Royals stockpiling bats in Minors
There's no doubt it's a benefit the Royals would rather live without, but it could pay huge dividends.
Over the past two seasons, Kansas City has lost an average of 105 games. The upshot of that was having the second overall pick in last year's draft and getting the No. 1 pick this June for the first time in franchise history.
Last year, that pick turned into Alex Gordon, who has somehow managed to live up to the hype before even playing a regular-season game. He immediately becomes one of the better offensive prospects in baseball. Hitting is the strength of the Royals system, as Gordon joins promising bats like Billy Butler, Justin Huber and Chris Lubanski at the upper levels of the organization, just a year or so away.
The development of pitching has not gone as well. There's not a whole lot of arms close to the big leagues down on the farm, and the previous prize of the development system, Zach Greinke, has left the team. There are a couple of intriguing arms: 2004 draftee J.P. Howell moved quickly through the system to reach Kansas City last year, and the Royals have done well to find productive parts via trade and the Rule 5 draft (Andy Sisco). The success stories have been few and far between, however, making the odds the Royals take a college pitcher with that No. 1 pick quite possibly the safest draft bet in a long, long time.
Five faves
Five prospects whose names you should know:
2005 Organizational Record
Chris Lubanski, OF
When drafted in 2003, Lubanski looked like a speedster who might have some power. Now he looks like a guy who's going to have a lot of power with some speed to boot. He tied for second in the Minor Leagues with 116 RBIs and hit 28 homers while finishing with a .301 average. He certainly took advantage of the friendly confines in High Desert, hitting .359, with 19 of his homers coming at home. The 21-year-old also cemented his reputation as a slow starter after batting .354 with 18 homers and 85 RBIs over the final three months of the season. Lubanski capped that off by going 13-for-15 in the playoffs. His basestealing skills improved at the same time as he was thrown out just once in 15 attempts all year. He worked hard during the offseason to add good weight and to prepare so he can hit the ground running rather than avoid another slow start. He'll be Wichita's center fielder to start the season.
Chris Lubanski cranks one for High Desert
Lubanski talks about the Cal League playoffs
Billy Butler, OF
There was nothing Butler did poorly at the plate in 2005, hitting a combined .340 with 30 homers and 110 RBIs across two levels. His 71 extra-base hits led to a .611 slugging percentage, all the more impressive considering he made it up to Double-A at age 19. He added 12 extra-base hits in 26 games as one of the younger performers in the Arizona Fall League. There's little question his bat will be ready for the big leagues soon, but his defense is another matter. The former third baseman moved to the outfield with less than stellar results, and many onlookers feel he's destined to be a DH. For now, he'll try to catch the glove up to his bat back in Wichita to start the season.
Billy Butler homers for High Desert
Butler's second homer of the game is a grand slam
Luis Cota, RHP
In a sea of talented bats, Cota is the Royals' top pitching prospect. Still a bit raw, he's got a plus fastball that can touch 95 mph. The secondary stuff is a bit behind, and the Royals had him focus on his change-up last year. Even with that, he struck out 137 over 148 innings in his first full season as a pro. This spring, he was working to hone his slider into a plus pitch, and the development of his secondary stuff is key to what kind of pitcher the Royals have. He'll get a good idea of how important it is to stay down in the zone when he heads to High Desert's hitter haven.
Luis Cota strikes out nine for Burlington
| 2005 Organizational Record | |||||
|
LEVEL AAA AA A (Adv) A A (Short) R |
LEAGUE PCL TL CAL MID PIO AZL |
TEAM Omaha Wichita High Desert Burlington Idaho Falls AZL Royals TOTAL: |
W 72 68 75 65 34 34 348 |
L 72 72 65 75 42 22 348 |
PCT .500 .486 .536 .464 .447 .607 .500 |
Alex Gordon, 3B
It's not often a player who hasn't officially played for an organization can be considered one of its best prospects, but Gordon is that special. Drafted with the idea he'd move quickly through the system, he likely has accelerated even the pushiest timetables by handling himself well in a brief AFL stint, then hitting .364 with a .475 on-base percentage in 33 spring at-bats. Gordon is a surprisingly good base runner, as evidenced by three steals this spring, and there's no question about his ability to stay at third base. He'll head to Wichita to start his pro career and could be ready to force the Royals to make a decision on Mark Teahen before the year is over.
Alex Gordon talks about reaching the Majors in '06
Gordon participates in home run derby
Justin Huber, 1B
Free Justin Huber! It's time to start the campaign. OK, so maybe he's just 23 and has a total of 62 games above Double-A to his credit. Fact is, the Aussie catcher-turned-first baseman can rake. He hit .326 (.417 OB, .560 SLG) with 23 homers, 97 RBIs and even 10 steals for Wichita and Omaha, and got a 25-game look at the big leagues when Mike Sweeney got hurt. The Futures Game MVP didn't get much of a look this spring, picking up six at-bats before being sent to Minor League camp, even with Sweeney again sidelined for a time. This time, it's mentor Doug Mientkiewicz standing in Huber's way, but the defensive lessons Huber got in Arizona should help him as he learns the nuances of his new position. He'll head to Omaha and wait for the phone to ring.
Justin Huber doubles in two at the Futures Game
Others to watch: Brian Bass, RHP; Bill Buckner, RHP; Shane Costa, OF; Adam Donachie, C; Mitch Maier, OF; Chris McConnell, SS; Donnie Murphy, 2B; J.P. Howell, LHP
Adam Donachie caps a two-homer night for High Desert
| 2005 Organizational Leaders | |||
|
Average Home Runs RBIs Stolen Bases ERA Wins Strikeouts Saves |
.340 30 116 34 3.04 13 152 20 |
Billy Butler Four players Chris Lubanski Irving Falu Brent Fisher John Gragg III Billy Buckner Chris Demaria |
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Complete MiLB statistics |
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Cinderella Story
Kila Kaaihue, 1B
Sometimes it pays to be as lucky as you are good. A few years back, Royals scouts were in Hawaii to check out amateur stars Bronson Sardinha and Brandon League. While there, they also saw Kaaihue. Sardinha and League went in the top two rounds in the 2002 draft, but the Royals took a shot on Kaaihue in the 15th round. Kaaihue's father played pro ball -- a catcher who never got higher than Triple-A -- so he knows a little about how difficult a path he has. In his first couple of years he never showed sustained power, and he spent two seasons with Burlington. Last year, he added some aggressiveness to good plate discpline and set career highs in average (.303), homers (20), RBIs (90), walks (97), OBP (.428) and SLG (.497). Skeptics say Kaaihue took advantage of High Desert's hitter-friendliness, but he performed better on the road (.318 average) than at home (.290). That being said, the California League is a good place to hit anywhere, so Kaaihue must prove he can do it against more advanced pitching in the Texas League this year. At least he's earned that right.
Kila Kaaihue doubles in a run for High Desert
Primed for breakout
Mario Lisson, 3B: An injury to his non-throwing shoulder cut short his 2005 season, otherwise that could've been a breakout campaign. Still just 21, Lisson has shown terrific speed (23-for-27 on steals in 2005) and he's put on 20 pounds since signing with the Royals in 2002. With Gordon in the fold, he'll have to find another position, but a move up to High Desert to coincide with him beginning to fulfill his raw power potential could mean monster numbers.
Danny Christensen, LHP: Heading to High Desert won't do wonder for his numbers, but Christensen is poised to improve in all facets of his game. He missed all of 2004 after Tommy John surgery and came back strong last year in Burlington, striking out 27 over his last 15 innings. He's a strike-thrower; if he can keep them down, he'll be fine in California.
2005 draft recap
1 (2). Alex Gordon, 3B
It's not a question of if, it's when the No. 2 overall pick in last year's draft will make it to the big leagues. He should bring his power to all fields, plate discipline, surprising speed and soft hands and strong arm to Kansas City before the year is over.
2 (50). Jeff Bianchi, SS
.408 AVG/ .484 OBP/ .745 SLG
The high school shortstop got only 98 at-bats in the rookie-level Arizona League due to a lower back strain. The back isn't a long-term worry and the Royals are looking forward to getting a longer look at him this year. Bianchi's got terrific speed and can make the plays at short, despite not having the strongest arm. He generates fair power with good bat speed. With Chris McConnell ahead of him, Bianchi likely will hang back in extended Spring Training before heading to Idaho Falls.
0-3, 3.62 ERA, 27 1/3 IP, 26 H, 9 BB, 34 K
The UC-Irvine product followed up an impressive junior season with a nice debut in Idaho Falls. More of a touch-and-feel righty, none of Nicoll's pitches jump out at you, but his command and polish do. He throws a slider and change-up along with an average fastball and can keep all of them down in the zone and move them in and out at will. That will come in handy if he makes the leap to High Desert.
Chris Nicoll fans 10 for Idaho Falls
4 (112). Joe Dickerson, OF
.294 AVG/ .371 OBP/ .491 SLG
After signing with the Royals rather than heading to the University of Texas, Dickerson led the Arizona League in RBIs and triples while finishing second in extra-base hits and fifth in slugging. He also brings plus speed and outstanding defense to the table, though he clearly needs to work on his baserunning skills (nine steals, 12 caught last summer). He'll get a chance to improve on all facets of his game with Idaho Falls.
5 (142). Shawn Hayes, 3B
.214 AVG/ .308 OBP/ .286 SLG
Hayes saw action in only 17 games with Idaho Falls, picking up 56 at-bats along the way. A shortstop at Franklin Pierce College, he is a left-handed hitter who moved to third, though he has good speed and a strong arm. Making the leap from Division III ball to the pro game isn't easy, and with Gordon (way) in front of him and a few promising shortstops in the system as well, it'll be interesting to see where Hayes fits in.
Best of the rest: LHP Brent Fisher (7th round) went 2-1 with one save and a 3.04 ERA, striking out 69 and walking 13 in 50 1/3 innings in the Arizona League. ... C Kyle Thibault (9) hit .310 and slugged .593 in 145 at-bats with Idaho Falls. ... While RHP Matt Kniginyzky (23) had a 4.66 ERA, he saved five games and struck out 40 in 29 IP for Idaho Falls. ... 1B Jase Turner (27) hit .282 with 12 homers and 44 RBIs for Idaho Falls.
Predictions
Organization MVP: With so many of the bats in this organization getting ready to knock on the big-league door, it's hard to know who'll be down long enough to warrant MVP consideration. Assuming Gordon and Huber get some big-league time to count them out, and discounting Butler because of his defense, the nod goes to Lubanski, who'll finally hit from Day 1 to the end of the season and quiet any questions about the High Desert effect.
Cy on the Farm: This one won't get by Buckner. Billy Buckner, who led the organization with 152 strikeouts, will move up to Wichita and thank his lucky stars he didn't have to spend more than half a year in High Desert. He's spent a lot of time working off his fastball after being too curve-conscious (he throws a nasty knuckle one); he'll mix the two together more consistently than at any point in his career. Throw in some improvement with his change and he'll challenge Cota for top pitching prospect honors.
Back to the Future: Justin Huber will get called up to Kansas City but sent back to Omaha so he can participate in his record fourth Futures Game. At the game, a special ceremony will be held during which the game will be renamed "The Huber Show."
Quotables
Shaun McGinn, director of player development, on Luis Cota pitching at High Desert:
"It's a challenge within a challenge. He's going to have to pitch down. That will help us with our development as pitchers. It will reinfroce all of the things we do in development. If you don't do those things in High Desert, you can get hurt. Your mistakes come to the forefront a lot faster in that league than maybe in some other leagues. I think it'll be good for Luis to go there."
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLB.com.