As much fun as it's been for Royals fans to follow their team for the past 25 years, here at Beer League Sports Talk, we realize sometimes you just need a break from all the Excitement. At a certain point after watching multiple 4-5-3 double plays, pop outs, and the always untimely error, fans need to step away from the circus and just take a breather. That's precisely why we're bringing you the Down on the Farm farm report every Friday. That way, you'll get a sneak peak at the players who will be "performing" at the K in the next few years. I kid.
On a more serious note, despite the lack of success on the field at the Major League level, Dayton Moore has done a superb job the last three years of stocking the system with young talent. Whether through the draft, international signings or minor league swaps, Moore has planted some promising young ball players. As these guys grow, it's important for fans to know that, yes, there is light at the end of this long, dark tunnel.
We're going to follow three categories of players: The Blue Chippers, The Role Players, and The Trade Pieces. Blue chip players are those who the team believes will contribute heavily at the Major League level. Role players are guys like bullpen arms, fourth outfielders, and organizational depth. Finally, the Trade Pieces (no, they aren't the good players like Carlos Beltran that we'll dump for two used tires and a bucket of Double Bubble) are those players which have been brought in through Dayton Moore's Minor League transactions.
Blue Chippers:
1. Mike Moustakas 3B: .374 12 DOUBLES 12 HR 41 RBI 17BB 20K 6 E
-"Moose" is currently one of the top hitters in the entire minor league system (not just for the Royals). His bat is adjusting quite nicely to the Texas League in Double A and has shown some major consistency. He looks to be developing into a high average, disciplined power bat. While the bat is hot, the glove still needs work. For this reason, the Royals won't be rushing him to the Big Leagues ahead of schedule.
2. Michael Montgomery SP: 5-1 1.98 ERA 50IP 1HR 55K 0.94WHIP
-"Monty" is a tall, lanky lefty who throws for both power and control. Sounds a little dreamy, huh? He's the real deal. After dominating at High A Wilmington (a known pitcher's park), he took his show on the road to Northwest Arkansas (Double A). Not even the Texas League bats have slowed his success rate down. Look for Montgomery to get a look for September call-ups. He might enjoy a sniff of the Bigs before earning a spot on the 25 man in 2011.
3. Eric Hosmer 1B: .370AVG 16DOUBLES 4TRIPLES 2HR 30RBI 22BB 15K 4E
-"Hos" earned the reputation in high school as having a Major League-ready glove. When the Royals drafted him in 2008, he drew the comparison to a Casey Kotchman with power. The more he progresses through the system, the more he becomes the next Billy Butler-- a guy who's going to hit for average, hit the gaps, hit worm burners through the holes, and just plain hit. The power isn't showing up yet in the stat line, but it's there. Remember, he's hitting in one of the most pitcher friendly parks in the minors.
4. Aaron Crow SP: 2-4 4.33ERA 60IP 8HR 36K 1.49WHIP
-After getting drafted in 2008 by the Nationals and failing to get a deal done, Crow re-entered the 2009 draft and fell to the Royals at pick 12. Pitching for the Missouri Tigers, Crow has drawn comparisons to fellow Tiger Max Scherzer as well as our own Luke Hochevar. Because he spent a year out of competitive baseball, he's still shaking the rust off in Double A. Don't let his numbers scare you. It's likely he'll get a call-up in September and compete for a spot on the 25 man in 2011.
5. Will Myers C: .271AVG 10DOUBLES 1TRIPLE 6HR 29RBI 27BB 34K 6SB 2CS 4E
-Myers was drafted in the third round with first round talent. A lot of people in baseball graded him as the highest upside catcher in the draft. Why? Will played almost every position in the field before settling in at catcher his senior year. Coincidingly, he broke the North Carolina state record for home runs despite missing a few games due to rain. This kid is a 5 tool player behind the plate. He'll learn the fundamentals behind the plate as he progresses through the levels of the Royals system. He's currently at Low A and should be pushing his way into Double A by the end of next year. As far as upside goes, it just doesn't get any better.
On the bubble: Derrick Robinson and Johnny Giovatella
-Robinson is hitting over .320 and on pace for Ricky Henderson-like steals this year. He lacks pop, but after an off season batting stance tweak, his contact rates have skyrocketed. He is on the Royals radar as their future center fielder and should earn a big league spot at some point in 2011.
-Giovatella is a Dustin Pedroia clone. Well, let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Ok, he's 5'9" 185 and blends hitting for average with gap power so sweetly. He needs to work on his defense at the second bag, but his stick is what will eventually earn him a starting spot for the Royals.
The Traded Pieces:
1. Manuel Pisa C: .257AVG 6DOUBLES 4HR 20RBI 15BB 14K 5E
-"Manny" was part of the deal that sent former Royals farm hand Danny Guittierrez out (right before a 50 game suspension for a banned substance. gulp.) He was targeted by the Royals for his defense behind the plate, but the recent breakout of his bat is a welcome surprise. He projects to be a second catcher in the bigs and should keep the plate warm for Myers.
2. Tim Smith OF: .306AVG 5DOUBLES 4HR 17RBI 7BB 9K 0E
-Smith is an all around outfield prospect. He's not great at any one thing, but certainly fits the mold of "jack of all trades". He's shown slightly above average pop as well as hitting for average and is considered a future fourth outfielder. However, as far as the royals are concerned, he might look pretty good in RF.
3. Rey Navarro SS: .205AVG 2DOUBLES 1HR 8RBI 3BB 5K 5E
-Rey is a toolsy infielder with a strong desire to learn. He was rated as the 12th best prospect in the Diamondbacks system (according to Baseball America) before the Royals sent Carlos Rosa in an exchange. It's important to consider his short time with the Royals when looking at his numbers, because if you don't you'll probably start going off about how we have the next TPJ, Angel, or Yuni as our short stop in waiting. If it makes you feel any better, scouts liken him to Brewer's current starting short stop Alcides Escobar. Who would complain about that?
The Role Players:
1. Louis Coleman RP: 1-0 1.82ERA 29IP 0HR 25K 0.81WHIP
-Coleman is a recent draftee out of LSU. He may have the fastest "sticky" track to the majors as a bullpen contributor and is the most likely of all farm hands to get that September call-up... if not sooner.
2. David Lough OF: .279AVG 7DOUBLES 5TRIPLES 3HR 17RBI 8BB 25K 0E
-Lough, or better known as "David Dejesus Jr.", is almost a sure thing to make the royals in the near future. He smoked through the lower levels in the past couple years and is currently recovering from a terrible start in triple A. Look for him to contribute while the upside players below him refine their skills.
Next time you're at the K and actually watching the game, just remember that these guys are right around the corner. If you can just make it through a couple more seasons, there might be some homegrown talent winning games like the old days. And, if you can't wait that long, ask the nearest Royals' employee where Rivals Sports Bar is. You may need to hibernate.
Thanks for reading. More updates will be coming next Friday!
Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
New York State of Mind
Iconic basketball players like Lebron James come around about as often as a two-legged horse in the Kentucky Derby. Sure, plenty of physical freaks showcase their elite skills every year in AAU tournaments across America, but it's rare for one of these specimens to mature into what scouts project them to be 5 or 10 years down the road. Some fizzle out mentally. Some fatigue physically. And, some just cant stay out of trouble. Fortunately, Lebron took it seriously when scouts, GM's, coaches, the media and (of course) fans anointed him as the chosen one the first time he took the court live on ESPN as the most heralded member of the Saint Vincent Saint Mary basketball team earlier this decade.
It's the understatement of the century (so far) that scouts fired their projections about James with pinpoint accuracy. Blessed with an ever growing and superbly athletic body, a firm commitment to always improve his game, and armed with the most physically gifted set of basketball skills the NBA has ever seen; the 6'9" 260 pound phenom continues to elicit rounds of "ooh's", "ahh's" and "how the hell did he just do that's". Unfortunately, despite the downright disgusting domination on the court during the regular season, the only gold (figuratively speaking of course) King James sports is the 24 carat crown he wears to baseball games, Sunday Service and, if you live in the Cleveland area, your kid's backyard birthday bash. Oh, nevermind... That's a Yankee cap.
On July 1, 2010 the freak that is Lebron James will be unleashed. He'll no longer be bound by contract to his home state. And, despite what they might hope, even a group of self appointed "Grandma James's" won't keep him in town. Although he's firmly entrenched in Ohio, this summer the Bron Bron Kingdom is expanding to Brooklyn. Or, is it still Jersey? For the sake of this article, let's hope it's not Jersey. That new housewives mafia might very well scare him off. Not that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov couldn't produce a strong-armed YouTube clip to send back in their direction...
Which leads me to my first reason why the Nets are a perfect fit for Lebron: The Ideal Owner Theory
-Prokhorov is every player, GM and fan's dream. He wants to spend as much smart money as possible to create and maintain a winning franchise. Not only does he have plenty of money to carry through on this promise, he doesn't shy away from being vocal about it. After publicly forecasting the acquisition of 2 marquee free agents, word on the black market is that the Nets and Phil Jackson have a mutual interest (even if it is just to share some of that divine Russian vodka). Finally, at 6'7" Prokhorov could always suit up and play the wing in case their 3rd overall draft selection doesn't show up ready for action.
Reason number 2: Nets Hold the Third Pick in the Draft Theory
-Okay, so they probably don't have much of a chance to land John Wall. Who? John Wall. That doesn't stop them from grabbing one of the high upside front court monsters in Cousins or Favors. Also, don't forget the possibility of landing point forward Evan Turner. Regardless of who they take, the point is that they have the third pick. I'm sure Lebron and Prokhorov can come up with a nice selection to compliment the young core already in place.
Reason number 3: Talented and Young Core of Players
-They may boast (not sure if they're actually boasting) the smallest NBA payroll since David Glass took over the Royals... Whoops. Wrong sport... but the core of players they do have show some promise for the future. Most notably, Brook Lopez looks to be well on his way to becoming one of the better 5 men in the East. That Devin Harris isn't too bad either.
Reason number 4: Bright Lights Big City Theory
-Cleveland's nice and all, but when was the last time anyone saw Bron Bron repping a Cleveland sports franchise when he wasn't on the basketball court? Exactly. It's always been Yankees this. Jay-Z that. Hey, isn't Jay-Z part owner of the Nets? Music please..."Reunited and it feels so goooood...Reunited like we knew we woouuld"... Maybe those aren't the words. Maybe they aren't even close. But, you got the point, didn't you?
As rare as it is for a player like Lebron to come around, it's even more unfathomable to think of him hitting the open market. The Cav's are going to give it everything they've got to keep their home grown homie around. But, he's been there. He's done that. It hasn't worked for 7 years. Why now?
Besides, Prokhorov has already contracted his own company Polyus Gold to provide the raw materials necessary for those coveted 2011 NBA champions rings. He doesn't want them leaving Brooklyn. Or Jersey.
It's the understatement of the century (so far) that scouts fired their projections about James with pinpoint accuracy. Blessed with an ever growing and superbly athletic body, a firm commitment to always improve his game, and armed with the most physically gifted set of basketball skills the NBA has ever seen; the 6'9" 260 pound phenom continues to elicit rounds of "ooh's", "ahh's" and "how the hell did he just do that's". Unfortunately, despite the downright disgusting domination on the court during the regular season, the only gold (figuratively speaking of course) King James sports is the 24 carat crown he wears to baseball games, Sunday Service and, if you live in the Cleveland area, your kid's backyard birthday bash. Oh, nevermind... That's a Yankee cap.
On July 1, 2010 the freak that is Lebron James will be unleashed. He'll no longer be bound by contract to his home state. And, despite what they might hope, even a group of self appointed "Grandma James's" won't keep him in town. Although he's firmly entrenched in Ohio, this summer the Bron Bron Kingdom is expanding to Brooklyn. Or, is it still Jersey? For the sake of this article, let's hope it's not Jersey. That new housewives mafia might very well scare him off. Not that Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov couldn't produce a strong-armed YouTube clip to send back in their direction...
Which leads me to my first reason why the Nets are a perfect fit for Lebron: The Ideal Owner Theory
-Prokhorov is every player, GM and fan's dream. He wants to spend as much smart money as possible to create and maintain a winning franchise. Not only does he have plenty of money to carry through on this promise, he doesn't shy away from being vocal about it. After publicly forecasting the acquisition of 2 marquee free agents, word on the black market is that the Nets and Phil Jackson have a mutual interest (even if it is just to share some of that divine Russian vodka). Finally, at 6'7" Prokhorov could always suit up and play the wing in case their 3rd overall draft selection doesn't show up ready for action.
Reason number 2: Nets Hold the Third Pick in the Draft Theory
-Okay, so they probably don't have much of a chance to land John Wall. Who? John Wall. That doesn't stop them from grabbing one of the high upside front court monsters in Cousins or Favors. Also, don't forget the possibility of landing point forward Evan Turner. Regardless of who they take, the point is that they have the third pick. I'm sure Lebron and Prokhorov can come up with a nice selection to compliment the young core already in place.
Reason number 3: Talented and Young Core of Players
-They may boast (not sure if they're actually boasting) the smallest NBA payroll since David Glass took over the Royals... Whoops. Wrong sport... but the core of players they do have show some promise for the future. Most notably, Brook Lopez looks to be well on his way to becoming one of the better 5 men in the East. That Devin Harris isn't too bad either.
Reason number 4: Bright Lights Big City Theory
-Cleveland's nice and all, but when was the last time anyone saw Bron Bron repping a Cleveland sports franchise when he wasn't on the basketball court? Exactly. It's always been Yankees this. Jay-Z that. Hey, isn't Jay-Z part owner of the Nets? Music please..."Reunited and it feels so goooood...Reunited like we knew we woouuld"... Maybe those aren't the words. Maybe they aren't even close. But, you got the point, didn't you?
As rare as it is for a player like Lebron to come around, it's even more unfathomable to think of him hitting the open market. The Cav's are going to give it everything they've got to keep their home grown homie around. But, he's been there. He's done that. It hasn't worked for 7 years. Why now?
Besides, Prokhorov has already contracted his own company Polyus Gold to provide the raw materials necessary for those coveted 2011 NBA champions rings. He doesn't want them leaving Brooklyn. Or Jersey.
Monday, May 24, 2010
The Doctor Will See You Now
First name Doc. Last name Halladay. He doesn't wear a white coat to work each day, have scratchy handwriting (well, maybe) or even have a formal background in medicine. Instead, he's earned the nickname the old fashioned way-- through blood, sweat and... tears? Hmm. Let's just keep it simple and say that, as one of the hardest working guys in the game, Roy Halladay deserves every letter of his fan-given surname.
If you drafted him early in your fantasy draft, you're probably feeling pretty well-to-do with an unavoidable grin every time your fellow fantasy mates mention his name while they roll their eyes. You've also probably sunk a good portion of your paychecks sending "thank you" letters to Phil's skipper Charlie Manuel for allowing his newly acquired ace to increase the amount of brotherly love in and around the stadium.
If you haven't already noticed, the 6'6" power righty has already chalked up four complete games. That's twice as many as any other pitcher in the majors. Why is that so significant? First, his current career high stands at 9 (which he has reached three times!). Second, that number puts him on pace to end the season somewhere in the mid teens. Third, this puts him (as if he wasn't already) smack dab in the middle of the talk for all-time elite right handers.
Some of you might point out his 132 pitch complete game from May 18th and gripe about how "the only reason he's getting these extra innings is because of a manager's judgment call". You might also point out that this particular complete game resulted in the addition of an extra L in Roy's loss column. However, facts are facts and stats are stats. Here's the breakdown of the Doc's complete games so far in 2010:
44IP 32H 4ER 3BB 31K
ERA= 0.81
WHIP= 0.79
K/BB RATIO= 3/1
K/9= 6.9
Folks, in layman's terms, that lineup of statistics equates to complete and utter domination. It means that for each complete game pitched, Halladay has allowed less than 1 earned run, less than 1 walk or hit per inning pitched, three strikeouts for every walk given up, and almost 7 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. The easiest decision Charlie Manuel can make on the days Roy pitches a complete game is to leave him out on the mound. I'm not an advocate of kicking a guy when he's down, but Trey Hillman could make the decision to leave the Doc in. Wait, who am I kidding? Trey would have probably pitched Halladay every 3 days as well as installing him as the set-up man for all road games. Well, maybe I am an advocate of kicking a guy when he's down.
So, while little Timmy from the Bay Area might have come into 2010 as the favorite to win his third consecutive National League Cy Young award, the Doc is prepping Lince-chump's booster shots and will soon be sending him back out to the waiting room in a fit of tears. Don't worry, he'll stick a lolly pop in Timmy's back pocket before he leaves.
Next patient please. The "Doctor" will see see you now.
If you drafted him early in your fantasy draft, you're probably feeling pretty well-to-do with an unavoidable grin every time your fellow fantasy mates mention his name while they roll their eyes. You've also probably sunk a good portion of your paychecks sending "thank you" letters to Phil's skipper Charlie Manuel for allowing his newly acquired ace to increase the amount of brotherly love in and around the stadium.
If you haven't already noticed, the 6'6" power righty has already chalked up four complete games. That's twice as many as any other pitcher in the majors. Why is that so significant? First, his current career high stands at 9 (which he has reached three times!). Second, that number puts him on pace to end the season somewhere in the mid teens. Third, this puts him (as if he wasn't already) smack dab in the middle of the talk for all-time elite right handers.
Some of you might point out his 132 pitch complete game from May 18th and gripe about how "the only reason he's getting these extra innings is because of a manager's judgment call". You might also point out that this particular complete game resulted in the addition of an extra L in Roy's loss column. However, facts are facts and stats are stats. Here's the breakdown of the Doc's complete games so far in 2010:
44IP 32H 4ER 3BB 31K
ERA= 0.81
WHIP= 0.79
K/BB RATIO= 3/1
K/9= 6.9
Folks, in layman's terms, that lineup of statistics equates to complete and utter domination. It means that for each complete game pitched, Halladay has allowed less than 1 earned run, less than 1 walk or hit per inning pitched, three strikeouts for every walk given up, and almost 7 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched. The easiest decision Charlie Manuel can make on the days Roy pitches a complete game is to leave him out on the mound. I'm not an advocate of kicking a guy when he's down, but Trey Hillman could make the decision to leave the Doc in. Wait, who am I kidding? Trey would have probably pitched Halladay every 3 days as well as installing him as the set-up man for all road games. Well, maybe I am an advocate of kicking a guy when he's down.
So, while little Timmy from the Bay Area might have come into 2010 as the favorite to win his third consecutive National League Cy Young award, the Doc is prepping Lince-chump's booster shots and will soon be sending him back out to the waiting room in a fit of tears. Don't worry, he'll stick a lolly pop in Timmy's back pocket before he leaves.
Next patient please. The "Doctor" will see see you now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)