JD's Prospect Quips

Below are quips for prospects 20-27 on Greg Schaum's Top 30 Prospects of 2010 list, which can be found at Left of the Foul Pole. 28-30 and 1-19 coming soon.

20. Keaton Hayenga

Hayenga has an injury history, unfortunately, as he suffered a shoulder injury while in high school. He did not begin pitching for a club affiliate until 2009. The Royals, at the time, thought they had landed a steal in the 31st round. His strikeout rate was rather low, though. He only fanned 34 batters in 66 1/3 innings this year, but he only allowed 16 walks, so at least the strikeout-to-walk ratio is respectable. At 6'4" and 190 pounds, he is lanky and might need to fill out a bit more as he advances up the organizational ladder. As for miscellaneous fun notes, he and #25 prospect for 2010 Hilton Richardson host a free baseball clinic in Seattle for local area youth.

21. Crawford Simmons

Simmons represented Team Georgia in 2008 as a junior at Statesboro High School. He earned several awards and accomplishments while in high school, and he helped lead his squad to the second round of the state tournament in '08, as well. Simmons posted a 0.70 ERA with 108 strikeouts in 69 1/3 innings in his junior season in high school. He did not pitch for a Minor League affiliate this year. His father works as an assistant coach for Georgia Southern University so that could provide him with a little extra motivation as he works his way up the Minor League ladder.

22. Jose Bonilla

Bonilla was named the Surprise Royals Player of the Year in 2008 after hitting .357 with five homers and three triples in 34 games for the Arizona League affiliate. Bonilla has a fairly good throwing arm and shows the ability to hit the baseball to all parts of the diamond. He turned 21 in August and he is probably a few years away from being able to contribute substantially at the big-legaue level. He needs to work at cutting down his strikeouts, as he fanned in nearly 1/4 of his at-bats in 2009.

23. Yowill Espinal

Espinal was the #29 Royals prospect of 2009, according to Baseball America. The middle infielder signed in 2007 for $250,000 and he is part of the Royals' renewed efforts to find talent, albeit perhaps expensively, in the Caribbean and in Latin America. Espinal is athletic and is physically superior to fellow middle-man Geulin Beltre, who was another major Latin nondrafted free agent acquisition at roughly the same time. Espinal possesses average range but has a plus arm at shortstop. He batted .246/.327/.407 with seven home runs, 23 RBI, and 20 stolen bases (but 14 caught steals) in 236 at-bats this year for the Rookie ball Burlington Royals.

24. Blake Wood

Wood's career injuries include, but are not limited to, a herniated disc which required him to have back surgery. Wood also suffered from shin splints a couple years ago and had injuries this year which caused him to miss roughly 1 1/2 months over the summer. His strikeout totals declined pretty substantially this year. He lost 25 pounds in the offseason but still has a fastball that routinely sits between 92 and 94. He also throws a power curveball and a plus changeup. Wood had been known as a bit of a "Jekyll-and-Hyde" starter throughout 2007 and 2008, posting many great starts and many bad starts. However, he had begun to pitch much better in June before he was shelved with the injury. Wood endured a disappointing season, overall, though, in 2009, as he went 2-8 with a 5.83 ERA in 78 2/3 innings pitched and 17 games with AA Northwest Arkansas.

25. Hilton Richardson

Richardson is another former multisport player, which the Royals organization loves. He played basketball in high school and had signed to play baseball at the University of Utah before getting drafted by the Royals in the seventh round of the 2007 amateur draft. He recently teamed with his good friend Kayenga to offer a free baseball clinic for Seattle area youth. Richardson raked in 166 at-bats in Rookie-league Idaho Falls, hitting .313/.392/.428, but he struggled in his extremely brief tenure with Low-A Burlington. He profiles as a doubles and triples hitter right now, but as he fills out with age (he will turn 21 in January) the home run power should hopefully arrive. That said, he is a center fielder, so it's not exactly as if hitting for home run power is an absolute must.

26. Patrick Keating

Keating is a number of recent pitching draft picks who have already worked their way into full season leagues as relief pitchers. Cole White and Louis Coleman are two others who come to mind instantly. Given that many of these pitchers have dominated in these levels and many have played in advanced college programs, they might not be years away. Perhaps if these pitchers pan out Royals fans won't have to witness the Kyle Farnsworths and Juan Cruzes manning critical roles in the 'pen too much longer.

27. Cheslor Cuthbert

Cuthbert's $1.2 million bonus broke a record for the signing of a Nicaraguan player. The Pittsburgh Pirates were rumored to be in on him for several weeks as he practiced in an academy before several scouts. Cuthbert displays above-average bat speed and power. According to La Prensa, a Nicaraguan publication, he hits the ball "with the strength of a man." It will be interesting tracking how Cuthbert matures as he moves up in the low minors.

Our Defense

OK, I understand it's been awhile, but I'm going to try to Bob Dole out more blog posts on a regular basis. For those who don't know, I've been doing quite a spell of work over at the 610 Sports' Royals website Left of the Foul Pole. Available at that website are blog posts devoted to the 2009 amateur draft selections, (almost) daily gameday previews, Diamond in the Rough reports, and more. Also, if you are a devoted fan and Royals blogger - and if you are reading this sentence, you are likely one of the two - then I would suggest you call into the Postgame Show with Robert Ford and Greg Schaum following the contest. The number is (913) 576-7610. As B-Dub and others might tell you, just make sure you keep your radio turned down and make sure you keep it clean. Two simple rules in a pathway to venting yourself over a loss, discussing Zack Greinke's dominance, Trey Hillman's chinbeard, or any other Royals-related event that is on your mind. And random journeyman ex-Royal references are certainly welcome and encouraged.

Here are some general thoughts as we approach the 1/2 mark of the 2009 season.

- The defense needs to improve drastically, and in my opinion, it needs to be a #1 priority this offseason. If that means jettisoning Billy Butler, Mike Jacobs, Alberto Callaspo, and others, so be it. Especially considering this team still is not near contention (we're 5 1/2 games back, sure, but we're seven games below .500 well before the break), our veteran spare parts need to be shopped. As begrudging as it sounds, we need to shop Gil Meche, as well. He is a #2-quality starter who, in my opinion, could net us everyday players or prospects at a couple positions. Players like Crisp and Jacobs would net less, and we would likely have to pick up a significant portion of Jose Guillen's remaining salary.

- Trey Hillman needs to go. Enough with the bullpen mismanagement, the almost routine games with comedies of errors, and lack of fundamentals. He has improved with regard to playing time distribution and stolen base success rate, but in my opinion, he is still far from where we want to be as the captain.

- Dayton Moore needs to be on the hot seat. Our offensive run output has actually diminished under his tenure while he has had far greater fiscal resources and lack of ownership intervention during his tenure.

Since defense is a number one priority, though, here is a rant that I originally posted on Royals Corner. The final question applies for The Royal Treatment as well.

Unfortunately, even if Kila moves in (hopefully, that will happen), the right side of our infield will still be subpar. Now, of course, I think Kila and Callaspo will negate their defense enough to be at least everyday players next season. However, when pitchers like Hochevar are starting (assuming he starts next year), then it could hinder us that much more.

I realize this is subjective, but here is I believe how we would rank defensively from the players signed in our organization next year, including the arb.-eligibles (qualitatively):

Catcher - Buck (average), Olivo (slightly above average), B. Pena (atrocious), House (atrocious)
First Base - Butler (below average), Ka'ahiue (below average), Shealy (above average), Jacobs (atrocious)
Second Base - Callaspo (below average), Hulett (average), Bloomquist (above average)
Shortstop - Pena (well above average), Aviles (above average), Bloomquist (below average), Hulett (below average), Hernandez (above average)
Third Base - Gordon (above average), Teahen (slightly below average), Bloomquist (well below average)
Left Field - DeJesus (above average), Teahen (well below average), Bloomquist (below average)
Center Field - Crisp (above average), Maier (above average)
Right Field - Guillen (atrocious), Teahen (below average), Bloomquist (well below average)

We need upgrades at catcher, first base, second base, shortstop if Aviles cannot hit at least .270/.310/.400, and right field(!!!!!) That's four positions. If Aviles can even come close to replicating '08, we're fine at shortstop, and we might have to bite the bullet again with Callaspo and first base. However, we clearly need a much, much, much, much better right fielder and we also need to drastically reduce the playing time of players like Willie Bloomquist and Mark Teahen in the field.

Does someone want to work on finding which Free Agent-eligible (2009-10) players could provide us plus defense at a resonable cost?

Poll Results, Week Six: Ryan Shealy NOW!

Judging by the poll results from last week, it would appear that the Royals fanbase would like to see Ryan Shealy recalled from AAA Omaha. Here is how the results break down:

Which position player would you most like to see recalled from Omaha? (List compiled on 5/2)

Ryan Shealy: 10 votes (47%)
Tug Hulett: 3 (14%)
Kila Ka'aihue: 3 (14%)
Travis Metcalf: 1 (4%)
Chris Lubanski: 1 (4%)
Other: 3 (14%)

Yes, it's true. Through 25 games and 87 at-bats in AAA Omaha, he has now connected for a .345/.454/.425 clip. He is homerless, though, and we all know that if he is to provide some value as a pinch-hitter and part-time player (a compliment to the left-handed hitting DH/1B Mike Jacobs), he is going to need to hit for power. In his Minor League career, Shealy has a .302/.406/.615 line against lefties, with 23 home runs in 291 at-bats. He is, on the contrary, .296/.369/.510 against right-handers. In parts of his last four seasons, he has contributed for a net gain of three runs at first base.

Although his BABIP is insanely high this year (.484), his FB% does not correlate at all with his mere seven extra base hits (and zero home runs). It is 48.1%, so the HR output is flukishly low.

I'm not going to sugercoat it. Shealy needs to be on the 25-man roster above Luis Hernandez, who provides as nothing more than an excellent late-inning defensive replacement. Hernandez contributes negatively as an offensive player, and will likely do nothing to earn anything more than Sunday starts, even with a slumping Mike Aviles. Get Shealy on this roster, start him at first base against lefties (against whom Jacobs struggles immensely), and let him pinch hit late in games, in crucial situations or no.

Shealy has not played since Friday, May 8th, though. He has not yet been placed on the 7-Day Disabled List, though, so what's the deal? The Royals organization is notorious for keeping Minor League information secretive and withheld. Regardless, I think Shealy would be a formidable option at my stated positions on the big-league roster.

Question: Which players would fit in the 'other' category who one could argue would be worthy of a promotion? Tommy Murphy? Brayan Pena (again, and even more so assuming a DFA/release/trade of one of our existing two catchers)? Brian (Pitcher Fill-In) Buchanan? I'd love to know.

The Nightmare in Springfield

Draft prospects review from the LSU-Arkansas games I attended last weekend coming in a few days. In the meantime, enjoy my writeup on the two games I witnessed in Springfield on Wednesday afternoon.

OK, so I attended both Northwest Arkansas Naturals-Springfield Cardinals games this afternoon at Hammond Field in Springfield. As usual in posts like these, I'll try to avoid making this long-winded. Here are some general thoughts from both games. As for the title ("nightmare"), the second game epitomized the Game From Hell. Other than an early offensive explosion, virtually everything went wrong for the Nats today.

I sat in proximity - actually, four seats away from - an obvious die-hard Cardinal fan who was cheering on his team to a ridiculous, obnoxious degree each time they scored or something positive happened on his side. He was obviously baiting me, as I was the only Naturals (Royals) fan in the packed house. I, for one, hate these fan exchanges during the game, because a) what happens on the field is entirely out of control, b) it encourages blind homerism, c) it's flat-out obnoxious, and d) it epitomizes what it means to be a poor baseball fan. Needless to say, this clown was a poor baseball fan. Cheering on the ejections of Suomi & Poldberg (which I will highlight later), screaming each time his team scored, and more. He pulled so much bushleague crap....crap that I've actually never witnessed before at a baseball game, even an away game. I overheard him making notes like "This guy is throwing 89...he sucks" and openly questioning whether you can steal a base on a foul ball.

It was strange, because this man looked like a kid. However, he talked and carried himself like he was middle-aged. He was with a much older woman, who could have been his girlfriend. I overheard him asking her if she was married, at the time. In conclusion, I really wonder if this fan was mentally stable.

Anyway, this man is a clown...and he gives Turdburds fans (you read that correctly) an even further bad name....as if their reputation as pompous could have ever even been overcome. I ignored him intentionally the entire time, but when I did speak, I was polite. I'm paraphrasing in the quotes, here, but he told me "fans at Kauffman Stadium would be treating me this way, so don't take it personnally." He epitomizes pitiful blind homerism in fans. Enough said.

My seats were wonderful. Front row seats, directly behind the net, and approximately 20 feet from the dugout. I snapped about 20 photos with my camera, and another 50 or so with my cell phone. I'll share them later.

As for the game itself (which was largely overshadowed by this clown), catcher John Suomi was ejected in the first game. Of course, I couldn't hear the words exchanged between him and the umpire (and I arrived at the beginning of the second inning), but I'm guessing the exchanges were mostly silent, lacking outward emotional expression. Suomi was nonchalantly tossed, much to his shock and dismay. The manager, Brian Poldberg, then rushed out the dugout and threw a tirade before the umpire, and he was tossed. From my perspective, Suomi getting ejected looked completely like bushleague crap. There might have been more to the story, but if anyone has questions, ask.

It took the attendants at the ice-cream shop about 5 minutes per person to make their ice-cream. Their service was appalling. I snapped a couple photos, so I can post them here and possibly on Cardinals message boards to remind them never to conduct business with these slugs. This sounds like a jerk's move on my part, but I cut through the line to pay for my ice cream (I had to pay separately) before it melted, sitting there in the sunlight. At least I think I cut...I'm not sure. Regardless, their business was piss-poor. Talk about horrifically disorganized and a cluster-what. I recommended everyone in line leave before conducting business with them.

Anyway, back to the game....John Bale entered his rehab assignment and was pulled after recording two outs and surrendering one line drive single in roughly 7 or so pitches. He was hitting 85-87 with his fastball on the radar gun, so I knew something was either wrong, initially, or he was extremely rusty. Looks like it was the former. The trainers and a couple other members of the dugout emerged and instantly yanked him in the 6th. He wasn't signaling toward anything, so I'm not sure what the aggravation might have been.

First game starter Blake Wood was dominant, using four pitches and locating them effectively. His fastball topped out around 93, and was 91-92 most of the game. He surrendered two solo home runs - both no-doubters - in the final inning, but it was good work on his part, overall. He was visibly frustrated after that final inning, though.

Second game starter Matt Kniginyzky, as the box score displays, endured a Hellish outing, and could not make it to four outs in the contest. He was not locating at all effectively, and they were tattooing the pitches that he did throw in the strike zone. I thought the game was safe after the first 1 1/2 inning, but he proved otherwise.

Gilbert De La Vara, who usually has to rely on spotting his pitches, endured a microscopic strike zone this afternoon. He didn't walk anyone, but they were connecting quite well with his pitches, as they were with Dan Cevette and Kyle Crist, when they weren't walking batters.

I thought bringing in reliever Chris Hayes was a possibility, given that he hadn't pitched in several days. Then again, ok...he pitched 6 (dominant) innings not too long ago. (No Chris Nicoll either, though).Springfield/Cardinals fans cheering on the ejections and the meaningless sacrifice bunts early in the ballgame, as expected. Best fans in baseball!!!!!!!!11111!!11one

Despite hitting a home run, Lisson looks lost at the plate. Athletic build and good defense today, but too many swings and misses. His home run was a no-doubter, though, so hopefully it's a sign of things to come.The Cardinals' first game starter, Brandon Dickson, was absolutely untouchable today. He reminded me of Scot Shields of the Angels, except Dickson dominated in multiple innings. He was only hitting 87-89 on the radar gun, but the deception appeared to be there, and his explosive delivery made it appear yet faster.

The AA Cardinals are a loaded ballclub, offensively. Brett Wallace, last year's #1 amateur draft selection, agreed to a humungous signing bonus, as noted several times by several fans I was sitting with. Their #7 prospect, Daryl Jones, was also in the lineups, as well as the first round draft selection of '07, Pete Kozma. The middle of their lineup was huge, physically. Just huge.Several of the Cards' relief pitches showed odd deliveries. Williams' stretch resembled that of a windup. During the stretch, he only had one foot on the rubber, and his body was facing home plate instead of first base. Very deceptive for runners on first. Another reliever, Degerman, came directly overhand on his pitches after dipping. It looked like Tim Lincecum, except it was a directly (180-degrees) overhand pitch. Very bizarre and deceptive.

If anyone has any questions, feel free to ask, as I observed quite a bit from the games, despite my distractions to my right.

2009 Royals Attendance

2009 Royals attendance, total: 257,325 (24/30)

2009 Royals attendance, average per game: 19,794 (28/30)

These figures have actually decreased from where we were at this time last year through 13 home games.

We need a large crowd tonight against Greinke. I think tonight should be the ultimate test. A weeknight, in which the Royals have had continuous struggles in selling tickets. A divisional rival, and perhaps slightly more importantly, a hated divisional rival in the Chicago White Sox. Beautiful weather (forecast calls for 70 degrees and sunny by gametime). Beautiful new ballpark, for which Jackson County residents paid $250 million. Excellent new amenities and scenery. Vastly improved ballclub, that has improved by at least six games each of the past three seasons, and is now 14-11 and in sole possession of first place in a highly winnable division. One of the best pitchers in recent memory, and perhaps one of the best Royals pitchers *ever*, starting this evening.

If we still draw 10-13K or so, then it will a damning indictment as to just how much farther the Royals need to go in order to draw respectable crowds.

Thus far, I have read these excuses:

- Drawing large crowds is difficult because kids in Kansas City attend school. Therefore, families aren't motivated to attend. (Evidently, they don't in other outdoor/northern cities).

- The weather has been terrible in Kansas City. (Evidently, the weather in Pittsburgh, Baltimore, and Cincinnati has been continuous with 70+ degree weather and sunshine).

- Economic hard times. (But hasn't this affected all of MLB? Perhaps it's affected K.C. more than other markets....)

- The ballpark does not have restrooms and cannot sustain large crowds. (OK, fair enough).

Which excuse is it? Or is it a combination of all of these?

It seems every time I raise this topic, either directly in person or on the medium of a computer, the topic is always downplayed completely or I'm shouted down by a myriad of excuses. Folks....it's time the Royals start to substantially increase their attendance. I believe that attendance will go up if the Royals are in a divisional race until late in the season (or, obviously, after). However, it's fair to be disappointed this early. To get so defensive over this issue is even more of a damning indictment than the issue itself. This is evidently an overtly sensitive topic in the hearts, minds, and eyes of many Royals fans.

By the way, Todd's conclusion that a major reason for lack of attendance is that K.C. is a "small market" (essentially) is by far the best explanation, in my opinion. And when I discussed the greater area (I won't take the time and filter through for direct quotes), I was talking about the entire region....South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, north Arkansas, etc. etc. For the record, I wouldn't necessarily agree with the insinuation that K.C. isn't a baseball town, because it's largely unquantifiable. I think that conclusion is what many fans fear or dislike when people like myself vent my frustrations on the form of the Internet.

At the places where I work, many people know that I am a devoted Royals fan, and very few are interested in the Royals. Very few are interested in sports, at all. It's unfortunate....I have lived in the heart of K.C. for almost 23 years....but I can tell you that they still have a reputation as a sad-sack ballclub. Take it from Greg Schaum of 610 Sports....that is why attracting businesses to promote is so difficult. And yet they have improved substantially each of the past three years and appear to have improved yet again this year, at least in the standings. So perhaps the Royals' marketing and sales department deserves criticism, as well.

Perhaps it's the city's fault. The organization's fault. Perhaps we're just small. I just can't agree with these conclusions based on weather or "it's early" or something along those lines. But who knows the real reason? Perhaps it's a combination.

If you were to ask me to generate every possible reason for stagnant (or even moderately decreasing) attendance, here are the arguments I would formulate:

- We're a small market...therefore, we won't compete consistently with the Chicagos and New Yorks and Bostons. (70%)

- The organization has not promoted its product adequately or well. (30%)

People *should* have taken notice. The fact that the Royals aren't yet a .500 ballclub shouldn't be an excuse. Attendance moves like a ship...but it's never this slow. It wasn't in Milwaukee. And now they're drawing 3+ million, easily.