Royals Investment in Latin America Paying Off

Back in the early 1970’s, when the Kansas City Royals had first come into existence, Ewing Kauffman and the front office were looking for any advantage possible to be able to compete, they built their Baseball Academy. The Academy was a way for the Royals to get athletes into their system, allowing those players who had never really played baseball before to learn how to play the game. Players like Frank White, U.L. Washington and Jeff Cox came out of the academy, and went on to prove to be, at worst, solid major league pieces.

Yet, after the academy was closed and the passing of Kauffman, the Royals found themselves behind in terms of player development. While the rest of baseball was beginning to cash in on young Latin American players, the Royals were unable to keep pace. Aside from Carlos Beltran, the Royals were sadly unable to develop Latino players into major league stars. Players either fell flat after an excellent season, like Angel Berroa, or succumbed to injury woes, such as Jose Rosado.

Lately, however, that has changed. Even when the Royals major league payroll was miniscule, Dayton Moore and the Royals front office were spending money to acquire talent from Latin America. Even if the move did not pan out, the Royals willingness to spend money on a player like Noel Arguelles signaled their desire to change this strategy.

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That shift in philosophy is quite evident in the makeup of the Royals roster. In scouting Latin America and spending on talent, the Royals have been able to uncover some truly valuable pieces for not just their run through the postseason this year, but for the future. Salvador Perez has become one of the better catchers in the American League, able to provide a bit of power from behind the plate while shutting down the opposition’s running game. Yordano Ventura has developed into a 100+MPH throwing machine, taking over as the Royals second starter despite being a rookie. Kelvin Herrera has become one of the untouchable trio in the back of the Royals bullpen, helping Kansas City shut down the opposition late in games.

And there are more reinforcements coming from that area. Adalberto Mondesi may has struggled during his time in Wilmington, putting together a .211/.256/.348 batting line, but he is also only 18 years old. Mondesi also hit eight home runs, showing a decent amount of power for a shortstop. After a couple of disappointing seasons in the minors, Cheslor Cuthbert took a step forward in his development, even reaching AAA for 25 games despite being 21 years old. Miguel Almonte also struggled a bit this season, but has emerged as one of the Royals top prospects.

This pipeline of Latin American players may be one of the biggest reasons why the Royals success could be sustainable. For years, Dayton Moore talked about The Process, to the point where it became a term of derision. However, much like the Braves teams from his tenure in Atlanta, the Royals may be able to continue to churn out quality major league talent, perfectly suited to their style of play.

The Kansas City Royals may be a lot more than a one year wonder. If the pieces develop as expected, and the Royals can bring in the right free agents, as they did with Omar Infante and Jason Vargas, then this season could be the start of the next Golden Age of Kansas City baseball.