Organization Analysis: Infielders
The Royals have a pretty good group of young infielders already at the major league level. The Royals also have pretty good depth, particularly at the middle infield spots. Overall, the infield should become a strength over the next few years, giving the Royals some potential trade bait.
Catchers:
Overall, this is probably the weakest infield position in the organization. John Buck currently has an OPS under .600. He's among the bottom third of catchers in base runners caught stealing. Buck does have very good leadership potential and is solid defensively behind the plate. Buck also hit 16 HRs in his first 381 ABs, which suggests he could develop 15-25 HR power at some point. If his power develops and he can hit above .240, the Royals won't have to worry about the organization's lack of catching prospects.
Prospects: Adam Donachie, Paul Phillips, Matt Tupman
Donachie is still pretty young. Donachie's never lived up to his potential, mainly because of injuries. The 21-year-old's line .262/.323/.385 is alright for a catcher. Paul Phillips and Matt Tupman project as backups.
First Base/DH
Mike Sweeney is still the club leader and best hitter on the team. His defense has improved considerably, albeit to league-average at best. If the Royals decide to trade Sweeney, Huber could take over. Matt Stairs has been a solid bat for the Royals and could bring a good prospect near the trade deadline.
Prospects: Justin Huber, Billy Butler, Kila Kaaihue, Chad Santos
Justin Huber is the heir apparent for Mike Sweeney. Huber has great on-base skills and should develop 20 HR power. Huber still needs some more time to polish his defensive skills, but should be a starter by 2006. Billy Butler is the Royals' best prospect. Butler would be in KC by 2006 if he had a defensive position nailed down. The Royals will try him in left field, but he'll likely end up at 1B or DH. Kila Kaaihue is having a great season at High Desert, with a .352/.443/.542 line. Kaaihue could end up as trade bait unless Huber or Butler don't make it in the big leagues. Chad Santos has begun playing left field and having a solid season at Omaha, but is a fringe prospect.
Second Base:
Gotay is having a decent year. His .236 average has a lot of room for improvement. Gotay has shown some power, particularly on inside fastballs. Defensively, Gotay's range is somewhat limited, but he doesn't make very many errors. Gotay will probably be a useful regular with a .270 average and 10-12 HRs.
Prospects: Donnie Murphy
Murphy's offensive numbers are similar to Gotay's throughout the minors. Murphy is better defensively, with a stronger arm and better footwork. If Gotay doesn't show more improvement offensively, Murphy could get a shot, perhaps as soon as late this season.
Shortstop:
Berroa had a great rookie season, but looks like he'll never match it. His strikeout/walk ratio has gotten progressively worse and he hasn't had much success stealing bases. Berroa has been better defensively, especially with Teahan at 3rd base. Berroa has the tools to be a good hitter and could recapture his rookie form if he improves his plate discipline. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening.
Prospects: Mike Aviles, Andres Blanco, Mario Lisson, Chris McConnell, Josh Johnson, (Jeffrey Bianchi), (Shawn Hayes)
Aviles may have a better bat than Gotay and Murphy. Defensively, he appears to be inadequate as an everyday shortstop. He'll have to improve his defense to become an everyday player. Right now, he projects as a utility infielder with a good bat. Blanco is a gold-glove shortstop, but he has a ways to go offensively. He's still pretty young, so he has plenty of time to develop offensively. Lisson is a potential 5-tool shortstop. He could develop plus-power and has the tools to play anywhere in the infield. Johnson and McConnell were drafted last year and will be at Idaho Falls. Bianchi and Hayes were drafted this season and will most likely head to Arizona. Royals have very good depth at shortstop.
Third Base:
The Royals traded for Mark Teahan last season to be their first basemen of the future. The Royals also selected Alex Gordon with their second-overall pick. Who is the third basemen of the future? Only time will tell. Teahan may develop power as he starts to pull the ball more. Teahan hit 14 HRs last year and hasn't begun to pull the ball, so that's promising. He's still too tentative at the plate and strikes out too much. Teahan should become an above-average defender at third base.
Prospects: (Alex Gordon), Mario Lisson
Lisson may get moved to 3B for depth. Gordon, assuming he signs, instantly becomes one of the Royals' top prospects. Gordon is projected to have 25-30 HR power, according to the Royals. The main question is whether he can stay at 3B. Unlike Butler, most people think he can become a pretty good 3B defensively. If not, Gordon should have the speed and the arm to be a good RF.
Overall Grade:
1. Current Infielders' Performance: C
2. Current Infielders' Potential: B- (lot of young players, but no real impact guys)
3. Current Prospects Depth: B+
4. Current Prospects Potential: A-
Catchers:
Overall, this is probably the weakest infield position in the organization. John Buck currently has an OPS under .600. He's among the bottom third of catchers in base runners caught stealing. Buck does have very good leadership potential and is solid defensively behind the plate. Buck also hit 16 HRs in his first 381 ABs, which suggests he could develop 15-25 HR power at some point. If his power develops and he can hit above .240, the Royals won't have to worry about the organization's lack of catching prospects.
Prospects: Adam Donachie, Paul Phillips, Matt Tupman
Donachie is still pretty young. Donachie's never lived up to his potential, mainly because of injuries. The 21-year-old's line .262/.323/.385 is alright for a catcher. Paul Phillips and Matt Tupman project as backups.
First Base/DH
Mike Sweeney is still the club leader and best hitter on the team. His defense has improved considerably, albeit to league-average at best. If the Royals decide to trade Sweeney, Huber could take over. Matt Stairs has been a solid bat for the Royals and could bring a good prospect near the trade deadline.
Prospects: Justin Huber, Billy Butler, Kila Kaaihue, Chad Santos
Justin Huber is the heir apparent for Mike Sweeney. Huber has great on-base skills and should develop 20 HR power. Huber still needs some more time to polish his defensive skills, but should be a starter by 2006. Billy Butler is the Royals' best prospect. Butler would be in KC by 2006 if he had a defensive position nailed down. The Royals will try him in left field, but he'll likely end up at 1B or DH. Kila Kaaihue is having a great season at High Desert, with a .352/.443/.542 line. Kaaihue could end up as trade bait unless Huber or Butler don't make it in the big leagues. Chad Santos has begun playing left field and having a solid season at Omaha, but is a fringe prospect.
Second Base:
Gotay is having a decent year. His .236 average has a lot of room for improvement. Gotay has shown some power, particularly on inside fastballs. Defensively, Gotay's range is somewhat limited, but he doesn't make very many errors. Gotay will probably be a useful regular with a .270 average and 10-12 HRs.
Prospects: Donnie Murphy
Murphy's offensive numbers are similar to Gotay's throughout the minors. Murphy is better defensively, with a stronger arm and better footwork. If Gotay doesn't show more improvement offensively, Murphy could get a shot, perhaps as soon as late this season.
Shortstop:
Berroa had a great rookie season, but looks like he'll never match it. His strikeout/walk ratio has gotten progressively worse and he hasn't had much success stealing bases. Berroa has been better defensively, especially with Teahan at 3rd base. Berroa has the tools to be a good hitter and could recapture his rookie form if he improves his plate discipline. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening.
Prospects: Mike Aviles, Andres Blanco, Mario Lisson, Chris McConnell, Josh Johnson, (Jeffrey Bianchi), (Shawn Hayes)
Aviles may have a better bat than Gotay and Murphy. Defensively, he appears to be inadequate as an everyday shortstop. He'll have to improve his defense to become an everyday player. Right now, he projects as a utility infielder with a good bat. Blanco is a gold-glove shortstop, but he has a ways to go offensively. He's still pretty young, so he has plenty of time to develop offensively. Lisson is a potential 5-tool shortstop. He could develop plus-power and has the tools to play anywhere in the infield. Johnson and McConnell were drafted last year and will be at Idaho Falls. Bianchi and Hayes were drafted this season and will most likely head to Arizona. Royals have very good depth at shortstop.
Third Base:
The Royals traded for Mark Teahan last season to be their first basemen of the future. The Royals also selected Alex Gordon with their second-overall pick. Who is the third basemen of the future? Only time will tell. Teahan may develop power as he starts to pull the ball more. Teahan hit 14 HRs last year and hasn't begun to pull the ball, so that's promising. He's still too tentative at the plate and strikes out too much. Teahan should become an above-average defender at third base.
Prospects: (Alex Gordon), Mario Lisson
Lisson may get moved to 3B for depth. Gordon, assuming he signs, instantly becomes one of the Royals' top prospects. Gordon is projected to have 25-30 HR power, according to the Royals. The main question is whether he can stay at 3B. Unlike Butler, most people think he can become a pretty good 3B defensively. If not, Gordon should have the speed and the arm to be a good RF.
Overall Grade:
1. Current Infielders' Performance: C
2. Current Infielders' Potential: B- (lot of young players, but no real impact guys)
3. Current Prospects Depth: B+
4. Current Prospects Potential: A-
posted by SoonerRoyal at 7:58 PM
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