When coming up with my Royals rankings prior I had put a few players further down the list based on not seeing them play or their lack of time in the minors. Having seen the likes of Calixte, Eibner, Arteaga and Michael Antonio now in person along with other Royals I had already watched play I'm now more comfortable to re-rank them all.
For those of you that don't already know I do rank players based on their likely opportunity to play. That's why you'll see Johnny Giavotella much lower on my rankings than you'll see other places. I like most other people like Gio's bat but his defense limitations combined with being sandwiched by Getz, Aviles and Colon limit his opportunity within the organization so he falls into that same range in the rankings as Lough, Bianchi and Robinson who face similar problems.
I'm going to leave the Top 14 unchanged as there is little seperating the players to reshuffle them. I'm definitely getting closer to ranking Hosmer ahead of Myers just because he looks like a Hall of Famer currently but I'll hold off to see how each looks at their new levels.
Name- (Prev Rk) Likely Destination
1. Wil Myers - NW Arkansas
2. Eric Hosmer - Omaha
3. Mike Montgomery - Omaha
4. Mike Moustakas - Omaha
5. John Lamb - NW Arkansas
6. Christian Colon - NW Arkansas
7. Chris Dwyer - NW Arkansas
8. Danny Duffy - Omaha
9. Cheslor Cuthbert - Kane County
10. Jake Odorizzi - Wilmington
11. Aaron Crow - Omaha
12. Louis Coleman - Omaha or Kansas City
13. Tim Collins - Omaha or Kansas City
14. Jeremy Jeffress - Kansas City
15. Brett Eibner (17) Kane County
16. Robinson Yambati
17. Yordano Ventura Kane County after May
The first change occurs at #15 where I rank Brett Eibner ahead of Yambati and Ventura. Eibner has a fast bat with pop and is a solid athlete. I think he'll zip through Kane County and find himself in Wilmington very quickly.
18. Salvador Perez NW Arkansas
19. Jason Adam Kane County
20. David Lough Omaha
21. Johnny Giavotella Omaha - Gio looked outstanding with the bat in AZ
22. Clint Robinson (24) Omaha
23. Jeff Bianchi (25) NW Arkansas
24. Tim Melville (22) Wilmington
Moving up to #22 from his previous spot at 24 is Clint Robinson. Robinson just like Hosmer looks like a beast and can turn on everything he sees in the zone. I don't know about his future with the Royals with Butler, Kila and Hosmer ahead of him but he could provide some trade value. After Robinson at 22 I'm reshuffling some guys based on positional value.
25. Orlando Calixte (UR) Kane County
Calixte makes a jump into my rankings after previously being unranked. I loved Calixte's arm strength and movement at SS and he should add even more strength to a wiry strong body if he is only 19. Calixte should be a solid gap to gap hitter with decent speed, I haven't seen enough to know about his plate discipline but he appears to be a same type of player as Escobar. Calixte could make an enormous jump next season with the amount of prospects that could graduate and if he can transfer his tools into on the field production.
26. Jarrod Dyson Omaha
27. Derrick Robinson NW Arkansas
28. Michael Antonio (UR) Kane County
29. Everett Teaford (28) Omaha
30. Will Smith (29) NW Arkansas
Another new entry to the list is Michael Antonio who impressed me with his strength and pop with the bat in Arizona. Antonio has thickened up a bit and could be destined to a switch to a corner OF position as one of his teammates Cheslor Cuthbert is a better 3b defender and prospect but he should have the arm and athleticism to handle that position switch if necessary.
31. Patrick Keating (23) NW Arkansas
32. Tyler Sample (30) Wilmington
33. Jorge Bonafacio (34) Idaho Falls
34. Crawford Simmons (35) Burlington
35. Kelvin Herrera (31) Wilmington
These players were reshuffled based off of value and upside. Bonafacio has the highest upside of the group but is also the furthest away. Sample, Herrera are facing important seasons in their career as one needs to prove he can stay healthy while the other needs to get much much better at throwing strikes. Keating fell just due to his role as a bullpen guy something that could happen to Herrera if he ends up in the pen which from the sounds of it could be likely.
Projecting the Royals Top 15 2012
1. Wil Myers
2. Eric Hosmer
3. John Lamb
4. Chris Dwyer
5. Christian Colon
6. Cheslor Cuthbert
7. Archie Bradley, Daniel Norris, Bubba Starling or whoever is taken w 1st rd pick
8. Jake Odorizzi
9. Brett Eibner
10. Jason Adam
11. Salvador Perez
12. Yordano Ventura
13. Robinson Yambatti
14. Tim Melville
15. Orlando Calixte
UP NEXT Joe Holtmeyer UNO Maverick Draft Prospect, Damek Tomscha Iowa Western Draft Prospect
Showing posts with label Brett Eibner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brett Eibner. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Off the Radar !
Trying to locate a off the radar prospect in the most hyped system in baseball is akin to locating a pantyline in the HBO show Big Love, it's a difficult task to say the least but I think I located a player that could surprise in 2011.
Al.com
Son of a major league player (Scott Fletcher)Brian Fletcher was projected as a Top 10 Round college outfielder but fell to the Royals in the 18th round last year. Fletcher's career so far is very similar to another 2010 Royal draftee, Brett Eibner. Like Eibner, Fletcher is a power hitting outfielder who elected to go to a SEC school as opposed to signing with the Houston Astros after being drafted in 2007(39th rd), also like Eibner he has the tendancy to strikeout quite a bit despite a very quick bat. Fletcher isn't the athlete that Eibner is so he'll best project as a left fielder defensively but he has a very quick bat and some nice power (HR per 12.91 AB @ Auburn). If he can monitor his aggressiveness and use that bat speed more effectively he could jump on the radar of some. Expect him to start in Burlington or Wilmington where he'll need to adjust to a different type hitting environment than what he's used to.
2010 Burlington Rookie League 5-16 2 HR 1/5 Bb/K
2010 Auburn .357/.430/.694 22 HR 17 2b 23/67 BB/K
2009 Auburn .301/.420/.628 17 Hr 9 2b 32/76 Bb/K
2009 Cape Cod .291/.320/.436 2 HR 11 2b 2/36 BB/K
2008 Auburn .324/.408/.611 10 HR 17 2b 21/53 BB/K
2007 Baseball America Draft scouting report
Brian Fletcher has the bat speed and strength to develop into a prospect as well. He's improved his approach this season, using the whole field more often, though his swing has holes. When he squares the ball up, it jumps off his barrel. He's well-below-average defensively in the infield, and has had trouble making accurate throws this spring.
2010 Baseball America Draft scouting report
The son of ex-big league infielder Scott, Fletcher is a different player than his dad. Scott was a bat-control middle infielder, while Brian is a slugging left fielder known for his power. Fletcher should join Chad Bettis, Derek Dietrich and Brett Eibner as unsigned members of the Astros' 2007 draft class who go in single-digit rounds in 2010. Fletcher has a pro mentality, shaking off failure well, which comes in handy because he has 192 strikeouts in 612 at-bats at Auburn (31 percent). Fletcher's more athletic than Kevin Patterson, so he's capable of being an average left fielder as a pro. While he lacks Patterson's pure strength and size, he has electric bat speed and can catch up to good fastballs. He's just too aggressive early in counts and gets himself into pitcher's counts too often.
Al.comSon of a major league player (Scott Fletcher)Brian Fletcher was projected as a Top 10 Round college outfielder but fell to the Royals in the 18th round last year. Fletcher's career so far is very similar to another 2010 Royal draftee, Brett Eibner. Like Eibner, Fletcher is a power hitting outfielder who elected to go to a SEC school as opposed to signing with the Houston Astros after being drafted in 2007(39th rd), also like Eibner he has the tendancy to strikeout quite a bit despite a very quick bat. Fletcher isn't the athlete that Eibner is so he'll best project as a left fielder defensively but he has a very quick bat and some nice power (HR per 12.91 AB @ Auburn). If he can monitor his aggressiveness and use that bat speed more effectively he could jump on the radar of some. Expect him to start in Burlington or Wilmington where he'll need to adjust to a different type hitting environment than what he's used to.
2010 Burlington Rookie League 5-16 2 HR 1/5 Bb/K
2010 Auburn .357/.430/.694 22 HR 17 2b 23/67 BB/K
2009 Auburn .301/.420/.628 17 Hr 9 2b 32/76 Bb/K
2009 Cape Cod .291/.320/.436 2 HR 11 2b 2/36 BB/K
2008 Auburn .324/.408/.611 10 HR 17 2b 21/53 BB/K
2007 Baseball America Draft scouting report
Brian Fletcher has the bat speed and strength to develop into a prospect as well. He's improved his approach this season, using the whole field more often, though his swing has holes. When he squares the ball up, it jumps off his barrel. He's well-below-average defensively in the infield, and has had trouble making accurate throws this spring.
2010 Baseball America Draft scouting report
The son of ex-big league infielder Scott, Fletcher is a different player than his dad. Scott was a bat-control middle infielder, while Brian is a slugging left fielder known for his power. Fletcher should join Chad Bettis, Derek Dietrich and Brett Eibner as unsigned members of the Astros' 2007 draft class who go in single-digit rounds in 2010. Fletcher has a pro mentality, shaking off failure well, which comes in handy because he has 192 strikeouts in 612 at-bats at Auburn (31 percent). Fletcher's more athletic than Kevin Patterson, so he's capable of being an average left fielder as a pro. While he lacks Patterson's pure strength and size, he has electric bat speed and can catch up to good fastballs. He's just too aggressive early in counts and gets himself into pitcher's counts too often.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Minor League Predictions and Goals for the Blog
The baseball season is slowly coming around as we are just 52 days until the Royals first spring training game. 2011 is going to be a interesting year at the major league level to say the least but the real excitement for the Royals in 2011 is going to happen at the minor league level. With the influx of talent I thought I would take this time to make my 2011 minor league predictions.
The Call Ups - Minor leaguers that will be called up this season.
Mike Moustakas after June
Tim Collins Makes the ML roster
Louis Coleman
Lorenzo Cain
Jeremy Jeffress
Danny Duffy
David Lough
Mike Montgomery September Call up
Eric Hosmer September Call up
Chris Dwyer September Call up
Positional Breakout Performer
Brett Eibner CF - Possibly the best athlete in the system since Beltran, Eibner has big time power and decent patience. I look for him to impress at the high A level and earn a bump up to AA to join Colon and Myers at NW Arkansas.
Starting Pitcher Breakout (outside the top 4)
Crawford Simmons - Simmons is a crafty lefty who should be able to handle Low A hitters with his great control and pitchability.
Minor League Playoff contenders
NW Arkansas
Omaha
14 for 77 Minor League Player of the Year
Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer- The two studs will share the award after repeating what they did in 2010. I expect Myers will crush AA pitching in Coors Arvest field while Hosmer will push his way to a September call up.
14 for 77 MILB Pitcher of the Year
Chris Dwyer - Dwyer's low to mid 90s fastball combined with his organization best curve will help him pick up where it left off in the Texas League last season prior to his injury. Dwyer great season will be rewarded with a September call up after joining the crew in Omaha for a playoff run.
While there are sure to be some bumps in the road for some Royal minor leaguers there is actually room to improve from last seasons stellar performance. Names like Cuthbert, Yambati and Ventura could see action for the first time in full season ball while Ordonzzi, Jeffress and Marks will be added to the depth of an already strong system. My new goal of this blog is to get as much video as possible of the Royal minor leaguers in their pursuit of a major league dream. Kane County, NW Arkansas and Omaha will all be on the agenda again in 2011 hopefully multiple trips will allow me to bring the few readers I have a better idea of the prospects that are in the system.
NEXT UP Major League Predictions
The Call Ups - Minor leaguers that will be called up this season.
Mike Moustakas after June
Tim Collins Makes the ML roster
Louis Coleman
Lorenzo Cain
Jeremy Jeffress
Danny Duffy
David Lough
Mike Montgomery September Call up
Eric Hosmer September Call up
Chris Dwyer September Call up
Positional Breakout Performer
Brett Eibner CF - Possibly the best athlete in the system since Beltran, Eibner has big time power and decent patience. I look for him to impress at the high A level and earn a bump up to AA to join Colon and Myers at NW Arkansas.
Starting Pitcher Breakout (outside the top 4)
Crawford Simmons - Simmons is a crafty lefty who should be able to handle Low A hitters with his great control and pitchability.
Minor League Playoff contenders
NW Arkansas
Omaha
14 for 77 Minor League Player of the Year
Wil Myers and Eric Hosmer- The two studs will share the award after repeating what they did in 2010. I expect Myers will crush AA pitching in Coors Arvest field while Hosmer will push his way to a September call up.
14 for 77 MILB Pitcher of the Year
Chris Dwyer - Dwyer's low to mid 90s fastball combined with his organization best curve will help him pick up where it left off in the Texas League last season prior to his injury. Dwyer great season will be rewarded with a September call up after joining the crew in Omaha for a playoff run.
While there are sure to be some bumps in the road for some Royal minor leaguers there is actually room to improve from last seasons stellar performance. Names like Cuthbert, Yambati and Ventura could see action for the first time in full season ball while Ordonzzi, Jeffress and Marks will be added to the depth of an already strong system. My new goal of this blog is to get as much video as possible of the Royal minor leaguers in their pursuit of a major league dream. Kane County, NW Arkansas and Omaha will all be on the agenda again in 2011 hopefully multiple trips will allow me to bring the few readers I have a better idea of the prospects that are in the system.
NEXT UP Major League Predictions
Monday, August 16, 2010
Royals Announce signing of Eibner and Adam
The Royals completed the draft signing period Monday announcing the signings of Brett Eibner (2nd rounder) and Jason Adam (5th rounder). Total KC spent approximately 7 plus million on this years draft as well as spending 1.1M on the signing of international free agent Shortstop Humberto Arteaga of Venezuela. I love the strategy of spending big in the draft and internationally as I just can't see how it could fail for them longterm. I would like to see them get back into that 10+ million range every draft as the Red Sox did this season but I'm not going to squawk over a couple million here or there especially considering many peoples thoughts on this year overall being a weak draft.
BA quote on Arteaga-
BA quote on Arteaga-
Arteaga is a smart player with a skinny, projectable body, though he isn't a great runner. Scouts have said he stands out more for his defensive tools—especially his soft hands—than for his bat.
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Royals High School draft info on Michael Antonio and Jason Adam
The last two seasons the Royals have concentrated mostly on college players in the draft a strategy that definitely draws some mixed reviews among the fanbase. While in most seasons I wouldn't agree with that strategy either this season with a lack of talent I agree with taking college kids who are limited ceiling wise but cheaper and quicker to the big leagues for the most part. Two of the Royals Top 5 picks were High Schoolers and after reading info about both I must say I love the picks of Michael Antonio and Jason Adam. This week I luckily got a little more info into them by talking with a Royals insider on Antonio and Adam was nice enough to answer a few questions.
Jason Congratulations on getting drafted by the way it must be a huge thrill.
Were you watching the draft online when you got drafted?
My family and me were all huddled around the computer watching the draft and when we finally got that call it was incredible.
JJ Picollo stated that you and your family have a good relationship with the organization, were the Royals the leaders within your family for who you wanted to get drafted by?
The royals have been front runners in our minds because they are the hometown team and they have a great organization from top to bottom that we've been able to get very close to.
Being a local kid are the Royals your favorite team and if not who?
Yes definitely, I grew up watching them and going to their games.
What person has had the biggest influence on your pitching? When did you think you had a chance to get drafted out of High School?
My summer coach Jeremy Jones has helped me immensely these past years to improve my pitching and help me turn into a man. I didn't realize I was actually going to have this opportunity until right before my high school season when the attention really picked up.
As a Missouri commit will the rumors of the Big 12 possibly dissolving have any influence on your decision to sign a pro contract?
It doesn't really play a factor because it wont take effect until my junior year and I chose Missouri because I liked Mizzou not because I liked the big 12.
What do you think is your best pitch currently?
Probably my spotted fastball.
Finally what did you think of the scouting process and the draft process in general?
It has been very exciting and maybe a little stressful but I enjoyed every second of it.
Of all the Royals draftpicks the one that made people scratch their heads the most was the pick of Michael Antonio, a HS Shortstop from Manny Ramirez's Alma matter George Washington HS in New York. Antonio was projected to be picked anywhere from the late 3rd to 6th. His stock was said to be heading down going into the draft and to be honest I didn't know much about Antonio heading into the draft but after reading about him and checking out his swing on various sites I have to say I like the pick quite a bit. The kid has upside and almost seems like a poor mans Manny Machado in that he has a big growing frame at 6'3 190 where he possibly could grow out of the position of Shortstop but if everything went right could become a talent at the SS position that moves Colon over to second base eventually. A contact within the organization had this to say about Antonio:
Antonio is a strong, athletic kid but raw. He’ll need the full development time in the minors. He’s a dead fastball hitter and has a little difficulty recognizing off-speed stuff. Runs pretty well and is a solid defender…although he would get a little too cute/fancy from time to time in the field. I suspect that could be attributed to being a high school kid who’s the best player on his team. That attitude will probably go away once he’s around a bunch of players who are as good or better than him.
I can see him developing more power...that’s definitely a possibility. He has tremendous athleticism and upside if handled right and with patience.
In the end this draft didn't have the flash of Hosmer, Melville and Montgomery or the second 1st rounder like Myers but it has added some talent at the top end with the additions of Colon and Chapman while adding some upside potential in Eibner, Antonio and Adam. Hopefully like all drafts a diamond in the rough will be uncovered as well.
Jason Congratulations on getting drafted by the way it must be a huge thrill.
Were you watching the draft online when you got drafted?
My family and me were all huddled around the computer watching the draft and when we finally got that call it was incredible.
JJ Picollo stated that you and your family have a good relationship with the organization, were the Royals the leaders within your family for who you wanted to get drafted by?
The royals have been front runners in our minds because they are the hometown team and they have a great organization from top to bottom that we've been able to get very close to.
Being a local kid are the Royals your favorite team and if not who?
Yes definitely, I grew up watching them and going to their games.
What person has had the biggest influence on your pitching? When did you think you had a chance to get drafted out of High School?
My summer coach Jeremy Jones has helped me immensely these past years to improve my pitching and help me turn into a man. I didn't realize I was actually going to have this opportunity until right before my high school season when the attention really picked up.
As a Missouri commit will the rumors of the Big 12 possibly dissolving have any influence on your decision to sign a pro contract?
It doesn't really play a factor because it wont take effect until my junior year and I chose Missouri because I liked Mizzou not because I liked the big 12.
What do you think is your best pitch currently?
Probably my spotted fastball.
Finally what did you think of the scouting process and the draft process in general?
It has been very exciting and maybe a little stressful but I enjoyed every second of it.
Of all the Royals draftpicks the one that made people scratch their heads the most was the pick of Michael Antonio, a HS Shortstop from Manny Ramirez's Alma matter George Washington HS in New York. Antonio was projected to be picked anywhere from the late 3rd to 6th. His stock was said to be heading down going into the draft and to be honest I didn't know much about Antonio heading into the draft but after reading about him and checking out his swing on various sites I have to say I like the pick quite a bit. The kid has upside and almost seems like a poor mans Manny Machado in that he has a big growing frame at 6'3 190 where he possibly could grow out of the position of Shortstop but if everything went right could become a talent at the SS position that moves Colon over to second base eventually. A contact within the organization had this to say about Antonio:
Antonio is a strong, athletic kid but raw. He’ll need the full development time in the minors. He’s a dead fastball hitter and has a little difficulty recognizing off-speed stuff. Runs pretty well and is a solid defender…although he would get a little too cute/fancy from time to time in the field. I suspect that could be attributed to being a high school kid who’s the best player on his team. That attitude will probably go away once he’s around a bunch of players who are as good or better than him.
I can see him developing more power...that’s definitely a possibility. He has tremendous athleticism and upside if handled right and with patience.
In the end this draft didn't have the flash of Hosmer, Melville and Montgomery or the second 1st rounder like Myers but it has added some talent at the top end with the additions of Colon and Chapman while adding some upside potential in Eibner, Antonio and Adam. Hopefully like all drafts a diamond in the rough will be uncovered as well.
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