***Official 2022 Royals Season Repository Thread***

[ChiefsCountry]

For all things Royals in 2022. #3 minor league system according to Baseball America. The Bobby Witt era should begin this year. Will Salvy still be the homerun king? How does the glut of infield players work out? Will the young pitchers take the next step?

Free Agents/Trades Acquisitions
Zack Greinke, P
Amir Garrett, P
Taylor Clarke, P

Top 10 Prospects from Baseball America
1. Bobby Witt, SS
2. Asa Lacy, P
3. MJ Melendez, C
4. Nick Pratto, 1B
5. Jackson Kowar, P
6. Kyle Isabel, OF
7. Frank Mozzicato, P
8. Ben Kudrna, P
9. Jonathan Bowlan, P
10. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B

Duncan's Top Royals Prospects

Spoiler!

1. Bobby Witt, Jr., SS. MLB.
This status lasts about another 4 weeks, but let’s take a moment to appreciate having the top guy in the minor league prospects lists for at least a little while longer. Witt has prodigious ability and the question is really just IF he can meet it. They have not had a prospect like this in my lifetime, and really probably ever. Combine insane raw physical skills (right there with Adalberto Mondesi and Willie Wilson in the ranks right behind Bo Jackson) with unbelievable work ethic, a humble-but-confident nature, and already having shown he can struggle and overcome to achieve big success, and you have the tools for a show-stopping centerpiece. Oh, and throw in the former-player’s kid aspect on it on top of things, and there is every reason to believe he’s going to succeed and succeed big.
2. M.J. Melendez, C, AAA Omaha.
I was early on putting him in this slot last year, and I don’t regret it. The power, the ability to be a good defender behind the dish as well as having the athletic ability to play 3B or LF, too, and you have a really valuable overall piece and FANTASTIC understudy for Salvador Perez.
3. Asa Lacy, LHP. AA Northwest Arkansas
Whoa, let’s get crazy again. Lacy has outstanding stuff. Top of the system. He got hurt and lost his command during COVID times, but appears to be back on track so far this spring. If his command sticks, this is a guy who can move quickly. And his ceiling is really second to nobody in the minor league pitching ranks.
4. Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B. AA Northwest Arkansas
Vinnie starts the season back at AA due to the guy who follows him on the list here. He just hits, folks. I love his combination of contact, loud contact, plate discipline, and lack of strikeouts. The Billy Butler comparisons are annoying (in that I will NEVER refer to this man as Italian Breakfast except in the instance that just occurred), but the Billy Butler comparisons are also fairly apt… if you made Butler a lefthanded hitter, AND improved his body/athleticism from a 20 to a 40, AND if you added that little extra touch of power we all wished Butler could consistently find.
5. Nick Pratto, 1B, AAA Omaha.
Hey, let’s stay at 1B. Pratto has flashy power and I love his batting eye AND his hand-eye coordination. The hair he’s been rocking this spring is also pretty sweet. I slot him just behind Pasquantino simply because I think his bat profile is more volatile. The glove and arm are sweet/plus for 1B, though.
6. Jonathan Bowlan, RHP, AAA Omaha
Bowlan is coming back from Tommy John surgery, and this ranking is assuming that recovering is successful. If it his, you’re talking about a big, consistent SP who throws hard enough and has enough of a repertoire to really make things happen. If the recovery goes well, he may be shuttling to the majors in July to reinforce the rotation.
7. Nick Loftin, CF, AA Omaha.
Loftin is a guy who has really grown on me. I saw him as a quasi super-utility guy when the Royals drafted him, The full-time shift to CF (which means they think he has the speed and the overall defensive ability to handle CF in Kansas City) adds a lot of value here. The ultimate positive offensive upside is similar to peak Whit Merrifield, maybe with a touch more early power.
8. Michael Massey, 2B, AA Northwest Arkansas.
Massey was an absolute revelation last year, hitting for power and average and keeping his K rate down while playing a really strong 2B. He has a very sweet, short lefthanded stroke. This is another aggressive rating, but Massey has proven himself through a tough minor league assignment already, and the arrow is pointed up.
9. Ben Kudrna, RHP, Rookie Ball
Kudrna is a big, physical specimen with a lot of upside and potential. The fastball and slider are already nearly MLB-level in terms of velocity and movement (command needs work). Kudrna is a guy who, with luck, and health, and good development, could ascend to the top of a rotation.
10. Frank Mozzicato, LHP, Rookie Ball.
Mozzicato has a curveball that suggests he has a feel for spin. If you want to dream, you hope that the next 2-3 years turn the 175 he weighed when drafted into a rock-solid 220/225 and carries with it an increase in fastball velocity from 90-91, sitting 87-88, to 96-97, sitting 93-94. You pair his ability to spin the ball (which also suggests he should be able to easily master a sweeper slider) with that type of fastball velo and a changeup he already has a feel for, and it’s an exciting profile.

He has a little more to go in terms of growing into that projectability than Kudrna, which is why he slots right behind him.
11. Alec Marsh, RHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Marsh missed a lot of 2021 to injury, but the hard-throwing righthander is another guy who could move quickly once the minor league season starts. He’s undeniably got the stuff of a quality major-league pitcher. The question is if he can master enough command to cash it in. This guy is a great example of TINSTAAPP.
12. Angel Zerpa, LHP, AAA Omaha
Zerpa might quickly outperform this slot. His stuff ticked up in 21 and he ended the season making a start in the majors. He’s nice depth to have, and honestly, I’m a big fan of just throwing numbers at pitching. Zerpa definitely helps create the depth you need to generate a top-notch and reliable home-grown rotation.
13. Maikel Garcia, SS, AA Northwest Arkansas
Garcia is a really intriguing hitter, a righthanded hitter who has a nice combination of contact skills and control of the strike zone (this cousin of Alcides Escobar is less savvy with the glove and more savvy at the plate). The Royals protected him for a reason (he’s on the 40-man).
14. Carter Jensen, C, A ??
Jensen is a local product whose bat will probably push him off C (as well as the Royals depth at that spot throughout the organization). This is a future 1B profile, and a nice one. He makes a lot of loud contact and shows an ability to lift the ball. Should be fun to watch this year.
15. Ben Hernandez, RHP, A+ Quad Rivers
Hernandez missed a good part of 2021 but still has that butterfly changeup and a classic pitcher’s profile. He’ll need to find a reliable swing-and-miss secondary to make it in the bigs, but if not, the fastball velocity and changeup should make him a quality high-leverage reliver.
16. Dylan Coleman, RHP, AAA Omaha
Speaking of relievers, Coleman is a hard-throwing righthander who probably spends most of 22 in the Royals’ pen. ½ of the compensation for the Rosenthal trade a few years back, Coleman has a big fastball and nasty breaking ball.
17. Will Klein, RHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Speaking of relivers, everything I just said about Coleman? Yeah, you can say it about Klein, too. Klein regularly toyed with hitters at high A last year, striking out 121 hitters in just 70 1/3 innings pitched. For those counting at home, that’s a 15.5 K/9 rate. Yep. That’ll play.
18. Anthony Veneziano, LHP, AA Northwest Arkansas
Here’s another big, power arm. Veneziano hasn’t been relegated to bullpen only yet, though. His fastball bumped into the high 90s last year on a starter’s workload. He’s still looking for a changeup, but if he doesn’t find it, you’re looking at a really promising future bullpen fireballer.
19. Erick Pena, OF, A ?
Pena did… not have a strong 2021 full season debut. His struggles look a lot like those of Pratto and Melendez in 2019. Pena has the same type of raw toolkit to work from as those two, with great hands and natural power. He needs to fix a hitch in his swing and calm it down, but so did Melendez. Of this second ten grouping, Pena has the highest upside and could jump right into the top 5 of the org ranks.
20. Darryl Collins, OF, A+
Collins is an international signing out of Europe. I like the hitting package here – good eye and contact skills. He needs to make more loud contact, but if he can, really a nice guy.

Overall takeaways:
This is a system with a lot of depth. We could go another 10-12 deep and still be talking about guys with a good shot to make the majors. The changes to the organization’s approach are bearing fruit, as even less-heralded draftees are stepping forward.

The combination of upside (Witt, Melendez, Lacy), depth, and guys you can dream on is fun. It may not produce quite as much as the 2011 group did, but it does offer a more sustainable system, less reliant on a few big-ticket guys.

[Archie Bunker]

Originally Posted by poolboy

am I the only one that doesnt get all the hype with Pratto?
can somebody mansplain it to me?

I’m a little leery of all the massive jumps last year but his in particular for some reason. I’m just trusting the people that have seen him more than the couple of times I’ve watched him in the minors. I know he was on the bust path not too long ago, so we’ll see. I don’t know why I have this fear of him being Mark Teahan, I just do.

[dallaschiefsfan]

Originally Posted by Archie Bunker

I’m a little leery of all the massive jumps last year but his in particular for some reason. I’m just trusting the people that have seen him more than the couple of times I’ve watched him in the minors. I know he was on the bust path not too long ago, so we’ll see. I don’t know why I have this fear of him being Mark Teahan, I just do.

He really just had one bad year in high A. If that year were in any way a pattern of a bust, he would not have dominated the upper minors like he did. If anything, he returned to form prior to high A. MLB is another thing entirely...so we will see if he can make that jump. His swing development last year was fun to see.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by poolboy

am I the only one that doesnt get all the hype with Pratto?
can somebody mansplain it to me?

If you have an Athletic sub, it's worth finding Alec Lewis' breakdown of the changes in the Royals hitting development process over the past 2 years. Basically, they changed everything about their hitting development process, and part of that was helping Pratto and Melendez completely change their swings and approaches.

He's an excellent-defending 1B, so you're plus defensively. Pair that with a good feel for the strike zone, an improved plan at the plate, good raw power and quick hands that allow him to make a lot of loud contact, and you have a very nice prospect.

[ChiefsCountry]

Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers. One of my current favorites.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by arrowheadnation

If you're a Sprint/Tmobile customer, you get MLB.tv for free. Just use a VPN and you can watch the Royals.

Also, time to dust this baby off. One of the best stadium give-away shirts ever.

I will buy your shirt, if it is a Large. Serious.

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by poolboy

am I the only one that doesnt get all the hype with Pratto?
can somebody mansplain it to me?

Hes a whiff king. Tons of strike outs. For some reason despite his athletic profile cant play any other position than 1B. Has the lowest hit tool out of any of our top prospects.

[WhawhaWhat]

Although the Royals signed starter Zack Greinke yesterday, they remain in pursuit of A’s RHP Frankie Montas, a source tells The Athletic.

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) March 17, 2022

[nychief]

Originally Posted by WhawhaWhat

Although the Royals signed starter Zack Greinke yesterday, they remain in pursuit of A’s RHP Frankie Montas, a source tells The Athletic.

— Alec Lewis (@alec_lewis) March 17, 2022

Bean will exact something painful for this.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by poolboy

am I the only one that doesnt get all the hype with Pratto?
can somebody mansplain it to me?

FG:


A swing and approach change unlocked huge in-game power for Pratto, who also has a good idea of the zone and is a great first base defender.

There were pro scouts who didn’t even consider Pratto a prospect after they watched him hit .190 and strike out 35% of the time in Wilmington in 2019. First basemen, even ones like Pratto with a bevy of secondary skills, don’t have the luxury of whiffing that often and still becoming big leaguers because the offensive bar at the position is too high. But Pratto has altered his swing (most notably, his stance is open and he has a leg kick now) and had a huge 2021 spring, so consistently punishing fastballs at the top of the zone with power during the co-op period between big league and minor league spring training that he was intentionally walked at one point in what is understood to be a non-competitive, developmental setting.

Pratto’s swing has bad intentions. He collapses his back side to create lift and just swings as hard as he can at fastballs he can pull, selling out for power. It’s very similar to Shohei Ohtani‘s swing mechanics, and this is a rare instance where we’re projecting a player to out-hit their raw power grade even though their hit tool grade is below average. Pratto has always had a good feel for the zone and his ability to pick out pitches he can drive is quite good, so we like his chances of continuing to tattoo fastballs at the top of the zone, though we also think he is still really vulnerable to back-foot breaking stuff and anything running away from him with this swing. He hit 36 homers between Double-A Northwest Arkansas and Triple-A Omaha in 2021 but also struck out in almost 30% of his plate appearances. There aren’t any first basemen who even strike out at least 25% of the time and still become what we would define as a 50 FV. Qualified first basement since 2015 with more than a 25% strikeout rate include Lucas Duda, Matt Adams, Chris Davis, Brandon Moss, Eric Thames 테임즈, Miguel Sanó, Mike Napoli, Pedro Alvarez — you get the idea.

We had internal disagreement about Pratto being on here (opponents wanted him 45’d), but there was overwhelming industry support for his inclusion because the damage he does when he makes contact is elite, described to us as among the top 5% in baseball. Pratto is an above-average hands and feet athlete at first base and he has a plus arm. He played three games in right field in 2021 and we think he has the feel and athleticism to play out there situationally, especially with so many corner thumpers occupying Royals 40-man and upper-level roster space. We’re hoping that because Pratto was already able to make huge, career-saving adjustments, that he’ll continue to do so and make enough contact to support an average everyday first base profile.

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Love having Zack Nebraska back. He may not be Cy Young anymore, but he's entertaining as HELL to watch. Love it!

Royals interviews just got interesting again....

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by gblowfish

Love having Zack Nebraska back. He may not be Cy Young anymore, but he's entertaining as HELL to watch. Love it!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KChiefs1]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Freddie Freeman to the Dodgers. One of my current favorites.

What a lineup they have now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tk13]

MLB Pipeline with their new top 100 and Bobby Witt is ranked as the #1 prospect in baseball.

Top �� time!

Led by a new No. 1, here's the 2022 Top 100 Prospects list: https://t.co/spbUFYgxbI pic.twitter.com/sBcHZ8zmMz

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 18, 2022

[Wilson8]

Dodger sign Danny Duffy

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/...agreement.html

[WhawhaWhat]

Look at this gorgeous lineup. pic.twitter.com/7KZRhhJ3pg

— Sam Mellinger (@mellinger) March 18, 2022