Down on the Farm

Is the glass half empty or half full? How can you tell? The only way to truly know the answer to this question is to witness the glass being filled--to eyeball each drop as it marginally builds towards the rim. Some drops may be bigger than others, some may taste a bit better, and some may look a little more "sparkly". In a glass of water, there's enough room for all kinds of drops. It's important to remember that when the glass finally does fill up, some of those "sparkly" drops may have splashed out, evaporated, or leaked from the bottom. However, when the water line reaches the rim of the glass, it's time to drink up!

Much like this glass of water, a baseball farm system is judged by it's "fullness". Most teams around the league can boast about this ultra athletic outfielder buried deep in their system, or that towering power righty they just drafted. But, in most cases these players are complete "projectables" who may or may pan out at the next farm level. The true indication of a complete farm system is the continued productivity of these "projectable" players as the move up through the higher levels of the farm.

If a team has 8 of its top 10 prospects below the AA level, their system may look promising, but it will not be ranked high overall. On the other hand, when those players begin competing at the higher levels of the farm, the opinion of that farm system can quickly change.

In the Royals' case, the latter is true. Since drafting Moustakas in 2007, fans have been patiently watching each drop fall into the glass. Fans have been promised certain things about certain players. They've been told that it's a process and to stay patient.

With the promotion of Moustakas to AAA, fans can take a deep sigh of relief--"Moose" is just one step away from debuting at third base at the K. After a slow hit-less start, he's shot two solo homers and is beginning to find his groove in Omaha. Will he join the Royals this year? No. He will most likely finish the year at AAA while honing his skills both at the plate and the bag. Next June looks like his launch point.

So, what does this really mean? It means that Dayton Moore has successfully filled our farm system at all levels--something which is highly regarded throughout the league. It means the talent is almost ready to construct a truly home-grown Major League squad. It's a process which was used by Bobby Cox to build the Braves' 90's dynasty. Anybody remember that Chipper Jones kid? He was a high school short stop who panned out as an All-Star third baseman. It's no coincidence that Dayton's first "real" draft pick (he selected Hochevar in 2006 just weeks after being hired) was a player (Moose) who follows that same blueprint. It's a process which Dayton Moore witnessed while working alongside Cox. It also means the Royals will have the "talent firepower" to trade for missing pieces. This process works.

Baseball Prospectus recently came out with their updated top 50 prospect list. Can you guess which team had 3 players listed in the top 20? Yes, the Royals. Let's review players who made this list.

AAA 3B Mike Moustakas= .336 26(2B) 23(HR) 78(RBI) 27BB-47K
-Beer League has raved about this kid all season long. There really isn't much more to say except a quote passed along from one of our followers, Travis Sigg. "During batting practice for the Futures Game, the announcers hadn't seen a player mash the ball the way Moose was since Barry Bonds."

AA 1B Eric Hosmer= .352 31(2B) 6(3B) 10(HR) 58(RBI) 12(SB) 46BB-40K
-As good as Moustakas has been this year, a lot of scouts believe Hosmer is an even better hitter. Scary, right?

AA SP Mike Montgomery= 5-1 53(IP) 58(K) 2.01(ERA) 0.90(WHIP)
-Despite not playing for half the season so far due to elbow stiffness, Monty still got the nod for the 26th spot. A rep from Baseball Prospectus said he would have placed Montgomery as the highest overall pitching prospect had he been healthy.
A+ SP John Lamb= 8-5 110(IP) 128(K) 1.38(ERA) 0.99(WHIP)
-If Lamb keeps up this phenomenal pace, he may end up as out top rated prospect going into 2011. That's a lot of praise considering the other guys on this list.

A+ C Wil Myers= .299 23(2B) 2(3B) 10(HR) 59(RBI) 10(SB) 58BB-68K
-Wil is quickly becoming the top catching prospect in the game. His bat is excellent. His athleticism is out of this world. As long as the defense continues to develop, he'll be collecting All-Star votes for the next 15 years.

The process has been long and hard to watch. It's been a painful ring in the ear of fans. It's been tiring and overwhelming. It's finally time to start planning to reap the benefits. Come 2012, fans will wait no longer.