***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.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Who cares what they say? Have they provided any evidence ? No they have not. Relying on what fans think is a poor analysis. Our fans hated Yost for years and complained loudest about his pen management. Then for two years he had the most ferocious pen ever and suddenly he was a genius on that front.

Literally YEARS of it. Often directly at you when you wander over to the Cardinals thread.

The study demonstrating that a random number generator would've yielded better bullpen management than Matheny. The demonstrations of how immediately the teams defensive runs saved and baserunning runs scored improved when he was jettisoned.

The quotes provided from members of the team demonstrating fissures in the clubhouse due to Matheny playing favorite.

Yes, there's been plenty of evidence. You just plugged your ears to it and, in typical Matheny fashion, just figured that hoping harder would get the job done.

But hey - enjoy him. He's clearly great at this.

You sound like that idiot Cubs fan that was telling Cardinals fans they were biased and not to be trusted when they signed Heyward. I mean hell, what would we know? We only saw it firsthand...

Just keep telling yourself that it was those mean ol' unreasonable Cardinals fans that unfairly besmirched Mikey Dreamboat. Surely he's not just awful at his job.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by duncan_idaho

I don't need them to provide proof. I remember it and can provide it.

Oscar Taveras struggled because Matheny handled him poorly, continually giving playing time to crappy veterans instead of Taveras. Same with Kolten Wong.

Statistical analysis of Matheny's bullpen management by third parties revealed it was so bad, he'd be better off selecting names at random.

Multiple bullpen arms got overused, then had their velocity dip, then blew out their elbows (what Scott Barlow is headed towards).

His teams led the league in outs on the basepaths through over-aggressive running consistently in St. Louis.

Mike Matheny did, does, and always will suck.

Ah, beat me to it.

Yeah, the best thing that can happen for a Royals pitcher is to avoid Matheny's circle of trust. Watching him use Barlow for 2 innings on opening day gave me flashbacks to...well, pick a guy really. But I will always maintain that the best example was Jordan Walden.

From April 10 to April 24 he appeared in 10 games. So for the first 2 weeks of the season he was pitching 5 times/wk.

Would you be surprised to learn that he pitched 1 more game and then never again after that?

Relievers are inherently volatile and injury prone, don't get me wrong. I don't hold him responsible for all of their injuries. But watching him grind Kevin Siegrist into a fine powder or seeing Matt Bowman get the call and pitch so obviously in pain that he probably should've tried throwing lefty - the guy's just an idiot.

[DJ's left nut]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Royals had a bunch of warning track fence shots this past weekend from the young guns at Kauffman. They put up that FOX trax box that says that would be a home run in 29 out of 30 or 27 out of 30 or 28 out of 30.

Yeah, it's tough.

I follow 'woulditdong' on Twitter and it tells you anytime there's a barrel and how many stadiums it would've gone out of.

I've seen several "29 out of 30s" hit that feed that say Kaufmann is the exception.

[sedated]

Originally Posted by Prison Bitch

Our fans hated Yost for years and complained loudest about his pen management. Then for two years he had the most ferocious pen ever and suddenly he was a genius on that front.

I still contend that those teams were Yost-proof. Can't make pen decisions? Pack it with amazing arms. Can't set a lineup? Give him a lineup that is 1-9 (and the fool still had Escobar at the top every damn day).

[BWillie]

Originally Posted by sedated

I still contend that those teams were Yost-proof. Can't make pen decisions? Pack it with amazing arms. Can't set a lineup? Give him a lineup that is 1-9 (and the fool still had Escobar at the top every damn day).

Absolutely. Ned was horrible. Tactically and strategically worse than Matheny as far as in game decisions. Mathenys is more of a systemic problem and he wears your team out so arguably worse overall still. At least Yost knew the personalities and how to develop players.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by DJ's left nut

Literally YEARS of it. Often directly at you when you wander over to the Cardinals thread.

The study demonstrating that a random number generator would've yielded better bullpen management than Matheny. The demonstrations of how immediately the teams defensive runs saved and baserunning runs scored improved when he was jettisoned.

The quotes provided from members of the team demonstrating fissures in the clubhouse due to Matheny playing favorite.

Yes, there's been plenty of evidence. You just plugged your ears to it and, in typical Matheny fashion, just figured that hoping harder would get the job done.

But hey - enjoy him. He's clearly great at this.

You sound like that idiot Cubs fan that was telling Cardinals fans they were biased and not to be trusted when they signed Heyward. I mean hell, what would we know? We only saw it firsthand...

Just keep telling yourself that it was those mean ol' unreasonable Cardinals fans that unfairly besmirched Mikey Dreamboat. Surely he's not just awful at his job.

Good one. I’ve never expressed any opinion on Matheny.

[Prison Bitch]

Originally Posted by sedated

I still contend that those teams were Yost-proof. Can't make pen decisions? Pack it with amazing arms. Can't set a lineup? Give him a lineup that is 1-9 (and the fool still had Escobar at the top every damn day).

And I can’t disagree. Your thesis is hard to counter. In 2014 the Big 3 had the identical line to Kershaw that year. Only, Yost could plug + play them any game he wanted to, back to back in a doubleheader even. That’s a crazy advantage. When they were kaput, he went back to losing 90+

There is much debate on what value a manager really has. I’m of the Billy Beane camp, who said they’re essentially production line managers. The “head of HR” (ie GM) is the root cause of everything

[Demonpenz]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Royals had a bunch of warning track fence shots this past weekend from the young guns at Kauffman. They put up that FOX trax box that says that would be a home run in 29 out of 30 or 27 out of 30 or 28 out of 30.

Would it dong is a nice twitter handle to follow.

[ChiefsCountry]

MJ with a no doubter

[ChiTown]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

MJ with a no doubter

That was pure.

[petegz28]

Someone please explain to our pitchers that walks are not good.....this is getting to be ****ing ridiculous.

[petegz28]

Walks the bases loaded and we wonder how we keep blowing leads????

[petegz28]

Nice, literally just gave them a run to tie the game. In 4 batters no one has had to put the ball into play and they tie the game.......lovely

[ChiefsCountry]

Arizona put turf down because the grass kept dying but they chose turf that looks like its dying grass

[petegz28]

Originally Posted by ChiefsCountry

Arizona put turf down because the grass kept dying but they chose turf that looks like its dying grass

Their field is ass. I have been there a few times and it is ass. So is their football field.