May 15, 2013; Anaheim, CA, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder Jarrod Dyson (1) walks off the field after he was injured trying to catch Los Angeles Angels first baseman Mark Trumbo (not pictured) homer in the eighth inning at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

The Royals haven’t provided an official update on Dyson’s condition, and with an off day between series, there were no pregame media sessions to talk with Ned Yost. The clues point towards a Dyson DL stint, though.*

First, Dyson’s best asset is his speed. If his ankle is hurt, he can’t utilize that weapon and it limits his ability to contribute. It makes sense to sit him for two weeks and let him fully recover, then come back at full strength than to try to manage the injury and either aggravate it, get subpar results or have him overcompensate and hurt something else.

Second, David Lough wasn’t in the lineup in tonight’s Triple A matchup between Omaha and Las Vegas. Then Minda Haas noted that he wasn’t even in the dugout and Lee Warren heard from Storm Chasers manager Mike Jirschele that Lough was out for a “potential call up“. Bob Dutton all but confirmed all of this later on Twitter.

Dyson was starting to take playing time from Jeff Francoeur and taking advantage of it. Ned Yost says they weren’t heading for a platoon between Dyson and Francoeur, but it was sure starting to look that way. Dyson was hitting .268/.286/.561 (!) in 42 plate appearances in 2013 and has matched Francoeur in extra base hits in a third of the at bats. The defense benefits with Dyson in the game, as Lorenzo Cain is a more favorable option than Francoeur in right, with a strong enough arm for the position but significantly better range.

Lough was hitting .340/.393/.477 in 171 plate appearances for Omaha. He spent all of last September up with the big league club, hitting .237/.292/.305 in 20 games. If he does come up (as expected) it’s not certain if the Royals will still split time as they had been, but Kansas City will face Oakland right-hander Jarrod Parker tomorrow. If Lough (a lefty) is in the lineup, that could be a signal that they’ll keep rolling with the not-platoon-that-is-basically-a-platoon.

*UPDATE: The Royals have now officially made the move, according to Bob Dutton.

One of the more interesting decisions was to option outfielder David Lough to triple-A Omaha.

Also, the Royals decided to release former big-league veterans Xavier Nady and George Sherrill.

Lough wrapped up his big league camp by hitting .455 with 20 hits in 44 at-bats. The 27-year-old outfielder notched six doubles, one triple and five RBIs. Lough was battling for the fourth outfield spot with speedster Jarrod Dyson. With the move, Dyson will retain the reserve outfielder spot, primarily due to his speed and knack for creating havoc on the base paths.

Feb 21, 2013; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder David Lough (7) poses for a picture during photo day at the Royals Spring Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

According to the Royals website manager Ned Yost had nothing but praise for Lough, sighting Lough’s offensive adjustments and improvements. Yost’s reasoning behind the demotion was to ensure that Lough plays every day at triple-A, but also said that the minor leaguer was very close to being ready for big-league service.

Nady was signed to a minor league deal this offseason in hopes to create depth in the outfield. A nagging hamstring sidelined the 34-year-old vet this spring, but managed to appear in 13 games and bat .346 with six RBIs.

Sherrill, 35, was on a minor league contract and recovering from Tommy John Surgery. His most recent big-league stint was in Seattle, making two relief appearances before being shelved for surgery. He did not make any appearances with the Royals this spring.

The moves leave 33 players on the roster, but that does not include pitcher Felipe Paulino and Danny Duffy. Both are still recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

Update: The Royals re-signed both Nady and Sherrill to new minor league deals on Wednesday morning. Both of their original contracts had been subject to a roster retention payment of $100,000 if they were still under contract after 11 a.m. Tuesday under Article XXB of the CBA. Baseball America has more details here. The moves end up being creative accounting exercises. And yes, pretty much every team does the same thing, before the “Glass is cheap” thoughts jump up.

Most of the positions are clear cut and dry, with little need for competition.

However, when it comes to seeing who gets penciled in to right field, we’ve reached quite a peculiar situation.

Throughout spring training, you’ve cycled a few people through the spot, with mixed results, but two players seem to be the final option.

So, it’s now decision time: Player A, or Player B?

Player A is 29 years old, batting .234 through 47 spring at-bats, with one home run, 12 strikeouts and a .280 on-base percentage.

Player B is 27 years old, carrying a .543 AVG through 35 at-bats, six doubles, a .556 OBP and .771 slugging-percentage.

Defensively, neither is spectacular, however Player A has a very impressive arm from right field, while Player B has a .980  lifetime-fielding percentage.

September 27, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals right fielder David Lough (7) scores a run during the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

But, as you can see, each player is having a completely different type of spring training. Which brings me to the question, why isn’t Yost putting more faith in Lough?If you haven’t figured out who each player is yet, Player A is the profile of struggling big-league veteran Jeff Francoeur, while Player B is  David Lough, the Royals’ 20th ranked prospect.

In 2012, Lough saw his first promotion to the big leagues, finding playing time in 20 games and turning in a less-than-impressive .237 AVG, while being a career .294 hitter through his multiple stops in the minor league circuit. Lough has posted four minor league seasons with a batting average over .300.

Frenchy is obviously struggling at the plate. Following last year’s eye-gouging .235 performance at the plate, Francoeur is not showing many signs of improvement, specifically plate discipline or increased contact.

With Lough beginning to drift more from prospect status, to career-minor leaguer, why shouldn’t Lough get the nod over Frenchy when Opening Day arrives? Lough obviously isn’t an offensive liability, considering the performances the Royals are used to seeing from Francoeur. Some argue that Frenchy’s powerful arm is right field is good enough to sway favoritism, but while he may cut down a runner at the plate every now and then, his range is not the most impressive attribute of Dayton Moore’s “golden-boy.”

The notion is out there that Moore is looking to find a platoon-partner for Frenchy, preferably a left-handed hitter, which Lough provides. Unfortunately for Lough, his fate will come down to whether the Royals feel if Jarrod Dyson is up to the challenge as the fourth outfielder.

I wouldn’t hold your breath that Lough makes the Opening Day roster, but it would definitely be refreshing to see someone besides Francoeur whiffing at every off-speed pitch at his shoelaces.

Sep 18, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals center fielder David Lough (7) makes a diving catch in the third inning against Chicago White Sox center fielder Dewayne Wise (28) at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

All the lefty has done since signing with the Royals is hit and 2012 was no different in his third season with Triple-A Omaha. His numbers weren’t as good as his last two seasons (.275 with ten homeruns, 11 triples, 69 runs scored, and 69 RBIs), but he did steal more bases (26).

That performance FINALLY earned him his first big league callup in September. He made his debut on September 1st. He started three straight games and went 5-for-14 with four runs scored in those games. His first triple came against Minnesota on September 13th.

The guys at BA ranked him with a low-risk factor, meaning he has a certain big league future barring injury. An injury has limited him during his debut so far, but hopefully he’ll be healthy heading into spring training.

Centerfield is his for the taking with Jarrod Dyson and Lorenzo Cain being injury-prone and Jason Bourgeois having his defensive struggles. Lough can play all three outfield positions and could be a Mitch Maier-type candidate for the Royals in 2013.

What’s most puzzling about the move isn’t so much that Lough is seeing playing time in the Major Leagues – he’s probably better than Jeff Francouer at this point anyway – it’s that he’s seeing playing time ahead of Wil Myers, the Baseball America Minor League Player Of The Year. And, he’s batting leadoff instead of Alex Gordon.

Normally the latter fact shouldn’t concern a soul, but that is until Ned Yost unleashed a gem of a comment courtesy of this story on Royals.com:

“It’s not perfect. If I had a leadoff hitter, he wouldn’t be hitting leadoff. It’s just a spot where he kind of fits right now,” Yost said.

Read that back one more time and try not to cough up some Kool-Aid. The “he” Yost was referring to was Lough who had a .317 on-base percentage this season in Triple-A. The neon-colored elephant in the room wearing bells around its neck singing “Hello My Baby” like Michigan J. Frog Yost was referring to when he said “if I had a leadoff hitter…” is Alex Gordon.

The argument for Gordon staying as the leadoff hitter of an offense that struggles to score runs is compelling. The argument against Gordon staying as the leadoff hitter is flimsy. The argument that the Royals don’t currently have a leadoff hitter on their roster is insanity.

It’s one thing to send mixed signals to your franchise’s best prospect who is tearing apart the minor leagues the same way the two chosen ones did, and you pass him up for a promotion for some contrived Rule V, 40-man roster reason. It’s another to stick your head completely in the sand to having Gordon’s .360+ on-base percentage getting as many at-bats as possible in a lineup that shows no regard for the value of outs.

But, I guess that’s exactly why Gordon isn’t batting leadoff.

But it never gets old seeing a player you’ve seen in the system for a while make the jump and get their first start, their first at bat, their first hit.

In the second game of Saturday’s double header, David Lough got that opportunity and made the most of it. Leading off and starting in right field, Lough faced Liam Hendriks and ripped an 0-2 pitch into right field for a single. Prior to the game, it was noted on CrownVision that this was Lough’s major league debut, and as the Twins got the ball back into the infield, the crowd rose to their feet in applause.

That’s one of the moments where it’s fun to be a baseball fan. Lough has toiled in the minors for years and looked like someone who might get a shot at various points. It just never happened. With the expansion of rosters this month, he was added to the big league club and got the first hit.

But he didn’t stop there.

After flying out to left, Lough’s  third at bat started a two-out rally that led to two runs.

On Sunday, he got another start in right and leading off. His first at bat resulted in a popout to short but after a small rally by the Royals, he came up and hit a soft fly to right center and hustled his way to a double. Had Tony Abreu not been thrown out at second trying to take an extra base, Lough may have gotten his first career RBI. Lough added another single in the fifth and scored on a Billy Butler single.

For the weekend, Lough collected four hits in ten at bats, scored three times and made a couple of plays in the outfield. All of his hits were to the right side. As I write this, Lough has struck out in his first at bat against Yu Darvish of the Rangers – so there’s another first.

With Jarrod Dyson nursing a lat injury, Lough’s probably going to see a good chunk of time in the big leagues this month. Jeff Francoeur isn’t playing well (and hasn’t for most of the season) and Lough is someone the younger players have played with in the minors. That could bring some late-season energy to the team (if you buy into such things).

Lough’s not the kind of player who’ll make an immediate impact. He’s been solid in the minors, but he’s 26 years old and only now making his first few appearances. He’s not someone who’ll block Wil Myers when the Royals deem him ready, but he could be the new Mitch Maier – a quick outfielder who can step in in the case of injury or to spell someone in a slump. None of that can happen unless Lough puts on a good audition this month. So far he’s doing just that.

With Omaha going for their second straight Pacific Coast League championship, the Royals didn’t pull many players up to the big leagues. In fact, they’ve called up just two: catcher Manuel Pina and outfielder David Lough.

Pina saw action in four games last year after Matt Treanor‘s concussion put him on the disabled list, then he was optioned back to Omaha after Salvador Perez debuted and Brayan Pena came back from paternity leave. In his two weeks in the majors, he hit .214/.267/.357 with three base hits, two of them doubles. With a double header scheduled today, he fits the roster nicely in case of injury or to spell someone in the late innings.

The other name coming up is David Lough, who finally gets a look in the big leagues after spending three straight years in Omaha. He has a .291/.343/.446 line in Triple A in 1591 plate appearances in Triple A.

Ironically, 2012 is his lowest ever OPS (.737) but it’s the year he finally reaches the big leagues. He was hitting .275/.317/.420 with 19 doubles, 11 triples and 10 homers. He’s also stolen 26 bases in 30 attempts and can play all three outfield positions. He talked with us on the Kansas City Baseball Vault about how he wanted to use his speed more this season, and he’s definitely been doing that.

Lough’s been caught in a crowded outfield, with Alex Gordon, Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur in the way last year, then this season was left in the minors while the Royals looked at Jarrod Dyson as an option after Lorenzo Cain‘s injury early in the year. Lough is probably going to be someone who ends up getting playing time in another organization, but it’s great to see him get the call as a Royal, even if it’s just for this month.

Omaha outfielder David Lough courtesy of Minda Haas (Royal Blues)

Omaha blew out one of the worst teams in the Pacific Coast League (Tuscon), 20-3.  The Storm Chasers pounded out 33 hits (that is not a typo) and every starter had at least two hits. The game was over after the third inning when Omaha scored eight runs in the 2nd and seven more in the 3rd. Mitch Maier hit a two-run homerun in the 2nd inning. Wil Myers hit a three-run homerun and David Lough hit a two-run homerun with two outs in the 3rd inning.

Myers (5-for-7 with four runs scored and three RBIs) and Lough (3-for-5 with five RBIs) fell a triple short of the cycle. Clint Robinson fell a homerun short of the cycle (5-for-7 with three runs scored and two RBIs).

The onslaught of offense made a winner of veteran Doug Davis, who allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk over six innings. The Storm Chasers bullpen trio allowed just two hits over the final three innings.

Leading 4-2 heading into the top of the 9th inning, NW Arkansas lost to Frisco, 6-4. The Rough Riders scored four runs on a Chris McGuiness one out grand slam. In the bottom of the 9th inning, the Naturals went down quietly, with three strikeouts.

That blast negated the solid start by Noel Arguelles, who allowed two runs (one earned) on seven hits and five walks while striking out five over seven innings.

The Naturals collected nine hits, with Paulo Orlando and Mario Lisson each picking up three (Lisson hit a homerun).

The Naturals welcomed Justin Marks back from a long DL stint, but placed Yordano Ventura on the DL (he has minor carpal tunnel).

Wilmington beat Salem 5-0, as they swept Salem over their final three-game set. The Blue Rocks rode the arm of Matt Ridings, who did not allow a hit until the 6th inning. He pitched a career-high seven innings and allowed just three hits while striking out three and hitting two batters. He also had good defense behind him, as he induced ten ground ball outs.

Murray Watts and Luis Piterson provided the bulk of the Blue Rocks offense, as both collected two hits, scored a run, and drove in a run (Watts hit a homerun).

For more on Ridings’ outing, check out this article on milb.com.

Kane County pounded out 15 hits, as they beat Cedar Rapids, 9-5. Five Cougars had multi-hit games. The bottom two in their order, Henry Moreno and Kevin David, went a combined 5-for-8 with four runs scored. Moreno hit his first homerun.

All of that offense made a winner of Kyle Smith, who allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out four.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 2-for-2 with two walks in Burlington’s 8-0 loss to Bluefield.

Freddie Patek was a fixture in the middle of the infield during some of the most successful days in Royals history. The diminutive shortstop later earned election to the Royals Hall of Fame and was our first guest on the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Thursday. He talked about his heyday with the Royals, playing the game the right way, playing for Whitey Herzog and Ewing Kauffman and overcoming the stigma of being a small player.

Then we talked with Storm Chaser’s outfielder David Lough as he lounged poolside on Omaha’s day off. He noted that he’s working on using his speed more this season, excited to be in the hunt for another Pacific Coast League championship. He then handed the phone off to his roommate, second baseman Johnny Giavotella, who talked about working back from hip surgery early in the year, his hot streak in July and the things he’s working on defensively. He also seemed to put out a challenge to his other roommate Anthony Seratelli for the home run lead in the apartment (Giavotella has 10, Seratelli has 16 this year).

We’ll be back next week with more discussion of Kansas City baseball, past, present and future on ESPN 1510 Thursday at 6 p.m. CST.

You can catch up on old episodes of the Kansas City Baseball Vault here on Kings of Kauffman. Episodes of the Royalman Report are available on the site as well.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

Tonight we continue an exciting new venture for Kings of Kauffman and its podcast, the Royalman Report.

Jeff Logan of the Kansas City Baseball Historical Society joins forces with us to form the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Kansas City’s ESPN 1510 AM from 6-7 p.m. every Thursday night. Listeners can tune into traditional radio or streaming live on 1510.com.

This should be a fun show.

We’ll talk with Freddie Patek, a Royals Hall of Famer, three-time All-Star and key component to some of the best Royals teams in franchise history.

Sticking with the short middle infielder motif, we’ll also talk with Johnny Giavotella about his recovery from hip surgery in the offseason, his hot bat in July, and working his way back to the big leagues. Also, we’ll have Gio’s roommate, outfielder David Lough to talk about working through an organization that has such a crowded bunch of outfielders and a second run at the Pacific Coast League championship.

It all starts at 6 p.m. CST on ESPN 1510 AM in Kansas City or 1510.com if you’re out of the area.

Follow the Kansas City Baseball Vault on Twitter and Facebook for future programming updates. Also follow Kings of Kauffman for article updates, discussion and other information.

While the Royals might not be very active, given that they’re not interested in spending in free agency and have a lot of the lineup set, there aren’t quite the rumors flying like last year’s meetings. Nonetheless, there is interest in Joakim Soria and Greg Holland, particularly from Toronto.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post tweeted that the Royals are “downplaying” but would likely move Soria for a starting pitcher and would listen on Holland. The acquisition of Jonathan Broxton and collection of young arms in the bullpen make it easier for the Royals to trade either or both and have little lost in the effectiveness of the bullpen overall.

Rany Jazayerli feels a big trade brewing – he calls it Dayton Radar, or “Daydar”.

Greg Schaum of Pinetar Press thinks that David Lough and Clint Robinson will be traded this week and given an opportunity to play elsewhere. Can’t say that I disagree with that. Both are blocked by better players in the starting lineup or overshadowed by progressing prospects on their way up. He also thinks Jed Lowrie might be a fit, since the Red Sox seem to be shopping him.

Bob Dutton from the KC Star is in Dallas and will have a live chat today at 1 p.m., according to his Twitter feed.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

• Royals vs. the Word (Series) – Ryan Wood
• Youth in Revolt: The 2011 Kansas City Royals (June) - Ethan Evans
• Speaking to the Old School Folks - Gage Matthews
• Free Agent Watch: Roy Oswalt - Kevin Scobee
• Five reasons towards 2012 Royal failure - Mitch Hall
• Making a Pitch: Part II (James Shields Edition) - Brett Christie
• So It Goes: Another Baseball Season Passes - Michael Engel
• Negative Space - Ryan Wood
• Ryan Lefebvre – Gone - Michael Engel
• Youth in Revolt: The 2011 Kansas City Royals (July) - Ethan Evans

After a 2009 where he hit a combined .325/.370/.496 between Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas and a 2010 season where he reached double figures in doubles, triples and homers in Omaha (oh, and stolen bases too), it seemed he would have a shot to be a September callup – but was left out in the cold while Jai Miller got an opportunity to do, well, not much.

The call never came in 2010, but it seemed like he might get a look at some point in 2011. The Royals even traded David DeJesus, creating an opening in the outfield.  Then the Royals got Lorenzo Cain in the Zack Greinke deal after signing Melky Cabrera and Jeff Francoeur.

Obviously, Lough didn’t get his shot, as Cabrera and outfield convert Alex Gordon had career years, while Jeff Francoeur came close to one.

Now what?

Clipped from: kingsofkauffman.com (share this clip)

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Myers leads all Royals hitters taking place in offseason leagues with a 1.214 OPS.  He also leads all hitters in base hits, walks, runs scored, RBI and extra base hits. He’s taking advantage of the opportunity to get in more time in the outfield as well, logging an outfield assist at the plate. It’s an encouraging sign after he hit .254/.351/.393 in Northwest Arkansas as a 20-year-old.

Outfielder Lorenzo Cain has also put up good numbers, with seven hits in his first 19 at bats in the Venezuelan League.

Other Royals in offseason leagues:

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The point is that September is full of hope. At the start of the month, there are another 25-30 games to play. Teams can manage to climb ten games in the standings with a hot streak and their opponents’ corresponding cold streaks. With the introduction of new call-ups from the minors, the balance changes slightly. The fresh blood mixes up the standard game plan for teams and the new variety (and hope) create a fresh experience for fans.

Kansas City is, of course, right in the middle of this influx of new blood.

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Lorenzo Cain (courtesy of Gage Matthews)

Watching the big league team, we get to see Alcides Escobar and Jeremy Jeffress with regularity.  Jake Odorizzi is destroying High A lineups – and was the Princes of Kauffman Pitcher of the Week for the second week in a row.

We haven’t heard much about Lorenzo Cain.

That will probably change after going 4-5 tonight in hitting for the cycle and driving in seven.
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royalsblog.com

Your weekly minor league update has returned.  Most of the attention has turned away from the minors as of today as the man on the right in the picture above is making his way to Kansas City.  That’s right, Eric Hosmer is making his major league debut today.  Remember this day Royals fans May 6th, 2011 could the day where we said it all started.  With Danny Duffy, Mike Montgomery, and Mike Moustakas sure to follow in 2011 the first wave of talent will be here shortly and this is the start.  The national media is already taking off about Hosmer and the Royals are getting some big time media coverage which should only pick up the more prospects that come up.  Anyway, back to the point at hand.  Here are the records for the affiliates as of today:

Kane County Cougars (Low A): 9-19 (7th place)

Wilmington Blue Rocks (High A): 16-10 (1st place)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A): 11-12 (2nd place)

Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A): 16-11 (1st place)

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The Omaha assignments were expected, with Clint Robinson getting his first shot at Triple A and David Lough returns after a decent 2010 with the (then) Royals.  Clint held his own in spring training, hitting .389/.400/.889 with two homers and nine RBIs in 19 plate appearances.  Lough hit .235/.350/.235 in 20 appearances.

Derrick Robinson returns to Northwest Arkansas to follow up on a season where his hitting finally started to show signs of developing.  On top of another 50 steal season, he got on base 34.5% of the time.  He added more extra base hits than in any other season, as well.  This spring, he hit .364/.417/.636 in 12 plate appearances with a double and triple, but didn’t attempt any stolen bases.

Bianchi is going to spend some time in Double A to get back into baseball rhythm after missing all of 2010 with a torn elbow ligament.  He’s been hampered by injuries his entire career but has always been a solid prospect in the Royals system.  If he gets back in gear in Double A, he should play most of the season in Omaha and might be a utility option in Kansas City if things go well.  Bianchi struggled in spring training games, getting just one hit – a double – in 16 plate appearances.

The Royals roster stood at 49 players in camp after the moves, including non-roster invitees Eric Hosmer, Irving Falu, Salvador Perez, Mike Montgomery and Aaron Crow, among others.

Stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

Rankings:
~ Baseball America: #25
~ Royals Prospects: #13
~ Royals Review #14
~ Kevin Goldstein: NR
~ John Sickels: #22 C+
~ 2010 Kings of Kauffman Rank: #10
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A look at the pitching staff is here.

The hitters are examined here.

Today, we’ll look at who should fill those vacant spots and why.
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Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer‘s fine seasons have earned them All-Star honors, but what other prospects will represent the Royals? Read on.
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2) What would be a reasonable return?

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Coats was not considered a prospect in the Royals system, and lost playing time after the Royals claimed Jai Miller off waivers in late April. David Lough and Jordan Parraz, both generally considered top-30 prospects, took priority in the lineup over Coats.

With Alex Gordon shifting positions to left field after his demotion to Omaha, Coats became expendable as roster depth. The Coats trade likely signals that Gordon will have an extended look in the outfield at Omaha and should an outfielder need to be called it, it’s more than likely to be Lough or possibly Parraz.

You can stay current on all the Kings of Kauffman content and news by following us on Twitter, Facebook, or by way of our RSS feed.

Miller’s never put it together in the minors, carrying a career .237/.322/.389 line in over 2500 at bats and a 10.5% walk rate over that span. His best season came in 2009 in AAA New Orleans, where he hit .289 with 16 homers in 343 at bats. Miller, 6’3″ and 205 pounds, was a three-sport star in Alabama, so the athleticism is there.

This is the kind of pickup the Royals should take a gamble on. At only 25 years old, Miller still has his peak years ahead and many consider him a potential Mike Cameron type. Additionally, David Lough and Jordan Parraz, generally considered top-20 prospects, are hitting .230 and .167 respectively in Omaha. It’s highly likely Miller won’t turn into much, but there’s also very little risk with the chance for solid reward.

In addition to directing you to the above, I wanted to drop a heads-up that after a nearly month long hiatus, I will be continuing the 2010 KoK prospect rankings.  Today #8 will be revealed.  In fact, that is what I am about to go work on right now.

I hope everyone is having a great Tuesday and enjoying the beautiful weather!

So how are the 7 Royals doing that are part of the Surprise Rafters?  Here is a look at their early game-by-game performance. (more…)