After starting his career in the rotation and pitching there primarily for the first three seasons of his career Staumont made the transition to the bullpen in 2018. In that role, Staumont can still employ his three pitch mix of a fastball that works 94-97 mph, his low-80s curveball and a mid-80s changeup. The control continues to waver for Staumont after walking nearly 16% of the hitters. For those who get to see him with regularity, it’s somewhat odd as the misses come in waves where he will pile up walks after flashing better control. The stuff is good enough to earn outs but he has yet to even flash usable control for an extended period of time.

While Staumont has been unable to harness his control, Hernandez has moved up the ladder with the aid of good control prior to 2018. Working mostly in the low-90s, Hernandez saw increased velocity in ’18 with a fastball that worked in the mid to upper-90s from spring training through the full season. The right-hander was bored in Wilmington according to people within the organization leading to a promotion to Double-A and eventually Triple-A Omaha when they needed starting help. There, Arnaldo flashed dominance with a pair of seven-inning two hit starts and a nine-inning complete game that featured 80 strikes on 97 pitches.

His changeup is probably his second best pitch, showing good speed separation and arm speed, though it could use more sink and/or fade. The right-hander’s curveball can also show quality and he has the control to lean on any pitch in any scenario while sinking and moving his fastball around the zone. There is a chance he can start at the big league level as a backend arm, but there are some worries that the stuff could be a little too flat for that role.

After another disappointing season starter, Scott Blewett pitched his way on the roster with an impressive Fall League performance. The big-bodied right-hander tossed 25.1 innings with a 2.49 ERA there, getting off to a fast start. Reportedly, the fastball was touching 96 while sitting around 93 mph as it had during the season while the curveball was on point in it’s low-70s range. That pitch had been his best secondary pitch in previous seasons but he didn’t quite have the feel for it at times this past season. At it’s best, it’s a good 12-6 pitch that can earn swing and miss at the bottom of the zone while also getting groundball contact. The changeup continues to flash but it is inconsistent pitch to pitch. With his size and decent control, he should be an inning-eating option at the back of a rotation but his changeup has to come forward and prove to be a pitch he can lean on next to the fastballs and curveballs.

Notably, Frank Schwindel and others were left off but given this front offices track record they likely feel comfortable he and others won’t be chosen.

First the Royals free agents list is the following
RHP: Pedro Fernandez (AAA), Luis Hernandez (R), Yimaury Pena (R), Jose Veras (Hi A), Kyle Zimmer(AAA)
LHP: Sam Selman (AAA)
C: Parker Morin (AAA), Luis Villegas (AAA)
2B: Ramon Torres (AAA)
3B: Alex Liddi (AA)
SS: Jack Lopez (AAA)
OF: Billy Burns (AAA), Alfredo Escalera (AA), Paulo Orlando (AAA)

I would expect to see the departures of Orlando, Burns and Sam Selman from the organization. In regards to Selman, I’ve heard so many scouts that like his stuff and think he’s got a shot at a major league career, but the Royals have never made the leap in giving him a look. It’s time for his agent to give him an opportunity to succeed somewhere else.

Others with links to the Royals:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Sam Lewis RHP, traded by the Royals for Peter O’Brien. Struggled at Double-A this past season.

Rey Fuentes OF, received an extended look by the D-Backs last season and didn’t hit to what some thought was his capabilities. Likely will kick around the minor leagues as an emergency corner guy as he rides out the prime of his career.

2017 reliever Neftali Feliz is also a minor league free agent after completing his first year without a major league appearance since 2008.

Atlanta Braves
Lane Adams – Former Royals draftee has had his greatest stretch with the Braves and seems like a good fit to resign there.

Chicago Cubs
Casey Coleman – Brief appearance with the Royals in ’14 has struggled the past two seasons.
Terrance Gore – Now that he’s a minor league free agent Gore will likely sign minor league contracts with contenders in hopes to reprise his playoff role as a pinch runner.

Detroit Tigers
Former Royals draftee Kevin Chapman is a free agent going into his age 31 season.

Chicago White Sox
Patrick Leonard was part of the Wade Davis/James Shields trade way back when but entering his 26-year-old season may want to consider a career in the far east.

LA Angels
John Lamb is a former #11 BP overall prospect, but the lefty hasn’t been able to show he can get major league hitters out on a regular basis in his 129.2 innings.

NY Mets
Buddy Baumann, after being signed by the Padres in free agency the lefty has had problems staying healthy. He flashed his talent in ’17 briefly at the major league level and will surely earn at least a minor league deal to reprise that level.

Once again Christian Colon will be a free agent.

NY Yankees
Rey Navarro a middle infielder acquired for Carlos Rosa in 2010 has seen 10 games in the majors with the Baltimore Orioles back in 2015, but struggled this past year in the Yankees system.

St. Louis Cardinals
People aren’t likely to remember Edward Mujica‘s brief stint in Omaha prior to his season with Detroit and this past year with the Cardinals.

San Diego Padres
Very few Royals fans will forget the baserunning of Dusty Coleman during his brief appearance with the team in ’15. Luckily for him, he got a chance to amend that in ’17 with a 27 game stint for the Padres. Going into his 32-year-old season could make it difficult to catch on with a club as the game turns younger and younger.

Infielder Diego Goris, a former Idaho Falls Chukar in ’11 will also become a minor league free agent.

San Francisco Giants
Former million dollar international signee Orlando Calixte is a minor league free agent after 29 games in the majors with the Giants in 2017. The infielder continues to have solid power and limited on-base skills.

Seattle Mariners
A year after being acquired in a trade with the M’s, Ashton Goudeau is a free agent.

Tampa Bay Rays
Mike Broadway was on the cusp of making the major league roster out of spring training last season.

Washington Nationals
The former mayor of Omaha, Irving Falu will turn 36 years old this year after another season in the minor leagues.

Intriguing Free Agents to Possibly Add
Mason Melotakis, an oft-injured lefty that can run a fastball into the low-90s next to his slider. The results in the minors have been decent when he’s managed to stay on the mound. A couple other names to watch have links to the Astros farm system with former pick Asher Wojciechowski, a starter who worked with the White Sox last year. Working mostly in the low 90s, Asher has a good slider that major league hitters have struggled against in limited competition who might have a role in the pen if not help out in a spot start duty while working mostly with Triple-A Omaha to add depth. The second name that could intrigue is Matt Ramsey, a relief pitcher who dominated with Fresno last season, allowing just a 1.13 WHIP in 33 appearances while striking out 54 in 47 innings. As is the case with Melotakis, this right-hander has had trouble staying healthy at times but when on the mound he’s been dominant and could be a pitcher the Royals want to give a preferred minor league deal with a peak at a spot in spring training.

Most of these players are looking at the twilight of their careers but there are always a couple of gems to find and the Royals have done a decent job of unearthing a few in the past. Here’s hoping they can do the same once again.

Featured Photo Irving Falu via Minda Haas Kuhlmann

The Top 100 Prospects – The current crop doesn’t have a BA Top 100 prospect on the squad, nor do they have two prospects who were in the Top 25 the way Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer were at the time. That ranking for Hosmer was built on reputation mostly after being the #3 overall draft pick in the ’08 draft, but playing just three games after getting caught up in the Pedro Alvarez draft mess, and a rough ’09 would see him fall out of the ranks before rebounding into the Top 10. The current group doesn’t have a former first round pick in the Top 3 but next year’s will. While not likely on the BA Top 100, we at BP are likely to comfortably rank Seuly Matias inside the Top 100 and should see Khalil Lee there also with the possibility of adding MJ Melendez. Both Melendez and Matias finished with better OPS numbers than Moustakas did at the same age and level, and if not for an injury, Matias had an excellent shot at leading all the minors in home runs. Both Moustakas and Hosmer made their way quickly to Kansas City after brief bumps in the road, but neither possessed the toolset that Matias does with his possible 80-grade power and arm. That said, neither of those hitters had a floor that might keep him from making the major leagues with his swing and miss capability, so advantage 2009.

The Top 10 – While we don’t know the prospects in the Royals current top 10, it wouldn’t take much to guess that they will likely have the top four names on the below list in some kind of order. While Kila’s big season made him a prospect to watch and got him a cup of coffee during the ’08 season, shortstop Nicky Lopez is also on the cusp of a major league career with a pair of roadblocks in Adalberto Mondesi and Whit Merrifield up the middle. It’s likely Lopez will have to wait until after the service clock has chimed for him to get up this season. Once in the majors, he should be able to establish a career Kila couldn’t with his quality defense, on-base skills and ability to hit.

The Best of the Rest – After struggling in the first half of the season, Nick Pratto led the Legends offense over the final two months. That improved hitting ability has a chance to push him into a long career in the league. It will be interesting to see if he recovers his prospect status, after that slow start hurt it somewhat. Should he do so he presents the only possibility to become a Royals Hall of Famer like Salvador Perez likely will be. Speaking of Perez, he is at the top on a catching position depth chart that is as deep as any in baseball with a possible Top 100 player in Melendez, a suitable backup like Cam Gallagher or Meibrys Viloria who flashed the capability to back up in the majors also. Don’t sleep on the fourth in that group, talented backstop Sebastian Rivero who was a South Atlantic League All-Star this past season. Additionally, the outfielders outside of Lee and Matias have plenty of tools to lean on with Isbel profiling as a major league starter by multiple scouts who I have spoken with, while Hicklen features a rare speed and power profile for an eighth-round college draftee. In Gigliotti and Perkins, the Royals have a pair of centerfielders who should be plus defenders with patient approaches at the plate. One player who didn’t appear on the past list was Jarrod Dyson, a late bloomer who showed his speed could make an impact in the field and on the bases. A similar player currently in the system is Nick Heath (25 yo this year) with his 80-grade speed, though his defense tends to waver with his concentration level. Should he prove more consistent in the field, he has a chance to provide value in a way that Dyson did in his Royals career.

I don’t know if there is as much talent as there was back in 2009, but I also don’t think that group reached their lofty ceiling as individual players despite back to back World Series appearances. This current edition will be hard pressed to match what those players did but as a group, but they are very talented and probably deeper in terms of the number of possible impact players. The front office added Wil Myers and Aaron Crow to that group which didn’t help much on the field, but did help them get over the hump after the Myers trade. This year the front office can make another impact with a large number of high draft picks including the #2 overall selection.

Heading into 2019 the Royals have depth in their farm system despite a lack of Top 100 quality prospects. Unfortunately for them, the depth appears at a spot where, historically, the franchise has failed and where most major league teams in baseball fail, pitching. So how does this group of pitchers compare to that group ten years ago?

The Top 100 Prospect – Both groups likely have one Top 100 prospect in the Royals 2018 1st round pick Brady Singer compared to the 2009 right-hander Dan Cortes. The Royals had acquired Cortes for reliever Mike MacDougal and within a year he was inside Baseball America’s Top 100, appearing at 57 following a strong 2007 campaign in Wilmington. Within two years Cortes would prove to be a headache for the Royals, get dealt for Yuni Betancourt and go on to make 14 major league appearances before struggling to make it back. While Singer hasn’t pitched yet in a minor league game just yet, it’s hard to compare the two, but given Singer’s pedigree and feel for pitching, it would be hard to imagine him not at least equaling the Cortes career.

The Burgeoning Lefty – Heading into the 2009 season the Royals probably knew they had a talented lefty on their hands in Mike Montgomery yet the rest of the baseball world was still waiting. Within a year Montgomery would be ranked inside Baseball America and BP’s Top 40 prospects. This year’s group has a similar lefty, though he is a bit further along in his development as a college draftee, in Daniel Lynch. Currently, he’s sitting outside of the top 100 but I wouldn’t be shocked based on the stuff he was showing in Lexington if he found himself inside the Top 100 prior to the season. Don’t be shocked if he’s rated as the Royals best overall prospect to start the season or as their best pitching prospect though it’s not likely he will pitch himself inside the overall Top 40 the way Montgomery did.

The Top 10 – Other pitchers who were included in the Royals Top 10 included Danny Duffy who would go onto a major league career and an appearance into the Top 100 while the rest of the group largely struggled. That glut of pitching in that Top 10 was largely due to the farm system being weak outside the Top 6 prospects though Danny Gutierrez at the time was coming off a strong season in Burlington and was thought to be a good pitching prospect prior to off-field problems looming large over his career. The grouping the Royals currently have though is stronger with Kowar, another fringe Top 100 pitcher, likely heading to Wilmington after helping Lexington to a championship. Reliever Richard Lovelady is likely to contribute to the major league bullpen while Carlos Hernandez and Yefri Del Rosario are much bigger talents than both Rosa and Wood.

Best of the Rest – This group is quite a bit deeper than that 2009 group was though Kelvin Herrera would go onto make 1/3 of HDH. The Royals currently have a deep group of talented pitchers with their first-round picks Kris Bubic featured lower on my list than he will likely slot elsewhere. One scout gave me a Tanner Roark comp on Jon Heasley; Zach Haake was tossing 98 mph at instructs while Morel and Luciano present a pair of latin pitchers who could be near the top of this list next year should they harness their secondary stuff start to start in Lexington this season. It’s not even close though in terms of that grouping compared to this one in terms of talent as this group is much deeper.

The main difference between this group and the last is the data and open mind that the front office has towards pitching development compared to what they did ten years ago.Things change quickly in a year in terms of these lists and franchises though. Little did BA or the Royals know that the best pitcher they would develop was already in the organization and not on this BA list or even the next season’s group. The next Yordano Ventura could be the #2 player chosen this year’s draft or someone I left off. That’s the fun that comes with the process.

@ClintScoles

Featured Photo – Daniel Lynch by @TheGrandOldGame – Instagram

The answer is yes. The pitchers I’ve seen this season and in the last couple seasons have everything a pitcher would need to develop into a competent pro. Whether it’s a two-seam fastball, slider instead of a curve or working with a Driveline-type organization or a long-toss routine the organization is open to development and evolving. There is no reason that a pitcher can’t find success while working in the Royals organization. With that knowledge, the Royals don’t quite have the depth in pitching that they had in the 2010-2011 years, but it’s not far off.

Star of the Show – Yohanse Morel – This is as easy as it gets for me. Tossing on Wednesday against a Mexican League squad, Morel was completely dominant for his two perfect innings of work. The fastball had life in the 92-94 mph range with the arm speed and power that the 18-year-old is likely to gain velocity in the coming years. Next to the four-seam fastball was a two-seam with good late diving movement at 87-88 mph that mirrored with a couple of changeups that he threw at a similar pace that a little arm-side fade. All four pitches Morel threw came with extension in the 6’4 range slightly above his listed height.

For any 18 year old, who doesn’t turn 19 until August those three pitches would be a great introduction and preview a positive future to build from, but I’ve still yet to mention the devastating slider that he was throwing. The slider was an 82-85 mph smoking hot pitch with late sink and sweeping movement. The spin ranged between 2650-2775 RPM which would be in the top 50 of a major league scale. Hitters had no chance and Morel knew it as they flailed prior to him walking off the mound upon release of his final slide piece prior to it landing in the catcher’s mitt as he froze the final hitter he faced. That pitch has the appearance of a 60 pitch to go with an above average future fastball. It was six up, six down versus older more seasoned hitters and the 18-year-old showed dominance, a swagger and an arsenal that surely would have placed him in some teams first round had he done it as an American at the same age prior to the upcoming draft.

Elvis Luciano - He has a strong body that should physically stand up to the longterm role as a starter. On this day, the fastball was 94-95 mph with the ability to drive and repeat it to the bottom of the zone. He flashed a tight, late moving slider in the mid-80s that flashed the better of the two breaking balls that he threw and could become an above average pitch over time. The curveball that he tossed was an upper-70s get over pitch that probably could use a little more shape and less pace to become more of a bat misser. The combination of fastball/slider mixed with a usable curve should present a backend starter should the changeup which wasn’t highlighted on this day present itself as an average offering.

Rylan Kaufman - Kaufman featured a 90-92 mph fastball with lots of arm side run. If he can learn to control it then it’s a plus pitch even at present velocity as it has the movement that allows it to miss bats and difficulty to barrel it. In addition to the fastball, Kaufman tosses a plus future curveball that had 2700-2823 revolutions which is an above average rate. The lefty presented an ability to backdoor the curve with 12-6 shape from his 3/4 arm position.

Anderson Paulino - His velocity sat in the mid to upper 90s and he was able to get to the bottom of the zone with regularity and life. I saw him both Tuesday and Friday and it was the same thing both days, 95-96 mph at the bottom of the zone. Showed a flash of an 85 mph cutter/slider that was a below average pitch. The late movement and plane on the fastball will make for a groundball machine.

Noah Bryant - Bryant showed an easy mid-90s fastball that hit 95-97 mph regularly in both outings. He flashed a usable slider in warmups on Tuesday but was unable to repeat it during live action. On Friday, the slider was showing similar plane to the fastball and short, late motion appearing similar to a cutter. That slider is workable at the lower levels but will need to increase the break at the higher levels.

Marlin Willis - It was a rough season for Willis in Burlington, but he looked interesting on Thursday. Throwing from a lower than 3/4 arm slot, Willis was 88-90 mph with his fastball to go with a sweeping slurvy offering in the mid-70s. Physically Willis should get stronger as he ages but the intriguing part of his game was his elite extension, releasing his pitches at 6’8 to as high as 7’2 in distance. The pitches don’t make for a starter but some refinement and ability to repeat the quality breaking pitch he tossed a couple of times on this day could lead him into a specialty relief role.

Zach Haake - The big rub on the former Wildcats pitcher was his health and he appears to be fully healthy showing a 92-94 mph fastball. It was a bit straight on this day, but he was able to generate some groundball contact with it.

Malcolm Van Buren - He showed lots of power with the fastball on Tuesday working low to mid-90s and little idea where it was going. Came back on Friday working with more a two-seam look that allowed him to stay in the zone at 89-90 mph next to his curveball. There’s a long way to go in terms of command/control.

Heribert Garcia - Garcia flashed an above-average changeup with his 90 mph fastball. That fastball will have to come forward as a 6’0 right-hander but physically he’s sturdy, gets above average extension (6’4) for his height and repeats well. Add some velocity and he has a chance to get deep into the minor leagues. Could be a repeat of Arnaldo Hernandez as a pitcher with good control and feel for three different pitches.

Juan Carlos Negret - The Cuban outfielder acquired in the Braves international mess looks physically like Jose Guillen. In the field, the physical appearance mirrors Guillen’s play as he’s a step slow and will have to remain in right field while the speed down the line matches with 4.5 times down the line. The arm is average and won’t be taking the spot from Matias or Lee should he move there. At the dish, Negret has some pull-side power that can turn a fastball which he did on Wednesday for an absolute bomb and another line drive out to third that was 104 mph off the bat. Hitting fastball velocity shouldn’t be a problem and he appeared to recognize spin. The swing path may need some altering to be able to drive the ball the opposite way as opposed to just his pull approach that he’s working with currently. His effort down the line and in the field seemed to be lacking.

Nick Heath - 80 speed and an improved hitting ability that presents line drive contact defines Heath. He has a feel for running the bases and attacking pitchers. Has a chance to become a similar story to Jarrod Dyson as a late developing speedster/4th outfielder. Much like a younger Dyson, this outfielders glove can wander with his concentration level making mistakes on balls that he gets to. The arm is average and shouldn’t be any problem in center field or left.

Dennicher Carrasco - Carrasco has a good feel for hit with average to a tick above average power. Will have to move to first base where the bat will come into question.

Travis Jones - Jones has long limbs and average bat speed that is long though it stays in the zone. He will continue to struggle to pull pitches that cause damage.

Most position players appear to be worn down after long seasons.

Despite the usual rhetoric, the Royals minor league squads started winning almost immediately, taking championships at multiple levels along the way to a 2015 World Series title. The first championship came at the Low-A level in 2008 at the Midwest League after the Burlington Bees rode a second-half division title into the playoffs and through a perfect playoff run. Ten years later, the Royals front office built another Low-A championship as the Lexington Legends defeated the Lakewood BlueClaws for the South Atlantic League title. Ten years apart and built in similar fashions but how does this recent championship team compare to that one?

Moustakas ’08 Flickr

The 1st Round Pick – Both teams had a 1st round pick who struggled in the early part of their season before finding a groove.
Burlington SS/3b – Mike Moustakas – Yes, Moose started the season at shortstop for the Bees playing 57 games there before making his move to third in June and playing there primarily during the second half of their season. .272/.337/.468 22 HR – Midwest Lg HR leader
Lexington 1b – Nick Pratto – the Royals 2017 1st round pick actually got on base at a higher clip and hit for a slightly higher average, finishing one extra-base hit shy of the 50 Moustakas put up. They did it in different fashions with Pratto striking out at nearly 13% higher clip.

Both players took off during the final two months of their seasons with Moustakas hitting .318/.386/.552 with 10 HR from July 1st to the end of the season compared to Pratto’s .319/.395/.516 with 7 HR. Pratto did perform better in the Low-A playoffs with his 1.148 OPS in six games compared to Moose’s .801.

The new pitcher with a strong finish – The seasons that Danny Duffy and Yefri Del Rosario put up 10 years apart were strikingly similar with both pitchers getting off to slow starts in their first three outings before getting in an outstanding groove.

Duffy – Paul Gierhart/MiLB.com

Burlington LHP – Danny Duffy – 17 Starts, 81.2 IP, 2.20 ERA, 0.99 WHIP

With an 8.49 ERA after three starts, Duffy didn’t give up more than three runs in any of his final 14 starts while allowing just 15 runs in 70 innings against 84 K’s

Lexington RHP – Yefri Del Rosario – 15 Starts, 79 IP, 3.19 ERA, 1.24 WHIP

After a 10.45 ERA in his first three starts, Del Rosario pitched his final 13 outings with just two starts of four runs allowed while giving up just 16 earned runs in his final 74.2 innings including his one shutout playoff starts against 68 K’s

The football player converting to full-time baseball

CF/LF- David Lough – Aside from Moose, a big breakout prospect for the Bees was a former football player who showed off his athleticism in the outfield while hitting .268/.329/.455.
CF/LF Brewer Hicklen – It was Hicklen who led the Lexington team in OPS and stolen bases, having a breakout season after playing baseball while accepting a football scholarship at UAB. He finished at .307/.378/.552.

Both teams added players to help them make their playoff runs with Burlington adding Johnny Giavotella to the top of their lineup along with a fireballing right-hander named Kelvin Herrera earning a promotion from rookie level Burlington, NC getting a bump to the Iowa roster in mid-August. Herrera gave the Bees six innings of two-run ball in his only playoff start while Gio helped carry the Bees offense in the playoffs with a hit in all six games highlighted by five hits, five runs scored and five RBIs with a pair of home runs in the two-game championship series. Meanwhile, the Legends received multiple late-season additions in Daniel Lynch, Jackson Kowar, and Kyle Isbel just to name the 2018 draftees. The two drafted pitchers gave up just three combined runs in their four playoff starts while Isbel chipped in with a .779 OPS in his 39 minor league games.

The teams compare as a whole statistically, with the ’08 Bees having a slight advantage in team ERA 3.49 to 3.61 compared to the Legends advantage in offensive OPS .733 to .722 while scoring 65 more runs. One can see a major difference in strikeouts on the offensive end with the Legends striking out 304 more times during the season. That number didn’t translate on the pitching side however, with the Legends staff striking out just eight more hitters in an extra 17 innings thrown.

Photo via Lexington Legends IG

These comparisons don’t do the Legends a lot of favors as the team was very deep in talent, winning a championship despite their top prospect, Seuly Matias, missing most of the second half of the season. In addition to Matias, the Legends lost Carlos Hernandez who had a sub-3 ERA during his final 10 starts before encountering injury. Comparing the two teams, the Legends starting pitching appears far deeper with Lynch, Kowar, Del Rosario and Hernandez leading the way compared to Burlington’s staff that added Herrera very late to Duffy and one of their better pitchers during the season, Danny Gutierrez. One of the more talented arms on the staff was Juan Abreu who was lost via a free agency snafu by the Royals and made seven appearances with the 2011 Astros. While the gap in terms of pitching does favor Lexington, the gap offensively seems rather large with Pratto, Matias, Isbel and MJ Melendez leading the way while getting All-Star contributions from Sebastian Rivero and a quality season from Hicklen.

Team to team, I give the edge to Lexington as would former major leaguer and Bees alum Clint Robinson, who scouts for another organization, saying that the overall talent on the Lexington club is by far better. “Lexington was better in nearly every facet of the game minus the infield.” That said if the Royals get three established major leaguers like Moose, Duffy, and Herrera alongside four other major league contributors from this squad they will be well ahead of the game.

MLB Contributors on the ’08 Bees
Danny Duffy
Kelvin Herrera
Mike Moustakas
Clint Robinson
Johnny Giavotella
David Lough
Juan Abreu

Featured Photo was taken from the Bees Blog

Follow me on Twitter @ClintScoles for information from Royals instructs next week.

With many good seasons at the lower levels, quite a few names could take the top spot for the Royals Minor League Player of the Year. The candidates that came up in the discussion included last year’s winner Frank Schwindel, who continued to play well at Triple-A for Omaha. The Lexington Legends advanced to the South Atlantic championship series with multiple members enjoying good seasons, including MJ Melendez with his 19 HR and 42% caught stealing rate and teammate Brewer Hicklen who excelled at Low-A before some struggles with Wilmington. Those candidates all had worthy seasons but one player stood just slightly taller than those to us at BPKC.

Shortstop Nicky Lopez had plenty of eyes watching him at the start of this season with one big question needing to be answered. Prospect analysts wanted to know if Nicky’s strong Wilmington showing in 2017 was real or were the difficulties he ran into at Double-A more of an indicator of his true talent level?

That question was quickly answered for Lopez as he repeated Double-A to open the year, hitting .331/.397/.416 in his 73 games for Northwest Arkansas before pushing his way to the next level. That line doesn’t tell the entire story for Lopez though, as he actually got off to a slightly slow start with a .214 average in his first 19 games. From that point, his bat caught fire, hitting .370/.421/.474 from April 28th to June 23rd–a stretch of 54 games. He reached base two or more times in more than half of those games (29) while connecting on two or more hits in 21 of the games to force his way to a promotion. In Omaha, Lopez more than held his own, hitting .278 in 57 games with the Chasers while continuing to control the strike zone with 27 walks against 29 strikeouts. Those walks added to his 33 free passes at Double-A against just 23 strikeouts to finish with 60 walks against 52 strikeouts. With Omaha, the shortstop also started to exhibit more power, hitting seven home runs with the Chasers which were just three fewer than he had hit in his previous 264 minor league games.

All told, Lopez carried a .382 on-base percentage for the season, tied for second-best in the organization by a full-season player. Leading the organization in hits (155) and walks (60) led to Nicky reaching base 215 times via hit or walk which ranks as the ninth best-combined total since the beginning of the GMDM era.

Most Hits/Walks combined since 2007
Eric Hosmer 235 – 2010
Kila Ka’aihue 230 – 2008
Johnny Giavotella 229 – 2010
Wil Myers 226 – 2010
Wil Myers 225 – 2012
Clint Robinson 222 – 2011
Clint Robinson 221 – 2012
Clint Robinson 218 – 2010
Nicky Lopez 215 – 2018
Kila Ka’aihue 213 – 2009

What stands out most on this list for Lopez is the fact that he’s one of just two middle infielders in the group, with his stellar defense at the most difficult spot on the field standing head and shoulders above the rest. Playing 94 games at shortstop, Lopez committed just five errors during the season while showing his steady hands and arm at the position, while adding in 32 errorless games at second base. This combination of defense and on-base skill put his 2018 season above the rest in the organization.

Yefri Del Rosario Photo via Doc Riddle

Minor League Pitcher of the Year – Yefri Del Rosario – A late flourish to Del Rosario’s season pushed him ahead of Richard Lovelady, JC Cloney, and Gerson Garabito for this award. Starting his season in June at the Low-A level, Del Rosario struggled in two of his first three starts before embarking on a dominant stretch of over two months. From June 28th until his first start in the South Atlantic League playoffs, Del Rosario has allowed more than three earned runs in just one start. During that time, which includes 13 starts, the still 18-year old put up a 1.93 ERA while striking out 8.19 per 9 innings against a 1.02 WHIP. On top of that, he’s been even more dominating the last month-plus, giving quality starts in six of his last seven starts with just three earned runs allowed in that stretch. A truly great season for a pitcher who is still so young.

Team of the Year – Lexington Legends – The Legends were not only the winningest team in the minors for the Royals this season, but they were also the most exciting to watch. Whether it be Seuly Matias and MJ Melendez leaving the yard with their many home runs, or the late additions of pitching prospects Jackson Kowar and Daniel Lynch, the Legends won often and in extremely enjoyable fashion.

Featured Photo Minda Haas Kuhlmann

@ClintScoles

Starting Pitcher – Daniel Lynch

Rarely would we select a draftee for this spot, but no starting pitcher in the organization has been as dominant as Lynch in his 12 starts since joining. The lefty has put away nearly 11 hitters per nine innings via strikeout while maintaining a WHIP of 1.013 during his 51.1 innings. He’s been able to do it thanks to a fastball that has risen to the mid-90s, topping out at 97 mph, alongside a pair of advanced offspeed pitches in his curve and changeup.

Honorable Mention – J.C. Cloney with a 12-1 2.21 ERA in 85.2 innings and 14 starts between rookie-level Idaho Falls and Lexington.

Catcher – M.J. Melendez

The Royals second round pick from 2017 had an extremely rare season for a high school catcher with Melendez connecting on 54 extra base hits in his 111 games. Playing at an advanced level for a high school drafted catcher, Melendez handled the pitching staff and running game quite well, tossing out 42 percent of attempted base stealers against him.

Honorable Mention – Meibrys Viloria, the Colombian born catcher held his own in the difficult hitting Carolina League with a .260 average and .342 OBP while tossing out 41 percent of runners.

First Base – Frank Schwindel

The 2018 season was the fourth in five full minor league seasons in which Schwindel hit 20+ home runs, connecting on 24 home runs for Omaha. Posting the third best slugging percentage in the organization, Schwindel also set an Omaha franchise record for doubles in a season with his 38 two-baggers.

Honorable Mention – Nick Pratto’s second half surge of .327/.399/.532 helped him counter a rough first half and lead Lexington into the playoffs for the first time since 2006.

Second Base – Jecksson Flores

Coming into this season, Flores had very pedestrian numbers with a .643 career OPS in 422 minor league games. That didn’t prevent him from busting out at Double-A this season, becoming one of the main catalysts to the Naturals lineup. He led the Texas League in hitting while setting new career-high marks in nearly every offensive category.

Honorable Mention – The MVP of the Burlington season, Jose Marquez, led the team in almost all offensive categories with his .301/.355/.498 line with 26 extra base hits in 59 games.

Shortstop – Nicky Lopez 

If there were questions entering the season whether Lopez could handle upper level pitching, the former Creighton shortstop quickly answered that this season. After a somewhat slow start in April for the Naturals, he took off in May and June, hitting .363/.410/.473 to get promoted out of Double-A. In Omaha, he continued to hold his own, hitting .278/.364/.417 with seven home runs in 57 games after hitting just 10 in his previous 284 minor league games. Along with the bat, Lopez was a steady hand defensively, committing just five errors in his 374 chances at the position.

Honorable Mention – Despite having to play all around the infield due to Adalberto Mondesi and Nicky Lopez taking precedent, Humberto Arteaga had a nice season with the bat, hitting .292/.322/.386. As usual, his defense was outstanding when he did get to play his primary position.

Third Base – Rubendy Jaquez

The Royals roster in Arizona didn’t have that great of a season, but Jaquez was a pleasant surprise. Leading the team in OPS while impacting on the bases with 16 steals, he will likely have to move to second in the future. He showed off a good bat in the AZL and briefly in the Pioneer League with a .316/.404/.449 across the two levels.

Honorable Mention – An injury sidetracked Emmanuel Rivera’s season, but a good closing August (.913) helped him finish with a .760 OPS in Wilmington while positioning him for a breakout season at Double-A next year.

Right Field – Seuly Matias

Despite missing more than 40 games, Matias easily led the organization with his 31 home runs. Those home runs resulted in him finishing second to only Brewer Hicklen in OPS within the organization. Just when it appeared that he made an adjustment to do a better job of making contact, his season was cut short by a luggage accident. Still, the power exhibited in a less than full season more than earned him a spot on this list.

Center Field – Kyle Isbel 

No positional player draftee from the ’18 draft made more of an impact than Kyle Isbel this season. Advertised as an outfielder who can also play some infield, Isbel dominated the Pioneer League, hitting .381/.454/.610 before joining Lexington for their playoff push. Playing center field while batting at the top of the Legends lineup, Isbel has become a factor, getting on base at a .345 clip at that level while stealing 24 bags across the two levels this season. It’s somewhat doubtful that his speed will be enough to keep him in center long term, but for this season he has played at a good enough level to take the spot here.

Left Field – Brewer Hicklen

No outfielder in the system had the type of season Hicklen had, combining both power and speed while playing for the Lexington Legends. The 2017 seventh round pick got a late start, not landing with the Legends until late April, but when he received regular playing time in May he showed the football tools that got him drafted. As previously stated, Hicklen ranked first in OPS in the organization among players who started the season the Royals, third in stolen bases, fifth in home runs and in the top ten in runs scored.

Honorable Mention – Kort Peterson had a nice rebound season after his injury in ’17, hitting well in Wilmington before exhibiting power at Double-A. The former UCLA outfielder connected on 45 extra base hits on the season.

Utility Player – Nathan Eaton

The Chukars MVP played four different defensive positions while also taking the DH spot in five games this season. The main catalyst to the Idaho Falls lineup was near the top in most offensive categories for the Chukars with his .354/.427/.581 line while stealing 19 bases in 66 games. A catcher in college, the Royals had him put away the tools of ignorance with Idaho Falls and it may have freed him up as he easily topped all of his college stats this past season. Not shabby for a 21st round draft pick.

Relief Pitcher – Richard Lovelady

If it wasn’t for service time and 40-man roster dynamics, Lovelady surely did enough to earn a spot on this year’s major league team. The left-hander was the most reliable reliever for the Omaha Storm Chasers with his 73 innings and a 1.01 WHIP. Working in 46 different games, Lovelady allowed an earned run in just 10 outings while dominating left-handed hitters with just a .157/224/.258 line against him.

Honorable Mention – Tad Ratliff was dominant for the Legends. Once handed the closing role with the squad, he struck out 22 over his final 20 innings with 10 saves in 14 appearances.

BPKC Player of the Day: Nick Pratto 2-3, HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB

Lexington Legends 3, Rome Braves 1
Lexington leads series 1-0 (best of three)

The Legends started their playoff series with the Rome Braves on Wednesday night with first round pick Jackson Kowar on the hill. The former Florida Gator, who excelled in the College World Series this past season, held his own against the Braves, working efficiently as the right-hander tossed just 57 pitches in his five innings of work. The Legends took a lead in the first inning when Kyle Isbel reached first on an error before stealing second. First baseman Nick Pratto quickly drove in Isbel to give the Legends a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Rome threatened with a leadoff single followed by a double to put two in scoring position with no outs, but Kowar stiffened, getting a lineout before ending the inning with a pair of strikeouts. The next inning though, Kowar made a mistake by giving up a solo home run to Hagen Owenby to even up the game 1-1. The Legends answered with a stolen base by Cristian Perez after his leadoff single and Sebastian Rivero’s RBI single that gave Lexington a 2-1 lead. The very next inning, Pratto tacked on with another home run, his third in his last four games. The Legends bullpen of Janser Lara and Tad Ratliff were dominant over the final four innings, tossing up zeroes to give Lexington a 1-0 advantage in the best of three series. Lefty Daniel Lynch will start the second game of the series for the Legends on Friday night.

Jackson Kowar: 5 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 5 K, 4-2 GO-FO, 57p/36k
Janser Lara: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 2-1 GO-FO, 34p/25k
Cristian Perez: 1-3, R, SB
Sebastian Rivero: 1-3, RBI

Idaho Falls Chukars 8, Ogden Raptors 7

The Chukars were eliminated from the Pioneer League postseason on Wednesday night when Grand Junction secured the playoff spot with a 3-1 win over Orem. Despite that, Idaho Falls received a good start from Zach Haake who gave them three innings of shutout ball with three strikeouts on 41 pitches. The Chukars pounded out eight runs, with five coming in the fifth inning on six hits including four doubles to take an 8-1 lead after seven innings. That lead was just big enough as the bullpen gave up six runs in the final two innings before Daniel James struck out the final hitter of the night to strand the potential tying run on second base.

Zach Haake: 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K, 2-3 GO-FO, 41p/24k
Rubendy Jaquez: 2-5, 2R, 2b, RBI, 2 SB
Nathan Eaton: 1-2, R, 2 RBI, BB, SB, CS

OMAHA STORM CHASERS

The Chasers had a down and up season, starting off 8-17 in April as the team’s offense struggled early in the season. From that point, the Chasers played one game above .500 the rest of the way. They did this despite an offense that finished second to last in OPS and a pitching staff that finished in the same spot with strikeouts. Why did the team succeed? Defense is likely the biggest reason. On any given night, the Chasers often fielded major league caliber shortstop defenders in at least three if not four spots around the infield and sometimes a spot in the outfield. All around, their defense was high quality and the pitching staff saw a benefit most nights, while the promotion of Nicky Lopez and the steady bat of Frank Schwindel carried the offense on most nights in the second half.

Position Player
Frank Schwindel – One year after being named the BPKC Minor League Player of the Year, Schwindel was nearly as good with a full season in Omaha. The 1B/DH led the Chasers in nearly every offensive statistic, setting a franchise record with 38 doubles while also leading the squad with 24 home runs and 93 RBI. All told, Schwindel led the team in hits, runs, home runs, doubles, and RBI while also leading in many advanced hitting categories among qualified hitters on the team. The average for Schwindel took a dip this year to no one’s surprise after an expected dip in BABIP, but he did a decent job countering with an increase in walk rate (2.9%-6.1%). Defensively, Schwindel remains somewhat rough at the position but he has shown improvement and completed the season without making an error in the field this year.

Pitcher of the Year
Richard Lovelady – For the second year in a row, a left-handed relief pitcher took the pitcher of the year award for the Chasers. This season it was reliever Richard Lovelady who, much like the team, got off to a slow start before hitting his stride and dominating much of the season. The reliever at the end of May had a 4.21 ERA with under a K per inning but from June 1st on, the lefty limited the PCL to a 0.82 WHIP, a 1.51 ERA and 9.5 K/9. The sidearmer dominated lefties as one would expect with a .157 average against, but more than held his own against right-handed hitters a .587 OPS against him for the season. These numbers helped Lovelady become the most consistent member of the bullpen for the Chasers, giving them 73 innings  while leading the team in saves.

NW ARKANSAS NATURALS

During both the first and second halves of the season, the Naturals put themselves in big holes with a bad month of baseball before turning it on only to fall just short of the postseason. The first half saw NW Arkansas tie Arkansas for first place only to lose in the difference-making game. To start the second half, the Naturals got off to a brutal 4-22 start which put them 15 games back of first place Tulsa. The pitching would get hot from that point leading the Naturals back to within three games before a few late season losses left them five games back and at .500 for the year.

Position Player
Jecksson Flores – This one was difficult as shortstop Nicky Lopez fit the criteria for playing with the Naturals for 73 games while leading the squad in OBP and dominating during May and June with a .363 average prior to his promotion to Triple-A. Even with those numbers, Flores is the player who stirred the drink more than any other on the Naturals roster. He became the first Naturals hitter to lead the Texas League in hitting since Clint Robinson in 2010. The most consistent member of the lineup, Flores led the team in hits, average and doubles while finishing second on the club in runs scored, stolen bases and OPS. In addition to offensive stats, Flores played all over the field defensively for the squad playing 44 at second base, 40 games at third, 22 at shortstop and 14 more in the outfield to prove the ultimate weapon all over the field.

Pitcher of the Year
Yunior Marte – The Naturals couldn’t find consistent starting pitching for much of the year and were led by relievers for much of the season. No reliever was put to use more often than Marte who finished second on the team in appearances while leading the bullpen with 80.1 innings thrown. Marte also led the bullpen in strikeouts (8.96 SO/9) and WHIP (1.22) while putting up a 2.91 ERA. The righty was able to do this by dominating opposite-side hitters, limiting lefties to a .186/.286/.291 slash line against him while holding his own against same-siders with a .241 BAA. The Dominican born Marte has proven to have a rubber arm in his career with the Royals and may get a look by another team in the Rule 5 draft this offseason.

WILMINGTON BLUE ROCKS

The Rocks season was a bit uneven with the team finishing eight under .500 during the first half of the season due to a poor May that saw them go 9-20. The second half saw the club jump out to a lead in the division the with the addition of Blake Perkins before the offense went missing during the middle of August, leading to a 12 game losing streak that cost the club the second half title, finishing five games behind Lynchburg.

Position Player of the Year
Khalil Lee – This one was a difficult call with the usual lack of offense in Wilmington. At different times it seemed like D.J. Burt might get the call, but a rough August drove his numbers down, while an injury may have prevented Emmanuel Rivera from taking the award despite a late charge (.913 OPS in August). Both of those players finished just short of Lee however, as the outfielder played 71 games and led Rocks in qualified OPS by that standard. In his games with the Rocks he did a number of impressive things, but reaching base was the tops as he carried a .402 OBP despite turning 20 just this past June. Lee did this with a .270 average while also earning 41 free passes in his 71 games played. The numbers were relatively balanced for Lee with his .811 OPS balancing with a .804 road OPS, something that can be difficult to do for hitters in the spacious home park. In addition to the OBP, Lee was efficient on the bases, stealing 14 bases in 17 tries while scoring 42 runs and driving in 41. All of this was done while playing primarily in centerfield for Wilmington before his promotion to Double-A.

Pitcher of the Year
Gerson Garabito – Wilmington’s pitcher of the year Garabito led the Carolina League in ERA among starting pitchers while finishing third in innings and fifth in total strikeouts. That 142.1 innings was significantly higher than his previous career high (80.2 in ’16). The right-hander struggled with his walk rate (4.6 BB/9) but he was able to mitigate the damage with just 117 hits given up and finishing well with a 7.3 K/9 rate. These numbers would lead the team’s starters in starts, strikeouts, WHIP, wins, and innings pitched. Most of these numbers were compiled on a strong finish for Garabito which saw him go 6-1 with a 2.24 ERA over his final 14 starts, setting him up for a promotion to Double-A next season.

LEXINGTON LEGENDS

Easily the best team in the Royals farm system this past season was the Low-A Lexington Legends, with the club finishing 16 games over .500. The Legends finished tied for second in the first half of the season before winning the second half, despite starting that half with a six-game losing streak. They did this on the back of the league’s second-best offense while the pitching staff finished in the middle as a whole but looked quite dominant at times with many members of a talented starting staff.

Position Player
Brewer Hicklen – Another difficult call on this one with Seuly Matias hitting 31 home runs in just 94 games alongside MJ Melendez and his 54 extra base hits. Despite those numbers, the most well-balanced player on the offense was outfielder Brewer Hicklen. The former UAB football recruit led the Legends in OPS with his .930 while also leading the team with his 29 stolen bases. He did this despite playing in just 82 games and not getting regular playing time with the team until the start of May. What Hicklen did best this past season was dominate southpaws, hitting .315/.389/.649 with 18 of his 43 extra base hits coming off of them. In all, it was an impressive season showcasing the power and speed tools that Hicklen possesses in his 6’2, 208 lbs frame.

Pitcher of the Year
Carlos Hernandez – The Legends had a number of pitchers who had quality seasons for the club whether it was Andres Sotillet, who earned a promotion to Wilmington, or Yefri Del Rosario and his strong finish to lead their qualified starters in ERA. Just missing the cut was Daniel Lynch who made nine starts while also being limited in innings after his college season. Even with those quality candidates, Hernandez was a step above the qualified group with his team-best WHIP and K/9 while his 3.29 ERA trailed only Del Rosario’s. The powerful right-hander finished with an outstanding flurry in his final six starts, tossing four starts of seven innings with an ERA of 1.41 against a WHIP below 1.00. A family issue slowed Hernandez out of the gate, not getting his first start until early May before an injury stopped his season short in August. In between though, he showed his powerful fastball, improving breaking ball and feel for a change can dominate hitters at times.

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Richard Lovelady photo by Minda Haas Kuhlmann.