This was my toughest decision among all of the KC Royals end of season awards. It was so hard that I could not chose the Minor League Pitcher of the Year and am leaving the decision up to YOU.

Pitching carried High-A Wilmington into the postseason in 2012 and I had a chance to see all three of the following candidates pitch at least once.

Yordano Ventura is the rail-thin fireballer, who was not only a Carolina League All-Star but also a Futures Game starter. He started the game at Kauffman Stadium for the World. In Wilmington, opponents hit just .229 against him and he struck out 98 in 76.1 innings. He struggled with walks and high pitch counts upon his promotion to Double-A, as he lasted more than 5.2 innings once in six starts there.

Sugar Ray Marimon (screen capped from the WBC game on MLB Network)

Sugar Ray Marimon joined Ventura as a Carolina League All-Star and surprised many with his performance in 2012. He was part of a piggyback combination for much of his time in Wilmington, but still struck out 60 in 68 innings. He also carried a 2.12 ERA to Double-A, where he also struggled. He walked 29 in 66.2 innings and opponents hit .264 against him. Marimon did shine in his one start for Columbia in the World Baseball Classic Qualifier (one run in five innings of work to earn the victory).

Jason Adam spent the entire season in Wilmington and dominated at the beginning and at the end (though he struggled to record victories due to a lack of run support). He was a workhorse, as his 158 innings attest. In his final start (a postseason win), Adam pitched one batter into the 8th inning. In the end, he allowed two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out four.

There are two surprises to this list. Let’s start with lefty Justin Marks, who finished a successful 2012 season with a solid run in the Arizona Fall League. He was the lone Royal to be named to the AFL All-Prospect Team. His performance this past season also earned him a spot on the Royals 40-man roster.

Marks made 17 starts in Double-A and carried a 3.08 ERA. Despite missing some time due to injury, he was promoted to Triple-A to make one start prior to the postseason (which was disastrous). In the AFL, he was 5-1 with a 2.59 ERA in seven starts. He struck out 22 in 24.1 innings and walked just five. Left-handed hitters hit just .160 against him.

» Continue reading “RBA Minor League Pitcher(s) of the Year”

The KC Royals designated SEVEN players for assignment on Tuesday. Yup, you read it right, seven.

First, it was catcher Adam Moore, who was a September callup in 2012 and caught Jake Odorizzi while he was up.

Then it was the slew of six that followed.

Brayan Pena was the one that shocked me the most. He had done well in his tenure with the Royals and proved to be a solid hitter and back up catcher. Now I’m curious as to who will back up Salvador Perez in 2013. Will it be Brett Hayes, who hasn’t done much of anything as a back up with the Marlins? The Royals avoided arbitration with Hayes and he signed a $600,000 contract.

They designated pitchers Vin Mazzaro, Chris Volstad, and Ryan Verdugo. They had just picked up Volstad off waivers. Mazzaro had the infamous 12 run game in 2011. Verdugo came over with Jonathan Sanchez last spring from the SF Giants.

First baseman/DH Clint Robinson along with speedy outfielder Derrick Robinson was also designated. Both Robinson’s are interesting cases. Clint had the chance to take over for either Billy Butler or Eric Hosmer if either were traded. He has always hit and if he does clear waivers, he will be eligible for the Rule V draft. Derrick had a solid 2012 season and has always been a stolen base threat. He just struggles with reaching first base.

It is expected that Pena and Volstad will be non tendered, as both are eligible for arbitration. The others could go in the Rule V draft.

So what did the Royals do with all that free roster space? They filled it immediately. They added players that they may have lost in the upcoming Rule V draft.

They added lefty John Lamb, who is coming back from Tommy John surgery, along with fellow lefty Mike Montgomery (who I would have left unprotected and let another team deal with his inconsistencies).

Other left-handed pitchers that the Royals added to their 40 man roster are Donnie Joseph (who they received from Cincinnati for Jonathan Broxton), Chris Dwyer (who had a disastrous 2012), and Justin Marks (who pitched well in the Arizona Fall League and was one of only a few Royals pitchers in the upper levels to pitch well).

The lone right-handed pitcher they protected was Juan Gutierrez, who is dominating in winter ball. They also did not add any position players.

All of those moves filled the Royals roster. They now have 25 pitchers on their roster, but just two catchers.

The Arizona Fall League came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as Peoria beat Salt River, 4-3 in a protested game.

The Surprise Saguaros, and the KC Royals contingent, came in second place in the West Division at 17-14.

Let’s recap the four games in the AFL’s final week.

The Saguaros won their first two games of the week, starting with Monday. Malcom Culver picked up his first hold of the AFL season with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed one hit and induced five ground outs. He threw 11 of his 17 pitches for strikes.

In that game, Brian Fletcher played left field and batted fifth. He went 1-for-3 with a triple and an RBI. He also walked, but was picked off first base.

On Tuesday, Surprise picked up their second win in a row. Whit Merrifield played second base and batted second. He went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs. He also walked and stole a base.

Justin Marks picked up his first and only loss of the AFL season on Wednesday. He pitched well, but the Surprise offense collected just two hits. Marks allowed two runs on five hits over four innings. He struck out six while throwing 53 of his 78 pitches for strikes. Nick Ahmed of Atlanta picked up two triples off him.

Edwin Carl was roughed up in his final AFL outing. He allowed three runs on four hits over just 1.2 innings. He struck out one and threw 19 of his 26 pitches for strikes. Jon Keck entered in relief of Carl and needed just three pitches to escape the jam.

On offense, Fletcher was back in left field but moved down to the sixth spot in the order. He went 0-for-2 with two walks and a strikeout. Orlando Calixte played shortstop and batted ninth. He went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

The Saguaros lost their final game of their AFL season on Thursday. Merrifield played left field and surprisingly batted third. He went 3-for-5 with a two-run homerun. He also walked twice. His two-run homer cut the deficit to 5-3 in the 7th inning. Calixte pinch-ran in the 8th inning for the DH.

Here are the Royals final AFL stats:

Calixte: .275 (11-for-40), HR, five runs scored, 2RBIs, 2BB, 14K, SB

Carl: 0-1, 2.77 ERA, 13IP, 9H, 6R, 4ER, 2HR, 3BB, 8K

Culver: 0-1, 6.35 ERA, 5.2IP, 6H, 4R, 2HR, 0BB, 3K

Fletcher: .203 (14-for-69), four doubles, one triple, HR, nine runs scored, 9 RBIs, 17BB, 24K

Keck: 0-0, 5.59 ERA, 9.2IP, 15H, 9R, 6ER, 5BB, 7K

Marks: 5-1, 2.59 ERA, 24.1IP, 24H, 10R, 7ER, OHR, 5BB, 22K

McClure (did not play this past week): .216 (8-for-37), two doubles, 7 runs scored, 4RBIs, 2BB, 11K, 2SB, CS

Merrifield: .250 (17-for-68), one double, HR, 15 runs scored, 8RBIs, 10BB, 8K, 9SB, CS

The Surprise Saguaros went 3-3 last week, but fell to 1.5 games back of first place in the West Division of the Arizona Fall League. Unfortunately, they do not play first place Peoria in their final four games. The AFL Championship Game is Saturday afternoon (live on MLB Network).

The KC Royals contingent of players had a fairly good week.

In Monday’s loss, Brian Fletcher played left field and batted sixth. He went 1-for-2 with two walks (and no strikeouts). Whit Merrifield was the DH and batted 7th. He went 0-for-4 and grounded into a double play.

In Tuesday’s win, the Saguaros received solid pitching from a Royals duo. Jon Keck pitched two scoreless innings of relief. He did allow two hits but did not walk a batter. Edwin Carl followed and pitched a perfect inning of relief.

On offense, Fletcher was the DH and batted fifth. He went 1-for-5. Alex McClure played shortstop and batted ninth. He went 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

In Wednesday’s loss, Merrifield played left field and batted second. He went 0-for-3 with two walks and a strikeout. He was caught stealing for the first time in the AFL. Calixte played shortstop and batted ninth. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, an RBI, and a stolen base. He struck out once.

Malcom Culver had a tough outing. He allowed two runs on two hits and two walks in one inning of work. He had a strikeout. He threw just 19 of his 31 pitches for strikes.

On Thursday, Justin Marks improved to 5-0 (tops in the AFL). He allowed one run on four hits over four innings of work. He struck out three. Marks threw 35 of his 55 pitches for strikes.

On offense, Fletcher played left field and batted fourth. He went 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Both RBIs came with two outs. Merrifield entered late in the game as an injury replacement for St.Louis’ Kolten Wong. He went 0-for-1 with a strikeout.

In Surprise’s win on Friday night, Fletcher went 1-for-5 with a double and an RBI as the DH. McClure went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the nine hole.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 5 Update”

It was a shorter week in the Arizona Fall League, with the Rising Stars Game taking place on Saturday night. Surprise went 3-2 during the week and are a 1/2 game back of first place in the West Division.

It was a fairly good week for the KC Royals players with the Saguaros.

Jon Keck with the Wilmington Blue Rocks during the 2012 season.

The Saguaros won their third game in a row on Monday, as Jon Keck picked up a hold. He struck out one over one inning of work and threw eight of his 12 pitches for strikes. Brian Fletcher played left field and batted fifth, but went 0-for-3. He did walk and drive in a run, but also struck out.

On Tuesday, the Saguaros winning streak came to an end, as Malcom Culver took the loss (he also got the blown save). In 2/3 of an inning, he allowed two runs on three hits. The runs scored on Kent Matthes two-run homerun in the 8th inning. In terms of pitches, he threw nine of his 13 pitches for strikes. Prior to that inning, Edwin Carl allowed one hit in an inning of work while striking out one. He threw ten of his 15 pitches for strikes.

Whit Merrifield batted seventh and played left field, but went 0-for-4. Alex McClure batted ninth and played shortstop. He went 1-for-3 with a run scored.

On Wednesday, Surprise got back into the win column. Orlando Calixte batted ninth and played shortstop. He went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored. Unfortunately, he committed two errors. Fletcher was back in left field and batted fourth, but he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.

On Thursday, the Saguaros won their second game in a row behind the now 4-0 Justin Marks. He allowed one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out three and threw 29 of his 45 pitches for strikes. Keck picked up his second hold of the week with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two. He threw 26 of his 36 pitches for strikes.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 4 Update”

The KC Royals contingent in the Arizona Fall League helped the Surprise Saguaros go 3-3 last week. Overall, the Saguaros are 9-7, 1.5 games back of first place in the West Division.

In Monday’s loss, Jon Keck pitched an inning of relief. Surprisingly, it was a good inning. He allowed one hit while striking out one during the scoreless inning. Keck threw 15 pitches, nine for strikes.

On offense, Brian Fletcher batted seventh and went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. He played left field. Whit Merrifield was a late inning replacement in centerfield and went 0-for-1.

In Tuesday’s ten-inning victory, Fletcher went 1-for-3 with a two walks, a run scored, and an RBI. He did strike out again. Alex McClure was back at shortstop and went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, an RBI, and two stolen bases. Unfortunately, he also struck out twice.

Edwin Carl was the reason the game went into extra innings, as he picked up the blown save. He allowed a homerun to Washington Nationals prospect Matt Skole in the 7th inning. In one inning, he allowed two runs (none earned) on one hit while striking out one.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 3 Update”

The Surprise Saguaros went 4-1-1 (yes, a tie) during Week 2 of the Arizona Fall League. The KC Royals contingent were a big reason for their winning ways.

It all started on Monday, as Justin Marks picked up his first AFL victory. He allowed just one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out three and threw 28 of his 48 pitches for strikes.

In the first inning, Whit Merrifield singled, stole second base, and then scored on a single. He went 2-for-3 as the DH and batted leadoff. Brian Fletcher batted third and played left field, but went 0-for-3. He walked, struck out, and scored a run.

Edwin Carl pitched in relief and threw 16 of his 25 pitches for strikes. He allowed one hit and a walk over two scoreless innings. He struck out one.

In Tuesday’s win, Merrifield didn’t start, but went in to play second base. He went 1-for-2. Fletcher batted third again, but was the DH. The results were the same, as he went 0-for-4. He walked twice and scored two runs, but struck out three times.

Alex McClure played in his first game of the week and batted ninth. The shortstop went 2-for-5 with two doubles, two runs scored, two RBIs, and two strikeouts.

In Surprise’s fourth win in a row, Orlando Calixte played shortstop and batted eighth. He went 2-for-4, but struck out twice. Merrifield was back in left field and batted second. He went 0-for-3 with two walks, a run scored, an RBI, and a stolen base.

Jon Keck made his first and only relief appearance of the week and it wasn’t a good one. He record the first out of the inning on a ground out, but he then proceeded to walk the next four batters. Keck allowed two runs and only threw eight of his 24 pitches for strikes.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 2 Update”

The first week of the Arizona Fall League is complete and the KC Royals contingent with the Surprise Saguaros have started off alright. The Saguaros went just 2-3.

The premium player of the eight Royals is outfielder Brian Fletcher, which guarantees him prime playing time. He played in three of the Saguaros’ five games during the first week.

On Opening Day, he started in left field and went 1-for-2 with an RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. In the third game, Fletcher was the DH and went 1-for-5. The alarming stat was his four strikeouts. The following day, he was back in left field and went 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and a walk.

In three games, Fletcher is 3-for-10 with five strikeouts.

In the second game for Surprise, three Royals made up their infield. Whit Merrifield led off and played second base. He went 1-for-3 with with two walks and two runs scored. Alex McClure started at shortstop and went 1-for-3 with a strikeout. Orlando Calixte started at third base (more on him later).

Unfortunately, both Merrifield and McClure committed errors. Merrifield‘s cost the Saguaros three runs. Those three runs were charged to Jon Keck, who allowed four hits and those runs over just 2/3 of an inning. It all happened with two outs and nobody on base.

» Continue reading “Royals in the AFL Week 1 Update”

Six of the eight KC Royals participating in the 20th anniversary season of the Arizona Fall League got into action over the first two days.

Justin Marks started for the Surprise Saguaros on Opening Day. He pitched well, despite the poor strike to ball ratio (16 strikes, 18 balls). Marks did not allow a hit over the first three innings. He walked two while striking out two. However, the three Boston Red Sox relievers (Brock Huntzinger, Chris Martin, and Ryan Pressly) who followed him combined to allow five runs on nine hits in the loss.

Brian Fletcher started in left field and batted third in the order for the Saguaros. He went 1-for-2 with a walk, a strikeout, and an RBI.

In Surprise’s 8-4 victory on Wednesday, three Royals were in the starting infield. Whit Merrifield led off and played second base. He went 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two walks. He also stole a base. His double-play partner was once again Alex McClure, who batted eighth and went 1-for-3 with a strikeout.

Orlando Calixte played third base and batted seventh. He went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a strikeout.

Unfortunately, both Merrifield and McClure made errors. Merrifield‘s came with two outs in the 7th inning and led to three unearned runs. Those runs were charged to Jon Keck. He got two quick outs (a strikeout and a ground out) before the flood gates opened. After the error, Keck allowed four straight hits (three singles and a double) before being pulled. He threw 28 pitches, 13 for strikes.

So after two games, Surprise is 1-1 against Peoria. The Saguaros are back in actin on Thursday at home against Mesa.

The 20th Anniversary season of the Arizona Fall League begins today. The KC Royals have a contingent of eight players on the Surprise Saguaros team made up of prospects from the Boston Red Sox, NY Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers.

Problem is, only two of the eight Royals are actually considered “prospects”. Maybe someone will impress enough to emerge as a prospect?

The first games of the 2012 AFL season begins soon (12:35pm MST), as Scottsdale visits Phoenix and Surprise visits Peoria. Surprise plays Peoria again on Wednesday for their first home game.

Let’s take a look at the Royals‘ participants:

Left-hander Justin Marks will be getting the start for Surprise on Opening Day. He had a very good 2012 season, in which he earned a late season promotion to Triple-A Omaha to help in their playoff chase. He was a Texas League All-Star, but an injury kept him from participating.

Marks made one regular season start for the Storm Chaasers (which lasted just 1.2 innings) and one playoff start in the divisional series. He pitched 4.1 innings in which he allowed three earned runs on five hits in the clincher.

» Continue reading “The AFL Begins Today”