*** Official 2017 Royals Offseason Repository

[duncan_idaho]

The reign is over. Time to begin the quest for the next one.

Interesting offseason opens for the Royals. Will they go all in for one last shot with this crew? Will they re-tool for 2018 and beyond? Will Dayton Moore actually decrease payroll this time?

Trades, free agent signings, rumors, plans, proposals... dump 'em all here, for this is... the offseason repository!

Royals Top Prospects, 2017

This is a list that’s going to seem a little bleak initially, as Raul Mondesi got enough ABs to age out of the prospect rankings (just barely – at 135 ABs, he is not rookie eligible). But that said, I like the talent and feel like this is a system that will actually be underrated by the prospect services.

Spoiler!

Format: POS/Name/2017 Projected Final Level

1) 3B/OF Hunter Dozier, MLB. Dozier bounced back from a disastrous 2015 campaign that had many wondering, myself included, if he was wrecked. His strong offensive performance in 2016 saw Dozier recapture the mature approach that many liked coming up, while also starting to tap into his above-average raw power for the first time.

In addition to his success at the plate, Dozier also proved he could at least HANDLE an OF spot, which could put him in the conversation for 2017 playing time at the major leagues. If the Royals DO end up trading Cheslor Cuthbert, Dozier could find a decent amount of MLB playing time sliding between RF and 3B. With Moustakas recovering from knee surgery, he likely will need more regular breaks from the field. And the streaky Paulo Orlando is just not an intriguing short-side platoon partner for Jarrod Dyson.

2) LHP Matt Strahm, MLB. Strahm just barely skates under the rookie eligibility rules for a pitcher, so he can be included here. Royals fans already got a taste of the lefty’s abilities, as he used his above-average fastball and slurve to dominate out of the pen in 2016. For him to translate that dominance to the rotation, Strahm will need to maintain his velocity (92-94) and continue to improve a changeup that flashed average at times.

If the changeup becomes a weapon he can lean on against righties, Strahm could be a very solid mid-rotation starter and fringe ToR/No. 2 type (think Danny Duffy-lite).

3) RHP Josh Staumont, AAA. This one could blow up on me and look really silly by this time next year, but I’m encouraged by what we saw from Staumont late last year. He showed significantly improved control down the stretch for Northwest Arkansas, including some impressive playoff starts, while maintaining the big-time K ability. That trend continued in the Arizona Fall League.

If Staumont’s control holds, the Royals have a guy with a plus fastball, plus-plus curve, and average change (with a slider that could develop into a real weapon as he matures). He’ll start next season at AAA and could be an addition to the MLB bullpen or even the rotation before the season ends.

4) RF Jorge Bonifacio, AAA. Boni, like Dozier, had a bounceback season in 2016 with the bat, and also played 15-20 pounds lighter than the year before, which added some nice defensive utility according to reports I’ve gotten. He now looks like a guy could provide solid/average RF production in the major leagues… Average defense paired with potential to put up a .275/.335/.450 line. While that’s not all-star level, it IS playable. Especially at pre-arbitration dollars. He’ll get another year in Omaha to refine his approach, and likely be in the mix of a 2018 mini-youth movement… unless moved for MLB reinforcements.

5) C Meibrys Viloria, Low-A (Lexington). I haven’t seen him in person, but I like the pedigree. You’ve got a lefthanded hitting catcher with the defensive ability to stick behind the plate. He was a big-bonus guy out of Colombia (nearly $500k). And his offensive performance has been highly impressive early, with a good combination of power, plate discipline, and contact skills.

He’s forever away from the majors, just now clearing rookie ball, but Viloria is the most exciting prospect KC has had at Idaho Falls since someone on this board was gushing about a 16-year-old SS tearing it up.

6) 1B Ryan O’Hearn, AAA. O’Hearn is a guy who has never gotten a lot of hype from scouts, but he continues to be a strong producer. He’s someone who likely will strikeout about 25 percent of the time at the big-league level, but has the ability to be a .500+ SLG guy. That plays. He also has shown good patience at the plate, posting above-average OBPs at every level.

Bold prediction: I won’t be shocked if O’Hearn takes over at 1B for KC in 2018/2019 and provides similar offensive production to Hosmer out of the gate. He’s probably never going to be a consistent plus average (.290+) hitter, but .270 with 25 HR is something within reach for him. He’ll get his first shot at AAA in 2017.

7) RHP AJ Puckett, A+. Puckett is a high floor, low-ceiling guy who performed about as you’d expect in 2016 after being the Royals’ first pick in the 2016 Rule IV Draft. He’s not flashy, but Puckett does profile as a solid potential back-end starter. Good fastball command and an above-average changeup are his calling cards. If Puckett finds a reliable breaking ball to put batters away, this could tick up. Great athlete, very similar to Jake Odorizzi in that regard.

8) RF Khalil Lee, Low-A (Lexington). Lee was a two-way player in HS and many viewed him as a pitcher first as a pro, but the Royals drafted him as an OF and were reward with a strong debut campaign. Lee is not a big guy, but he produced solid power numbers despite that. He’s a dynamic athlete who could contribute with power and speed.

9) C Chase Vallot, High-A (Wilmington). Vallot has an intriguing bat, with plus raw power. Got off to a great start in 16 before being sidelined and then sidetracked by injury. RH bat may be good enough to push him out from behind the plate, where he has good tools but a long way to go.

10) RHP Jake Junis and RHP Alec Mills (AAA). I'm copping out here and including both at No. 10 because they're so similar. Like Puckett, they each project as a serviceable back of rotation starter. Similar stuff and profiles, though Junis has shown a little better strikeout ability and may have a smidge more upside as a result.

Others of note:

SS/CF Marten Gasparini. Production has been bad for this toolsy player, but Gasparini has speed and pop that jump out at you. At only 19, need to be patient with him... this European signee was even less polished when signing at 16 than the typical Latin America prospect.

OF Seuly Matias. Loud, loud tools. Matias profiles as a classic RF... big-time power potential. He's a long ways from the majors but is one of the Royals' biggest bonus babies from LA.

RHP Ashe Russell. 2014 1st rounder saw his velocity disappear last year and was quickly shut down. He's intriguing one way or the other, even if he ends up as another notch in the belt of the TINSTAAPP saying.

2B Corey Toups. O'Hearn's HS teammate has been an above-average producer for an up-the-middle player. His small stature hides a surprising amount of pop. Could turn into a Mark Grudzielanek type of offensive second baseman at his peak - solid average, lots of 2Bs.

RHP Scott Blewett, LHP Foster Griffin, RHP Nolan Watson - all three have underwhelmed as pros but were drafted in the supplemental round. Stuff and projectability for each is a positive. Wouldn't be surprised to see one of them take a Cody Reed-like step forward this season and crack the 50-75 range on prospect lists. They all have the natural ability.

SS/2B Ricky Aracena - Jose Altuve-sized Aracena is a switch hitting middle infielder who can flat out run. Switch hitter with a good approach.

RHP Pedro Fernandez - I'm still a believer in his stuff, even if he is destined for the pen. Was having a nice 2016 start until injuries derailed him right after his promotion to AA.

Sirs not Appearing in this Prospect List:

RHP Kyle Zimmer. Same story, different year. The Royals are hopeful they FINALLY found the cause of Zimmer's achy shoulder. If they really did, and he can stay healthy, the talent/potential is exciting.

OF Bubba Starling. Never trust a guy named Derek.

[siberian khatru]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

With his current velo I'm okay that we took a pass.

I wish nothing but the best for him in Denver, though!

Yeah, the early returns were not promising, and although he likely has picked it up a few notches since then, with all the uncertainty I'm not terribly disappointed we didn't sign him.

Can't keep living in the past. Gotta be thankful for what we had, when we had it. Otherwise you keep signing Joakim Sorias.

[Chiefspants]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

That would have been a better fit, probably.

I'm always going to remember the HDH days. God it was fun watching ****ers squirm in the batters box.

With the Nats apparent quest to prove Dayton Moore's hypothesis that pitiful locker room chemistry WAR can destroy even the most talented of teams, it seems some Free Agents would rather go literally anywhere else than that clubhouse.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Chiefspants

With the Nats apparent quest to prove Dayton Moore's hypothesis that pitiful locker room chemistry WAR can destroy even the most talented of teams, it seems some Free Agents would rather go literally anywhere else than that clubhouse.

The implosion that followed the Papelbon acquisition will always be one of my most cherished baseball memories.

Still not sure how Mike Rizzo kept his job. They had a very good ninth inning guy who'd pitched as well as anyone all year. And instead of paying very little to go get a plus setup man, they paid quite a bit more so they could demote their All-Star closer and install a 'name' closer who just so happened to be a monumental douchebag.

And then the monumental douchebag choked out their franchise player in the dugout. Because of course he did.

Rizzo should've been fired that day. He took the lazy route, cost his owner millions and his team a playoff spot. Remarkably inept.

[tk13]

Sounds like Holland is getting $7 million guaranteed. Could be more with incentives.

I wish him the best. I'm a fan but Colorado is going be a tough place to come back. Especially since he relies on a couple out pitches and one of them is a nasty 12-6 slider. That's exactly the type of pitcher that gets neutered by the altitude.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by tk13

Sounds like Holland is getting $7 million guaranteed. Could be more with incentives.

I wish him the best. I'm a fan but Colorado is going be a tough place to come back. Especially since he relies on a couple out pitches and one of them is a nasty 12-6 slider. That's exactly the type of pitcher that gets neutered by the altitude.

If it goes 12-6, how can it be a slider?

Wouldn't that just be an overhand curve?

[tk13]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

If it goes 12-6, how can it be a slider?

Wouldn't that just be an overhand curve?

It's almost like a backdoor slider. Just watch him pitch. It's not a curve, even though it looks like one. He throws it too hard for it to be a curve. It drops off the table. It's a vicious pitch.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by tk13

It's almost like a backdoor slider. Just watch him pitch. It's not a curve, even though it looks like one. He throws it too hard for it to be a curve. It drops off the table. It's a vicious pitch.

Weird pitch, but for what it's worth, it doesn't actually get much z-movement. It's a true 'slider' but unique in that it does appear to back up on occasion.

Speaking over large numbers his slider appears pretty conventional; 2.2 points of movement towards the LH batters box and not much vertical movement at all at only .5. So weirdly, his slider actually 'rises' from a mathematics perspective (I guess that's what speed do; hard pitches just don't have much time to drop).

Though I'll concede, visually it doesn't look like that at all. There must be some weird shit going on with his delivery and release that makes all of that look much different. I wouldn't call it 12-6 (Wainwright still holds the patent there; 10 points of drop, 8 points of run to the LH box; just absurd movement) but there's definitely something different about it. Its pitch movement figures show a pitch that ends up damn near exactly where it started on average, but there's something in how he lets it go that makes it look funky as hell.

I'm guessing without digging too much deeper that he threw across his body in a big, BIG way. That would yield a pitch that came screaming across out of his delivery but then started working back towards where it started, kind of explaining away the relatively small movement numbers despite it obviously moving a lot visually.

Odd pitch - no wonder nobody could hit it.

[DJ's left nut]

I had that backwards; he's not throwing across his body, he looks like he's actually rotating out a little early.



It's not as bad as that gif looks because the camera angle is off-line, but he sure looks to be opening his hips up a bit early, allowing him to pull across a little bit like when a golfer slices a shot. That's what gives him that backed up movement and also helps explain why pitch f/x says he doesn't actually get much movement on the ball. Combine that with a fairly extreme lean in his upper half and you get a guy that's just funky up there.

Very little conventional about trying to hit that guy.

[Buehler445]

Yeah. It was fun to watch. I'll always remember the HDH days fondly.

[Pitt Gorilla]

Perhaps my memory is failing me, but Holland seemed to work into trouble a little more than I would want my closer to do. I don't recall if it was hits, walks, or a combination of the two, but he always seemed to be anything but an automatic inning.

[mikeyis4dcats.]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Perhaps my memory is failing me, but Holland seemed to work into trouble a little more than I would want my closer to do. I don't recall if it was hits, walks, or a combination of the two, but he always seemed to be anything but an automatic inning.

Mr recollection is that prior to last year he was a little more automatic. Last year was pretty shaky comparatively.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

And yet again - he's not the 'centerpiece' of a Moustakas trade. That's Lance Lynn. As Duncan noted, Lynn and Moustakas would probably be of roughly equal value if both were healthy and played to their normal seasons. Neither one of them are. And while Lynn's arm injury is scary, lets not act like a hitter doesn't get his power from his legs; Moustakas's ACL injury is equally scary (it's second only to a wrist injury to a hitter, IMO). Lynn for Moustakas is just about there. Garcia's a mere kicker in this deal and a very good one at that.

Hold on now, I was originally responding to this:

Originally Posted by Why Not?

I would love for Greg Garcia to be a Royal, some way, somehow. Definitely want to keep Moose but if he must be moved GG would be a good part of a return. I agree with you and it's not just UH blinders. I think Garcia could be a baller if given a real shot

You and I went off on a bit of a tangent discussion where our wires were crossing.

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

The guy is simply an inferior offensive player to Garcia. You can say I'm simply hinging it on hope but the reality is that you're burying your head here. Of course I'm speculating, but that's why a savvy GM (or fan) should be doing.

Oh come now. All I'm saying is that's still speculation. Warranted - I'm not going to argue against that. It's still projection - and maybe my choice of using the word 'Hope' was incorrect. You're saying that he's a Surefire good starter (maybe paraphrased, would have to go back and look). I'm saying that's just not the case from an outsider perspective. I don't see it as simply cut and dry. You obviously have a good amount of witness to this so I can't argue against that, but have to look at their career progression. So you do have a bit of an advantage on me here. I'm not burying my head, and I do enjoy discussing with you, DJ. I wasn't trying to upset you, my apologies and I'll refrain from engaging ya further.

[Fansy the Famous Bard]

Originally Posted by Buehler445

That would have been a better fit, probably.

I'm always going to remember the HDH days. God it was fun watching ****ers squirm in the batters box.

That was such an anomaly to have all three blossom at a similar time in our pen. Say what you want about GMDM and Eiland, what you cannot argue against is their ability to build a bullpen. They've done it with changing pieces every year and that has been the one consistency on this team for years.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Perhaps my memory is failing me, but Holland seemed to work into trouble a little more than I would want my closer to do. I don't recall if it was hits, walks, or a combination of the two, but he always seemed to be anything but an automatic inning.

2015 is coloring your recollection, I think.

From 2011-2014, Holland put up numbers that compare favorably with any reliever in baseball. He was a goddamn unhittable god.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Pitt Gorilla

Perhaps my memory is failing me, but Holland seemed to work into trouble a little more than I would want my closer to do. I don't recall if it was hits, walks, or a combination of the two, but he always seemed to be anything but an automatic inning.

Wade Davis broke your brain.

Before Wade Davis made anyone that wasn't Wade Davis look sub-human, Greg Holland was as good a closer as you'd find out there.

In his 2 healthy seasons as the primary closer, Holland put up a WHIP below .9 and struck out better than 13 per 9 with an ERA of 1.32 and a FIP of 1.59. Those numbers are absurd.

In 133 appearances over those 2 seasons, he allowed a runner in scoring position 51 times. So at worst, in 38% of his appearances, he was in a little trouble. But I'd bet that many of those were 3 run leads with a man on 2b (not really in trouble there) or something of similar effect.

Short answer: I think you got spoiled by your robot closer and forgot that you had a pretty superhuman guy doing to job before him.