Pitchers Impress in Royals' Camp
Each of those four southpaws played a key role in the Northwest Arkansas Naturals' 2010 championship campaign, and they all have spent the beginning of Spring Training as non-roster invitees to the Kansas City Royals' major-league camp. All four have the ability and the opportunity to reach the majors in the next two years.
But it is another, more under-the-radar former Natural who has the best chance to win a job with the Royals out of camp. Fresh off a breakout season in Northwest Arkansas, Everett Teaford could be in the mix to join Kansas City's pitching staff in 2011 ahead of those other prospects.
A 26-year-old native of Alpharetta, Ga., Teaford has steadily advanced through the Royals' system since becoming the team's 12th-round selection in 2006. But he had never delivered a season-long consistent performance until last year, when he dominated Texas League hitters with a 14-3 record and a 3.36 ERA, leading the Naturals in both wins and strikeouts (113).
In 2010, Teaford started the year in the bullpen before becoming a mainstay in the rotation. He started 12 games and made 15 appearances in relief. That versatility is just one reason that Teaford has impressed Kansas City manager Ned Yost this spring.
"I like his stuff, but the thing that impressed me most was his competitiveness on the mound," the skipper told MLB.com. "They'd knock the ball off the wall and he'd grab it and say, 'OK, you're next. Let's go.' He just kept coming after the hitters. He worked with a good tempo, had a great look on his face. He was competing out there with confidence, and I was real impressed with that."
Teaford actually made his Double-A debut in 2009, but struggled somewhat in his first campaign at Arvest Ballpark. He won just three of his 16 starts and walked nearly as many batters (34) as he struck out (42). Not satisfied with that performance, Teaford worked through the offseason and into 2010 to refine his mechanics.
"I just started throwing the ball a little easier and being a little more free," he told MLB.com. "I don't know if I was trying to muscle it and trying to be too strong, but I just kind of loosened up a little bit and things clicked, to say the least."
The Royals have a surplus of left-handed pitching on the way to the majors but a scarcity of southpaws already there. Of the four lefties on the 40-man roster, veteran Bruce Chen and the newly-signed Jeff Francis are both in the mix to earn spots in the major-league rotation. Another is Cuban defector Noel Arguelles, who underwent surgery in 2010 and has yet to throw a professional pitch in the United States. If healthy, Arguelles is likely bound for Advanced Class-A Wilmington. The fourth southpaw is Teaford.
Yost has said that he would like to have two left-handers in the bullpen in 2011. Those spots could go to Teaford and Tim Collins, who excelled for Triple-A Omaha after being part of two separate trades in 2010.
Though those two players are focused on making the team this spring, many of the Royals top prospects are not expected to arrive until 2012. Kansas City's spring training roster averages 25.7 years of age, the youngest in all of baseball. 21 of the 33 pitchers working out with the team in Surprise are under 25.
And though the top of Baseball America's list of the organization's prospects includes third baseman Mike Moustakas, first baseman Eric Hosmer and catcher-turned-outfielder Wil Myers, it is the team's pitching depth that is the strength of the system.
"I've been coming to Spring Training for 42 years," Royals senior advisor Art Stewart told MLB.com, "and this is the best bunch of arms I've ever seen."
That crop includes Montgomery, Lamb, Dwyer and Duffy, all starters who could each spend at least part of 2011 in Northwest Arkansas. It also features Aaron Crow, a righty whose performance at two levels last season did not reflect his big-league talent.
Among relievers in major league camp is Patrick Keating, who finished the season as the Naturals' closer and saved four games in the Texas League postseason. He joins former Naturals Brandon Sisk and Louis Coleman as non-roster invitees with a chance to impress the Kansas City brass.
"We've really gotten younger with better stuff," McClure said. "The only thing we're missing is experience."
Not all of these young pitchers will be able to get that experience in the American League - at least not this year. Much of the excess talent will trickle down through the team's minor-league system, bringing excitement to fans of both the Naturals and the Omaha Storm Chasers in 2011.
More Texas League News and Notes
Medina to return as trainer: The Royals announced this week that trainer Tony Medina will return for his second season with the Naturals. Former Wilmington trainer Dave Iannicca was originally slated to replace Medina this year, but a last-minute change in personnel sent Iannicca to Omaha and returned Medina to Northwest Arkansas. This will be Medina's eighth season in the Royals organization as he spent six years with Kansas City's rookie league affiliate in Surprise, Ariz. He was recognized as the Arizona League Trainer of the Year in 2006 and 2008 and served as the trainer for the Dominican Republic in both the 2006 and 2009 World Baseball Classic. With Medina and strength coach Joseph Greany returning in 2011, the Naturals will retain their entire field staff from last season.
Here come the Men in Blue: According to Texas League President Tom Kayser, turnover at higher levels could mean that as many as seven of the circuit's 12 umpires will be replaced by opening day. Though minor league umpiring assignments are not finalized until the major league crews are set, Major League Baseball is working to replace two big-league umpires who retired after 2010. Some of the Texas League's umpires are near the top of the list for promotion to Triple-A, with their replacements expected to come from either the other two Double-A circuits or the Class-A ranks. This year's changes mean that the entire roster of Texas League umpires will have turned over within the span of a couple of seasons.
Future Naturals' backstop impresses Yost: One player making a name for himself in the mind of Royals' skipper Ned Yost this spring is catcher Salvador Perez. A native of Venezuela, the 20-year-old Perez was recently rated by Baseball America as the best defensive catcher among Royals prospects and takes over as the Royals' top catching prospect with Myers' move to the outfield. He has advanced game-calling skills for a player of his age and is known to work well with his pitching staff, qualities that will benefit the caliber of prospects expected to take the mound for the Naturals in 2011. After battling through inconsistency at the plate in his first three professional seasons, Perez hit .290 with career-best totals of seven home runs, 21 doubles and 53 RBI - all despite being one of the youngest players in the Carolina League. Look for Perez to contribute as one of the Texas League's youngest players in 2011.
Top prospect to join Travelers: MLB.com recently rated the Angels' Mike Trout as the top prospect in all of baseball. Naturals' fans will get plenty of opportunities to take a good look at the 19-year-old outfielder this season, as Angels' GM Tony Reagins recently announced that Trout will begin the season with the Arkansas Travelers. This is an aggressive promotion for Trout, who in 2010 played just 50 games at Advanced Class-A Rancho Cucamonga after being promoted from the Midwest League. But Trout has certainly earned his way through the system, excelling with a .362 average, a .454 on-base percentage and 45 stolen bases at Class-A Cedar Rapids. Though his numbers dipped from stellar to simply very good after being promoted, Trout is certainly a talent to keep an eye on in 2011 as he'll look to help lift the Travelers out of the Texas League basement.
The Northwest Arkansas Naturals are the Double-A Texas League affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and play at state of the art Arvest Ballpark, located in Springdale. You can purchase tickets and group outings with the Naturals by calling (479) 927-4900.