*** Official 2018 Royals Repository ***

[duncan_idaho]

The season is upon us, even if spring is not.

2018 MLB Draft Picks
#18
#33 - Compensation (Eric Hosmer)
#34 - Compensation (Lorenzo Cain)
#40 (Competitive Balance Round A)

018 Draft Names to Watch

RHP Kumar Rocker, N Oconnee HS, Georgia.

Spoiler!

Possibly goes top 10 but is a big, physical SP with ace potential. Moore and co. will be all over him if he slips a bit and could offer top 10 money at No. 16

OF Jarred Kelenic, Waukasha West HS, WI

Spoiler!

Kelenic is the top prep bat, toolsy OF. Royals would be ecstatic to have shot at him.

1B Triston Casas, American Heritage HS (FL).

Spoiler!

Tremendous raw power, best in HS bats. Royals typically like HS arms or HS bats with "special" tools. He qualifies.

RHP Carter Stewart, Eau de Gallie HS (Ga).

Spoiler!

Another big, physical specimen with huge upside. More likely to be available mid-first than Rocker.

ANY Any, Any (Any). Any current top projected pick who slides for injury concerns. Includes current top prospect prospect SP Brady Singer, U of Florida.

Current Prospects to Watch:

OF Seuly Matias - Huge tools. Hit 2 HR in Lexington (A) season opener.

1B Nick Pratto - Top pick in 17 has advanced approach and good glove; needs to start tapping into power in first full year in minors. Also at Lexington.

OF Michael Gigliotti - Good defender in CF, good OBP skills, plus baserunner. Next mainstay in CF for KC, IMO. Advanced college bat also starting at Lexington.

OF Khalil Lee - Probably has highest upside in Royals' system. Could hit 30 HR in majors, could steal 30 bases. Plus defensive ability in RF. Nice test at Wilmington this year.

3B Emmanuel Rivera - Really nice approach and good contact skills. Power is still developing. Also getting a good test at Wilmington.

SP Foster Griffin - Made nice strides in 2017. Needs to continue to progress in 2018. Could be a lefty version of Jakob Junis (good breaking ball that he can really manipulate, OK fastball, good command).

1B Samir Duenez - Duenez still is intriguing, hoping for a step forward in his power production this year at Northwest Arkansas, which would turn him into a legit prospect.

Others to keep an eye on:
SP Gerson Garabito (Wilmington), OF Marten Gasparini (Lexington), C MJ Melendez (Lexington), RP Tyler Zuber (lexington), RP Richard Lovelady (Omaha), SP Dan Tillo (Lexington), SS Nicky Lopez (NWA), SP Scott Blewett (NWA), OF Brewer Hicklen (Idaho Falls),

In general, Lexington and Wilmington are the most interesting spots to watch. Nice depth and a lot of interesting pieces at both.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by Al Bundy

Man.. Jorge Soler is shit.

Jorge Solerror

[ILChief]

Team is a total disaster. Which isn't even the biggest problem. What players are building blocks for the future? Soler and Amendola are garbage. Starling and Dozier look like they aren't going to pan out. Gordon is done. Moustakis and Escobar will either be traded or elsewhere. Perez is breaking down. Is Mondesi ever going to make it?

Junis looks to be legit. Merrifield, Cuthbert, Bonafacio, and Orlando are ok but not franchise type players.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by ILChief

Team is a total disaster. Which isn't even the biggest problem. What players are building blocks for the future? Soler and Amendola are garbage. Starling and Dozier look like they aren't going to pan out. Gordon is done. Moustakis and Escobar will either be traded or elsewhere. Perez is breaking down. Is Mondesi ever going to make it?



Junis looks to be legit. Merrifield, Cuthbert, Bonafacio, and Orlando are ok but not franchise type players.

It has tended to fall completely apart without Salvador Perez in the past, so that isn’t surprising.

The building blocks for the future are Perez, Duffy, Mondesi, Merrifield, and Junis, if he keeps this up.

They need to figure Jorge Soler out, and that means playing him every goddamn day. It’s not looking promising.

Of guys at the high minors, I could see Griffin perhaps being a solid starter in the back end of the rotation. Maybe they eventually give Dozier a shot. But the interesting names to watch and dream on are all at A+ and below.

[Bufkin]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

It has tended to fall completely apart without Salvador Perez in the past, so that isn’t surprising.

The building blocks for the future are Perez, Duffy, Mondesi, Merrifield, and Junis, if he keeps this up.

They need to figure Jorge Soler out, and that means playing him every goddamn day. It’s not looking promising.

Of guys at the high minors, I could see Griffin perhaps being a solid starter in the back end of the rotation. Maybe they eventually give Dozier a shot. But the interesting names to watch and dream on are all at A+ and below.

Building blocks if they are kept. I think Perez and Duffy are probably here for the long run. Junis is a candidate too. I would be shocked if Whit is here long-term.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Bufkin

Building blocks if they are kept. I think Perez and Duffy are probably here for the long run. Junis is a candidate too. I would be shocked if Whit is here long-term.

Merrifield is going to have to start hitting and showing some pop again to get traded. If he’s more of what he looked like in 2016 than 2017, not sure the return would be enough to trade him.

[Bowser]

It's all a mess. It's as if they committed to going young and starting over, but at the eleventh hour they panicked and decided to bring in the Lucas Dudas and John Jays and Moustakas just in an effort to not look like they were admitting they were rebuilding. Those three guys alone bring nothing to the future of this team, unless all of them got hot before the trade deadline and net us legit talent in the minors after being traded. It's frustrating to watch. I'm becoming less and less of a GMDM fan by the day, which makes me sad after he gave us those WS teams.

[Bowser]

And yeah, it's April 15. But don't tell me this team has it in them to rebound and contend for a wild card or something.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

It has tended to fall completely apart without Salvador Perez in the past, so that isn’t surprising.

The building blocks for the future are Perez, Duffy, Mondesi, Merrifield, and Junis, if he keeps this up.

They need to figure Jorge Soler out, and that means playing him every goddamn day. It’s not looking promising.

Of guys at the high minors, I could see Griffin perhaps being a solid starter in the back end of the rotation. Maybe they eventually give Dozier a shot. But the interesting names to watch and dream on are all at A+ and below.

Yikes idk about Duffy. I'd dump him before his arm falls off.

[Titty Meat]

Originally Posted by Bowser

It's all a mess. It's as if they committed to going young and starting over, but at the eleventh hour they panicked and decided to bring in the Lucas Dudas and John Jays and Moustakas just in an effort to not look like they were admitting they were rebuilding. Those three guys alone bring nothing to the future of this team, unless all of them got hot before the trade deadline and net us legit talent in the minors after being traded. It's frustrating to watch. I'm becoming less and less of a GMDM fan by the day, which makes me sad after he gave us those WS teams.

It's fine and while the team is bad it's not like the 2005 days. Now in 3 years if Moore has nothing to show for on this rebuild it will be time for him to go. Given the draft record the past several years I am a bit skeptical.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Bowser

It's all a mess. It's as if they committed to going young and starting over, but at the eleventh hour they panicked and decided to bring in the Lucas Dudas and John Jays and Moustakas just in an effort to not look like they were admitting they were rebuilding. Those three guys alone bring nothing to the future of this team, unless all of them got hot before the trade deadline and net us legit talent in the minors after being traded. It's frustrating to watch. I'm becoming less and less of a GMDM fan by the day, which makes me sad after he gave us those WS teams.

To go young and start over, you have to have guys ready you want to start over with. I’d like to see Dozier, but he was apparently a disaster at first base and didn’t play much last year. Letting him season at AAA a little doesn’t hurt you.

Who does Jay block? No one.

Moustakas doesn’t block anyone, either, with Bonifacio suspended 80 games.

Duda blocks - maybe - Dozier or Schwindel.

Those are all guys you can move at the trade deadline, too, and even getting useful bullpen pieces or lotto arms can be valuable.

If you want to criticize Moore, criticize the drop-off in draft performance (they did a bad job adjusting to the slotting system). Though I’d still say, on the whole, that their draft performance in the first round has been about average.

To win in KC and sustain it, you have to perform above average in the draft and development pools.

The Royals have a 3-4 year period where that just didn’t happen. Some of it s bad choices, some of it is bad luck (ie Kyle Zimmer, Ashe Russell), some of it is moving pieces for present value.

I think their biggest problem has been falling in love with high upside Hs arms and going heavy in that arena. Lowest rate of return, and Junis and Duffy are the only real successes.

[Deberg_1990]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

some of it is bad luck

Ventura really fucked us over. Imagine how good he would be by now.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Deberg_1990

Ventura really fucked us over. Imagine how good he would be by now.

Ventura’s death is tragic and changed the course of the franchise quite a bit.

[Bowser]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Ventura’s death is tragic and changed the course of the franchise quite a bit.

Yes it was and yes it did. That alone makes me feel a little guilty of criticizing this team so harshly. They had no idea that was going to happen and no way to plan a contingency if it were to.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Bowser

Yes it was and yes it did. That alone makes me feel a little guilty of criticizing this team so harshly. They had no idea that was going to happen and no way to plan a contingency if it were to.

And it could be worse, just look at the Marlins.

[Bufkin]

I miss that little bastard. Went through the Royals HOF and shed a tear at the Yordano display they had. Losing him the way we did definitely changed everything.