***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.

[tk13]

Montas would be legit. Probably going to have to give up something that hurts given so many teams seem to be in on him.

[Wilson8]

Why would the A's trade Frank Montas and what would the Royals have to give up?

Frank Montas - 32 game starts, 187 innings, 3.37 ERA, 207 SO

Seems like the price might be very high to get him in a trade.

[tk13]

Originally Posted by Wilson8

Why would the A's trade Frank Montas and what would the Royals have to give up?

Frank Montas - 32 game starts, 187 innings, 3.37 ERA, 207 SO

Seems like the price might be very high to get him in a trade.

A's are unloading guys. They just traded their star 1B/3B duo away so they aren't competing this year and Montas only has a couple years left. It sounds like multiple teams want Montas so the price probably will be very high. This would likely be the James Shields type move where we overpay with top prospects to get a legit ace to put in front of Keller and 3 of the other young guys. Maybe whoever's left after the trade.

[dlphg9]

Gonna be pissed to trade a top prospect for a pitcher that has had 1 great season, when we have a ton of pitching prospects that may turn out great.

If we give up a Melendez, Vinnie, or Pratto I'll be pissed.

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

The Royals good with their roster? Not gonna make any moves at all?

Apparently they just needed you to make this post . . . . . . .

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by dlphg9

Gonna be pissed to trade a top prospect for a pitcher that has had 1 great season, when we have a ton of pitching prospects that may turn out great.

If we give up a Melendez, Vinnie, or Pratto I'll be pissed.

Well, then prepare to be pissed off.

If they trade for Montas, one of Vinnie or Pratto will DEFINITELY be included. No reason to keep them both as they both project at 1B. And the A's just traded away their stud first baseman.

It will likely be one of those two, a high end pitching prospect and another mid range prospect. That would be my guess anyway.

[duncan_idaho]

Originally Posted by TomBarndtsTwin

Well, then prepare to be pissed off.

If they trade for Montas, one of Vinnie or Pratto will DEFINITELY be included. No reason to keep them both as they both project at 1B. And the A's just traded away their stud first baseman.

It will likely be one of those two, a high end pitching prospect and another mid range prospect. That would be my guess anyway.

Not saying they won't do a trade with a big piece in it, but top 100 prospects barely exchange hands these days, even if the player the other team is getting is Mookie freaking Betts.

I'd be surprised to see Melendez or Pratto exchanged for 2 years of Montas. Pasquatino is about the highest price I could see paid.

And I would think it is more likely KC deals from its farm's deepest pools - MI and P - before hitting its position prospect pool.

[SithCeNtZ]

Originally Posted by tk13

A's are unloading guys. They just traded their star 1B/3B duo away so they aren't competing this year and Montas only has a couple years left. It sounds like multiple teams want Montas so the price probably will be very high. This would likely be the James Shields type move where we overpay with top prospects to get a legit ace to put in front of Keller and 3 of the other young guys. Maybe whoever's left after the trade.

What’s depressing about this is it is basically admitting that the “ignore drafting bats and take pitchers at every early pick” has completely failed. If we have to go throwing away prospects for a guy who isn’t an ace level pitcher, then it’s a pretty big indictment of how the Royals must view their talent.

[Titty Meat]

Not Royals related but pretty funny

https://twitter.com/Local12Skinny/st...x-c3OjRPQ&s=19

[TomBarndtsTwin]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

Not saying they won't do a trade with a big piece in it, but top 100 prospects barely exchange hands these days, even if the player the other team is getting is Mookie freaking Betts.

I'd be surprised to see Melendez or Pratto exchanged for 2 years of Montas. Pasquatino is about the highest price I could see paid.

And I would think it is more likely KC deals from its farm's deepest pools - MI and P - before hitting its position prospect pool.

IF the Royals were to acquire Montas from the A's, I just can't see any way that deal gets done w/o including one of those two (likely Vinnie), since we know how Dayton feels about defense at 1B.

And 2 years of Montas is still better than anything the Royals have on this starting staff right NOW. Obviously, they have more talented pitchers that may take the 'next step', but until they do that . . . . .

[Wilson8]

The Montas story from mlbtraderumors.com -

The Royals, who just trimmed more than $7MM in payroll in their surprising Mike Minor trade, are among the teams pursuing Athletics right-hander Frankie Montas, tweets Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. If Montas goes elsewhere, Rosenthal adds that the Royals still hope to add a veteran right-handed starter with some of their newfound payroll space.

Montas is among the most popular players remaining on the trade market, having been linked in recent days to the Twins, White Sox, Yankees and now the Royals. Other clubs are surely working diligently to pry the soon-to-be 29-year-old righty away from Oakland.

That’s hardly a surprise, given the Athletics’ clear willingness to trade veterans and the strong year Montas put together in 2021. Last year, the hard-throwing righty tossed 187 innings of 3.37 ERA ball while notching a strong 26.6% strikeout rate against a 7.3% walk rate. Projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz to earn $5.2MM this coming season, Montas is controlled via arbitration through the 2023 campaign.

The Royals, as currently constructed, would be heavily reliant on a collection of talented but largely unproven young starters in a season where they hope to return to competitive status within a relatively weak AL Central division. Brad Keller is the team’s most veteran starter now that Minor has been moved, but he’s in need of a rebound after a career-worst performance in 2021. Brady Singer, Daniel Lynch, Carlos Hernandez, Kris Bubic, Jackson Kowar and Jonathan Heasley will all be in the mix for rotation opportunities, but of that group, only Singer has had much in the way of sustained MLB success — and even he is looking to rebound after something of a sophomore slump.

Kansas City, heartened by the looming debuts of ballyhooed prospects like Bobby Witt Jr., Nick Pratto, MJ Melendez and others, hope that the strength of their young core can help lift them in the standings. Acquiring Montas would substantially boost their chances of doing so, although the mere fact that they’re in pursuit of him serves as further indication that in spite of a mostly quiet offseason, the organization believes the window to compete is opening.

https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2022/...ie-montas.html

[Bronco_buster2]

Originally Posted by SithCeNtZ

What’s depressing about this is it is basically admitting that the “ignore drafting bats and take pitchers at every early pick” has completely failed. If we have to go throwing away prospects for a guy who isn’t an ace level pitcher, then it’s a pretty big indictment of how the Royals must view their talent.

If they got Montas, I don't think it signals at all how they feel about their young arms. KC views themselves a team that should compete this year and they're going to need those young guys to get that done. We are squeezing 162 games into shorter time frame than usual, so they're going to need 7 or 8 arms to do so. That's going to take Keller, Singer, Kowar, Lynch, Carlos, and Bubic, plus a solid veteran SP that's more consistent than Minor was.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by kstater

We cut the cord this winter. What are my options? We have YouTube TV. I know they were talking about a bally streaming, but haven't heard anything but rumors of high price point.

Sent from my Pixel 4 using Tapatalk

DirectTV Stream is the streaming option. Its about $20 more than YouTube TV but you get the Royals games.

[ChiefsCountry]

Originally Posted by SithCeNtZ

What’s depressing about this is it is basically admitting that the “ignore drafting bats and take pitchers at every early pick” has completely failed. If we have to go throwing away prospects for a guy who isn’t an ace level pitcher, then it’s a pretty big indictment of how the Royals must view their talent.

No it doesn't.

[blake5676]

Back to where it started! Royals in agreement with free-agent RHP Zack Greinke, pending physical, sources tell @TheAthletic.

— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) March 16, 2022