Organization Analysis: Outfielders

The outfield has certainly been the most talked about need in the organization. The Royals actually have some depth here. The Royals also have a couple potential star players if they can play good enough defense in the outfield.

Corner Outfield:

Emil Brown has been a nice surprise for the Royals. After posting a .161/.254/.339 line in April, it was hard to see what the Royals saw in Emil Brown. But, since Brown began playing everyday, he's been a completely different player. Brown's OPS in May was .895 and is 1.067 so far in June. Brown has a good approach at the plate and has shown pretty good power. He's 30 years old, so Brown isn't a long-term option. But, if he continues to hit well, he'd be a cheap, productive stopgap player.

Terrence Long has been hitting much better recently. He hasn't shown much power, but is a good defender and decent 4th outfielder. Long is most likely trade bait.

Shane Costa is one of the outfielders of the future. Costa is a good contact hitter and should develop power. Costa could develop 20 HR power as he learns to pull the ball.

Prospects: Mitch Maier, Chris Lubanski, Billy Butler, Chad Santos

Mitch Maier is putting together a solid year. Maier was promoted to Wichita and has hit .237 so far. It may take him a while to adjust to Wichita, as he struggled some after being promoted to Wilmington last year. Maier has good speed and has hit a lot of doubles. He could challenge DeJesus as the future centerfielder. Lubanski has taken a step back this year. Lubanski has hit 12 HRs, but has .235 batting average. He's also struck out 66 times in 226 ABs. If he can improve his plate discipline and make more contact, Lubanski might be in the Royals' future. Billy Butler is beginning to learn how to play outfield. He's the Royals' best prospect and could fill a major need in the organization. Chad Santos has also made the switch to OF. 24-year-old Santos has pretty good power, but strikes out too much. His future could be as a 4th or 5th outfielder.