Kansas City Royals Top-15 Prospects of 2010, No’s 6 – 15

*Updated on 3-8-10 – Mike Bianchi, who I rated as No. 11 on the Royals top prospect list will undergo reconstructive elbow surgery and miss the entire 2010 season. See his write-up for more details.

ALSO SEE – Royals Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

Grades are based on a prospect’s projected value over the course of his career and how likely it is that prospect will fulfill his projected value. Various factors are accounted for including upside, red flags, actual performance, and closeness to the majors. See the 2010 Prospect Primer for more information as it relates to prospect grading and philosophy.

Hitters must have 100 or fewer Major League ABs to qualify for this list. Starting pitchers must have 50 or fewer Major League innings to qualify for this list. Relief pitchers must have 25 or fewer Major League innings to qualify for this list. Ages are listed as of May 1st, 2010. Levels are based on the highest level in which a prospect played in 2009. All grades are subject to change based on any new information I receive before the season starts.

If you need to reach me in any way, please contact me via e-mail or post a comment at the bottom of the page and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. The first two prospects are available for everybody to read.

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Player Grades
Contact – 40 Now | 55 Future
Power – 40 | 55
Discipline – 45 | 60
Speed – 40 | 35
Defense – 50 | 55
Arm – 55 | 55
Instincts – 45 | 60
ETA – 2013
Final Grade – B

Body Type – Still very projectable

Scouting Report

Eric Hosmer didn’t live up to the hype in his first professional season. He didn’t hit for the power many projected him to hit for and he struggled in recognizing the spin on various pitches. He was consistently out in front of off-speed stuff, often times meekly grounding out when he was able to make contact with them.

While Hosmer definitely struggled, it’s important to note he was young for his level, and he did show good patience at the plate, walking in 13.5% of his plate appearances in Single-A Burlington.

Hosmer had eye problems all year. He wore contacts early in the year, then went to glasses, and once the season ended, he decided to have LASIK surgery. Eye sight is extremely important in baseball, so it’s possible a lot of Hosmer’s problems may have been caused by poor eye site.

You could argue Hosmer was pushed too fast. He was holding his own in the Midwest League, but certainly not setting it on fire. And it wasn’t a surprise to see Hosmer flounder at Wilmington as he was clearly overmatched.

There was talk about Hosmer being an option for the outfield, but Hosmer didn’t show the athleticism last year that would make him a good candidate to be slotted into the outfield. However, at first base Hosmer has good foot work and soft hands.

The bat speed and raw power are still there for Hosmer, just needing to be tapped into. Hopefully with a full season under his belt and perfect vision, Hosmer can start to show people why the Royals spent the No. 3 draft pick on him.

Best Case Outcome – A bit of a question mark, but I think he has border line All Star potential

More Likely Outcome – A little too soon to say, but he more likely projects to be a slightly above average everyday first baseman

Player Grades
Fastball – 55 Now | 60 Future
Curveball – 55 | 60
Change-Up – 40 | 50
Control – 45 | 55
Command – 45 | 55
Pitchability – 50 | 60
ETA – 2013
Final Grade – B

Body Type – Big, physical build with some projection remaining

Stuff

Fastball – Sits between 92 – 94, touching a bit higher with good sink and running action on the hands of right handed hitters

Curveball – A true 12-to-6 hammer curve, which induces swings-and-misses

Change-Up – He has one, but he needs to throw it more to get a better feel for the pitch

Scouting Report

Tim Melville was a little overshadowed last year, partly because he was a teammate of Montgomery and partly because he started off slow last year.

Melville didn’t pitch in April and put up pedestrian numbers in May and June before he got rolling in July.

He struck out 29% and 25.4% of the batters he faced in July and August. However, he also walked too many hitters though I don’t think his control was that bad overall.

Melville is only a decent athlete, so there are times he struggles to repeat his mechanics, which has a negative affect on his control.

Melville should start next season in A+ Wilmington

Best Case Outcome – No. 2/3 starter

More Likely Outcome – No. 3 starter

Brief Rundown on Prospects 8 – 15

8. Noel Arguelles | LHP | Grade – B- – Had he qualified for the draft, many think he would be worth a first round pick, but I’d like to see him throw a pitch first before ranking him any higher

9. John Lamb | LHP | Grade – B- – Big sleeper prospect for 2010…for an extensive report on Lamb, please click here

10. David Lough | CF | Grade – B- – More of platoon player than an everyday guy…needs to walk more

11. Jeff Bianchi | SS/2b | Grade – B- – Best middle infield prospect in the Royals organization, could be an everyday guy, but may be better suited in a utility role

*Updated 3-8-10 – News out of Royals camp is that Bianchi will undergo reconstructive elbow surgery and miss the entire 2010 season. I do plan on making grade changes to a few prospects in the near future, but if a prospect gets injured and the list is already published, I tend to leave it as is. Tough break for the Royals. H/T to Royals Review

12. Chris Dwyer | LHP | Grade – B- – Lefty with good stuff though a little raw for a college pitcher…click here for a more extensive report on Dwyer

13. Louis Coleman | RHP | Grade – C+ – Athletic and versatile pitcher with a funky delivery has limited upside, but could help the big league club relatively quickly

14. Carlos Rosa | RHP | Grade – C+ – MLB-ready reliever has a lot of arm strength, but needs to work on command

15. Tyler Sample | RHP | Grade – C+ – Big and physical pitching prospect has some issues to cleanup but he’s got two potentially above average pitches

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Other C+ Prospects

16. Jordan Parraz | RF | Age – 25 – Old for his level, but he’s a big kid that moves well and has a strong arm to go along with excellent plate discipline and average power…a 4th outfield type

17. Kila Ka’aihue | 1b | Age – 26 – Numbers dropped off from 2008 because his average plummeted, but he’s still an OBP machine with above average power…just needs a chance to perform

18. Johnny Giavotella | 2b | Age – 22 – Disappointing year, but he still walked more than he struck out…chance to be decent starting second baseman

HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) – Blake Wood (RHP) | Crawford Simmons (LHP) | Matt Mitchell (RHP) | Edgar Osuna (LHP) | Brandon Sisk (LHP) | Tim Smith (OF) | Hilton Richardson (OF) | Salvador Perez (C) | Patrick Keating (RHP) | Greg Holland (RHP) | Kelvin Herrera (RHP) | Cheslor Cuthbert (3b) | Derrick Robinson (CF) | Keaton Hayenga (RHP) | Cole White (RHP)

ALSO SEE – Kansas City Royals Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

UP NEXT – Minnesota Twins Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

Other References and Resources Used for This Article – First Inning and Minor League Splits