(SB) 29BB-36K

1B Kila Ka'aihue= .315 8(2B) 11(HR) 36(RBI) 50BB-36K

OF David Lough= .278 7(2B) 5(3B) 5(HR) 23(RBI) 5(SB) 9BB-28K

OF Jordon Parraz= .257 13(2B) 3(HR) 27(RBI) 5(SB) 26BB-35K

*RP Blaine Hardy= 2-0 36(IP) 25(K) 0.50(ERA) 0.67(WHIP)

AA

*3B Mike Moustakas= .354 15(2B) 13(HR) 50(RBI) 17BB-25K

*CF Derrick Robinson= .277 6(2B) 5(3B) 20(RBI) 26(SB) 28BB-43K

*2B Johnny Giavotella= .269 13(2B) 2(3B) 17(RBI) 8(SB) 25BB-27K

C Manuel Pina= .265 7(2B) 4(HR) 21(RBI) 18BB-16K

SP Edgar Osuna= 5-2 65(IP) 44(K) 1.66(ERA) 1.00(WHIP)

*SP Aaron Crow= 2-5 65(IP) 40(K) 5.68(ERA) 1.65(WHIP)

*RP Louis Coleman= 2-0 40(IP) 38(K) 2.25(ERA) 0.90(WHIP)

*SP Mike Montgomery= 5-1 50(IP) 55(K) 1.98(ERA) 0.98(WHIP)

High A

*1B Eric Hosmer= .361 22(2B) 5(3B) 2(HR) 37(RBI) 9(SB) 27BB-23K

C Salvador Perez= .284 11(2B) 1(3B) 3(HR) 22(RBI) 1(SB) 9BB-14K

SP Christopher Dwyer= 3-3 64(IP) 64(K) 3.22(ERA) 1.29(WHIP)

*SP Timothy Melville= 2-6 58(IP) 55(K) 5.86(ERA) 1.37(WHIP)

RP Buddy Baumann= 2-0 32(IP) 37(K) 2.48(ERA) 1.32(WHIP)

RP Patrick Keating= 2-0 30(IP) 41(K) 1.19(ERA) 0.92(WHIP)

RP Barry Bowden= 2-3 26(IP) 30(K) 1.71(ERA) 1.18(WHIP)

*SP John Lamb= 4-4 64(IP) 71(K) 1.55(ERA) 1.06(WHIP)

Low A

*C Wil Myers= .289 14(2B) 1(3B) 10(HR) 43(RBI) 8(SB) 38BB-43K

*CF Hilton Richardson= .193 6(2B) 3(3B) 4(HR) 20(RBI) 19(SB) 12BB-41K

*SP Tyler Sample= 2-3 54(IP) 47(K) 4.47(ERA) 1.51(WHIP)

SP Bryan Paukovits= 3-3 54(IP) 59(K) 3.31(ERA) 0.98(WHIP)

Finally, after taking players' production thus far and the draft into consideration, we'll present to you the Beer League Top 10 Prospect List:

1. SP Mike Montgomery- A long, tall, lanky lefty who brings the heat and puts it where he wants it. Has a minor triceps injury (soreness) but should return soon.

2. 3B Mike Moustakas- Absolutely no denying his production with the stick. You know that special "crack" of the bat scouts rave about? He's got it. And, oh ya, a batting average in the mid 300's. Oh, and don't forget he's finally learned strike zone discipline. Scary.

3. C Wil Myers- A true 5 tool prospect, and his bat has finally come alive this year. He'll probably progress slowly as he learned the fundamentals of professional catching, but watch out... the kid can rake and run.

4. 1B Eric Hosmer- As we've said before, his glove plays in the Majors right now. Additionally, he's maintaining a batting average above 360 while he uses the entire field with his bat. The home run power is lacking right now, but keep in mind the park he plays in. A promotion to Northwest Arkansas would most likely result in a monster increase in balls over the fence.

5. SS Christian Colon-Already? Yes! His bat plays that well and his defense won't take any time to adjust. He's an all-around player who will be fun to follow during his ascent to the Bigs.

6. SP Aaron Crow- He's struggling to locate his pitches and is getting blown up currently because of it. Keep in mind he was out of baseball for nearly a year and is still shaking the rust off. The stuff is certainly there. However, we'll only be able to use the rust as an excuse for so long.

7. SP John Lamb- Another lefty creeping up towards the top 5. The word on Lamb is his pinpoint control. A guy who can locate from the left with stamina is a scary thing. He continues to demolish hitting after his promotion. The more he does it, the higher he goes.

9. SP Dan Duffy- We mentioned his return in a post last Friday. It should be too long until we see this former top pitching prospect make a run at his previous title. Oh ya, he's also a lefty!

10. RP Blaine Hardy- He gets the nod over others because of his assignment to AAA. Nobody could touch him in AA, and he's continuing the trend in Omaha. At 22, and coming from the left side, it's likely he'll make more than a few appearances out of the Royals' bullpen in 2010. Keep an eye out!