*** 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.

[OKchiefs]

And now we're hearing that Victor Mesa out of Cuba is likely to sign with Baltimore, the team that historically avoids IFA.

[OKchiefs]

https://www.royalsreview.com/2018/7/...or-termination

I'm going to skip the obvious and get to the point. Because even your dog could figure out that this year for the Royals has been nothing short of a sick joke. And this year is the culmination of years of mistakes and missteps from our general manager Dayton Moore. Listing them out one by one, and describing all of them would probably take up too much time, so I'm just going to sort it out into a couple of categories. Remember, there is not just one reason to fire a GM in sports, rather there is a litany of them.

[BWillie]

Jon Jay has hit .215 with Arizona this year.
Kelvin Herrera 3.29 ERA (from 1.01 with Royals) for Nats this year.
Eric Hosmer 0 WAR, .247 avg, .695 OPS for San Diego.

Have to give him some credit for unloading those guys, although apparently we were still dumb enough to offer Hosmer over 100M.

[Bufkin]

Dayton said today that Whit will not be traded at the deadline because he is “too important to this team.”

[DJ's left nut]

This is going to seem like it's mocking your pain - it isn't.

This is an idea so truly beautiful and so perfect that I want to leave my wife and marry it.

https://www.sbnation.com/mlb/2018/7/...e-fans-tanking

The Padres are offering an unlimited losses pass for $100.00. You spend $100 and you get to go to 5 wins - full stop. You show up, scan your ticket and if they lose, your ticket gets another game added to it. You go to as many games as it takes for you to finally personally attend 5 home Ws.

I mean holy shit, what an amazing idea that is for a team that's obviously playing for next year! It puts butts in the seats to ostensibly occasionally root for the young players (even though they're better off if there's an L and they get another game). But you can see a loss and still appreciate player development from guys like Junis and Mondesi.

And for the Royals - well it's more beer and hot dog sales. I mean it's not something you do in April but come August on a lost season? Why not roll it out?

This idea is fantastic.

[OKchiefs]

Originally Posted by Bufkin

Dayton said today that Whit will not be traded at the deadline because he is “too important to this team.”

Just put him out to pasture. How the hell does anyone have value to a team that loses 115 games? So next year, we'll lose 115 again instead of 110? How horrible!!!

[Sure-Oz]

Gotta think Phillies are out on moose

@martinonyc: Sources: Asdrubal Cabrera trade to Phillies agreed on pending medicals

[OKchiefs]

This is getting ridiculous. Moose is going to leave at year end for nothing.

[dlphg9]

Originally Posted by OKchiefs

This is getting ridiculous. Moose is going to leave at year end for nothing.

Holy ****ing hell, you are the biggest whiner ever. Holy shit dude.

[OKchiefs]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

Holy ****ing hell, you are the biggest whiner ever. Holy shit dude.

Can't help it watching Moore be incapable of pulling off trades and doing everything he can to make this rebuild last as long as possible.

[duncan_idaho]

Neither of the Mesa Brothers (Victor Victor or Victor Jr) has been declared a FA yet. Don’t think that’s “done” to the Orioles yet.

They have the biggest pile to offer so it makes sense to connect them.

Okchiefa, I have a challenge for you. You tell me what players of high value and when Dayton Moore should have traded them. You keep bitching about it but the examples don’t exist.

I’ll knock one our ahead of time: you mentioned Danny Duffy over the past offseason. They explored/listened on him. He was clearly at a depressed value after a down 2017 (compared to 2016). Trading players for 80 cents on the dollar is dangerous.

Posturing that Merrifield is too valuable to move in-season doesn’t mean he won’t be moved now or in the offseason. It’s just a signal that Royals are firm on their asking price (which they should be).

They’ve got so much control of him and he’s having such a good season, there’s no problem holding him and planning to move him with 4 years of control vs 4.5. He’s coming off a 4-win season and on his way to a 5 win or so season. That would inflate his value damn near into Adam Eaton territory, and Eaton commanded a huge return.

[OKchiefs]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Neither of the Mesa Brothers (Victor Victor or Victor Jr) has been declared a FA yet. Don’t think that’s “done” to the Orioles yet.

They have the biggest pile to offer so it makes sense to connect them.

Okchiefa, I have a challenge for you. You tell me what players of high value and when Dayton Moore should have traded them. You keep bitching about it but the examples don’t exist.

I’ll knock one our ahead of time: you mentioned Danny Duffy over the past offseason. They explored/listened on him. He was clearly at a depressed value after a down 2017 (compared to 2016). Trading players for 80 cents on the dollar is dangerous.

Posturing that Merrifield is too valuable to move in-season doesn’t mean he won’t be moved now or in the offseason. It’s just a signal that Royals are firm on their asking price (which they should be).

They’ve got so much control of him and he’s having such a good season, there’s no problem holding him and planning to move him with 4 years of control vs 4.5. He’s coming off a 4-win season and on his way to a 5 win or so season. That would inflate his value damn near into Adam Eaton territory, and Eaton commanded a huge return.

In specific reference to Duffy, what do you suggest they do with him then? He has regressed almost every year since 2014. Do we really think he's going to significantly rehab his value? He seems like another possible example of a bad contract for a pitcher who is declining and is wildly inconsistent.

Obviously I'm not a fan at all of Dayton Moore, but I feel like you're the exact opposite. You have an explanation or excuse for everything he's done. I respect your opinions and input a lot, but I find it hard to believe that you can't find any criticism of the work he's been doing.

I believe Moore's track record since the world series would have gotten him fired in a big market by now. I also believe that any good will earned from the World Series should be done with by now, and his current evaluation should be based on the on-field results from 2016 going forward.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by OKchiefs

In specific reference to Duffy, what do you suggest they do with him then? He has regressed almost every year since 2014. Do we really think he's going to significantly rehab his value? He seems like another possible example of a bad contract for a pitcher who is declining and is wildly inconsistent.



Obviously I'm not a fan at all of Dayton Moore, but I feel like you're the exact opposite. You have an explanation or excuse for everything he's done. I respect your opinions and input a lot, but I find it hard to believe that you can't find any criticism of the work he's been doing.



I believe Moore's track record since the world series would have gotten him fired in a big market by now. I also believe that any good will earned from the World Series should be done with by now, and his current evaluation should be based on the on-field results from 2016 going forward.

Duffy had a phenomenal year in 2016. The best of his career. He hasn’t regressed every year since 2014. 2017 was a trying year for him personally, it affected his results on the field, and the offers for him in the offseason were not needle-moving.

I’m fine with legitimate critiques of Moore. He has made mistakes. Problem is that most of your critiques are angry, illogical and lacking context.

I was hard on the approach for the return on Herrera. I’ve got no problem critiquing the draft approach in the first half of this decade, though it hasn’t been as below average as you and some others think and philosophy has clearly shifted in reaction to performance problems.

I’ll challenge you again: what player should Moore have traded that had huge value, and when he should he have traded them?

You keep saying he has a tendency to sit on guys who will demand big returns and waste their value. Put some content where you mouth is.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by Bufkin

Dayton said today that Whit will not be traded at the deadline because he is “too important to this team.”

[OKchiefs]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Duffy had a phenomenal year in 2016. The best of his career. He hasn’t regressed every year since 2014. 2017 was a trying year for him personally, it affected his results on the field, and the offers for him in the offseason were not needle-moving.

I’m fine with legitimate critiques of Moore. He has made mistakes. Problem is that most of your critiques are angry, illogical and lacking context.

I was hard on the approach for the return on Herrera. I’ve got no problem critiquing the draft approach in the first half of this decade, though it hasn’t been as below average as you and some others think and philosophy has clearly shifted in reaction to performance problems.

I’ll challenge you again: what player should Moore have traded that had huge value, and when he should he have traded them?

You keep saying he has a tendency to sit on guys who will demand big returns and waste their value. Put some content where you mouth is.

You're right again, we haven't had many opportunities. But, I'll say again (and someone will accuse me of moving the goalposts), we'd have more big time players to move if Moore hadn't been so awful at finding talent in the draft.

What I'm angry at right now is seeing Mike Moustakas likely walking for nothing after this season. The word on twitter has been that the Yankees are interested but that the asking price is too high. Lowering the asking price on a player you're about to lose is better than getting nothing at all.

I shouldn't get mad about something that hasn't happened yet, but I have zero faith that Moore will trade Duffy and Merrifield in the offseason, which absolutely should happen. I don't think Moore has any real direction he's going in, besides taking almost all college pitchers on the false premise that we can expedite the rebuild and contend in 2020-2021 (we can't). I feel like a more involved owner would put pressure on their GM to see results, however I think Glass is pretty aloof from the day to day operations as long as he keeps making money. With the new TV contract coming soon Glass is going to get some nice big paychecks, so I'm afraid the on field crap we'll see for the next 4-5 years won't be enough to motivate Glass to give Moore any ultimatums on returning to competitive baseball.