Archive for February, 2011

Despite my stereo having no antenna and no streaming audio available (ironically, about the only thing you can’t find for free on the internet is baseball on the radio, which would otherwise be free), it’s good to get an honest to goodness spring training game in the books.  The Royals beat the Rangers 4-2 yesterday in Surprise. There isn’t a lot to extrapolate from one game, but hey, let’s give it a try anyway:

It’s been a very busy month. I set out with the goal of covering our full list of 25 prospects here at Kings of Kauffman this month and ended up finishing with our number one prospect Eric Hosmer on Sunday. You can view the entire list of 25 (with an honorable mention) along with profiles on our 2011 Prospect Rankings page. I also wanted to look at the way our rankings break down.  As I compiled the list and wrote about each player, I noticed a few trends that I found interesting and also thought it’d be a good idea [...]

Who: Eric John Hosmer DOB: 10/24/1989, Cooper City, Florida Position:  1B Height: 6’4″ Weight: 215 lb Bats:  Left Throws:  Left Acquired: 2008 Draft – 1st round, #3 overall Rankings: ~ Baseball America: #1 ~ Royals Review #2 ~ Kevin Goldstein: #3 ~ John Sickels: #2 A ~ Royals Prospects: #1 ~ 2010 Kings of Kauffman Rankings: #7

We’re just moments from the first pitch in the spring training opener between the Royals and Rangers.  It’s been a long offseason, but there’s light at the end of the tunnel. I realized that this weekend marked the two year anniversary of the launch of Kings of Kauffman.  In that time, we’ve had some writers come and go, but the main goal has been to give you quality, creative content every day (or close to it).  Your reading time is valuable and there are a lot of great Royals blogs out there, so I greatly appreciate everyone who stops by. [...]

Who: William Bradford Myers DOB: 12/10/1990, Thomasville, North Carolina Position:  OF/C Height: 6’3″ Weight: 190 lb Bats:  Right Throws:  Right Acquired: 2009 Draft – 3rd round Rankings: ~ Baseball America: #2 ~ Royals Review #1 ~ Kevin Goldstein: #4 ~ John Sickels: #3 A ~ Royals Prospects: #3 ~ 2010 Kings of Kauffman Rankings: #1

Who: Michael Christopher Moustakas DOB: 9/11/1988, Los Angeles, California Position:  3B Height: 5’11″ Weight: 230 lb Bats:  Left Throws:  Right Acquired: 2007 Draft – 1st round, #2 overall Rankings: ~ Baseball America: #3 ~ Royals Review #3 ~ Kevin Goldstein: #1 ~ John Sickels: #1 A ~ Royals Prospects: #2 ~ 2010 Kings of Kauffman Rankings: #3

I figure it’s my turn to weigh in on the Jason Kendall incident on 610 AM. Do I think it was out of line by Kendall? Yes, I do.  Do I think Nick Wright was asking a dumb question? No, I do not.  Do I think Mike Moustakas can handle himself with the big bad media? You bet.  If Jason Kendall needs to play protector, or feels he needs to, I can’t stop him from doing so. But bad form. He did provide a fantastic line that will be hashtagged on Twitter over and over this year: Rewind Yourself. That’s [...]

Who: John M. Lamb DOB:7/10/1990, Laguna Hills, California Position:  LHP Height: 6’3″ Weight: 195 lb Bats:  Left Throws:  Left Acquired: 2008 Draft – 5th round Rankings: ~ Baseball America: #4 ~ Royals Review #5 ~ Kevin Goldstein: #2 ~ John Sickels: #6 B+ ~ Royals Prospects: #5 ~ 2010 Kings of Kauffman Rankings: #8

There’s been another boom of talk about Joakim Soria after he asked for fans to decide on a new nickname earlier this week. There have already been a ton of posts and articles written about that. I’ll just add my two cents and say that it’s absolutely a legitimate request. If you aren’t considerate of terrible things like the recent killings in Mexico, then there’s basically nothing you won’t do. I had never thought of that angle of his nickname before, so, while I love the sound of “Mexicutioner,” it’s time to let that one go. Soria’s good enough to [...]

At the start of the month, the Royals dipped into the Latin American market and signed RHP Darwin Castillo out of the Dominican Prospect League. They must like what they got because they are repeat customers, today signing 17-year-old Igor Feliz from the DPL.  They report his fastball at around 91-93 mph with the occasional 95.  He has “a good feel for his off-speed pitches” and they project him as a starter. Feliz will get a reported $225,000 bonus for signing with the Royals.  Clint Scoles makes the keen observation that signing him to that bonus equates to another draft [...]

I’m starting to sound like a broken record, and I’m totally fine with that. The Royals crop of minor league players may be the most talented in recent history.  That’s according to Baseball America’s annual prospect rankings, which place nine Royals in their top 100. Nine prospects from one organization is a record in the 22 years that BA has been doing the top 100. Who made the cut?  You probably won’t be surprised.

Who: Michael P. Montgomery DOB:7/1/1989, Valencia, California Position:  LHP Height: 6’5″ Weight: 180 lb Bats:  Left Throws:  Left Acquired: 2008 Draft – 1st round, supplemental Rankings: ~ Baseball America: #5 ~ Royals Review #4 ~ Kevin Goldstein: #5 ~ John Sickels: #5 B+ ~ Royals Prospects: #4 ~ 2010 Kings of Kauffman Rankings: #2