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Premium Content Kansas City Royals Top-15 Prospects of 2011, No’s 6 – 15

April 18, 2011 BY ALEX EISENBERG No Comments Yet

Royals Top-15 Prospects of 2011

    1. Eric Hosmer | 1b | Age – 21 | Grade – A-
    2. Wil Myers | RF | Age – 2- | Grade – A-
    3. Mike Montgomery | LHP | Age – 21 | Grade – B+
    4. Mike Moustakas | 3b | Age – 22 | Grade – B+
    5. John Lamb | LHP | Age – 20 | Grade – B+
    6. Danny Duffy | LHP | Age – 22 | Grade – B
    7. Jake Odorizzi | RHP | Age – 21 | Grade – B
    8. Christian Colon | SS/2b | Age – 21 | Grade – B
    9. Chris Dwyer | LHP | Age – 23 | Grade – B
    10. Brett Eibner | CF | Age – 22 | Grade – B-
    11. Aaron Crow | RHP | Age – 24 | Grade – B-
    12. Jeremy Jeffress | RHP | Age – 23 | Grade – B-
    13. Johnny Giavotella | 2b | Age – 23 | Grade – B-
    14. Cheslor Cuthbert | 3b | Age – 18 | Grade – B-
    15. Jason Adam | RHP | Age – 19 | Grade – B-

Key Links
› Prospect Primer (Grading Criteria Explained)
› Team Page Listings
› Index of 2011 Top Prospect Lists
› Index of Last Year’s Top Prospect Lists
Royals Links
› Royals Team Page
› 2010 Royals Top Prospects

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 2011 Top Prospect List Primer for more information as it relates to prospect grading and philosophy.

TO QUALIFY

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. Relief pitchers must have 25 or fewer Major League innings to qualify. Ages are listed as of May 1st, 2011. Levels are based on the highest level in which a prospect played in 2010. All grades are subject to change based on any new information I receive before the season starts.

Prospects 1 and 6 are available for everyone to read. All other scouting reports can be accessed by Premium Members only.

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Quick Rundown on Prospects 6 – 31

    6. Danny Duffy | LHP | Age – 22 | Grade – B … Click here for a profile on Duffy and see his report below…
    7. Jake Odorizzi | RHP | Age – 21 | Grade – B … Acquired in the Zack Greinke trade…has made mechanical adjustments since high school, which I break down in his report. Potential No. 2 starter.
    8. Christian Colon | SS/2b | Age – 21 | Grade – B … Just a solid all around player…acquisition of Alcides Escobar likely pushes Colon to second base.
    9. Chris Dwyer | LHP | Age – 23 | Grade – B … Has two plus pitches, but doesn’t have the control that more highly rated pitchers have…click here for a full breakdown on Dwyer
    10. Brett Eibner | CF | Age – 22 | Grade – B- … A nice combination of power and speed…contact rate is a concern.
    11. Aaron Crow | RHP | Age – 24 | Grade – B- … Could thrive in a bullpen role, but he could be trade bait for a team looking for a starter. Click here for a pitch-by-pitch breakdown of Crow
    12. Jeremy Jeffress | RHP | Age – 23 | Grade – B- … Also acquired in the trade for Greinke. Tremendous fastball velocity and possible future closer.
    13. Johnny Giavotella | 2b | Age – 23 | Grade – B- … An adjustment of his mechanics sparked a second half surge last year…once he gets his chance at the big league job, he’ll be under pressure to perform because Colon will be right behind him.
    14. Cheslor Cuthbert | 3b | Age – 18 | Grade – B- … High upside prospect is raw, but he has terrific power potential and should be able to stick at third base.
    15. Jason Adam | RHP | Age – 19 | Grade – B- … Young pitcher has a ton of buzz surrounding him.
    16. Tim Collins | LHP | Age – 21 | Grade – B- … Diminutive lefty misses tons of bats.
    17. Louis Coleman | RHP | Age – 25 | Grade – B-/C+ … Should be a solid big league reliever for a long time.
    18. Everett Teaford | LHP | Age – 26 | Grade – C+ … Breakout year for Teaford last year…possible back of the rotation starter.
    19. David Lough | OF | Age – 25 | Grade – C+ … Does a lot of things well…potential fourth outfielder.
    20. Yordano Ventura | RHP | Age – 19 | Grade – C+ … Tiny right hander has a big time fastball…a long ways off from the majors though.
    21. Salvador Perez | C | Age – 20 | Grade – C+ … Very good defensive catcher with potential to hit for average
    22. Robinson Yambati | RHP | Age – 20 | Grade – C+ … Another very young righty with a big arm.
    23. Patrick Keating | RHP | Age – 23 | Grade – C+ … Power armed reliever misses bats at a very high rate.
    24. Lucas May | C/UTI | Age – 26 | Grade – C+ … Has value because he can play a bunch of positions including catcher…good power as well.
    25. Derrick Robinson | CF | Age – 23 | Grade – C+ … A terrific athlete who is still pretty raw offensively…showed a lot of improvement last year.
    26. Buddy Baumann | LHP | Age – 23 | Grade – C+ … Lefty misses bats at a high rate, and has two above average pitchers in his repertoire.
    27. Will Smith | LHP | Age – 21 | Grade – C+ … Possible back of the rotation starter.
    28. Justin Marks | LHP | Age – 23 | Grade – C+ … Simiar to Smith in that he’s a potential back of the rotation starter.
    29. Tim Melville | RHP | Age – 21 | Grade – C+ … Had a poor year in 2010, and I wasn’t impressed with what his mechanics have become recently…might be worthy of an article later this year.
    30. Crawford Simmons | LHP | Age – 19 | Grade – C+ … Finesse lefty with an excellent change-up…possible back of the rotation starter.
    31. Mike Antonio | INF | Age – 19 | Grade – C+ … I like his power potential…will have to work to stay at shortstop or even second base…plate discipline needs improvement as well, but he’s young.
    HONORABLE MENTIONS (in no particular order) – Elisaul Pimentel (RHP) | Humberto Arteaga (SS) | Matt Mitchell (RHP) | Edgar Osuna (LHP) | Brandon Sisk (LHP) | Tim Smith (OF) | Patrick Keating (RHP) | Kelvin Herrera (RHP) | Cole White (RHP) | Michael Mariot (RHP) | Eric Cantrell (RHP) | Chas Byrne (RHP) | Whit Merrifield (OF) | Brian Fletcher (OF) | Paulo Orlando (OF) | Tyler Sample (RHP) | Noel Arguelles (LHP) | Nathan Adcock (RHP) | Kevin Chapman (LHP) | Jeff Bianchi (INF) | Jai Miller (OF) | Luis Piterson (2b) | Jorge Soto (RHP) | Leonel Santiago (RHP)
    *Kila Ka’aihue, Greg Holland, and Blake Wood are no longer considered prospects based on the criteria set forth for these lists.

More Premium Content

  • Pitch-by-Pitch: Scouting Danny Duffy
  • The Struggling Aaron Crow
  • Second Take: Scouting Chris Dwyer
    • 6. Danny Duffy | LHP | Age – 22
    Double-A NW Arkansas | Drafted – Round 3 (96), 2007

    Player Grades
    Fastball – 55 Now | 60 Future
    Curveball – 55 | 55
    Change-Up – 55 | 55/60
    Control – 50 | 55
    Command – 50 | 55
    Pitchability – 55 | 60
    ETA – 2011
    Final Grade – B

    Last Year’s Team Ranking – No. 5

    Last Year’s Top-100 Ranking – Not Ranked Because of Retirement

    Last Year’s Grade – B

    You can click here for a pitch-by-pitch breakdown on Danny Duffy. Just a quick rundown below…

    Any problem he had prior to last year seems to be behind him. And there are no make-up concerns with him going forward.

    Duffy is one of the more well rounded pitchers in the Royals organization. He does almost everything better than average including three potential above average pitches with his fastball, curveball, and change-up. He has good control, improving command, and an advanced feel for pitching. His herky-jerky mechanics are clean in my view, and add deception to his delivery.

    He’s also close to Major League ready and he could be called up at some point this season.

    Best Case Outcome – No. 2 starter

    More Likely Outcome – Borderline No. 3 starter

    7. Jake Odorizzi | RHP | Age – 21
    Single-A Wisconsin | Drafted – Round 1A (32), 2008 (Milwaukee Brewers)

    More Premium Content

  • Scouting Wil Myers vs. Joe Kelly
  • Scouting John Lamb
  • Scouting Wil Myers and Salvador Perez

    • 15. Jason Adam | RHP | Age – 19
    Did Not Pitch Last Year | Drafted – Round 5, 2010

    To read the scouting report on Jason Adam, you’ll need to subscribe to the FREE Baseball-Intellect Newsletter by using the form below:



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

    UP NEXT – Chicago Cubs Top Prospects, No’s 1 – 5

    Other References and Resources Used for This Article – First Inning





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