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?”

Why must the KC Royals make big moves later at night and not during the winter meetings?

According to the bottom line on MLB Network, Royals have traded top prospect Wil Myers (and others) to the TB Rays for James Shields and Wade Davis (and a player to be named later). Oh but Myers isn’t the only big name heading to Tampa.

The Royals also traded top pitching prospect Jake Odorizzi. Yup. Let that sink in.

And then former top pitching prospect Mike Montgomery. And third baseman Patrick Leonard, who had a great season in rookie ball.

Why didn’t the Royals make this move while they were in Nashville when it was really getting heat so the media could really get involved? Instead, they do it when many on the East Coast are sleeping.

I get that the Royals desperately needed an ace and Big Game James is certainly an ace. I’m a big fan of his, but will the Royals actually contend over the next two seasons? Sure, Shields has been in a rebuilding situation before and helped carry the team to success, but are the Royals there yet?

Davis is sort of an in-betweener. He can start and relieve, but he was better out of the bullpen in 2012 for the Rays than he had been as a starter. But do the Royals need another reliever?

Is two years of Shields worth giving up six years of what Myers is projecting to be?

Let me know what you think.

It could be the worst deal ever, especially if Myers and Odorizzi do what many Royals fans were hoping for and if Montgomery turns into the pitcher many thought he would be two years ago.

I know I’m a day late from my normal weekly awards posting, but with the minor league regular season ending on Labor Day, I figured I’d push it back a day to cover everything. It wasn’t a great ending for any team.

The KC Royals went 4-4 over the last eight days and still comfortably sit in third place in the American League Central (60-74). They continue their four-game series tonight at home against Texas.

Omaha finished the regular season going 3-5. It wasn’t a great final month for the Storm Chasers who had a huge lead in the American Northern Division for most of the year (finished with an 83-61 record). They begin their quest for a second straight Pacific Coast League title on Wednesday night in Omaha against Albuquerque who they just lost three of four to. Jake Odorizzi will start the playoff opener against the Isotopes’ Fernando Nieve (a former big leaguer).

NW Arkansas went just 2-6 over the final eight games to finish the second half at a disappointing 21-48. After missing out on the Texas League’s North Division’s first half title by three games, they completely fell apart in the second half.

Wilmington went 5-2 over their last eight days, including clinching the Northern Division second half title on Thursday. The Blue Rocks ended the Carolina League’s second half at 37-33. They start their quest at their first Mills Cup trophy since 1999 on Wednesday night at home against Lynchburg. Brooks Pounders will face CL Pitcher of the Year Gus Schlosser.

Kane County went just 2-6 in their final eight games and found themselves on the outside looking in in terms of a Midwest League playoff spot. The Cougars finished the second half with a 34-36 record.

Burlington blew away their division in the Appalachian League and reached the Appy League finals (41-27). Each of the three games needed extra innings to name a victor. The Royals lost the title to Elizabethton on a 12th inning walk-off grand slam.

Idaho Falls was eliminated from the Pioneer League playoffs with a 16-19 second half record (33-40 overall record). The Chukars finish their regular season on September 6th (they’ve lost seven of their last nine games).

Hitters of the Week

Majors: Even though David Lough played in just three games last week, it was a memorable three games. He made his Major League debut on Saturday and batted leadoff in all three games. He has a hit in every game and went 5-for-14 (.357) with four runs scored.

Minors: Wil Myers, Omaha. It is fitting that Omaha’s Player of the Year takes this honor in the final award posting of the minor league regular season. He is in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak and has gotten hot right when the Storm Chasers are heading to the postseason.

Myers was 13-for-33 (.394) over his last eight games. He scored five runs and drove in six. He fell a homerun short of the Minor League Baseball title (one behind Double-A Reading’s Darin Ruf).

Honorable Mention: Irving Falu, Omaha. He is also in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak. He was 14-for-32 (.438) with five runs scored and five RBIs. Falu finished the season with the seventh best batting average (.329) in the PCL.

» Continue reading “Royals Blue Aid Weekly Awards”

Baseball America‘s Best Tools issue has come out and there is a bit of a KC Royals feel to it. None of the Royals players were on top of any of the American League categories, but there were a few who cracked the top three.

Outfielder Jarrod Dyson was ranked the AL’s third fastest baserunner. He finished behind LA Angels outfielders Mike Trout and Peter Bourjos.

Mike Moustakas working on some second base.

The Royals corner infielders were also ranked third in terms of defense in the AL. Mike Moustakas was ranked third among AL third baseman (behind Texas’ Adrian Beltre and Tampa Bay’s Evan Longoria). Eric Hosmer, despite all the struggles on offense, was named the third best defensive first baseman in the AL. He ranked behind NY’s Mark Teixeira and Boston’s Adrian Gonzalez.

Another of the Royals infielders was honored, shortstop Alcides Escobar. He is considered to have the third best infield arm in the AL, behind Beltre and Oakland’s Cliff Pennington.

After almost winning a Gold Glove in 2011, outfielder Jeff Francoeur is considered to have the third best outfield arm in the AL. He ranks behind Toronto’s Jose Bautista and Cleveland’s Shin-Soo Choo.

The Royals weren’t so lucky in the minor leagues (their four full season affiliates). Uber prospect Wil Myers is considered to be the best power prospect in the Pacific Coast League (with Triple-A Omaha). That was a no-brainer, as he has a total of 34 homeruns, 21 in Triple-A.

Pitcher Jake Odorizzi was considered as one of the best pitching prospects in the PCL, but Reno’s Trevor Bauer (Arizona) won that honor. Another starter, Yordano Ventura, was also considered for the best pitching prospect in the Carolina League, but ultimately, Dylan Bundy won that honor (Baltimore).

*There were no best tools given out to Royals affiliates in the Texas League (NW Arkansas), Carolina League (Wilmington), or Midwest League (Kane County).

The All-Star Game festivities officially kicked off on Sunday (okay, I know the Fan Fest is already underway) with the Futures Game, as the game’s top minor league players from the US faced the top the World has to offer.

The game started with a distinct KC Royals flare, and not just because the Royals and Kauffman Stadium play host.

Right-hander Jake Odorizzi started for the US team (his locker is Billy Butler’s at Kauffman Stadium). He threw just two pitches to get Jean Segura of the LA Angels to fly out, but Texas’ Jurickso Profar tagged him for a homerun to give the World a 1-0 lead. Odorizzi recovered to retire the next two, including a strikeout of Alfredo Marte (Arizona) to end the inning.

Here’s Odorizzi‘s line: 1IP, H, R, 0BB, K. He threw 14 pitches, ten for strikes.

Right-hander Yordano Ventura then strolled to the mound for the World team in the bottom of the first inning. He had a quick and uneventful inning. Ventura induced three ground outs and threw just 11 pitches, eight for strikes.

Here’s Ventura‘s line: 1IP, 0H, 0R, 0BB, 0K. He is headed to Double-A after the game. It was weird seeing him with his pant legs down to his shoe tops (all Royals minor leaguers must have their socks showing to about their knees). Ventura had the only 1-2-3 inning for the World until the 8th inning.

The cool thing about that bottom of the first inning? Ventura facing the third-place hitter, right fielder Wil Myers. Myers saw just three pitches from his organizational counterpart and almost beat out the ground ball to short.

Every Royals player received a nice ovation. Myers‘ may have been the loudest, as many fans were on their feet for his first at-bat. Kauffman Stadium was PACKED for the game (which was nice to see).

Myers came up again in the bottom of the 3rd inning with one out and the tying run on third base. He took a big hack on 3-0 and on 3-1 he grounded out to second base to tie the game. He took Odorizzi off the hook for the loss (it also took away the win for Ventura).

Myers then moved to centerfield in the top of the 5th inning. In the bottom of that inning, he singled to right field with one out off Enny Romero (TB). He was left stranded.

In the 6th inning, Myers flied out to centerfield, driving in his second run of the game. In that at-bat, he fouled a ball straight back that shattered the ESPN camera.

In the 7th inning, Myers singled to left field, driving in another run. He finally scored a run with two outs.

Game Recap:

Jae-Hoon Ha (Chicago Cubs) hit a two-run homerun off Gerrit Cole (Pittsburgh) in the 2nd inning to give the World a 3-0 lead. Billy Hamilton (Cincinnati) showed off his speed with a two-run triple in the bottom of the 3rd inning off Chris Reed (LA Dodgers) to cut the World lead to 4-2. He has 100 steals so far this season in the minors. Hamilton then scored on Reed’s errant throw to first base on Kolten Wong‘s (St. Louis) comebacker.

The US took their first lead of the game on a Tommy Joseph (SF) RBI double in the 4th inning. Another run scored on the poor throw in from the outfield (missed the cutoff).

The US really took it to the World in the 6th inning, as they scored NINE runs to blow the game wide open (against two pitchers). Detroit prospect Nick Castellanos hit a three-run homerun to dead-center.

Everybody played and everybody pitched who made the trip to KC. Matt Barnes (Boston) closed out the 17-5 victory for the US with former UConn teammate Mike Olt (Texas) at first base.

The 2012 MLB All-Star Game events officially begin on Sunday at Kauffman Stadium with the Futures Game. Make sure to tune in at 5pm ET on ESPN2 when the game gets underway or you may miss the three KC Royals representatives.

Jake Odorizzi will be getting the start for the US team under manager George Brett. Wil Myers will be starting behind Odorizzi in right field (while batting third in the order).

Yordano Ventura will be starting for the World team under manager Bernie Williams. So there is the potential that a Royals minor leaguer could both win and lose the game.

Both pitchers are deserving of the starts and it will be kind of neat to watch two pitchers I have seen start over the last two years start in a game like the Futures Game.

Odorizzi is the closest Royals pitching prospect to the big leagues. He started the season with Double-A NW Arkansas, but only lasted through seven starts. He is 5-0 in nine games (eight starts) in Triple-A. Overall, Odorizzi is 9-2 with a 3.05 ERA. In 85.2 innings, he has struck out 92.

Myers is the closest Royals prospect to the Majors. How close? He may not return to Triple-A following his All-Star week (he is also expected to start in the Triple-A ASG in Buffalo on Wednesday night).

Like Odorizzi, Myers began the season with the Naturals. Overall, he is hitting .327 with 20 doubles, five triples, 27 homeruns, 72 runs scored, and 72 RBIs.

Ventura has been toiling in High-A Wilmington all season and has hit a few bumps of late (well two starts in his last five). Overall, he is 3-5 with a 3.30 ERA. In 76.1 innings, he has allowed 66 hits while striking out 98.

*The Legends & Celebrity Softball Game will follow the Futures Game on Sunday night. Here are just a few legends who are slated to play: George Brett, Bo Jackson, Mike Sweeney, Andre Dawson, Joe Carter, Rickey Henderson, and Ozzie Smith.

Some of the celebrities slated to play are Jennie Finch, Carlos Boncanegra, Bill Self (Kansas men’s basketball coach), Matt Cassell (KC Chiefs quarterback), Eric Stonestreet (Modern Family), Jon Hamm, and James Denton (Desperate Housewives).

The KC Royals will once again be well represented in a minor league all-star game. Four members of Triple-A Omaha were named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star team, which will face off against the International League in the Triple-A All-Star Game in Buffalo on Wednesday, July 11th.

It will be a busy few days for outfielder Wil Myers. In addition to traveling to Kauffman Stadium to participate in the Futures Game on Sunday, July 8th, he was voted as a starting outfielder for the PCL. This from a guy that needed to be written in to receive votes (he has played in just 40 games and started the season in Double-A).

Myers leads minor league baseball in homeruns with 25, as he hit his 12th in Triple-A last night. He is hitting .309 with 35 RBIs and 33 runs scored.

Maybe he will head back to Kansas City to make his Major League debut after the Triple-A ASG? 

First baseman/DH Clint Robinson will be in his second Triple-A ASG. This season, he is hitting .313 with 21 doubles, 10 homeruns, 44 RBIs, and 40 runs scored. He has also walked (42) more than he has struck out (33).

Lefties Ryan Verdugo and Tommy Hottovy (who have both seen time this season with the Royals though Verdugo did not pitch) will be making appearances out of the bullpen.

Verdugo, a starter, is 5-2 with a 3.65 ERA in 14 starts (79 innings). Opponents are hitting just .212 against him.

Hottovy is 2-0 in 20 games with seven saves and a 1.69 ERA (which went up after his last outing). He had not allowed a run over his last nine appearances prior to June 25th when he allowed two runs in three innings. In 26.2 innings, Hottovy has allowed just 17 hits and six walks while striking out 36.

The game will be televised live on MLB Network. You can check out the rest of the PCL roster HERE.

from milb.com

At least the KC Royals will be well represented at the Futures Game as part of the All-Star festivities at Kauffman Stadium this July. The Royals are the only team with three representatives. The Futures Game will be held on Sunday July 8th at 5pm ET on ESPN2.

Right-handed pitcher Jake Odorizzi, a key piece in the Zack Greinke deal, will be a member of the US roster. He began the season with Double-A NW Arkansas, but has been with Triple-A Omaha for his last five starts (six appearances). Overall, Odorizzi is 8-2 with a 2.89 ERA. He has allowed 59 hits over 71.2 innings and has struck out 81. Opponents are hitting just .219 against him.

Outfielder Wil Myers will be joining him on the US roster, with this being his second time. He will surely receive a LARGE ovation when his name is announced (if he is still in the minors at that point). He began the season with NW Arkansas, hit .343 over 35 games, and was promoted to Omaha. In 33 games, he has hit .328 with 11 homeruns and 32 RBIS. Overall, Myers has 24 homeruns, 62 RBIs, and 60 runs scored.

Nearly half of the Top 100 prospects (23) will be in Kansas City. The top four picks in the 2011 draft are on the US roster (Gerrit Cole of Pittsburgh, Danny Hultzen of Seattle, Trevor Bauer of Arizona, and Dylan Bundy of Baltimore). Former Royals great George Brett will be managing the US Team.

» Continue reading “Three Royals Prospects on Futures Game Rosters”

Omaha and Memphis finished up their series on Tuesday, as both teams scored two runs each in the 3rd and 5th inning, but Omaha got a solo homerun from Jason Bourgeois in the 8th inning for the 5-4 victory.

Bourgeois is finally starting to hit, as he went 3-for-4 to up his average to .202. Tony Abreu went 2-for-4 and Wil Myers hit his 7th homerun in Triple-A (20th overall) off Redbirds prospect Shelby Miller.

Mike Montgomery struggled with his command yet again (103 pitches, 53 strikes) and lasted just 4.2 innings. However, Sean O’Sullivan picked him up with 3.1 shutout innings of relief to pick up the win.

Lefty Ryan Verdugo was promoted to the big leagues to take the place of Will Smith (who was demoted to Omaha). Verdugo is expected to pitch out of the bullpen.

Wilmington beat Carolina 5-2 on the arm of Sugar Ray Marimon. Marimon allowed just three hits (all singles) over seven shutout innings. He walked two while striking out five. All three pitches were working and he had great command. Manager Vance Wilson said after the game that it was his best outing of the year.

Centerfielder Brett Eibner was taken out following the 5th inning. He was 2-for-3 in the game. He cramped up a bit.

After being named to the Midwest League All-Star, pitcher Nick Graffeo was promoted to Wilmington to replace the injured Santiago Garrido. Early diagnosis is that Garrido has a sports hernia and he was really sore today.

Lynchburg lost again in walk-off fashion to Myrtle Beach in ten innings. The Blue Rocks are now just a 1/2 game back.

The KC Royals have won three straight series, as they went 4-2 last week. Overall, they are 23-29 and seven games out of first place in the American League Central. The Royals are just one game behind the Detroit Tigers for third place. They open a series at home tonight against the Minnesota Twins.

Omaha went 4-3 this past week and are 34-24 overall. The Storm Chasers are still in first place in the Pacific Coast League’s American Northern Division by eight games. They continue their series against Memphis over the next two days.

NW Arkansas went just 2-4 last week and are 28-27 overall. They are in second place in the North Division of the Texas League. The Naturals finish up their series in Frisco tonight with a chance to sweep.

Wilmington went 3-4 this past week and are 26-29 overall. The Blue Rocks are now in second place and just 2.5 games back in the Carolina League’s Northern Division. Problem is, they do not play another divisional foe prior to the first half ending in two weeks.

Kane County went 3-4 last week and are 30-27 overall. The Cougars are in third place (five games back) in the Midwest League’s Western Division. They finish up their home series against Peoria tonight.

Hitter of the Week

Majors: Alex Gordon got hot over the last week, as he moved back to the leadoff spot that he thrived in last season. In six games, he went 9-for-24 (.375) with four doubles, four runs scored, and four RBIs.

Minors: Lane Adams, Kane County. He went 9-for-30 (.300) with a homerun, four runs scored, and eight RBIs.

Honorable Mention: Wil Myers, Omaha. He has jumped to Triple-A without much of a struggle. Last week, he went 12-for-28 (.429) with four doubles, three homeruns, seven runs scored, and ten RBIs.

Pitcher of the Week:

Majors: I feel like I am constantly honoring the bullpen, which is much deserved. However this week, I am going to honor three starting pitchers who helped the Royals win series. Felipe Paulino‘s dominance has been fairly unexpected, but it has happened nonetheless. He made one start last week and allowed just three hits and three walks over six scoreless innings. He struck out five in picking up the win over Oakland.

Will Smith won his first game in the big leagues in his second start (against Cleveland). He allowed two runs on four hits over six innings. He struck out five.

Vin Mazzaro won the finale on Sunday against his former team (the A’s) with six shutout innings. He allowed just four hits and three walks while striking out three.

Minors: Greg Billo, Blue Rocks. He is coming off winning the Pitcher of the Week honor in the Carolina League. Overall, he allowed just one run on four hits and three walks over 7.1 innings (one relief outing and a start). He struck out eight.