Royals

[Sparko]

Pretty excited to see these guys come up. Is Melendez a possibility? Seem to be taking it very slow there.

[NewtonHawk11]

Melendez won't come up until Salvy is done at C. And with him catching something like 120 games and playing in 161, don't know if we'll see it anytime soon. However, I do think once Santana is done after his contract runs out after 2022, Salvy makes a serious consideration to go to 1B and Melendez becomes the C.

But then Salvy at 1B could potentially block Pratto.

Melendez still pretty young. Think he's 21 or 22. But 41 HR in 123 games is hard to keep away.
Pratto with 36 HR in 124 games and that's hard to keep down.

Would be really interested to see what KC does. It's pretty obvious that Pratto and Melendez will start at AAA I believe. BWJ is going to be the starting 3B I believe.

Kind of crazy to think about but Whit will be 33 all of next year. He doesn't play like it, but he's got 2 years left on his contract. Good chance he could be moved before that contract is up.

[jfish26]

Melendez won't come up until Salvy is done at C. And with him catching something like 120 games and playing in 161, don't know if we'll see it anytime soon. However, I do think once Santana is done after his contract runs out after 2022, Salvy makes a serious consideration to go to 1B and Melendez becomes the C.

But then Salvy at 1B could potentially block Pratto.

Melendez still pretty young. Think he's 21 or 22. But 41 HR in 123 games is hard to keep away.
Pratto with 36 HR in 124 games and that's hard to keep down.

Would be really interested to see what KC does. It's pretty obvious that Pratto and Melendez will start at AAA I believe. BWJ is going to be the starting 3B I believe.

Kind of crazy to think about but Whit will be 33 all of next year. He doesn't play like it, but he's got 2 years left on his contract. Good chance he could be moved before that contract is up.

No need to overcomplicate it - unless Sal gets hit by a bus this offseason (and loses; you never know), Melendez is worth more to someone else than he is to the Royals. The math gets easy from there.

[NewtonHawk11]

You think Royals let Salvy ride it out at catcher and Melendez will end up elsewhere? That would be something that isn't far off the table.

[pdub]

I wouldn't trade that chip though unless we found ourselves competitive and needing pieces now.
I'd like to believe it but I don't think that happens next year.

[Sparko]

My plan would be to have Salvy and Melendez share the catching/DH. Pratto at First. Witt 3B. Nicky at SS. Mondesi at 2B. Whit in RF/Ut MAT in Center. Beni in LF. Sal/Melendez sharing catching/DH.
Dozier expensive bench piece (I would trade him pretty liberally if anyone wants him). Santana (both) waived. Best of the young OF plus one more UT guy. Olivarez gets traded because he scares me in the field.

[jfish26]

I wouldn't trade that chip though unless we found ourselves competitive and needing pieces now.
I'd like to believe it but I don't think that happens next year.

The risk you run, in my opinion, is that the shine wears off Melendez. I don't think it's a fireable offense to hang onto him, at least for a while, but the most efficient thing to do would be to sell at the top.

[Sparko]

The Royals need bats. Arguably the reason they went on the extended losing streaks. Had three bats below .200 at some points in the season. The pen seems solid enough and some young arms maturing could get KC competitive sooner. Would hate to sit on talent another year. Definitely not the best part of 2021. I am old enough to remember Macrae as a permanent DH and contributing for years.

[pdub]

https://www.nbcsportsedge.com/article/t ... y-royals-1

WHAT WENT WRONG

"Mondesi wound up playing only 35 games because of multiple oblique and hamstring injuries and he didn’t offer a ton with the bat when he did play with a pedestrian .723 OPS. The Royals signed Hunter Dozier to a contract extension during spring training and then watched him be one of the worst regulars in baseball with a lowly .216/.285/.394 batting line. Carlos Santana was arguably worse with a .214/.319/.342 line, as was Jorge Soler (.192/.288/.370) before he was traded. He had some nice moments, but overall Brady Singer held a 4.91 ERA and 1.55 WHIP and also dealt with some shoulder issues. Brad Keller was a disaster with a 5.39 ERA and 1.66 WHIP and ended the season with a shoulder ailment. Kris Bubic held his own, but other young starters for Kansas City (Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar) mostly flopped during their opportunities."

"The Royals have the potential to be pretty decent in 2022 if things break their way, especially in the weak AL Central. They have very few safe bets, though, so adding at least one reliable veteran bat and arm seems like a necessity if they fancy themselves as potential playoff contenders."

[Sparko]

The what went wrong synopsis sounds a lot like the Chiefs so far--under performing FAs, draft picks and overpaid legacy guys. One reason I wanted to see the young bats brought in. Giving away Soler and Duffy and then not bringing up the young guns was insulting to fans and season ticket holders. Hope they go for broke next year.

[NewtonHawk11]

Released new uniforms today. Actually really dig these.

https://www.mlb.com/royals/news/royals- ... 022-season

Home and alternate home are the same. The script Royals for white and baby blue.

The away jerseys are nice. My favorite. Grey jerseys and dark blue jerseys both have KANSAS CITY across the chest. A bit plain in the grand scheme of things. Baseball jerseys that are kind of plain are my favorite.

[pdub]

Who thinks the Royals break .500 next season?

I think they are three games short.

[Cascadia]

Offensively they’re ready to be .500 or better. Need to make some moves with the pitching staff. Hopefully 1 or 2 signings combined with positive development of some of the younger arms and 2022 could feel like 2013

[Sparko]

The Royals weren't far off this year. I think they contend for a WC spot in the high 80s.

[Sparko]

Time to think about Spring training. Looks like Witt is going to get the call now for sure. Could use another pitcher. . .

[CrimsonNBlue]

Now for some good sports stuff in the KC Metro, the report on Witt is drool-worthy.

Top 100 MLB prospects 2022: Keith Law’s rankings

2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
Age: 22 | 6-1 | 200 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 2 in 2019

Previous ranking: No. 27

This was as close a call between the top two prospects that I can recall having, probably since my No. 1 and 2 were named Mike and Bryce before the 2011 season — and having Witt second here is no slight to him. Witt destroyed Double-A and Triple-A pitching last year as a 21-year-old with just 37 games of experience outside of high school, all of that coming in the Arizona Rookie League in 2019. He did go to the Royals’ alternate site in 2020, gaining significant experience against older pitching — many of them players who would appear in the majors for Kansas City in 2021 — which may have helped him progress despite the lack of actual games. He also came into power sooner than I expected, with 33 homers on the season, half coming in Double A with the minor-league ball, so this wasn’t some Triple-A mirage.

Witt’s tools package is among the best in the game: He’s at least a 70 runner, has an 80 arm, has plus power, and his hands and feet make him a plus glove at shortstop. There’s some thought he might outgrow the position in time, though that’s hardly a lock. Witt’s father, the former Rangers starter and No. 3 pick in 1985, has a similar frame and did not become overly broad or heavy, even in retirement. It’s possible the Royals would move Witt Jr. to accommodate another shortstop, but I see his future on defense as similar to the career so far of Carlos Correa. The majority of scouts thought Correa would outgrow the position, but he has stayed lean and been an above-average defender throughout his major-league tenure. The one knock here, and it is a small one, is that Witt has some swing and miss in his game, with a tendency to get too long and overrotate just a little — something he may very well improve once he has a few hundred at bats in the majors under his belt. Right now, it’s the only separator between him and Rutschman. They both belong in the majors now and both have MVP-level upside.
. . .
27. MJ Melendez, C, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 190 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 52 in 2017

Previous ranking: Unranked

The Royals saw their plate discipline numbers do a 180 across the system last year, and Melendez was one of the main beneficiaries of their new emphasis on hitting plans for their hitters. Melendez has always had plus-plus power and a ridiculous arm, but was a hacker through the 2019 season when he hit .163/.260/.311 with a 39 percent strikeout rate in High A, a disastrous season that in hindsight only underscores how incredible his transformation has been. In 2021, he hit .288/.386/.625 between Double A and Triple A, and cut his strikeout rate to 22 percent. He struck out 50 fewer times in 112 more plate appearances. It’s a funny thing, but when you always hit the ball hard, and then you start making a lot more contact, you get really good results, like hitting 41 homers to lead all of minor league baseball. The Royals did help Melendez with his mechanics as well; he’s always been a busy hitter, with a high leg kick and huge hip rotation, but he’s calmed the latter part down enough so he’s no longer overrotating and his timing on his leg kick is better. Coming into some of his strength has helped him develop a stronger base and stay more upright through contact as well. Couple the mechanical adjustments with a whole new plan at the plate and you get a premium offensive catcher with that cannon arm. He can still be too energetic behind the plate but has improved his receiving in the last two years; now it’s going to be his bat that carries him.
. . .
54. Nick Pratto, 1B, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 14 in 2017

Previous ranking: Unranked

Pratto came off a 2019 season where he hit .191/.278/.310 with nine homers and a 35 percent strikeout rate as a first baseman in High A, and the only thing keeping him from ex-prospect status was his youth. Two years and a swing overhaul later, Pratto is now very much a current prospect, hitting 36 homers in 2021 with a .383 OBP and an acceptable 29 percent strikeout rate, more than enough to have him profile as a potential everyday player right now. The Royals helped Pratto revamp his swing, eliminating some of the loop length that slowed his time to the ball and allowed him to drive the ball to the whole field instead of just his pull side. He has also vastly improved his awareness of the strike zone, part of the Royals’ system-wide overhaul of how they teach hitters to approach at-bats, although he can be too selective with pitches in the zone, and he’s always going to have some swing and miss in his game. He’s an above-average defender at first who should post high walk rates, helping him even if his batting averages aren’t great, and getting him to 25-30 homers a year.
. . .
90. Asa Lacy, LHP, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-4 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 4 in 2020

Previous ranking: 30

Lacy’s pro debut was a disaster: he walked 41 men in 52 innings, 17.3 percent of batters faced, before the Royals shut him down in late July to deal with a muscle injury in his shoulder; it didn’t require surgery but may explain the sudden loss of the strike zone. His stuff looked as good as ever, as he was up to 99, sitting mid to upper 90s, with a 55 to 60 slider and changeup that would show plus, with that last pitch good enough to give him a reverse platoon split. He looked better in the Arizona Fall League, with similar stuff and just one outing in four where he had control issues, but there’s still reasonable doubt whether he’ll return to the kind of control he showed as an amateur, when the Royals made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 (and he was good enough to merit discussion at No. 1). If he does, he’ll be a top-50 prospect again, maybe even top 20, with ace stuff from the left side and a big, durable build.

https://theathletic.com/3074113/2022/01 ... n-at-no-1/

[jfish26]

Now for some good sports stuff in the KC Metro, the report on Witt is drool-worthy.

Top 100 MLB prospects 2022: Keith Law’s rankings

2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
Age: 22 | 6-1 | 200 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 2 in 2019

Previous ranking: No. 27

This was as close a call between the top two prospects that I can recall having, probably since my No. 1 and 2 were named Mike and Bryce before the 2011 season — and having Witt second here is no slight to him. Witt destroyed Double-A and Triple-A pitching last year as a 21-year-old with just 37 games of experience outside of high school, all of that coming in the Arizona Rookie League in 2019. He did go to the Royals’ alternate site in 2020, gaining significant experience against older pitching — many of them players who would appear in the majors for Kansas City in 2021 — which may have helped him progress despite the lack of actual games. He also came into power sooner than I expected, with 33 homers on the season, half coming in Double A with the minor-league ball, so this wasn’t some Triple-A mirage.

Witt’s tools package is among the best in the game: He’s at least a 70 runner, has an 80 arm, has plus power, and his hands and feet make him a plus glove at shortstop. There’s some thought he might outgrow the position in time, though that’s hardly a lock. Witt’s father, the former Rangers starter and No. 3 pick in 1985, has a similar frame and did not become overly broad or heavy, even in retirement. It’s possible the Royals would move Witt Jr. to accommodate another shortstop, but I see his future on defense as similar to the career so far of Carlos Correa. The majority of scouts thought Correa would outgrow the position, but he has stayed lean and been an above-average defender throughout his major-league tenure. The one knock here, and it is a small one, is that Witt has some swing and miss in his game, with a tendency to get too long and overrotate just a little — something he may very well improve once he has a few hundred at bats in the majors under his belt. Right now, it’s the only separator between him and Rutschman. They both belong in the majors now and both have MVP-level upside.
. . .
27. MJ Melendez, C, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 190 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 52 in 2017

Previous ranking: Unranked

The Royals saw their plate discipline numbers do a 180 across the system last year, and Melendez was one of the main beneficiaries of their new emphasis on hitting plans for their hitters. Melendez has always had plus-plus power and a ridiculous arm, but was a hacker through the 2019 season when he hit .163/.260/.311 with a 39 percent strikeout rate in High A, a disastrous season that in hindsight only underscores how incredible his transformation has been. In 2021, he hit .288/.386/.625 between Double A and Triple A, and cut his strikeout rate to 22 percent. He struck out 50 fewer times in 112 more plate appearances. It’s a funny thing, but when you always hit the ball hard, and then you start making a lot more contact, you get really good results, like hitting 41 homers to lead all of minor league baseball. The Royals did help Melendez with his mechanics as well; he’s always been a busy hitter, with a high leg kick and huge hip rotation, but he’s calmed the latter part down enough so he’s no longer overrotating and his timing on his leg kick is better. Coming into some of his strength has helped him develop a stronger base and stay more upright through contact as well. Couple the mechanical adjustments with a whole new plan at the plate and you get a premium offensive catcher with that cannon arm. He can still be too energetic behind the plate but has improved his receiving in the last two years; now it’s going to be his bat that carries him.
. . .
54. Nick Pratto, 1B, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 14 in 2017

Previous ranking: Unranked

Pratto came off a 2019 season where he hit .191/.278/.310 with nine homers and a 35 percent strikeout rate as a first baseman in High A, and the only thing keeping him from ex-prospect status was his youth. Two years and a swing overhaul later, Pratto is now very much a current prospect, hitting 36 homers in 2021 with a .383 OBP and an acceptable 29 percent strikeout rate, more than enough to have him profile as a potential everyday player right now. The Royals helped Pratto revamp his swing, eliminating some of the loop length that slowed his time to the ball and allowed him to drive the ball to the whole field instead of just his pull side. He has also vastly improved his awareness of the strike zone, part of the Royals’ system-wide overhaul of how they teach hitters to approach at-bats, although he can be too selective with pitches in the zone, and he’s always going to have some swing and miss in his game. He’s an above-average defender at first who should post high walk rates, helping him even if his batting averages aren’t great, and getting him to 25-30 homers a year.
. . .
90. Asa Lacy, LHP, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-4 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 4 in 2020

Previous ranking: 30

Lacy’s pro debut was a disaster: he walked 41 men in 52 innings, 17.3 percent of batters faced, before the Royals shut him down in late July to deal with a muscle injury in his shoulder; it didn’t require surgery but may explain the sudden loss of the strike zone. His stuff looked as good as ever, as he was up to 99, sitting mid to upper 90s, with a 55 to 60 slider and changeup that would show plus, with that last pitch good enough to give him a reverse platoon split. He looked better in the Arizona Fall League, with similar stuff and just one outing in four where he had control issues, but there’s still reasonable doubt whether he’ll return to the kind of control he showed as an amateur, when the Royals made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 (and he was good enough to merit discussion at No. 1). If he does, he’ll be a top-50 prospect again, maybe even top 20, with ace stuff from the left side and a big, durable build.

https://theathletic.com/3074113/2022/01 ... n-at-no-1/

Let me confirm my status as:

1 - Team "Give Witt 3b on Opening Day Next Year and Never Look Back", and
2 - Team "TRADE MELENDEZ YESTERDAY"

[jfish26]

Now for some good sports stuff in the KC Metro, the report on Witt is drool-worthy.

Top 100 MLB prospects 2022: Keith Law’s rankings

2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
Age: 22 | 6-1 | 200 pounds
Bats: Right | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 2 in 2019

Previous ranking: No. 27

This was as close a call between the top two prospects that I can recall having, probably since my No. 1 and 2 were named Mike and Bryce before the 2011 season — and having Witt second here is no slight to him. Witt destroyed Double-A and Triple-A pitching last year as a 21-year-old with just 37 games of experience outside of high school, all of that coming in the Arizona Rookie League in 2019. He did go to the Royals’ alternate site in 2020, gaining significant experience against older pitching — many of them players who would appear in the majors for Kansas City in 2021 — which may have helped him progress despite the lack of actual games. He also came into power sooner than I expected, with 33 homers on the season, half coming in Double A with the minor-league ball, so this wasn’t some Triple-A mirage.

Witt’s tools package is among the best in the game: He’s at least a 70 runner, has an 80 arm, has plus power, and his hands and feet make him a plus glove at shortstop. There’s some thought he might outgrow the position in time, though that’s hardly a lock. Witt’s father, the former Rangers starter and No. 3 pick in 1985, has a similar frame and did not become overly broad or heavy, even in retirement. It’s possible the Royals would move Witt Jr. to accommodate another shortstop, but I see his future on defense as similar to the career so far of Carlos Correa. The majority of scouts thought Correa would outgrow the position, but he has stayed lean and been an above-average defender throughout his major-league tenure. The one knock here, and it is a small one, is that Witt has some swing and miss in his game, with a tendency to get too long and overrotate just a little — something he may very well improve once he has a few hundred at bats in the majors under his belt. Right now, it’s the only separator between him and Rutschman. They both belong in the majors now and both have MVP-level upside.
. . .
27. MJ Melendez, C, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 190 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Right
Drafted: No. 52 in 2017

Previous ranking: Unranked

The Royals saw their plate discipline numbers do a 180 across the system last year, and Melendez was one of the main beneficiaries of their new emphasis on hitting plans for their hitters. Melendez has always had plus-plus power and a ridiculous arm, but was a hacker through the 2019 season when he hit .163/.260/.311 with a 39 percent strikeout rate in High A, a disastrous season that in hindsight only underscores how incredible his transformation has been. In 2021, he hit .288/.386/.625 between Double A and Triple A, and cut his strikeout rate to 22 percent. He struck out 50 fewer times in 112 more plate appearances. It’s a funny thing, but when you always hit the ball hard, and then you start making a lot more contact, you get really good results, like hitting 41 homers to lead all of minor league baseball. The Royals did help Melendez with his mechanics as well; he’s always been a busy hitter, with a high leg kick and huge hip rotation, but he’s calmed the latter part down enough so he’s no longer overrotating and his timing on his leg kick is better. Coming into some of his strength has helped him develop a stronger base and stay more upright through contact as well. Couple the mechanical adjustments with a whole new plan at the plate and you get a premium offensive catcher with that cannon arm. He can still be too energetic behind the plate but has improved his receiving in the last two years; now it’s going to be his bat that carries him.
. . .
54. Nick Pratto, 1B, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-1 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 14 in 2017

Previous ranking: Unranked

Pratto came off a 2019 season where he hit .191/.278/.310 with nine homers and a 35 percent strikeout rate as a first baseman in High A, and the only thing keeping him from ex-prospect status was his youth. Two years and a swing overhaul later, Pratto is now very much a current prospect, hitting 36 homers in 2021 with a .383 OBP and an acceptable 29 percent strikeout rate, more than enough to have him profile as a potential everyday player right now. The Royals helped Pratto revamp his swing, eliminating some of the loop length that slowed his time to the ball and allowed him to drive the ball to the whole field instead of just his pull side. He has also vastly improved his awareness of the strike zone, part of the Royals’ system-wide overhaul of how they teach hitters to approach at-bats, although he can be too selective with pitches in the zone, and he’s always going to have some swing and miss in his game. He’s an above-average defender at first who should post high walk rates, helping him even if his batting averages aren’t great, and getting him to 25-30 homers a year.
. . .
90. Asa Lacy, LHP, Kansas City Royals
Age: 23 | 6-4 | 215 pounds
Bats: Left | Throws: Left
Drafted: No. 4 in 2020

Previous ranking: 30

Lacy’s pro debut was a disaster: he walked 41 men in 52 innings, 17.3 percent of batters faced, before the Royals shut him down in late July to deal with a muscle injury in his shoulder; it didn’t require surgery but may explain the sudden loss of the strike zone. His stuff looked as good as ever, as he was up to 99, sitting mid to upper 90s, with a 55 to 60 slider and changeup that would show plus, with that last pitch good enough to give him a reverse platoon split. He looked better in the Arizona Fall League, with similar stuff and just one outing in four where he had control issues, but there’s still reasonable doubt whether he’ll return to the kind of control he showed as an amateur, when the Royals made him the No. 3 overall pick in 2020 (and he was good enough to merit discussion at No. 1). If he does, he’ll be a top-50 prospect again, maybe even top 20, with ace stuff from the left side and a big, durable build.

https://theathletic.com/3074113/2022/01 ... n-at-no-1/

And ESPN:

https://www.espn.com/mlb/insider/story/ ... pects-2022

2. Bobby Witt Jr., SS, Kansas City Royals
Age: 21 | Bats: Right | Throws: Right

Hit: 45/55, Game power: 50/65, Raw power: 70/70, Speed: 60/60, Fielding: 50/55, Throwing: 65/65

Type: Shortstop tools bonanza
Reminds me of: Carlos Correa or Trevor Story

Witt was a slam-dunk DUDE on the national stage as early as his sophomore year in high school, when he was playing with rising seniors at summer events, standing out to the eye on offense and defense and regularly posting the top exit velos in the games. The track record of his sort of talent is excellent and the second overall pick in the 2019 draft behind Rutschman has held serve.

The concern at draft time and after his first summer in pro ball was that he swung too much to the point that it might undermine his plus tools and makeup, a common problem for superlatively tooled-up youngsters -- one that has sunk more than a few careers.

Precedent would say that Witt would spend 2020 in low-A and maybe high-A if he performed well, but the pandemic wiped out the whole minor league season, so Witt played simulated games all year. Would he start 2021 at high-A or an even more conservative low-A to be sure he got his feet under him after a long layoff? Neither! He torched big league spring training and opened at Double-A, then torched that league, went to Triple-A and torched that league even more. Even the most bullish public projections didn't really consider this as a possibility and Witt is now being tossed in the "aggressive at the plate, but that's just a style, not a problem" prospect bin that also included Ronald Acuña Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. Those kinds of tools allow for this.

High praise indeed, but it's hard to draw comparisons for Witt's game -- at least potential plus offensive and defensive value -- while checking literally every other aforementioned box without mentioning some of the greats. There's still some risk here -- some super prospects who swing too much have fizzled, like Jeff Francoeur or Delmon Young, and Luis Robert is genuinely limited by his approach. But I don't think the issue is as worrisome for Witt. If the Rutschman blurb wasn't cartoonish bulging-heart eyes enough for your taste, then Witt's your guy.

[NewtonHawk11]

Melendez is going to be really nice when Salvy moves to 1B/DH full time in a year or so.

[Cascadia]

Melendez is going to be really nice when Salvy moves to 1B/DH full time in a year or so.

Why not just let Perez and Melendez rotate between DH and C with Salvy getting less C reps as he ages.