BPKC Hitter of the Day: Nick Pratto 3-4 HR, 4 RBI

BPKC Pitcher of the Day: Grant Gavin 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 4 K 0-2 GO-FO 31p/20k 

Lexington Legends 7 Delmarva Shorebirds 4

The Legends offense enjoyed their return to home Wednesday morning, taking it out on the Orioles Low-A squad with a pair of home runs. Following a run allowed in the first by starter Dan Tillo, the Legends staked their hard luck lefty to a lead with a three-run blast by Brewer Hicklen in the second inning. The ball cleared the batter’s eye in center, his second of the season for the former UAB star. First baseman Nick Pratto would get his day going in the third inning with a single before driving in Jeison Guzman two innings later to push the score to 4-1. A pair of solo home runs off Tillo in the sixth and seventh inning would close the gap to 4-3 but Pratto would answer with a three-run home of his own, a majestic blast that would easily clear the tall right-field wall to expand Lexington’s lead to 7-3. Those runs were more than enough to earn Tillo his first victory of the season while snapping the Legends three game losing streak.

Brewer Hicklen: 1-4 HR, 3 RBI, 2K
Seuly Matias: 0-4 R, 2 K
Sebastian Rivero: 1-4 R

Potomac Nationals 5 Wilmington Blue Rocks 1

The Rocks offense was punchless in the series finale against Potomac while the pitching staff’s problems with Juan Soto remained. Outfielder Kort Peterson doubled on a line drive to left field in the first inning and came home two hitters later on Khalil Lee’s groundout. From there the offense went missing, walking four times but failing to get a hit for the rest of the game. The Nats quickly tied the game in the second inning getting three consecutive singles off starter Jace Vines. Tied until the fifth inning Vines faced off against Nats top prospect Juan Soto with one out and two on. The prospect that is quickly rising up the charts connected on his sixth home run against the Royals organization, clearing the right-field fence to put Potomac up 4-1. Two more singles and a groundout pushed the advantage to 5-1 which with the Wilmington offense on lockdown would be more than enough to put the game away and hand Vines his fifth loss on the season.

Kort Peterson: 1-4 R, 2b
Khalil Lee: 0-4 RBI
Meibrys Viloria: 0-1 2BB

Iowa Cubs 4 Omaha Storm Chasers 2

The Chasers offensive struggles continued Wednesday afternoon as their former teammate Alec Mills limited them to just two run over six and two-thirds innings. The 1 for 6 effort with runners in scoring position held Mills outing together after the Chasers had multiple runners on in the third and fourth before he righted the ship to breeze through the final two plus innings. On the other side, Trevor Oaks struggled with his command again walking four hitters in back to back starts for the first time in his career while hitting the zone with just 60 of 109 pitches. The walks and seven hits allowed yielded three runs against Oaks before the bullpen let in another to drop the Chasers sixth consecutive game.

Trevor Oaks: 5 IP 7 H 3 R 3 ER 4 BB 2 K 7-3 GO-FO 109p/60k

Cam Gallagher: 3-4 RBI
Hunter Dozier: 1-3 BB

Wednesday Boxscores

Thursday Probables
Omaha – Jonathan Dziedzic 0-4 3.53 ERA 1.29 WHIP
NW Arkansas – Foster Griffin 2-3 3.72 ERA 1.45 WHIP
Wilmington – Ofreidy Gomez 1-2 4.87 ERA 1.87 WHIP
Lexington – 0-1 2.20 ERA 0.92 WHIP

What did the Royals give up?

In trading Mills Kansas City is giving up a right-handed starter with a backend profile based on his control and mix of four pitches. The change up to go along with Mills 91-94 mph fastball are his two best pitches, but currently still grade no better than average. The righty admitted in his latest interview with me, posted yesterday, that while currently throwing a curve and slider he was still in search of a refining a breaking pitch that he could rely on to earn outs. The profile that Alec presents without that wipeout breaking ball is actually something where the Royals have strong depth already with Jake Junis, A.J. Puckett and Eric Skoglund as potential backend rotation starters in the minors. With his current mix of pitches, I would put him equal to that of Skoglund, but behind Junis who possesses slightly less control but a better fastball and much, much better breaking ball with a more durable frame. The Royals director of scouting, Lonnie Goldberg, comped Puckett to Mills last year during the post-draft press conference with Puckett’s lack of a 40-man spot and invite to spring training likely making Mills available for trade.

What are they are getting?

In Dewees the Royals are getting a slightly older than level outfielder with a profile that you typically see in the KC minor leagues. A 65/70 grade runner, 50/55 hit tool to go with pension to hit for average than get on base via walk while being a multi-sport athlete. Coming out of college Dewees drew comparisons to Brett Gardner, thanks in part to some ridiculous power numbers while playing in a friendly hitting park. The Royals may have coveted Dewees during the ’15 draft, missing out on him when the Cubs selected him in the 2nd round and paying him $1.7m to sign as the 47th overall selection. That power hasn’t followed from college like some thought it might however, connecting on just a .402 slugging average since debuting in 2015. While he hasn’t been able to convert that power, he did show off that he was starting to convert that speed on the bases this season, connecting on 14 triples and stealing 31 bags in 129 games. The 31 steals isn’t especially impressive on the surface, but when you dig in and realize that he went a perfect 14 for 14 in just 35 games at High-A when he was promoted this past season, it looks a little better. This part of his game should become a major weapon once employed in a Royals system that pushes the running game quite a bit more than the Cubs. The hit tool was expected to be a tad better than it has so far, possibly profiling as more of a .300+ hitter than he has shown, but his all-field approach and line drive swing should fit well should he make it to the K. The biggest detractor in Dewees game is his lack of arm strength, getting a 20 grade arm from Keith Law or at best a 40 grade arm via a scouting report provided by BP.

If you believe he’s closer to that 40 grade, then the Royals could possibly iron out the defensive kinks and make him a centerfielder where his lack of power isn’t as big of an issue. If that arm is in Law’s realm he would likely have to move to a leftfield corner where the lack of a power starts to become a real issue. With this move the Royals are hoping they are dealing from a position of depth for a top of the order table setter or controllable and cheap fourth outfielder much like they just gave up in Jarrod Dyson. One insider in the game indicated to me that they would rate Dewees as the Royals third best prospect, behind just Matt Strahm and Josh Staumont. A sentiment that prospect writer and draft guru Chris Crawford agreed with.

One last interesting note involving this trade. With the addition of Mills, the Cubs currently have five former Royals among the 24 pitchers on their 40 man roster in Wade Davis, Aaron Brooks, Mike Montgomery, Brian Duensing and Mills.

1. You played multiple sports in high school (basketball, golf and baseball) was baseball your favorite?

Baseball was definitely my favorite. I love the camaraderie of having a team out there battling with me. I do still enjoy playing golf any chance I can get but baseball has been my favorite ever since I was a little kid.

2. From what I’ve read you went to UT-Martin with the thoughts of being a full-time student and decided to try to walking on the baseball team, making it and changing your life forever in the process. Had you been recruited by any other schools to play any sports prior to attending UT-Martin?

To my knowledge I had no other offers to play baseball at a D-1 school. Other small schools had interest but never actually offered anything.

Had you discussed walking onto the program with any coaches prior to trying out?

I did get into contact with the coach beforehand. And he informed me of a tryout day on a Saturday during the fall semester.

3. After being drafted in 2012 by the Royals, you had Tommy John surgery slightly more than one year later. As a person who had went to college not thinking about baseball as a career did you ever think about walking away from the game then?

Not really, I had taken on baseball as a career now and wasn’t going to give up because of injury. I will give everything I have until I no longer can.

4. Something appeared to click in 2013 in Lexington. Was there a mechanical change that you made or a change in your mentality that lead to your career taking off?

I think I just started to throw more strikes and make hitters get themselves out. I think I was letting the intimidation factor between college and rookie ball get to me. Tried to be too perfect more times than not. Not the best recipe for success most times.

5. Describe your offseason workout program compared to your in season program?

During the offseason I’m able to life a little heavier weight, can train a little harder because of no worry of having to play a game that night or the next day. I can spend the rest of day relaxing and recovering. In season is more maintenance type lifting with flexibility added in. 

Pitching programs like Driveline have crossed over into the fields of science with their pitching program. As a former engineering major and now a pitcher how much does this interest you?  Do you employ a similar program in your routines? 

I think it’s interesting to see the thoughts on some people beliefs but the amount of stress our arms goes through is nuts. It makes me a little uneasy thinking about putting it under more stress. 

6. What pitchers do you prefer to watch?  Is there someone you try to model your game after?

That excitement is not because I think the Royals have the best starting pitchers in the division; I don’t think the top of Kansas City’s rotation can match the top of Cleveland’s rotation. But I do think the Royals have very good depth in that rotation, and that can make a huge difference.

Think back to the 2014 and 2015 seasons. In the first one, the Royals enjoyed good health for their starters. James Shields made 34 starts. Jeremy Guthrie made 32. Yordano Ventura and Jason Vargas made 30 each. Danny Duffy made 25. The other 11 were divided between Bruce Chen (seven), Liam Hendriks (three), and Aaron Brooks (one). Of course, those weren’t good starts; the trio combined for a 7.08 ERA in 61 innings in those 11 games. Kansas City lost the division by one game and finished just one game ahead of Oakland for home-field advantage in the wild-card game. Yes, it worked out, but had the Royals had just a little bit better rotation depth, they could have added an AL Central title to their honors.

Dayton Moore learned his lesson, though. Before the 2015 season, he added several pitchers in minor transactions, such as Chris Young, Kris Medlen, Yohan Pino, and Joe Blanton. His big move was to sign Edinson Volquez to replace Shields’ innings, but those four signings turned out to be important, too—they combined for 31 starts, second only to Volquez’s 33. Vargas only made nine starts before a UCL injury ended his year. Guthrie was mostly ineffective before being banished to the bullpen in August. Duffy missed more than a month with shoulder stiffness. The Royals went out and acquired Johnny Cueto at the trade deadline, which helped the rotation for the last couple of months but was obviously aimed at postseason success. Before Cueto came on board, those four unheralded pitchers stabilized the rotation while the AL Central was still a close race. Without Young especially (a 3.18 ERA in 18 starts), Kansas City might not have captured home-field advantage in the ALCS, and who knows how that would have turned out?

The Royals tried to keep this going last season, but it just didn’t work out. Medlen was by turns injured and ineffective. Young couldn’t keep the ball in the ballpark. Mike Minor couldn’t even stay healthy enough to finish his minor league rehab assignments. Dillon Gee had a few nice moments but really wasn’t good enough to make up for the others.

But as the Royals head into 2017, the rotation looks solid enough. And there seem to be plenty of potential replacements in-house for whenever they’re needed. In fact, the Royals probably don’t need to worry about finding some cheap potential starter replacements as much they need to worry about shoring up the bullpen.

The top of the rotation, with Duffy, Ian Kennedy, and Ventura, is decent, especially if Ventura ever reaches the potential he has shown. Vargas should be fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery; he makes a nice fourth starter. The newly-acquired Nate Karns will probably round out the rotation; he has certainly shown ability but not consistency as a big-leaguer. I think Karns is better than most fifth starters out there, though; if he were to repeat his 2015 season, the Royals would be thrilled.

That’s not a bad group. Every one of those guys has the potential to be an above-average starter. It’s a good bet Duffy and Kennedy will be, and likely that Vargas and Ventura will be around league average (Ventura was still worth 2.0 WARP last year, even in the worst season of his career).

But what about the depth that the Royals will inevitably need?

To me, the leading contender to step into the rotation at some point is Matt Strahm. That would be a little unfortunate, because right now it looks like he’ll be a key piece of the bullpen. But this could be an ideal situation for Strahm, as it will keep him in the majors, limit his innings, and still set the stage for him to join the rotation in 2018. Ideally, Strahm would join the rotation midway through the season, and the least effective of Ventura/Vargas/Karns can be sent to the bullpen. Or, with Vargas being a free agent after the year, perhaps he could be dealt for something, depending on where the Royals are in the race. Remember, Strahm was a starter until he was called up last season and put in the bullpen, so that’s what he is used to.

Admittedly, it might be folly to even mention his name, but another candidate to join the rotation is Kyle Zimmer.

OK, if you’re done laughing, I’ll state my case. The oft-injured Zimmer underwent thoracic outlet surgery last summer and should be ready to go for spring training. But in the little bit he has pitched, his stuff and command have appeared to be major-league ready. If that surgery has finally fixed him—and remember that the doctors who examined him were somewhat baffled by his problems before the diagnosis, as he did not seem to have arm or shoulder soreness—he could be ready to contribute. He will almost certainly start the year in the minors, but once he gets used to being on the mound again, he ought to be ready if and when he’s needed. It’s a giant question mark, but the possibility is there.

You may remember Alec Mills, who was called up as the 26th man for a May doubleheader last year and made his major league debut that night, then got called up again for a couple of appearances in September. Mills went 5-5 with a 3.44 ERA in 23 starts last year, 12 at Double-A Northwest Arkansas and 11 more at Triple-A Omaha. He had a pretty good season and, if he can repeat it while beginning the year at Omaha, he could be in the mix for a callup.

Then there’s Josh Staumont. You may not have heard of him yet, as he just made it to Northwest Arkansas midway through last year. But in 123 1/3 innings between there and Class A Wilmington, he struck out 167 hitters. That’s fantastic! However, he also walked 104, and hit 11 for good measure. Obviously, Staumont has a great fastball, but he’s not always certain where it’s going. Should he discover a way to consistently throw strikes, though, he should move up quickly and be in the mix as well. Perhaps it’s worth noting that his K/BB ratio improved from 1.40 at Wilmington to 1.97 for the Naturals.

And let’s not forget Jake Junis. The 24-year-old righty was somewhat overlooked last year, then made the Double-A All-Star Game and went 9-7 with a 3.25 ERA for the Naturals. He was promoted to Omaha and didn’t fare as well there (1-3, 7.20 ERA). But I’m sure he will be given a chance to start the season at Omaha, and if he impresses there, he’d certainly be an option.

And if all else fails, there’s still Chris Young.

OK, that was mean. Young did have a very fine season in 2015, after all. He didn’t seem to lose fastball velocity last year, but he got hit really hard anyway. It was a weird year for the tall veteran. If he can regain his 2015 form, that would be a big deal. It could keep Strahm as a dominant bullpen piece, while allowing the others on this list to keep learning in the minors. But if Young is still struggling, someone on this list might get his roster spot sooner rather than later.

All told, this group may not have the star power of Cleveland’s rotation, but I think this group is an improvement over what the Royals took into the 2016 season. There are certainly question marks but I’d rather take my chances with young reinforcements than with veterans trying to come back from injuries.

Instead of giving you another boring list this season I thought I’d breakdown the prospects a different way. First, I’ll checkout the group that can contribute to the Royals in ’17. From there I’ll talk others that don’t quite make that group and finally onto the new wave. Those are the Royals prospects that I think are destined to help contribute to the rebuild of the organization whenever GMDM decides to tear it downa and build it back up.

Ready to Contribute

BP Arm/Late season starter Matt Strahm – In my mind Strahm is the Royals best prospect just based off his spectacular run in the bigs last season. In short stints Strahm works 95-97 mph, but doesn’t dip much in his starting role, working in the 93-96 mph range. The control is considerably better than the other prospect that could be considered for the top spot even if the ultimate upside in my mind for Strahm is that of a #3 starter. Ultimately, what makes him the Royals top prospect in my mind is the “bulldog mentality” he brings to the mound as seen in his dominant pro debut. At worst, I think you saw what Strahm can be from the bullpen and with work from Eiland, I believe he has a chance to work into a mid-rotation role which is excellent from the left side after this season in the bullpen at the major league level. If the Royals make a move with Danny Duffy or Yordano Ventura, then Strahm’s role could change sooner rather than later.

Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

DH/OF/3b Hunter Dozier – I have been as hard on Dozier as any prospect ranker out there. For one, I’ve never been in love with the defensive profile at third base as he’s always seemed a little stiff with the hands for me at the position. The start of a move to the outfield this past season is a major positive as I believe he could be a Gordon-lite (you can’t expect anyone to do what Alex has done with the move) in right. The work ethic is very Alex-like and while I don’t think he has Gordon’s movement ability, he has enough athleticism and an arm to handle the spot. The Stephen F. Austin product would likely be an upgrade over what the Royals had in the spot during the ’14 & ’15 campaigns defensively with Nori Aoki and Alex Rios with some power upside.

That power upside is a possibility of a 40 double and 20 home run hitter with as much strength as any Royal in the lineup. In the past season, Dozier went back to a more upright stance, an up the middle approach with an adjustment to his hip movement and had his best season to date. Even more impressive is when you look beneath the numbers one can see that his Triple-A stats weren’t Werner Park (right-hand heaven) driven as he hit considerably better on the road than he did at home, 1.003 road OPS vs .672 at home. There is still plenty of swing and miss in his game, but the more controlled swing last season, combined with his natural strength, I think will drive his game to very similar offensive numbers with a little less defense as the guy I mentioned multiple times in the first paragraph.

BP Kyle Zimmer – This is short and sweet, but the stuff is still there and he’ll either make it this year or probably never. If the shoulder cleanup works, the Royals will have a nice spot starter/bullpen arm to add that works in the mid to upper 90’s with a 6+ curveball, 5 slider and a 4/5 changeup. If it doesn’t work, it will be the biggest letdown of the GMDM draft era.

Injuries could accelerate their role

Alec Mills – The stuff isn’t fantastic, but it’s average and while some like Erik Skoglund ahead of Mills, I’ll take the pitcher with the superior control. That control didn’t flash itself in his three major league appearances, but it’s a small sample and easy to write off. The facts remain that he has an average fastball that he can run in the 91-94 mph range with plus control. Along with the fastball, his changeup, slider and curveball are all average offerings.

The only hiccup that Mills flashed in the minors this year came during a stretch in which his neck was acting up and cost him a start as well as struggles in a couple of others. The righty has proven himself to overcome his prospect status his entire career and a few seasons as a solid back of the rotation starter in the majors seem within his reach.

Jorge Bonifacio Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Jorge Bonifacio – The addition of Jorge Soler changed Bonifacio’s possibilities in 2017 despite a solid rebound like Hunter Dozier in ’16. Unlike Dozier, though, Bonifacio did it with the benefit of the friendly right-handed hitting confines of Werner Park. The righty hit 14 of his 19 home runs at home with an OPS 165 point better at home than on the road (.896 v. .731). The strikeouts (130) remained a problem as Bonifacio’s plate approach is still free swinging, but it was nice to see him flash some power.

On the defensive side, manager Brian Poldberg praised Bonifacio’s path to the ball, arm, and overall defensive ability, stating that he was the most consistent defensive outfielder they had in Omaha. One note that intrigued me in Poldberg’s explanation when I asked about his abilities is that Kansas City regularly has the best outfield coaching staff and preparation of any team in the league and Bonifacio would be prepared and positioned correctly by that group to excel even if the foot speed is just average.

Much like this year’s breakout performer, Cheslor Cuthbert, it’s easy to remember that Bonifacio is just 24 years of age and can still develop some at the major league level if given an opportunity.

Cam Gallagher – I’ve long been higher on this catcher than other publications and websites for his ability to do things that managers love behind the dish. The big second round pick from the 2011 draft calls a solid game and is an excellent receiver with good footwork despite his size. On top of that, he was able to put things together this past season to control the running game to the tune of a 48% caught stealing rate. The struggle has always been his less than ideal power at the plate, something that was supposed to be a calling card when he was drafted, but after working with Brian Buchanan this past season some strides were made there. The 6’3 230 lbs catcher went to a more upright stance after a poor April start which helped him put up a .295/.380/.424 slash line from May to early August before an injury hampered him down the stretch. That line isn’t spectacular, but it is much more useful and should solidify his future backup role if he handles Triple-A Omaha in a similar fashion this season. The Royals re-signing Drew Butera while simultaneously granting Tony Cruz a release shows signs that they are at least considering Gallagher as the third option in Omaha. That could change before opening day, but as it stands currently it appears to be Gallagher’s spot to have which means he’s just a Butera or Perez injury away from the bigs.

Another step forward needed to help out in 2017

Josh Staumont pitching vs Springfield Cardinals
photo by L Cruz (Lazonadeportiva)

Josh Staumont – I was present for one of Josh’s best starts of the ’16 season, and the second of what became routine down the stretch for him, as he helped push the Naturals into the Double-A championship series. In fact, from August 21st through the playoffs, Staumont put away 53 hitters in 34.1 innings over his six starts while allowing just six earned runs in that time.

The righty does this with a fastball that works from 95 to 100 mph that comes from a slow and deliberate windup as if he’s just playing a game of catch in the backyard. In addition to that, he adds a wipe-out curveball that showed better control than his fastball. Typically, he can spot the curve on both corners or dirt it to get a swing and miss. The pitch works in the low 80’s (quite a bit of velo for a curve) into the high 70’s and truly is a great #2 pitch with the chance of becoming a 70 future offering to go with the 80 grade fastball. Currently the changeup (with a split grip) is a distant offering with a bit too little movement even if the arm speed is similar. At it’s best, it offers some dipping action, but more than likely he’s going to have to chuck it for a more conventional changeup grip. Perhaps some work with Danny Duffy during spring training could help him get to a usable pitch. If Staumont settles with a fastball, both two-seamer and four, and a curve while improving his control he could be a Guthrie-esque 3/4 starter or a dominant back-end bullpen piece. The best case scenario is another step in improved control and an additional third pitch that gets him to that #2 starter spot.

Given the history of pitching development, there is little reason for me to believe he will make that step. As more of a cerebral pitcher, I don’t know if he has the personality to be a dominant back of the rotation arm even if he has the tools that should shine in that role. Time will tell, but arms aren’t like this aren’t falling from the sky, which is a good spot for KC.

Andrew Edwards – Size and fastball are what Edwards brings to the table with the 6’6 265 lbs righty running his fastball in the 98 mph range at times during the Omaha season. The fastball features plenty of life, getting swings and misses at nearly a 11 per 9 clip this past season. Unfortunately with that size comes a lack of body control and less than ideal control and command from the reliever, walking 6 per 9 at Triple-A Omaha. The fastball is paired with an average slider that he works in the low 80’s, inducing some swing and misses along with some weak contact. After a tremendous start in his first 15 games at Triple-A the righty found trouble in his last 27 outings, giving up 25 of his 26 earned runs allowed in that time as the control wandered. The control needs to be refined, but the fastball and slider should be enough to give him a shot as a reliever and possible setup man to a closer in the bigs someday. Expect him to head to Omaha after a quick audition for the big club in spring training.

Jake Junis – A huge step forward in his game occurred for the Royals 2011 draft pick as Junis put up an All-Star level performance at Double-A before getting promoted to Omaha. Working in the 90-94 mph range with his fastball, Junis has developed three secondary pitches to go along with his primary pitch. The control is solid and those secondary offerings in his curveball, slider and change up all present as average pitches. Like Mills, Skoglund, and few others, Junis needs to find another tweak here or there to tip up one of the pitches to get it into a “go-to above average pitch”. Even if the pitches don’t improve Junis still stands with his control, athleticism and sturdy frame as a possible back of the rotation starter.

The 464.1 innings Junis has pitched the last three seasons is the most in the Royals organization by a minor league pitcher in that time.

After struggling for parts of two seasons at the Double-A level, Dozier made adjustments in the fall season that helped him tear through the level with a .305/.400/.642 slash line and eight home runs in 26 games. Taking over for Cheslor Cuthbert after his promotion and excellent start at Triple-A, Dozier was able to sustain success against a more experienced and savvy group of older pitchers at the next level.

Once at Triple-A, Dozier set a new career high for home runs by hitting his 13th of the year on the way to 23 for the season. Home runs wouldn’t be the only thing Dozier would set career highs in as he would topple his highs in hits, doubles, RBI and total bases for a season. His 36 doubles in just 103 Triple-A games would finish second in the PCL while the 44 doubles for the year was the most for a Royals minor leaguer since Mitch Maier connected on 47 between High Desert and Wichita in 2005. While Werner Park is a right-handed hitters heaven, Dozier did most of his damage on the season on the road, putting up a 1.007 OPS on the road with 16 of his 23 home runs coming away from home. In addition Dozier destroyed lefties with a .368 average and 1.099 OPS in 149 plate appearances versus southpaws. All helping him put up one of the better seasons in the GMDM minor league era.

Dozier’s numbers in GMDM Historical Content – Total Bases since 2007
’07 Craig Brazell 326 in 135 AA/AAA games Age 27
’12 Wil Myers 313 in 134 AA/AAA games Age 21
’10 Mike Moustakas 305 in 118 AA/AAA games Age 21
’10 Clint Robinson 298 in 129 AA games Age 25
’10 Eric Hosmer 297 in 137 High A/AA games Age 20
’11 Clint Robinson 268 in 134 AAA games Age 26
’16 Hunter Dozier 259 in 129 AA/AAA games Age 24
’08 Kila Ka’aihue 252 in 124 AA/AAA games Age 24
’07 Mike Aviles 249 in 133 AAA games Age 26
’11 Lorenzo Cain 242 in 128 AAA games Age 25
’10 Johnny Giavotella 240 in 134 AA games Age 22
’16 Ryan O’Hearn 240 in 134 High A/AA games Age 22

As you can see above, Dozier’s total base number for a season is the seventh highest of the GMDM era with some pretty good names mixed in on the list with him.

In addition to the offensive numbers, Dozier has begun learning a new defensive position to offer Kansas City more roster flexibility next season at the major league level if they so choose. The excellent offensive season, his defensive versatility and power should allow the Royals flexibility in the field and in the winter offseason.

Other considered – Ryan O’Hearn – A blistering High-A year pushed O’Hearn to Double-A where he got off to a solid start before slowing down some towards the later part of the year. The first baseman also played plenty of outfield to help free up a first base/DH spot for the addition of Samir Duenez to the NW Arkansas roster. Connecting on 22 home runs was the second most in the minor league’s this season for the Royals.

Minor League Pitcher of the Year – Alec Mills – No pitcher was as good as Mills when full healthy as the righty put up a 3.22 ERA between AA/AAA with nearly a 4/1 K/BB ratio. If it wasn’t for a three-start stretch late in July that Mills tried to pitch through despite a stiff neck the numbers could’ve been much better. This season combined with his four pitch mix could put Mills in a position to challenge for a back end rotation spot next spring.

Team of the Year - Burlington Royals – From start to near finish, the short season Royals lead the Appy League, just falling short of an Appy League title in the championship series. Led by a group of college draftees, Scott Thorman put together the best record (45-23) a Burlington franchise has had since 1987 when the Indians went 49-21.

HR Roll Call Angelo Castellano (2)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Mauricio Ramos 3-4 2R, 2b, 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Alec Mills 6 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 1 BB 9 K 6-1 GO-FO 80p/55k

Oklahoma City Dodgers 5 Omaha Storm Chasers 4

Two outstanding starts were broke up some rough relief work at Werner Park in front of 5,409 fans on Friday night. Omaha’s Alec Mills and Oklahoma City’s Lisalverto Bonilla each tossed six shutout innings with Mills putting away nine hitters via strikeout to Bonilla’s six. The pair attacked the zone, both hitting the zone with better than 68% strikes while each walked just one. Omaha would enter Kris Medlen in the seventh and things would turn ugly as the rehabber could retire just one hitter after giving up a solo home run after entering and three additional runs. Following Medlen the Chasers would turn to Luke Farrell without much better results as he would have one of his rougher outings on the year, giving up four runs in just 1.2 innings. The Dodgers reliever would allow four runs to Omaha in the eighth and another in the ninth before wrapping it up.

Boxscore Link

Kris Medlen 0.1 IP 4 H 4 R 4 ER 0 BB 1 K
Brandon Downes 2-2 2R, 2b
Christian Colon 2-5 R, 2b, RBI

NW Arkansas Naturals 7 Tulsa Drillers 1

With the playoffs on the line Eric Skoglund spun a solid game and the offense came alive. The Naturals offense showed no fear against the Dodgers Brock Stewart despite his shutout of the Chicago Cubs in his last start. The squad scored a pair of run in the first inning with a walk, a Mauricio Ramos double and a Frank Schwindel to take a 2-0 lead. That was more than enough for Skoglund, putting away eight hitters in six and two-third innings while allowing just a solo home run while on the hill. Lowering his ERA to 3.45 in 27 starts for the Naturals this season. The offense kept the pressure on the entire game, knocking out 13 hits and seven runs as five different hitters collected multi-hit games. Included in that group was Samir Duenez, his two run single in the fifth inning pushed his RBI total to 100 on the season. The first prospect to collect 100 RBI for the Royals since Wil Myers had 109 in 2012.

Boxscore Link

Eric Skoglund 6.2 IP 2 H 1 R 1 ER 2 BB 8 K 102/62k 5-4 GO-FO
Mauricio Ramos 3-4 2R, 2b, 2 RBI
Alfredo Escalera 2-4 2R, BB

Wilmington Blue Rocks 5 Frederick Keys 2

A four run inning combined with solid pitching for a Wilmington win in Frederick on Friday. The four run fourth featured a suddenly hot hitting Robert Pehl two run double with a sac fly and a wild pitch to give Wilmington a 4-1 lead. The first baseman is hitting .389 since the start of August. Starter Foster Griffin tossed five innings of two run ball (1 ER) with six strikeouts against no walks to earn his fifth High-A victory. The bullpen followed Griffin with four innings while allowing just one run as the Blue Rocks finished the 5-3 win.

Boxscore Link

Robert Pehl 2-4 R, 2b, 2 RBI
Mike Hill 2-5 R, 2-2b
Foster Griffin 5 IP 5 H 2 R 1 ER 0 BB 6 k

Lexington Legends 1 Hickory Crawdads 0

Fantastic starting pitching lead to a Lexington win over Hickory in the first game of their series. Starter Julio Pinto combined with Yunior Marte and Gabe Cramer to shutout the Crawdads on just one hit and a pair of walks allowed while the threesome k’d 11. In one of Pinto’s best outings of his career he lasted six innings while giving up just a fifth inning single while putting away seven hitters via strikeout. The games only run came in fifth inning when Ben Johnson’s one out rbi single brought home Brandon Dulin after his leadoff single. The win was just Pinto’s second in 21 appearances this season.

Boxscore Link

Julio Pinto 6 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 2 BB 7 K
Yunior Marte 2 IP 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 2 K
Ben Johnson 1-3 RBI

Ogden Raptors 3 Idaho Falls Chukars 2

The latest loss for Idaho Falls may have effectively ended their postseason hopes with a loss in Ogden. The starter for Idaho Falls, Arnaldo Hernandez, tied a career high with nine strikeouts over six innings of this one, allowing just two runs on back to back dingers in the second. Just one other hit was allowed while he also walked a pair in his time on the hill. The Chukars tied up a 2-1 game with a wild pitch in the sixth inning, but another home run by Ogden in the eighth ruined their chances at a win. The loss put Idaho Falls in last place, 4.5 games back with seven to play in the season.

Boxscore Link

Joe Dudek 2-3 BB
Angelo Castellano 1-3 HR
Arnaldo Hernandez 6 Ip 3 H 2 R 2 ER 2 BB 9 K 6-2 GO-FO 98p/58k

Let’s start with that.

The biggest addition to the September roster is going to be Wade Davis, who pitched a perfect rehab inning with the Storm Chasers and did so on 15 pitches, 13 of them strikes. That’s solid. Adding him to a bullpen performing so well already will make that unit as good as its been all season. Being able to push down the back of the bullpen will allow the Royals to turn games into five or six inning affairs with the starting rotation. The starters have been great lately, but with that deep of a bullpen, Ned Yost may not have to push quite as hard.

The bullpen will likely also include a few guys who have seen big league time this season. That means Scott Alexander, Brooks Pounders and maybe Alec Mills will return. None are impact pitchers, but they can all help the staff soak up some innings and maybe even get some big outs along the way.

Edit: Scott Alexander was called up prior to the series finale against the Yankees after Chien-Ming Wang was placed on the disabled list. He won’t be a September call-up after all. 

Edit 2: And now Pounders has been called up as well with Christian Colon getting caught in the roster crunch and heading to Omaha until their season ends on September 5th. 

What I’m most curious about in the bullpen (or maybe the rotation) is how the Royals handle Kris Medlen and Jason Vargas. I didn’t expect Vargas to even have a shot to pitch in the big leagues this year, but his rehab clock is up on September 6, so the Royals will either have to take him off the disabled list or pull him from his rehab stint. He hasn’t been very good with a 7.88 ERA in two Omaha starts, but he might be up in spite of that. The decision on Medlen doesn’t have to come until September 15, but that’s still before end of the season. Like Vargas, he wasn’t very good in his first couple appearances in Omaha, but he has three scoreless innings in his last two outings in relief, so maybe he can contribute.

One other name on the pitching staff to watch for is Nick Tepesch. He’s nothing special, but is a live arm. Of course, if he is DFA’d to make room for someone else on the 40-man, he won’t be part of the conversation, so just keep him in mind.

We could also potentially see Miguel Almonte, but man has he been rough this year. I’m not so sure the Royals will get him to the big leagues, possibly opting just to get this season behind him as fast as possible.

Offensively, I imagine we’ll see some guys we’ve seen before in Kansas City as well, assuming health. Whit Merrifield, Tony Cruz and Reymond Fuentes are all good bets to be up next month. We likely won’t see much of Cruz, but Fuentes and Merrifield could play decent-sized roles. We’ll also see Terrance Gore get to be a big leaguer for the third straight September (and he’s seen time before September, so he fits here).

A couple players are on the 40-man roster, but haven’t seen big league time. One has had a very nice season while the other, well, hasn’t. Jorge Bonifacio has had the nice season, hitting for a decent average and a lot of power. Reports are that he’s looked a little better defensively as well, so that’s a plus. I don’t see a reason not to call him up, but the Royals have done that before. The other is Bubba Staring who has had a less than good season between Double and Triple-A. I suppose they could call him up to play defense and run the bases, but I also wouldn’t count on that.

Oh. And Ramon Torres, a middle infielder, is on the 40-man roster. I mean, I guess he could get called up and play some defense or something. Anyway, moving on.

There are two players not currently on the 40-man who have a shot to be on the September roster. One is the guy they acquired just two days ago, Daniel Nava. I don’t think he’ll be an impact bat or anything, but it wouldn’t hurt to have a veteran who can draw a walk. No, Yost doesn’t pitch hit, but maybe he can go up there for Gore after Gore pinch ran for Kendrys Morales. The other is Hunter Dozier, who has had a monster year between Northwest Arkansas and Omaha. He’ll have to be added to the 40-man roster anyway after the season, so the Royals could just do that now if they want to. Of course, there are some roster maneuvers needed to make that happen, but there’s pretty much always a way. I’d like to see Dozier get a shot personally.

So those are your callups.

Since all we can think about now is what the Royals have to do to make the playoffs, let’s take a look at how that can happen. With the recent trends, I’m not sure they actually have to get to 90 wins to take the second Wild Card. Still, let’s pretend like that’s the case. With last night’s loss, the Royals need to finish 21-9 to get there. With 18 home games out of 30, that certainly helps. With 14 games left against teams below .500 and 12 games against the Tigers/Indians, they have a shot to make up that ground.

I’ve said this many times, but I’ll repeat it here because that’s okay to do. If they just win every single series without sweeping one, they’ll get to 90 wins. Not that it’s easy, but it certainly seems like something that could happen. If they don’t win every series, they’ll need to find a sweep somewhere or hope that 90 wins really isn’t the number they need.

I would think it would be very difficult to win all nine series they have remaining. They’ll need to take both against Detroit, I’d think, but they can probably stand to lose a series against the Indians if they can really go to town during their 14-game stretch against the Twins, White Sox and A’s. When I say go to town, I mean something like 12-2. That would allow them to just go 9-7 in the other 16 games, which seems like a very real possibility.

So yeah, go ahead and beat the Yankees, but September is where the fun happens. I have visions of Gore scoring from first on singles and Davis closing out games and Bonifacio maybe even hitting a big home run. We’ve done the Septembers with nothing to play for. The way the Royals do it now is much more fun.

HR Roll Call Jorge Bonifacio (18), Chase Vallot (14), Yeison Melo (5), Wander Franco (6), Joel Arias (1)

BP KC Hitter of the Day – Joel Arias 3-4, HR, 2b, 2 RBI

BP KC Pitcher of the Day – Andres Machado 6 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 9 K 3-2 GO-FO 79p/57k

Omaha Storm Chasers 7 Iowa Cubs 2

Royals prospect Alec Mills showed that he maybe fully recovered from his neck problem, tossing six shutout innings in the Sunday win for the Chasers. Along with Mills a couple of other Royals prospects had big days with Jorge Bonifacio blasting a first inning grand slam to put Omaha up 4-0 after just one inning. The home run for Bonifacio was his 18th of the season, a new career high. In addition to Bonifacio the Royals top prospect Hunter Dozier went 3 for 4 with a pair of doubles while scoring tow runs and driving in a pair of runs in the fourth inning to put Omaha up 7-0. The two doubles gives Dozier 43 on the season, the most in the Royals organization since Eric Hosmer hit 43 in 2010. The Chasers return home Monday for their season ending nine game homestand.

Boxscore Link

Ramon Torres 2-3 2R, 2BB
Jorge Bonifacio 1-4 HR, 4 RBI
Malcom Culver 1 IP 0 H 0 R 0 BB 1 K

NW Arkansas Naturals 2 Arkansas Travelers 1

The Naturals came up clutch on Sunday to regain the division lead over Arkansas. The game started slow for the Naturals who gave up a run in the first inning by Eric Skoglund on a pair of singles and a sac fly before finding a groove. That groove paired with the Naturals offense struggling to get much going, getting shutout for seven innings while Skoglund put away 15 consecutive Travelers hitters. Both squads missed out on opportunities to score in the sixth inning after one out doubles. The score stayed 1-0 into the eighth when Logan Moon tripled on a flyball to center and came home on a one out sacrifice fly by Alfredo Escalera. After the Naturals threatened to score in the ninth it was Moon once again igniting the offense in the tenth. This time Moon doubled to lead off the inning, moved to second on a Corey Toups sac bunt before coming home on a Mauricio Ramos single. Fireballing Aroni Nina would close things out in the ninth to push the Naturals a half of a game ahead of Arkansas in the standings with the two teams facing off Monday in the series finale.

Boxscore Link

Mauricio Ramos 3-5 2b, RBI
Eric Skoglund 7 IP 5 H 1 R 1 ER 1 BB 8 K 4-5 GO-FO 92p/62k
Alfredo Escalera 1-3 2b, RBI, BB

Myrtle Beach Pelicans 8 Wilmington Blue Rocks 7

The Rocks starter Foster Griffin gave up seven runs in four innings to dig a hole that his offense came up one run shy of climbing out of. Trailing 8-2 Wilmington put a four run sixth with a run of six hits in seven at-bats, Luis Villegas plated a pair with a single in the frame. The Rocks plated a run in the eighth to pull within a run, but left the tying run on in the inning and missed out on a chance to score again in the ninth when the they failed to convert a two on no out inning.

Boxscore Link

Anderson Miller 1-3 RBI, 2 BB
Luis Villegas 3-5 3R, 2 RBI
Robert Pehl 2-4 2R, 2b

Delmarva Shorebirds 7 Lexington Legends 5

The Shorebirds finished off the three game sweep Sunday despite a comeback effort by the Legends. The Royals former 1st round pick Nolan Watson gave up three runs in three innings including his 18th home run allowed in 23 starts this season. In place of Watson reliever Brian Bayliss toss a bit of gasoline on the fire, allowing four runs  (3 ER) in his three and two-third innings to help put Lexington behind 7-1 after six innings. After a run in the seventh catcher Chase Vallot hit a home run in the ninth to pull Lexington within a pair of runs at 7-5. That would be as close as they would get unfortunately to drop their third game in a row.

Boxscore Link

D.J. Burt 4-5 R, 2b
Chase Vallot 1-5 HR, 3 RBI
Roman Collins 2-4 2R, BB

Idaho Falls Chukars 2 Ogden Raptors 1

The Chukars received possibly the start of the year by Andres Machado on Sunday before getting a run late for a win. The 23 year old Machado put away nine hitters for a season high while spinning six innings of one hit ball. The only single allowed by Machado on the day was a two out hit by Mitchell Hansen in the fourth. In that same fourth inning Idaho Falls took a 1-0 lead on a home run by Yeison Melo, a lead that stood up until an eighth inning solo home run by Ogden. While the homer ruined Machado’s chances at a win it didn’t dampen the teams chances after a Melo single in the bottom half gave Idaho Falls the lead back. Closer Richard Lovelady closed out the ninth for the win.

Boxscore Link

Meibrys Viloria 1-3 R, BB
Luke Willis 1-3
Richard Lovelady 1 IP 1 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 0 K

Burlington Royals 2 Pulaski Yankees 1 F/11

The Royals plated a run in extras to secure a series win over Pulaski while moving one step closer to a division crown. The Royals Travis Eckert was spectacular in his five innings of work, tossing five shutout innings with seven strikeouts against just three singles allowed. The offense put him position to win with a sixth inning run on a Jose Sanchez two out single to bring in Logan Gray. That lead stood up until the eighth inning when the Yankees converted a Royals throwing error into a run with a two out single off Jesse Camp. The score would stay static at 1-1 until the eleventh inning with the Royals jumping out in front 2-1 on a wild pitch that score Cristhian Vasquez after he had lead off the inning with a double. The Royals lead in the division stands at 3 games with five to play.

Boxscore Link

Travis Eckert 5 IP 3 H 0 R 0 ER 0 BB 7 K 3-3 GO-FO
Nicky Lopez 2-5
Cristhian Vasquez 1-2 R, 2b

AZL Royals 5 AZL D-Backs 4

The Royals piled up five runs in the second and third inning on the way to clinching the 2nd half division title. Outfielder Joel Arias kickstarted the offense with a solo home run in the second inning to tie the game up at 1-1. A double by Jesus Atencio pushed the lead to 2-1 before rehabbing Wander Franco hit a two run home run in the third inning pushed the score to 4-1 before Arias capped things with a run scoring double. From there the offense would go silent, but the bullpen did just enough to limit the D-Backs to four total runs to secure the win.

Boxscore Link

Seuly Matias 2-4 R, 2-2b
Wander Franco 2-4 HR, 2 RBI
Dillon Drabble 6 IP 4 H 1 R 0 ER 0 BB 3 K

Today, I want to talk about how I think the Royals can make the most of an opportunity they have over the last couple seasons. It’s been discussed and written that the injuries for the Royals have given them a chance to see what young players can play and which ones just aren’t there yet. They had a chance to evaluate a guy like Brett Eibner and determined that he was worth trading for a guy who probably profiles as a fourth outfielder, which they have a few of already. They’ve learned that Cheslor Cuthbert is a big league hitter. They’ve already seen that Raul Mondesi’s range remained the same in the big leagues.

But there’s certainly an opportunity to learn more heading into what they hope is another championship season in 2017. The hope, of course, is that they get full seasons from Mike Moustakas, Lorenzo Cain and Wade Davis. They hope that Alex Gordon returns to the form that saw him hit .281/.359/.450 from 2011 to 2015. They hope Eric Hosmer can avoid his month (or two-month) long slump next season. But even if all those things come true, there are quite a few questions surrounding the 2017 roster.

For example, who starts games? We have a pretty good idea that Danny Duffy is in the 2017 rotation. At this point, I’m not sure how he doesn’t start on Opening Day. We can also feel confident that Ian Kennedy is there and probably Yordano Ventura, barring a trade. Then there’s Jason Vargas, back from his Tommy John surgery (and at 20 months out when the season starts, that’s kind of prime comeback time). But who fills the rest of the rotation? I think there’s a better than decent chance Edinson Volquez is back, but a lot of that depends on how he finishes the season.

So why not see what some of the young guys have to see if you need to go out and get someone to give them more time or not? I chatted with our resident prospect guru, Clint Scoles, and he seemed skeptical that any of the upper level young arms would be able to make an impact. While I agree, it seems there is little harm in seeing what Alec Mills, Jake Junis and Matt Strahm have in a couple starts in September. I mean, they ran Chris Young and Kris Medlen out for the first month. Why not see what they have in some actual young arms in the last month? Maybe you don’t find a solution there for 2017, but it would be nice to give the big league coaching staff a chance to look at these guys against Major League hitters.

I mentioned in my trade deadline instant analysis that I’d get rid of Kendrys Morales. And that’s still true. Put him on waivers, trade him for pennies, do whatever you need to do. There’s no real point to him on this team right now, which is sad to say for one of the best performers on a world champion, but that’s where we are. If the Royals don’t do anything else over the final two months, I think they need to get Hunter Dozier to the big leagues and give both he and Cuthbert at bats at designated hitter. The only way to accomplish that is if Morales is no longer on the team.

You might wonder why I want them to both get at bats at DH. For Dozier, there’s a few reasons. I just want to get him in the big leagues to see if he can play. He’s had a spectacular minor league season, reestablishing himself as a top prospect. Now is the right time to see if he can keep it going in the big leagues. It’s not like he’s that young. He turns 25 in a couple weeks. He’s older than Cuthbert. It’s time to put up for him. I also want him in the big leagues because if the Royals are considering moving him to the outfield as has been speculated, why not have him working with Rusty Kuntz for a couple months?

But the other big reason is that sometimes young players can’t handle the DH role. It’s too hard for them to just hit four or five times and not do anything else. The Royals should find out if either or both can do it to see how they’ll handle the return of Moustakas next year. If either or both can, the Royals can go into next year with all on the roster. If one can’t, the Royals can make a move accordingly and deal from a surplus.

One other big thing I’d do is get Raul Mondesi time at shortstop. The guy is an incredible athlete and an excellent defender, but it would be great to get him more reps at short before the season is over. No, you don’t lose it if you don’t use it, but that’s his ultimate spot in the big leagues, and let’s just say the guy currently playing there isn’t lighting the world on fire.

And finally, I’d get this team fresh for next season. Salvador Perez has already mentioned they may be tired. So why play the big guns every single day down the stretch? Perez should play four games per week. Gordon should play four games per week. The same is true for Cain. I’m fine if you want to run Hosmer out there every day, but especially come September, there will be plenty of options on the roster to play in the outfield and behind the plate. If they’re tired now, why not take this chance to make them not so tired for the 2017 season?

Look, losing baseball games and having no real chance for the postseason is something we’re very familiar with but haven’t dealt with in a few years. As long as it’s not an every year thing, this is something that can be turned into a positive for the Royals as they try to win another title in 2017.