Back in November, MiLB.com named the KC Royals Organizational  All-Stars (one player at each position). As of now, only eight players are still in the organization.

First, lefty Brandon Sisk was traded to the LA Angels for Ervin Santana. Sisk was named the Royals top reliever. He pitched in 50 games with Triple-A Omaha and recorded a 2.54 ERA in 67.1 innings. He also struck out 73 batters. Over his final ten regular season appearances, Sisk allowed just one run in 17.1 innings. JJ Picollo, the Royals‘ assistant GM, said that opponents do not get good swings against him. Maybe he has a chance in LA?

Next was first baseman Clint Robinson, who was designated for assignment and then traded to Pittsburgh for two low minor leaguers. His 37 doubles and 79 walks were tops in the organization, despite having lesser offensive numbers than in 2011 (.292, 13 homeruns, and 67 RBIs). Picollo talked about how Robinson makes everyone around him in the lineup better. Who’s going to be THAT guy in 2013?

Jake Odorizzi with the Blue Rocks

Last week came the trade with Tampa Bay that sent Wil Myers, Jake Odorizzi, and Patrick Leonard to the Rays. Since Myers was the Royals Minor League Player of the Year, he was obviously named one of their top outfielders. He made mechanical adjustments to his swing, which increased his power (29 more homeruns than in 2011). And he did not sacrifice his average (he hit .314 in 2012). Myers is expected to be starting in the Rays outfield in 2013.

Odorizzi was the Royals top right-handed starter, as he won an organization-high of 15 games. In five Double-A starts, opponents hit just .191 against him. Overall, he had a 3.03 ERA and struck out 135 batters in 145.1 minor league innings. After the trade, Odorizzi stated that he plans on being ready to compete for one of the Rays rotation spots in 2013. He’ll just have to pitch down in the zone or he’ll continue to get beat by the long ball.

Leonard was the least touted of the Royals to be traded, but he was the best third baseman in the organization. In his first season of pro ball, he hit a homerun every 17 at-bats at rookie level Burlington (he led the Appalachian League with 14 homeruns). He is a big guy (6’4, 225) and the Royals were shocked with how good he is on defense. It’s too early to tell how Leonard will pan out, but maybe he will move Evan Longoria to first base sometime in the future.

So who is still left?

» Continue reading “Who’s Gone and Who’s Left in the Royals Organization?”

Really?

That was what I uttered when I heard the news. When I told my dad that the KC Royals acquired Santana, he was hoping I meant Johan from the NY Mets.

Ervin Santana during the 2011 season (Keith Allison/Flickr)

Instead…the Royals acquired Ervin Santana from the LA Angels (and some cash) for minor leaguer Brandon Sisk. I had been wondering why he hadn’t pitched over the last week in winter ball (now I know why).

It was rumored that the Angels were trying to get rid of both Santana and fellow rotation member Dan Haren before Wednesday was over because they didn’t want to have to pick up their exorbitant options.

Well, now the Royals will be paying him all that money ($13 million).

Apparently GM Dayton Moore thinks that Santana is a HUGE upgrade to their already awful rotation. REALLY? Then why have the Angels been trying to get rid of him the last two years?

The soon-to-be 30 year old has a career 96-80 record with a 4.33 ERA over eight seasons. He is a former All-Star and has thrown a no-hitter.

In 2012, Santana was a spectacular 9-13 with a 5.16 ERA. He allowed a league-high 39 homeruns. The silver lining is that, over his final ten starts, he was 5-2 with a 3.91 ERA for the playoff-pushing Angels.

I guess the Royals are looking for reclamation projects for pitching coach Dave Eiland (they also picked up Chris Volstad). I feel like the team is stocking up on pitchers who are alot like Luke Hochevar and that’s one too many

The one positive about the Santana signing is that he did have two good seasons with the Angels in 2010 (17-10 with a 3.92 ERA) and 2011 ( 11-12 with a 3.38 ERA). In those seasons, he had back-to-back 220 innings pitched. Can he return to that success? Who knows, but the Royals seem to think so.

The Royalsneed to make a 40-man roster move by Friday to make the deal official, as the roster is full. Three players are also on the 60-day DL (Danny Duffy, Felipe Paulino, and Blake Wood) and need to be added back to the roster.

Apparently, according to Moore, the Royals aren’t done wheeling-and-dealing:

“We’re not done,” Moore said. “We’re going to try to continue to upgrade our rotation through trades that make sense, continue to work internally to evaluate our young pitchers, perhaps one or two of our guys in the bullpen and we’re certainly going to explore free agency.”

*Sisk was 3-2 with a 2.54 ERA and eight saves in 50 appearances with Triple-A Omaha this season.

Two current KC Royals minor leaguers got into the winter league action last week. Both were pitchers.

Left-hander Antonio Cruz, who pitched with High-A Wilmington in 2012, has pitched in one game for Tigres del Licey in the Dominican Winter League. In that one game, he faced seven batters in one inning of work. Cruz allowed three runs on four hits while striking out one.

Jorge Bonifacio (right) with Cougars first base coach Julio Bruno via Craig Wieczorkiewicz/Midwest League Traveler

His teammate in the DWL with Licey is outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. He played in two games last week, but recorded just one at-bat. He went 1-for-1 and played the outfield.

The other pitcher to make his winter league debut last week was right-hander Juan Gutierrez. He pitched in two games for Leones del Caracas in the Venezuelan Winter League. Gutierrez pitched two innings and walked one while striking out three. He also picked up two holds.

Elsewhere in the VWL, Mario Lisson played two games in the outfield with Navegantes del Magallanes. He went just 1-for-7 and struck out twice. He also walked twice but committed an error. His teammate with Magallanes, lefty Brandon Sisk, pitched in two games last week. He picked up two holds in 1.2 innings. He did allow two runs on two hits while facing eight batters.

Catcher/first baseman Max Ramirez and pitcher Blaine Hardy are teammates with Bravos de Margarita. Ramirez played both positions in two games last week. He went 4-for-8 with a double and four runs scored. The left-handed Hardy pitched in just one game and pitched a perfect inning. He struck out one.

Moving on to the Mexican Pacific League, where the Royals have two farmhands participating in winter ball.

Utility guy Anthony Seratelli is currently playing for Venados de Mazatlan. He played three games in the outfield last week. He only went 1-for-8. However, Seratelli hit a double, walked twice, scored a run, drove in two runs, and sacrificed a runner over.

Right-handed pitcher Federico Castaneda is once again a member of Tomateros de Culiacan. He pitched in just one game last week. In his one inning of work, he walked one while striking out one and picked up a hold.

The Arizona Fall League isn’t the only winter league involving prospects and baseball players. The Caribbean Leagues and the Australian Baseball League have all either started or are about to start in the next month.

Outside of the eight KC Royals participating in the AFL, there are quite a few more scattered across the winter leagues.

The Venezuelan League opened on October 11th and the regular season ends on December 30th. The All-Star Game will be held on December 2nd. Mario Lisson has played in four games for Navegantes del Magallanes, both at first base and in the outfield. He is 3-for-12 with two walks, two strikeouts, and a run scored. His teammate, reliever Brandon Sisk, has made one appearance. He allowed a run on one hit over an inning of work. He walked one and picked up a hold.

Blaine Hardy has made two appearances for Bravos de Margarita. Over two innings, he has allowed one hit while striking out three. He even picked up a hold. His teammate in Margarita, Max Ramirez, has played in one game at first base. He went 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs scored.

The Mexican Pacific League opened on October 13th with the regular season ending on December 30th. Federico Castaneda is once again pitching for Tomateros de Culiacan. He has made one appearance totaling one perfect inning of relief. Anthony Seratelli is also playing in the MPL. The utility fielder has played in two games in the outfield and is 2-for-9 with a strikeout.

The Domincan Winter League began play on October 14th, with the All-Star Game taking place on December 11th. The regular season comes to an end on December 21st. Three Royals are playing in the DWL for Tigres del Licey, but only one has gotten into a game so far.

Outfielder Jorge Bonifacio pinch-hit and went 0-for-1. Pitchers Francisley Bueno and Michael Mariot have yet to appear in a game.

The ABL begins on November 1st and outfielder Carlo Testa will be a member of the Melbourne Aces. He was one of the first MLB-affiliated imports to join the ABL. For more on Testa joining the Aces, click HERE.

The Puerto Rican League begins on November 8th. Infielder Christian Colon will be making up at-bats (due to injury) with Leones de Ponce. Joining Colon in the PRL is reliever Ryan Dennick, though he will be pitching for Indios de Mayaguez.

The Caribbean Series begins on February 1, 2013 with the four Caribbean League champions facing off against each other. The championship will be held on February 7th.

Despite a vigorous comeback, Omaha lost to Memphis 7-5. They out-hit the Redbirds 16-10, but went just 5-for-16 with runners in scoring position.

Wil Myers hit his 6th homerun in Triple-A (one of his three hits), a two-run shot in the 9th inning. Irving Falu returned to Omaha and didn’t miss a beat. He led off and went 2-for-5.

After Jonathan Sanchez exited (2.2IP, 6H, 6R, 4BB, 3K, two HR allowed), the Storm Chasers bullpen held Memphis in check. Blaine Hardy allowed one run over 2.1 innings (he entered in the 3rd inning with the bases loaded but escaped). Jeremy Jeffress followed with three 1-hit innings. Brandon Sisk pitched a perfect inning of relief.

NW Arkansas scored most of their runs from the 5th to the 7th innings en route to  their 10-3 win. The Naturals hit three homeruns: Christian Colon‘s two-run shot in the 5th inning, Sharlon Schoop‘s solo homer in the 6th inning, and Carlo Testa‘s three-run shot in the 7th inning.

CC went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and Testa went 2-for-3.

Ryan Dennick picked up the win with 4.1 innings of relief. He allowed one run on three hits and a walk.

Frisco scored all three of their runs via solo homeruns, two from Mike Olt.

Wilmington couldn’t complete the sweep over Frederick, as they lost 6-2. They were hampered by errors (five), walks (five), and missed opportunities by the offense (which isn’t anything new). You can check out my live blog HERE. I hope to have pictures and some video of starter Leondy Perez and reliever Edwin Carl up on the Facebook page on Monday.

Kane County got a walk-off victory in the 10th inning over Peoria, 6-5. Lane Adams delivered the game-winning hit with an RBI single.

Kellen Moen pitched well (he left with the win), as he allowed just three runs on seven hits over seven innings. He struck out eight.

In the KC Royals first live broadcast on MLB Network, the pitching fell apart in their 6-2 loss to the Seattle Mariners in Peoria.

Aaron Crow started and lasted two batters into the 4th inning. It didn’t start out bad for Crow, as he got through the first two innings unscathed by throwing 23 pitches. However, in the 3rd inning, he started to lose his command (he needed 14 pitches to get through that inning). Manager Ned Yost let him take the mound in the 4th inning, but he allowed a single and a walk and his night was over.

In came lefty Brandon Sisk, who fell behind hitters. He threw 23 pitches, just 12 for strikes, while allowing both inherited runners to score.

The most impressive outing came next, as Jonathan Broxton made his Royals debut. He threw just nine pitches, eight for strikes. He struck out two of the three hitters he faced, while touching 96mph.

It got worse for the Royals in the 6th inning when Felipe Paulino entered. He labored through the inning, throwing 30 pitches and allowing four runs on three hits and two walks. Paulino did settle down after that, as he only allowed one more hit (though the outs were hit hard). He ended up throwing 45 pitches, 30 for strikes.

Mariners starter Kevin Millwood struggled through the first and second innings with his control (he walked three batters), but he was bailed out by a Jeff Francoeur inning-ending double play in the first inning (he would hit into another one in the 4th inning). Millwood settled down to pitch four one-hit innings.

Max Ramirez came in to catch in the 6th inning and base stealers went 1-for-2 against him. He also went 1-for-1 at the plate with the Royals lone RBI.

*The Royals hit into three double plays. They now have hit into 15 of them this spring.

**For more on the Mariners, check out Needle Ball.

A four-run 4th inning led the KC Royals to a road victory over the Colorado Rockies, 5-0.

Doug Kerr/Flickr

The Royals starters couldn’t muster anything against Rockies starter Drew Pomeranz over the first three innings. He did allow two hits and a walk, but poor base-running limited the Royals early (two players were picked off).

Josh Outman entered in the 4th inning and was lit up by the first batter he faced, Yuniesky Betancourt. Yuni homered to lead off the inning. Outman then allowed two straight hits and a Mike Moustakas RBI ground out. Lorenzo Cain followed with an RBI double and two batters later, Mitch Maier singled home Cain.

The Royals mustered just three more hits after that, one being another Max Ramirez homerun. He has to be the sexy pick right now to make the club out of spring training. So far, he has caught, DH’ed, and played first base.

To me, the story of the game was the Royals pitching. Felipe Paulino, who had been hampered a bit this spring, got into a bit of trouble in his two innings of work, but induced two double play ground outs to escape unscathed. Aaron Crow followed that up by allowing just one walk over two scoreless innings. That base-runner was erased via a DP ground out.

The next five Royals pitchers all pitched a scoreless inning of relief and all allowed a hit, except for lefty Brandon Sisk. He pitched a perfect inning of relief with a strikeout.

*There is something that has me a bit confused. Why is Johnny Giavotella coming off the bench? In the last two games, he has come on late in the game. That means he isn’t facing big league pitching. If the Royals want to see if he can really hit in the big leagues, he needs to regularly face big league pitching. What better way to get that than in spring training?

**Don’t forget that MLB Network will be airing the Royals edition of 30 Clubs in 30 Days tonight at 8pm ET. I will put a link to the video when it becomes available on the Facebook page.

Jose Mijares via John Sleezer/Kansas City Star

The uncertainty surrounding one of the newest KC Royals, lefty Jose Mijares is over. He has finally arrived in camp after dealing with family issues and visa problems. He showed up on Sunday and threw his first bullpen session of the spring.

Th difference between Mijares missing time and other pitchers missing time is that Mijares pitched deep into the winter ball season. He went 4-0 with a 2.80 ERA (11 games) in the Venezuelan Winter League regular season (not counting the postseason into January).

In looking at the left-handed bullpen options, it starts with Mijares. The Royals signed him this offseason to be the situational lefty out of the pen. He held that role in Minnesota the last three seasons and the Royals should be familiar with him.

Last season with the Twins, he had a down year. He allowed more hits (53) than innings pitched (49). He walked the same amount as he struck out (30-30). That’s a ton of baserunners. Mijares is out of options but I’m thinking that the $900,000+ contract he signed will get him a spot on the Opening Day roster.

» Continue reading “Royals Bullpen Candidates: the Lefties”

KC Royals pitchers and catchers report to Surprise, Arizona, by Monday, February 20th with the official workout beginning the next day. The Royals are a tough roster to crack with all of their youth. They have 17 non-roster invitees coming to big league camp with only a few roster spots open. Some will be in big league camp for the very first time.

The Royals used to have a plethora of young left-handed pitchers coming up through their minor league system. In 1995, the Wilmington Blue Rocks starting staff was led by three lefties: Jose Rosado, Glendon Rusch, and Tim Byrdak. However they have yet to truly develop a lefty into a long-time, big league pitcher.

There was a bit of a lull of lefties in the system with guys like Jeremy Affeldt and Chris George. Now the Royals system is stocked with lefties.

The Royals have two left-handers guaranteed spots in the rotation (Jonathan Sanchez and Bruce Chen), with the two other spots expecting to go to right-handers Luke Hochevar and Felipe Paulino. That leaves one rotation spot open to competition in spring training. The Royals need to decide if they want to carry three left-handed starters or just make a decision on who pitches best this March.

Lefties Danny Duffy and Everett Teaford, who are on the 40-man roster and spent much of 2011 in the big leagues, are competing for that open spot. The Royals have four left-handed starters coming to camp as non-roster invitees.

Via Greg Schaum of Royals Prospects on shutterfly

Mike Montgomery could be the wild card. He had such a good showing in spring training last year that the Royals considered including him on the Opening Day roster. Instead, they decided he was better off getting more time in Triple-A. It was a good decision because he was terrible in Omaha and would like to quickly move on. Moving on starts with spring training and another good showing this spring could see Montgomery heading to Anaheim for Opening Day.

Will Smith may be the long shot, as he spent the entire 2011 season in Double-A. He was the NW Arkansas Naturals Pitcher of the Year after a dominant showing there (13-9 with a 3.85 ERA in 161.1 innings. He struck out 108 compared to 45 walks). It was especially dominant considering the Texas League is a hitter’s league. 2012 will be his second straight big league camp with the Royals, so he knows what to expect. He also impressed last spring, as manager Ned Yost compared his composure to that of a ten-year veteran.

» Continue reading “Royals Non-Roster Invitee Breakdown: Left-Handed Pitchers”

When I wrote my last KC Royals Winter League update, I wondered if outfielder Jarrod Dyson was hurt. He wasn’t playing much and after not getting many at-bats in the big leagues before being sent back to the minors, I thought winter ball would be good for him. Turns out, he crashed into a wall while playing in the Venezuelan Winter League for Leones del Caracas and has been shut down. He returned to KC and tests revealed he has a contusion and slight strain of his right shoulder. Dyson is going to be okay but it will take a few weeks to heal.

First, let me update you on the Venezuelan Winter League. Magallanes continues to stay in first place with an 11-4 record, 1.5 games ahead of both La Guaira and Caribes (10-6). Margarita sits in last place with a 5-12 record.

Not sure if Lorenzo Cain and Mario Lisson went home, but neither played this week for Magallanes. Zeke Carrera of the Cleveland Indians is Magallanes’ new centerfielder. William Avinazar did not pitch this week for La Guaira.

The only Royal to play this week was catcher Manny Pina. He came into Margarita’s game late for defense on October 25h, as it has been hard to get playing time behind veteran Henry Blanco. He did however pick Gorkys Hernandez (Pittsburgh Pirates) off second base. He again came on late in the game on October 26th, but did get an at-bat (he struck out) in their 10-3 loss. Pina started in his only game of the week on October 28th, as he went 1-for-4 with a run scored in Margarita’s 5-4 win in extra innings. He came in late in his final game of the week on October 29th, as he walked in his only plate appearance.

» Continue reading “Royals Winter League Update”