Jason Adam via Jen Nevius

It was a tough season for the local kid who grew up a Royals fan and went to high school just a few miles from Kauffman Stadium. Adam was in High-A for the first time, but struggled to pick up victories due to a lack of run support (he went 1-9 in the first half).

Not sure if that frustrated him, but then he began to struggle. In May and June, he of course went winless, but allowed 31 runs (12 homeruns) in 60 innings. Adam only walked ten in those ten starts, but allowed 64 hits.

Adam’s second half was a lot better (6-3 with a 3.24 ERA), though I was shocked he wasn’t shut down. Even when I interviewed him, he was sure he would have an innings limit. In his final two regular season starts, he allowed just one run over 12 combined innings. In the Carolina League Divisional Series, he pitched into the 8th inning and picked up the win (7IP, 5H, 2R, ER, 3BB, 4K).

JJ Picollo, the Royals assistant general manager, saw a lot of good things out of Adam in 2012:

“I consider that adversity to be a plus,” Picollo said. “A young pitcher could easily have gotten frustrated … he’s big, strong and durable. There’s still ceiling and, with his work ethic, he’s going to reach that ceiling.”

I saw a good amount of Adam with Wilmington in 2012 and not having a legitimate third pitch hurt him. He relied too heavily on his curveball as his out pitch and most hitters knew it was coming. He also allowed way too many homeruns (18) in a pitcher’s league and in his ballpark (where power hitters go to die).

In his second professional season, Adam threw 167 innings, 63 more than in 2011. That is more than normally advised, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the Royals held him back in extended spring training in 2013 before sending him to Double-A. However, Adam takes pride in his conditioning and has yet to have arm issues (knock on wood), so he could be in NW Arkansas’ rotation when the season opens in April. He mentioned when I interviewed him that he needed to be more consistent to earn a promotion. Well, he did that at the end of 2012 so Naturals fans should enjoy watching him in 2013.

Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star ranks Adam as the Royals 9th best prospect. MLB.com has Adam coming in at thirteen.

We have a couple of interviews for you this week. Troy talked with Jason Adam about his year in Wilmington, what comes next season and his preparations this offseason while hard at work in Arizona.

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.

The Nationals were 69-93 in 2010. They were 80-81 last year. Today, they have the best record in the big leagues and, not coincidentally, their starting pitching has given up the least amount of runs in the league. Similarly, Tampa Bay, Oakland and Pittsburgh are all in the top ten among starting rotations in runs allowed per game and are in the playoff hunt.

The Royals scored more runs in 2000 than any other Royals team in franchise history. Their 879 runs scored eclipsed the old record of 856 runs set in – wouldn’t you know it?  - 1999. In those two seasons, they scored 1735 runs. They won 141 games and lost 192. The offense was around the top third in all of baseball, but the pitching staffs gave up the second most runs in the majors in 1999 and the third most in 2000. A strong offense can’t erase awful pitching.

Now, the Royals find themselves with a lineup that feels like it should be able to produce runs over the long-term (or at least, that’s what the scouts say), but the key to success will be pitching, specifically starting pitching.

That’s as true today as it was on the last day of the season in 2011 as it was on the first day that pitchers and catchers reported. The Royals entered 2012 needing pitching and in the middle of August, they still need starting pitching. Injuries have hurt. If all goes well with recovery, they should see Danny Duffy and Felipe Paulino return next July or so, but their contributions may only have an impact if he Royals can manage to piece together some winning months prior to the duo’s return.

The team’s relative inactivity in the offseason to add significant depth to a potential rotation gives me pause about hoping for significant upgrades in the rotation, although some may be on the Royals radar this winter. The Royals ideal situation is to develop pitching via the farm system as the Rays have done with James Shields, David Price, Jeremy Hellickson et al; like the Nationals have done with Stephen Strasburg, Jordan Zimmerman and Ross Detwiler. Hopefully, the Royals go after some of the arms available in free agency or through trade because, in the meantime, while there are a number of strong performances in the minor leagues by pitchers who compose what could be the next wave of talent, most aren’t ready to make the jump yet.

Jake Odorizzi has a rotation spot waiting for him in KC. (Photo Credit: Minda Haas)

Jake Odorizzi has performed well since his promotion to Omaha, allaying concerns that he might struggle early in a tougher league. Last year, he’d racked up 108 strikeouts in 78.1 innings for Wilmington, but became homer-prone in the Texas League and ended his 12 start stint in Northwest Arkansas with a 4.72 ERA. He started his 2012 season back in Double A, put in seven good starts and earned a promotion.

Since then, he’s been putting up good numbers in Omaha, capped off by an outing on Tuesday where he went 6.2 innings before allowing a hit. In 89.1 innings in Triple A, he’s got a 2.92 ERA (though his walk rate is up and he’s giving up more hits, so there could be some good fortune in that ERA). He’s a flyball pitcher, so it will likely make him home run prone once he gets to the big leagues, but he can miss enough bats and should have pretty good control to allow him to limit damage. He projects as a number three starter with some upside and should get to Kansas City in September for a couple appearances.

Another prospect to dream on is John Lamb, who has finally made it back to the mound. He underwent Tommy John surgery last June and in the process of maintaining his conditioning, aggravated a tendon in his ankle and had to hold off on game action.

On Tuesday, he started for the Arizona Royals in Surprise, throwing a scoreless inning and striking out two. A batter reached on an error, but Lamb gave up no hits or walks.

The Royals will probably be very patient with him for the rest of this season, just getting him worked back into game speed. I think we’d all like to see him make a start at each level until he got back to Double A, but I think he’ll work within the rookie levels, then into instructional leagues. J.J. Picollo said on a recent Royals TV broadcast that they’re looking for Lamb to start in Double A next year and be on the fast track. Lamb’s got a good shot to make that happen – he’s been touted for his temperament before even being drafted, and has come back from significant injury before. He might see Kansas City late in 2013, possibly on a similar path as Odorizzi has been on this year of a few starts for the Naturals, a long stint in Omaha and then Kansas City in late August or as a September callup.

Yordano Ventura

Yordano Ventura is another guy to keep an eye on. He’s possibly got the most upside of any starter in the system, but those types usually have some risk. In his case, the Royals are probably going to have to resist the urge to turn him into a reliever if he encounters any bumps in the road. He’s small (listed at 5’11″ 140 pounds, though he looks like he’s filled out since) and the perception is that smaller pitchers are fragile or can’t hold up to the rigors of 200 inning seasons.

That being the case, he has the potential to be a high strikeout pitcher if he starts, has shown decent control, and has the type of stuff that misses bats. He can hurl a fastball into the triple digits, his curveball is developing into a solid secondary pitch and his changeup could be more than adequate. He’s currently on the disabled list in Double A with carpal tunnel symptoms in his wrist, but should finish the year there, start back there next year and hit Omaha in the summer months.

Of course, Kyle Zimmer should be in this discussion. The Royals first rounder in 2012 is only 20 years old coming out of college and has already started to shine in Low A Kane County’s rotation. He’s made eight pro starts, building up 33.2 innings, striking out 39 batters and walking just seven. He’s also been getting a decent amount of grounders in his short pro career. Strikeouts plus low walk totals plus groundball tendencies are great components for a future star to have. He’s had one rough start of those eight, but all of his others have been dominant. He’ll start next year at High A Wilmington and might be up in mid-2014 if he keeps rolling.

One pitcher who needs a new challenge is Sam Selman. The lefty from Vanderbilt has been destroying the Pioneer League and will hopefully get a shot at a higher level to see how his dominance continues. He’s striking out 13.9 batters per nine innings at Idaho Falls.

Kyle Smith struck out 11 batters in five innings in his first pro start for Idaho Falls and was moved to Kane Country afterwards. He’s continued to perform well there, making nine starts and striking out 58 batters in 45.2 innings. He has nearly a 5/1 K/BB ratio as a pro. He’ll turn 20 next month and isn’t the big, tall pitcher the Royals usually go for as a starter, but he deserves a look as he moves up the minor league ladder. His best start came two weeks ago when he went seven scoreless innings, gave up just three hits and struck out 12 while walking none against Cedar Rapids. More of that, please.

Jason Adam

Another good arm in the system is Jason Adam. He started the season off well for Wilmington, hit some rough patches in May and June, but has righted the ship and is pitching well. His 5-11 record is deceiving, as he’s hardly gotten any run support in most of his starts, best demonstrated by a May 19 start when he went six innings, struck out seven and gave up two runs, and the Blue Rocks got no-hit. He’s surpassed seven innings in six starts to lead Wilmington and has a good share of 6+ IP starts as well.

As a result, he’s probably thrown too many innings to get anything more than a courtesy start in Double A. At 141 innings this year, he might be shut down soon. He’s a strong candidate to start the year in Double A next year after demonstrating enough ability to miss bats (7 K/9) and prevent walks (2 BB/9) this year while also inducing his share of ground balls. He has good stuff, but it’s not dominating, though he’s been adding velocity recently. He’s hit the mid-90s with his fastball before, and if he can build up to that level, it gives him more upside. He’s another guy who scouts suggest could be a #3 starter down the line.

Unfortunately, for the moment, this is all just dreaming on these guys, because Odorizzi’s the closest to the big leagues and won’t have much time in the big leagues if at all by next spring and it may keep him from making the team out of Surprise. Lamb and Ventura will probably hit Triple A next year, but among Zimmer, Adam, Selman and Smith, there’s not a single pitch at the Double A level yet. That puts them some ways away from the big leagues.

Ideally, the Royals will be able to add these arms to the mix in the future. They won’t have much impact next season so if the Royals are to build up their rotation (which they need to do), they’ll have to go after those free agent targets. They may have to put one of these arms into a trade to get a better return on a starter with another team. The Royals want to bring their star starters up from the minor leagues and have a homegrown staff, and that’s commendable, but for the moment, unless Mike Montgomery (5.71 ERA in 41 innings after his demotion to Double A) or Chris Dwyer (6.21 ERA in Omaha) figure things out – sooner rather than later – the homegrown pipeline of pitching talent will remain a pipe dream.

Nate Adcock started for the Storm Chasers and left in the 8th inning with a runner on second base and one out. Vin Mazzaro entered and allowed the runner to score (and took the loss).

On offense, the Storm Chasers only had five hits, with Max Ramirez picking up two hits. He also drove in both runs.

Christian Colon was placed on the DL due to an eye injury. He spent a good chunk of his season in Double-A on the DL already. You can find out more HERE (the bottom of the article).

Clinging to a 4-2 lead, Midland scored five runs in the bottom of the 6th inning to defeat NW Arkansas, 7-5. The Naturals made it interesting in the top of the 9th inning, by scoring a run and putting runners on first and second base with just one out. However Whit Merrifield and Brian Fletcher struck out to end the game.

Yem Prades went 3-for-5 in the leadoff spot and Paulo Orlando went 2-for-4 in the loss.

Jason Adam

It was the Adam & Adams show for Wilmington on Wednesday night, as they beat Potomac, 9-1. Lets start with outfielder Lane Adams. He drove in the Blue Rocks’ first run in the top of the first inning and came around to score another in that seven-run inning. In the end, he went 3-for-5.

Jason Adam made another dominant start for the Blue Rocks, as he pitched six shutout innings. He allowed four hits and struck out five. He didn’t allow a hit until the 3rd inning and only had multiple base runners in one inning (the fourth, but with two outs).

Clinton scored all ten of their runs from the fourth to the sixth innings to beat Kane County, 10-4. This was after the Cougars had a 3-0 lead.

Every starter for the Cougars, except Justin Trapp had at least one hit. Alex Llanos went 2-for-4. Chris Elder, who has been on the move all season, went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 1-for-3 with a double and a run scored in Burlington’s 2-0 win over Princeton. Each team collected just three hits.

Nate Adcock picked up the victory after allowing three runs and scattering 11 hits over five innings. Four Omaha relievers closed out the victory.

Reliever Sam Runion

After the two teams combined for a total of five first inning runs, NW Arkansas held on for the 5-4 win over Midland. Brian Fletcher (2-for-4) gave the Naturals the lead in the first inning with a three-run homerun. He ended up driving in four of the Naturals’ five runs.

Ethan Hollingsworth picked up the win after throwing four innings of relief. He allowed one run on two hits while striking out two. Sam Runion picked up his second save by striking out the side on just 11 pitches (ten for strikes).

I guess Thursday night’s closed door meeting by manager Vance Wilson worked: Wilmington beat up on Salem, 9-1 in the first game of the three-game series. Salem led 1-0 after the first inning (without a hit), but Blue Rocks starter Jason Adam cruised from there. He allowed the unearned run on just two hits over seven innings. He walked one while striking out six. Both singles off Adam came in the 3rd inning. He finished his outing by retiring the final 13 batters he faced.

Matt Fields continued his tear on Carolina League pitching, as he went 5-for-5 with two more homeruns.

Kane County beat Clinton, 5-0 as they scored all their runs in the 7th and 8th innings. The KC Royals top pick in this June’s draft, Kyle Zimmer, was dominant over his 6.2 innings. He allowed just three hits while striking out ten. In his first win with the Cougars, Zimmer struck out at least one hitter in every inning but the third.

The Cougars 4-5 hitters, Dean Espy and Alex Llanos, delivered the bulk of the offense. The two combined to go 4-for-8 with three doubles, three runs scored, and three RBIs.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs in Burlington’s 12-5 win. The Royals were down 5-2 heading into the 7th inning before scoring six and then another four in the 8th inning.

After a sweep by the Seattle Mariners and a “crap for crap” trade, the Dog Days of the Royals season are definitely here.

Making no attempt to put lipstick on this pig, Troy and Chris talked about the doldrums the team is in and then during the second segment, were pleased to talk to a future Royal (we hope) Jason Adam of the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

Jason talked to us about being the subject of trade rumors, his development as a pitcher (and velocity), his favorite parks to play in and even gave us a little impression of his favorite vendor at Blue Rocks stadium.

Don’t forget the Royalman Report is on every Sunday at 7 and catch our new show, The Kansas City Baseball Vault on ESPN 1510 AM Thursday’s at 6.

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In the latest episode of the Kansas City Baseball Vault, our guest was former Kansas City Athletic and current Royals senior pitching advisor Bill Fischer.

Fischer talked about his time with the A’s and in pitching, as well as his time as a coach and advisor. We asked him about pitching today, a few Royals prospects (Jason Adam and Yordano Ventura in particular) and his approach to the game and pitching development.

The rest of the show was spent discussing the front office, decision-making, and what it’ll take to get this team back to being a winner. Since the hope of a great season is mostly gone, we focused on the things we’re going to pay attention to for the rest of the year and those players that we enjoy seeing play even during the rough games.

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.

The Storm Chasers came back with three runs in the bottom of the 9th inning, capped by Johnny Giavotella‘s two-run homerun. Clint Robinson, who hit a two-run homerun in the first inning, popped up with the tying run on first base to end the game.

Brian Fletcher

NW Arkansas broke their losing streak with a 5-4 victory over Arkansas in the series finale. The Naturals used the homerun ball to end the streak. John Whittleman hit a two-run homerun in the first inning and Brian Fletcher hit a three-run homerun in the 5th inning.

Mike Montgomery earned the victory in his first home game with the Naturals since 2010. He allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and four walks over 6.1 innings. He threw 89 pitches, just 48 for strikes. Juan Gutierrez returned to the mound after Tommy John surgery (he signed with the KC Royals this past offseason) and struck out two in his one inning of relief.

In case you haven’t heard, veteran catcher Jason Kendall signed a minor league deal with the Royals and has been added to the Naturals roster. He is expected to start for them on Friday. Maybe he can help their struggling pitchers?

It took until there was one out in the top of the 8th inning for Wilmington to pick up their first (and only) hit of the game against Myrtle Beach’s Kyle Hendricks. That hit came via Murray Watts, who picked up an RBI double. Problem is, the Blue Rocks lost 2-1, as they were swept by the Pelicans.

Jason Adam was the hard luck loser, as he dropped to 2-10 on the season. He was again beaten by the longball; he allowed a two-run homerun in the bottom of the 5th inning. He only allowed two hits and one walk while striking out four. Hendricks struck out at least one batter in every inning except the 6th (he pitched 7.1 innings), for a total of eight.

Kane County‘s game at Bowling Green was suspended, with the Cougars winning 2-0 in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Angel Baez had pitched a perfect inning in the start. A rain delay of close to two hours halted the game and it will be made up on Friday night (the regularly scheduled game will follow with a seven-inning affair).

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling hit his third homerun of his career in the first inning in Burlington’s 4-3 win over Danville. Starling went 2-for-4 with a walk and a stolen base (his third of the season).

Wil Myers remained with the Storm Chasers following the All-Star break and went 2-for-3 with a double. Will Smith picked up the win with seven solid innings. He allowed one run on seven hits and a walk while striking out six.

NW Arkansas lost via a walk-off walk to Springfield, 2-1 in 13 innings. After a leadoff double and a fly out moved the runner to third base, the Naturals chose to intentionally walk the next two batters to load the bases. Problem was, they didn’t change pitchers and Ethan Hollingsworth walked the next batter on five pitches to drive in the winning run.

Both teams scored single runs in the 9th inning via solo homeruns. Paulo Orlando gave the Naturals a quick 1-0 lead with his third homerun of the season. Former Natural Jamie Romak hit his fourth homerun of the season with two outs in the bottom of the inning.

That negated the solid start by Michael Mariot, who did not allow a run over 7.2 innings. He allowed four hits while striking out three (though he walked four), but he threw just 79 pitches and wasn’t in trouble.

Manny Pina caught the first nine innings and went 0-for-4. The Naturals collected eight hits, but went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

Jason Adam

The Wilmington Blue Rocks finally won with Jason Adam on the mound, as they beat visiting Potomac, 3-1. Adam finally picked up his second win of the season, as he allowed one run (a solo homerun) over seven innings.

The Blue Rocks collected eight hits, with the top two in the order (Angel Franco and Orlando Calixte) picking up four of them.

The P-Nats had rehabbing big leaguer Xavier Nady in the lineup again (no Drew Storen tonight) and he went 2-for-4.

Kane County received another stellar start from Angel Baez, as they beat South Bend, 2-1. Baez allowed an unearned run on two hits and two walks over six innings. He struck out ten.

Both teams only collected four hits and both teams scored their runs in the 4th inning.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling did not play again tonight as Burlington and Kingsport were once again postponed (that’s three in a row).

Mike Montgomery had another rough start for the Storm Chasers. He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out six.

In the loss, Max Ramirez went 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBIs. Kurt Mertins went 3-for-4 with his second homerun of the season.

NW Arkansas has now lost seven in a row, as they lost their series opener at home to San Antonio, 4-1. The Naturals collected just four hits, with the lone run coming via Mario Lisson‘s solo homerun in the 7th inning.

The Naturals are now six games back in the North Division of the Texas League (last place) at just 4-12 in the second half.

Jason Adam

Jason Adam‘s dominant start on Sunday was spoiled by the late inning heroics of Myrtle Beach, as the Pelicans beat Wilmington 2-1 in ten innings. The Pelicans scored a run in the top of the 9th inning to tie the game.

It was Adam’s best start in a LONG time, as he allowed just three hits and a walk over 7.1 innings. He struck out nine (a career-high). He gave up his first hit with one out in the 4th inning (also his first base runner). The 5th inning was the only inning that the Pelicans had more than one base runner. Adam retired eight in a row before allowing a single in the 8th inning that chased him from the game.

Right-hander Yordano Ventura, who started for the World team in the Futures Game, was promoted to Double-A (according to Blue Rocks radio announcer John Sadak).

Despite collecting eight hits, Kane County lost to Wisconsin, 10-0. They went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.

Bryan Brickhouse had another rough start for the Cougars. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) on seven hits and two walks over 5.1 innings.

In the loss, the 5-6 hitters (Julio Aparicio and Alex Llanos) went 6-for-8, but obviously did not score any runs.

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored, and an RBI in Burlington’s 6-5 walk-off win. He walked in their 9th inning comeback.

Jeremy Jeffress courtesy of Minda Haas (Royal Blues)

Omaha put together a six-run bottom of the first inning, but saw Albuquerque score eight runs over the next four innings en route to their 11-7 victory. Those eight runs were scored against Storm Chasers starter Mike Montgomery.

Chris Getz continued his rehab and went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Johnny Giavotella went 2-for-5 with a homerun and three RBIs.

Jeremy Jeffress was dominant in relief. He allowed just one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out five and threw 21 of his 29 pitches for strikes (if only he could pitch like that all the time).

NW Arkansas collected just two hits, as they lost to San Antonio, 2-0. Carlo Testa picked up the first hit in the 2nd inning and Brian Fletcher picked up the Naturals second and final hit in the 7th inning against a Missions reliever.

Ethan Hollingsworth was the hard luck loser, as he allowed one run on six hits over six innings. The Missions scored their first run in the bottom of the 6th inning.

One night after a crazy 13 inning victory for Wilmington, the Blue Rocks lost to Frederick, 12-8. The game started with an one hour and 19 minute delay. The Blue Rocks scored four runs in the top of the 2nd inning, but saw the Keys score in every inning after the second.

Jason Adam got the start, but did not pick up the loss, despite allowing five runs on six hits and three walks over just 4.1 innings. He also allowed another homerun. Edwin Carl took the loss, as he allowed six runs (five earned) on eight hits over just 2.1 innings.

Jose Bonilla went 2-for-5 with a homerun and Matt Fields hit his 3rd homerun of the season (all in Frederick).

Kane County finished off the three-game sweep over Peoria, with a 4-1 win on Tuesday. Julio Aparicio gave the Cougars some insurance with a two-run homerun in the 9th inning.

Bryan Brickhouse had his best professional start, as he allowed just one hit over six innings while striking out six. The one run he allowed was unearned. That outing produced his first professional victory. Andrew Triggs followed with two scoreless innings of relief. He has still yet to allow an earned run with the Cougars (three appearances for the 2012 draft pick).

Bubba Watch: Bubba Starling went 2-for-4 in Burlington’s 8-1 loss.

Jason Adam

When will Jason Adam win his second game of the 2012 season?

Maybe tonight is the night. Adam and the Wilmington Blue Rocks return home from a long road trip that followed the All-Star break for a short three-game home series against first-place Lynchburg. The Hillcats won the first half Northern Division title.

It has been a struggle for Adam over the last month or so. He has allowed three or more runs in six of his last seven starts. In his first start of the second half, he allowed six runs on eight hits over 5.1 innings in Carolina. His defense failed him, as only one of those runs was earned.

Overall, Adam is 1-9 with a 3.71 ERA in 14 starts.

The Blue Rocks are just 2-5 to start the second half. Their roster is ever-changing, as they have added five players while they were out on the road (pitchers Elisaul Pimentel and Matt Ridings, first baseman Matt Fields, shortstop Orlando Calixte, and outfielder Lane Adams).

Lynchburg hasn’t seen too much movement with their roster. They did lose outfielder Matt Lipka to the DL this week (he was hitting .271). First baseman Chris Garcia (.308 with 34 RBIs), second baseman Tommy La Stella (.267 with 44 RBIs), shortstop Nick Ahmed (.269 with 21 doubles), catcher Braeden Schlehuber (.294), and pitcher JR Graham (8-1 with a 2.60 ERA in 14 starts) all returned to the team following the California-Carolina League All-Star Game. Lynchburg has allowed three runs or less in 16 of their last 21 games.

Pitching for the Hillcats is Aaron Northcraft. He is 7-4 with a 3.38 ERA in 14 starts (two complete games). In 80 innings, Northcraft has allowed 69 hits and 35 walks. He has struck out 78 and has yet to allow a homerun. In his last start (Friday), he threw a no-hitter (which was the first of his career), though it was a seven-inning affair.

Lineups:

Hillcats: Mycal Jones (CF), Nick Ahmed (SS), Bobby Stevens (LF), Adam Milligan (DH), Edward Salcedo (3B), Chris Garcia (1B), Matt Weaver (2B), David Rohm (RF), and Chad Comer (C).

Blue Rocks: Whit Merrfield (LF), Orlando Calixte (SS), Cheslor Cuthbert (3B), Matt Fields (1B), Lane Adams (CF), Roman Hernandez (DH), Kevin David (C), Geulin Beltre (RF), and Angel Franco (2B).

It’s a hot one here tonight in Wilmington and I’ll be out and about during the first few innings getting some photos of some of the new Blue Rocks and trying to get some video. I will update as soon as I get back into the pressbox.

It’s Tubby Raymond bobblehead night and there were quite a few people in line before the gates opened, but I’m not sure they have stuck around for the game. For those who are wondering, Raymond is the longtime football coach for the University of Delaware (plus he’s a Hall of Famer).

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The Blue Rocks aren’t going to get no-hit tonight. Whit Merrifield led off the bottom of the first inning with a single, stole second base, and scored on Matt Fields’ RBI bloop single. In the 2nd inning with one out, three straight hits produced another run, with Angel Franco’s double driving in the run. Merrifield followed with a walk to load the bases for Orlando Calixte. He struck out and Cheslor Cuthbert grounded out. That’s three left on in that inning.

There have been a few foul balls off of the feet of Blue Rocks hitters in the 2nd inning. First it was Geulin Beltre, who then singled. Then it was Cheslor Cuthbert, who limped around and then jogged to first base on a ground out. Both stayed in the game.

Meanwhile, Adam has retired the first six batters of the game. He has thrown 26 pitches through two innings, 15 for strikes.

Lynchburg got their first hit, a double leading off the 3rd inning by Matt Weaver, on an 0-2 pitch. The Hillcats got on the board with two outs, as Mycal Jones blooped a single towards the right field line just beyond first base and beyond the dive of second baseman Franco. That also came on an 0-2 pitch (that was flailed at). A nice sliding grab by Merrifield near the left field line ended the top of the 3rd inning.

After Roman Hernandez beat out an infield single fielded by the first baseman with two outs, Lynchburg seemed to think he was suddenly a speedster. Northcraft threw over to first base about four times and then there was a pitch-out before he ended up taking second base on a wild pitch. Kevin David grounded out to end the 3rd inning. The Blue Rocks lead 2-1.

After getting two quick outs on six pitches in the top of the 4th inning, Adam then allowed a solo homerun (a bomb down the LF line that stayed just fair) to Edward Salcedo to tie the game at 2-2. That blast came on a 2-0 pitch.

After getting the best of a ten-pitch at-bat (which resulted in a strikeout of Weaver), Adam needed just three pitches to get through the top of the 5th inning.

Jones led off the top of the 6th inning with a bunt single on the very first pitch. He stole second base on the very next pitch. Ahmed took the 0-2 pitch back up the middle, which got a piece of Adam, but Calixte fielded it and threw to first to get Ahmed out (Jones moved to third base). Adam was okay and with the infield in, got Stevens to ground out. However it was a high chopper and Jones scored to give the Hillcats the lead. Adam struck out Adam Mulligan on three pitched to end the top of the 6th inning. Adam did not throw a ball that inning (all 11 pitches were for strikes).

Another two quick outs for Adam in the top of the 7th inning (six pitches), but the first pitch to Weaver was crushed into the night (left-center field). I honestly lost it and I didn’t hear it hit the double-wall. David Rohm then blooped a double down the right field line and Chad Comer followed with a slow roller to short that Calixte threw away to score another run. A hard hit ball at Cuthbert that he couldn’t handle ended Adam’s night.

Two on and two out for Nick Rogers. He walked the first batter he faced in a nine-pitch AB. He did get out of the inning unscathed. The Hillcats lead 5-2 heading into the bottom of the 7th inning with a new pitcher on the mound. That new pitcher is Cole McCurry. Northcraft struck out four of the final seven batters he faced.

McCurry walked Merrifield with one out and Calixte followed with a single. However McCurry struck out Cuthbert and Matt Fields hit a deep fly ball to the warning track in right field that was caught for the final out.

Rogers got into trouble in the top of the 8th inning, but was bailed out by a double play grounder. He then gave up a double and fell behind Weaver 2-0, which brought out a coaching visit from pitching coach Steve Luebber. Rogers walked Weaver on four pitches. Rohm swung at the first pitch and grounded out to end the inning.

With one out in the bottom of the 8th, the Blue Rocks put together back-to-back doubles to score a run. That brought out a long coaching visit, but no pitching change (though there was the beginning of bullpen action). A bloop single by Beltre scored Kevin David from second base to cut the deficit to 5-4 and bring the pitching change.

That new pitcher is Chasen Shreve, who inherited a runner on first base with one out. Franco hit a ground ball to third that was booted and then thrown away to put runners at the corners. That brought out a manager visit with Merrifield coming to the plate. A squeeze play got the tying run to score (though it looked like he was out). The throw by the catcher to third base sailed down the LF line as the go ahead run scored. Merrifield was thrown out at the plate on the same play. It was alot of craziness, but the catcher should have held onto the ball because no one was covering third base (he was throwing to a moving target). At the end, the Blue Rocks lead 6-5 heading into the top of the 9th inning.

In for the save was Sam Runion. With one out, Jones blooped the ball down the RF line for a double. That’s his fourth hit of the game. It seems like everyone is blooping hits down the RF line. Ahmed hit a ground ball to short, but Calixte has a strong arm and got him for the second out (he looked safe to me). There was a short argument by the Hillcats manager, but to no avail. Runion got Stevens to ground out to end the game.

Blue Rocks win 6-5.

The top of the order, Derrick Robinson and the rehabbing Chris Getz, went 6-for-8 with three RBIs and four runs scored. Irving Falu hit a two-run homerun in the 5th inning with two outs (he went 2-for-3). Anthony Seratelli hit his 11th homerun of the season. He has homered in three of his last four games (two straight).

That made a winner of Ryan Verdugo, who was recently sent back to Omaha from the big leagues (where he didn’t pitch). He allowed two unearned runs on four hits and three walks over six innings. He struck out four.

NW Arkansas has now won seven in a row with a win against Arkansas, 6-4 on Saturday night. They moved into first place in the Texas League’s North Division (as Tulsa lost again).

The Naturals scored four runs in the first inning on three hits, three walks, a passed ball, and a sac bunt. The big first inning held up, as Ryan Dennick picked up his first save in Double-A (3IP, 2H, 1R, 0BB, 3K).

Jason Adam

The Wilmington Blue Rocks dropped to third place in the Carolina League’s Northern Division (four games back) with about a week to go in the first half. They lost at Winston-Salem, 7-2. Jason Adam fell to 1-9 on the season, as he was bit by the long ball. He allowed three homeruns, two of which were the firsts of the players’ season. Adam struck out six over six innings and did not walk a batter.

Brett Eibner returned to the lineup and hit a solo homerun (his 8th of the season) and drove in the other run with a double. He also did not strike out.

Prior to the game, starter Greg Billo was placed on the DL with a stiff elbow and Brooks Pounders was promoted from Kane County.

Kane County lost the first game of their road trip, 4-1 to Peoria. Starter Scott Alexander lasted just 2/3 of an inning and allowed four runs (though only one was earned).

Jason Mitchell followed with 5.1 shutout innings of relief while striking out six. However the Cougars only collected four hits.

The Royals had a great start to the homestand, taking 2 out or 3 from the Athletics and we were joined by KCTV 5′s Brad Fanning to break down the series. Brad also talked to us about his story on the Royals Baseball Academy that graduated players such as Frank White and Texas Manager Ron Washington to the big leagues. His full ten minute story can be found on KCTV5′s website.

Then we were joined by Wilmington Blue Rocks starting pitcher Jason Adam who talked to us about needing run support and life on Twitter.

We got into a discussion about the Royals ability to develop prospects and their philosophies entering the draft tonight.

We finished the show with Royalman’s Rant and what may or may not be a picture of Fake Ned underneath a Kansas flag.

Don’t forget the Royalman Report is on every Sunday at 7 and catch our new show, The Kansas City Baseball Vault on ESPN 1510 AM Thursday’s at 6.

You can listen below or download the mp3 directly.

The Royalman Report is hosted by Troy “Royalman” Olsen with co-host Michael Engel and features Chris “Fake Ned Yost” Kamler and 610 Sports blogger Jeff Herr and airs  live Sundays at 7 p.m. central time at RoyalmanReport.com as well as on Livestream.com/RoyalmanReport.

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Tonight on the Royalman Report, we’ll talk about the innovation of Ewing Kauffman’s Baseball Academy with Brad Fanning. He’s running a story tonight on KCTV5 about the establishment of the academy and the successes to come out of it.

Then we’ll talk with Wilmington pitcher Jason Adam about his progress with the Blue Rocks.

The chat room and livestream broadcast will be below for you to chime in and interact with us in the studio as well as fellow listeners:

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April was a good month for a lot of the higher profile prospects and some less-touted players had strong performances. That’s what we’ll look at today.

Omaha Storm Chasers (17-8)

Hitter of the Month: Tony Abreu

Abreu put up a .340/.364/.491 line and drove in 17 runs. He scattered extra base hits all month, with a pair of triples and homers and six doubles. He could be an option if the Royals find themselves facing an injury at the big league level. He’s played exclusively at shortstop (save one game at DH) but he could play any infield position if necessary.

Pitcher of the Month: Nathan Adcock

In his first appearance of 2012 at the big league level, Adcock stepped in for Bruce Chen after a rough day and continued solid pitching that started in Omaha. Across four starts for the Storm Chasers, he covered 26.1 innings and gave up just four runs. He’s been difficult to hit but he hasn’t struck many batters out. His career minor league strikeout rate is 7.1 K/9 but he’s only struck out 4.8 per nine innings in one month. He held his own at the big league level as a Rule 5 pick last year so he could be a good emergency starter/long relief option, though he may not be someone with a high ceiling. That’s okay. There’s always a spot somewhere for an organizational warrior.

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (12-12)

Hitter of the Month: Wil Myers

It’s great news to have Wil Myers in the running for a monthly recognition considering the way his 2011 started. After a strong fall league performance, Myers is keeping the momentum going and then some. He’s a slugging machine and has been improving on already strong numbers. In his first 11 games, Myers struck out 18 times. In his last ten he’s only struck out seven. He has 14 extra base hits – eight doubles and six homers. Last year, he had eight homers all season in Double A. If he keeps up this pace, I’d be very surprised to see him anywhere but Omaha come mid-June if not sooner. He’s been playing some center field too, and if he can adjust to a more demanding outfield position defensively, he’ll be even more valuable as a prospect.

Pitcher of the Month: Jake Odorizzi

Another big prospect name. Odorizzi gets this nod because he’s held back by one bad outing. On April 12 he threw just .2 innings and gave up four runs. Without that start, though, his ERA would stand at 2.74. Even at his 4.18 ERA with the bad game, his FIP is a solid 2.47. He hasn’t allowed many runners – he only has a 1.14 WHIP – but they’ve scored at a high rate. Only 55.6% have been stranded. As long as Odorizzi is avoiding allowing runners, the innings will climb and the runs against will even out and he’ll look a lot better on paper. He’s struck out 29 in 23.2 innings.

Wilmington Blue Rocks (10-13)

Hitter of the Month: Angel Franco

Franco has been hanging around the Royals system for a few years after signing in 2006. His career line to this point sits at .271/.339/.353 but in limited time in High A, he’s hitting a strong .375/.453/.446 in 18 games. He’s not going to be a power hitter, but he’s been a base-stealing threat at every level. So far this year, he’s walking more than he has typically and striking out less as well. He’s getting to an age where he can fill out and mature and if he keeps it up, could be a sleeper prospect going forward.

Pitcher of the Month: Jason Adam

His last start wasn’t great (six earned runs in four innings) but Jason Adam’s overall numbers still look great. In five starts, he threw 26.2 innings, striking out 25 and walking just eight. He’s impressed scouts and writers while pitching in a higher level in his second season of pro action. Control was a strong point last year in Kane County (2.2 BB/9) and so far it’s still a strong point (2.7 BB/9). He’s been striking out more batters per nine innings though, and has been inducing more ground balls than last year (54% vs. 45%). Adam has given up a hit 37% of the time when the ball is put into play, which suggests he may have been unlucky to this point if that regresses to the norm of around 30% historically. Those are fantastic signs for a young pitcher. Limiting walks + increased strikeout rate + increased ground ball rate is a recipe for potential breakout.

Kane County Cougars (11-14)

Hitter of the Month: Jorge Bonifacio

There have been many candidates for best hitter in Kane County. Lane Adams, Justin Trapp and Daniel Mateo are all hammering the ball right now. Bonifacio, though, gets the nod because he’s the most highly regarded of the group. Many picked him as a sleeper breakout candidate and he’s lived up to the acclaim. His .340/.415/.443 line is strong and his plate discipline has improved. In 2011 he walked 6.2% of the time. This year, he’s drawing a walk 10.8% of the time but it hasn’t caused him to get passive at the plate. He’s still ripped 32 hits.

Pitcher of the Month: Santiago Garrido

Garrido has been in the Royals organization since early 2007 and this is his first sign of success. So far he has a 4.87 career ERA and Kane County is his highest level of competition, but so far, he has a 0.84 ERA in 21.1 innings. He’s shown the ability to get ground balls (50% or better GB rate since 2009), but walks too many to be the real deal so far (4.2 BB/9 career). He’s worth keeping an eye on though just in case he’s put it all together.

It’s been a rough week.

But fret not. There are some things to be positive about, even some at the big league level. But first, a few Royals farmhands are having excellent starts to their 2012 seasons.

Jason Adam (photo via Clint Scoles at PinetarPress.com

Most impressive early on is Jason Adam. The 2010 fifth round pick out of Kansas City spent most of last year in Low A Kane County and had an up and down but reasonable season. For starting out in A ball shortly after high school, he held his own.

Adam was assigned to High A Wilmington to start the season and has been great so far. Through three starts, he has a 0.51 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched. With that, he has a 16/5 K/BB ratio and in today’s start, he was a ground ball machine. Before the season, he talked about improving his delivery to the plate and controlling the running game and it seems his delivery may be faster to the plate than it was last year. According to Jason Parks, he broke five bats in Wednesday’s start and two of the hits against him could have been ruled errors. Impressive stuff.

In Adam’s old stomping grounds, the Kane County Cougars are hitting the ball all over the place. The quartet of Lane Adams, Daniel Mateo, Justin Trapp and Jorge Bonifacio have a combined 69 hits in 196 at bats. Adams has driven in 14 runs to the lead the team and Bonifacio – a popular breakout pick – has found a new patience at the plate. Last year he walked 16 times in 258 plate appearances. In 2012 he’s already walked nine times. On the pitching side of things, Edwin Carl is following his up his ridiculous 2011 (76 strikeouts in 36 innings). He has 14 strikeouts through 13.1 innings with a 2.70 ERA and only three walks allowed.

Thankfully, Alan Barrington’s scouting report on Wil Myers and the Naturals seems to be the anomaly, as the Royals top hitting prospect is off to a good start in Double A. He leads Northwest Arkansas with three homers and has a .318/.348/.614  line. The only downside is that he’s struck out 17 times in 44 at bats. That could catch up to him if he doesn’t adjust. Yem Prades has hit as well, with a .342/.375/.421 line in 10 games.

The defending Pacific Coast League champion Omaha Storm Chasers are off to another good start, lead by Tony Abreu and Max Ramirez. Abreu has a 1.003 OPS through 13 games with eight extra base hits. Ramirez has 19 RBI and five homers. The Robinsons – Clint and Derrick – are doing well too. Clint Robinson is still mashing minor league pitching, carrying a .903 OPS into tonight’s game and Derrick Robinson has a .364 average during a 10 game hitting streak.

On the mound, Nathan Adcock has had three good starts, putting up a 1.27 ERA in 18 innings. We can hope that continues, as he’s  walked seven batters, hit three more, and only given up 11 hits. If the control continues to be an issue, he may regress. But we’re staying positive here, so he may be an emergency option if the Royals suffer injuries in the starting rotation. In 60.1 big league innings as a Rule 5 pick, Adcock had a 4.62 ERA, which isn’t good, but considering his situation, it’s not bad either. Jeremy Jeffress and Franciseley Bueno are doing well out of the bullpen in Omaha too. Jeffress has 11 innings pitched and has given up just two runs. Bueno  has a 9/1 K/BB ratio in 8.1 innings. His ERA stands at 1.08 after four appearances.

So it’s not all doom and gloom in the Royals organization. There are some significant names doing some damage in the minors. While the big league team tries to get out of a losing streak, there’s still good baseball down on the farm.

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. 

Jason Adam, Bubba Starling and Lane Adams clowning around.

With Fox 4 taping us in studio, we celebrated the official start of Royals spring training with a Pitcher and Catchers edition of the Royalman Report. Joining us first was Jay Binkley of Three Guys in a Garage who discussed such matters as the Royals expectations and starting rotation, the Border War and going from a chilly garage to 810 in Kansas City.

We also talked with Jason Adam about what he’s working on in spring training and his goals for 2012. We also discussed his friendship with other Royals farmhands including Lane Adams, Matt Ridings and Bubba Starling. Jason’s a funny guy and we’re always glad to have him on when he has the chance.

We wrapped up by catching up on the latest news and looking at what lies ahead for the Royals.

The Youtube presentation of the show is embedded below:

You can listen below or download the mp3 directly.

The Royalman Report is hosted by Troy “Royalman” Olsen with co-host Michael Engel and features Chris “Fake Ned Yost” Kamler, 610 Sports blogger Jeff Herr and Sam Sapenaro of the K Crew and airs  live Sundays at 7 p.m. central time at RoyalmanReport.com as well as on Livestream.com/RoyalmanReport.

Subscribe via the RSS feed and get updates when new episodes are uploaded.

Stuck in a cubicle, on a road trip, or using your smartphone?  Stitcher is a multi-platform radio app that’s available on Apple products, Droid, Blackberry and other phones.  Find us here on Stitcher.

You can also subscribe via iTunes: JUST CLICK HERE (and iPad, iPhone, iTouch users can get the Livestream app here to watch live or archived shows).

Follow the Royalman Report on Twitter.  While you’re at it, track down Kings of Kauffman on Twitter as well.

The Royalman Report, LIVE Sunday at 7 p.m. CST

We’re doing a special edition of the Royalman Report tonight, in commemoration of the official start of spring training.

Special guests on tonight’s show will be and Jay Binkley from 810 Sports and Three Guys and a Garage.

But that’s not all. Royals starting pitching prospect Jason Adam will join us again for some levity. You can follow him on Twitter at @Jason_Adam9.

We’re very excited about the start of spring training, as I’m sure most of you are. We hope you’ll join us live. (And you can also check out and download our episode from last night featuring Danny Duffy and Gar Ryness, the Batting Stance Guy.)

As usual, it all starts at 7 p.m. Central time and our live chat will be open below:

The Royalman Report is brought to you by Kelly’s Westport Inn at 500 Westport Road in Kansas City, Missouri.  Tell them the Royalman Report sent you.

On the go?  iPad, iPhone, iTouch users can get the Livestream app here to watch live or archived shows.

The Royalman Report is hosted by Troy “Royalman” Olsen with co-host Michael Engel and features Chris “Fake Ned Yost” Kamler, 610 Sports blogger Jeff Herr and Sam Sapenaro of the K Crew and airs  live Sundays at 7 p.m. central time at RoyalmanReport.com as well as on Livestream.com/RoyalmanReport.

You can also subscribe via iTunes: JUST CLICK HERE

Past episodes are available on our Podcasts page above or at RoyalmanReport.com.

Follow the Royalman Report on Twitter.  While you’re at it, track down Kings of Kauffman on Twitter as well.

Jason Adam (photo via Clint Scoles at PinetarPress.com

When the Royals were involved in a few trade rumors, now and again, Jason Adam would come up as a possible name in a deal. The former fifth round pick had a decent showing in A ball last season and projects as a future starter, so it’s no surprise that teams have an interest.

Adam spoke with Troy Olsen of the Royalman Report about the rumors, noting that he’d prefer to stay with his hometown team, but he understands the nature of the business. An active user on Twitter (@Jason_Adam9), he did his own research after hearing rumors, though obviously, the Royals haven’t traded him.

Other topics of discussion in the interview included Adam’s desire to start rather than relieve, working through the season, Bubba Starling and the power of Twitter as a team-builder.

Click the embedded player below to listen to this week’s show or you can download the mp3.

If you want your business featured during breaks on the Royalman Report, contact us at 816-394-9578 or email royalmanreport@gmail.com.  

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In 2011, the two started to separate.

We’ve already discussed Yambati’s disastrous 2011 season. Ventura fared much better in low A Kane County this year.

At 5’11″ and maybe 180 pounds (if he’s lucky), Ventura wouldn’t seem intimidating. Yet, despite his smaller stature, he gets his fastball up into the mid-90s and he’s made strides with his changeup and curveball after instructional league work and through 2011.

There are whispers of comparisons to Pedro Martinez, fair or unfair. Ventura’s height has something to do with that, but he also has a consistent delivery according to scouts and has a similar arm slot to Pedro. Still, there’s work to do. Players don’t make it on comps alone.

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The Royalman Report, LIVE Sundays at 7 pm CST

We had arranged an interview for Sunday’s Royalman Report with Jason Parks of Baseball Prospectus.

There were some complications. Jason is currently in Mexico on assignment, and due to that, the various attempts and maneuvers to patch him into the studio were in vain. We apologize that he wasn’t able to be a part of the show last night.

However.

We do have him set to talk with us on October 23, by which time we’ll have the gremlins worked out.

The show must go on, as they say, and we still talked about the importance of the instructional league, the relevance of offseason statistics, Bubba Starling, Wil Myers, Jason Adam and more. We even snuck in some Chiefs discussion (if you’re into that sort of thing.)

Joining us in studio was Kings of Kauffman alum Jeff Herr, who offered his insight on the minor leaguers in Arizona right now, as well as on the Andrew Luck sweepstakes. There’s also a new edition of the Fake Ned Minute* – our newest weekly feature.

*may not actually be a minute

Click the embedded player below to listen to this week’s show or you can download the mp3 here.

If you want your business featured during breaks on the Royalman Report, contact us at 816-394-9578 or email royalmanreport@gmail.com.  

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If you’re the type that prefers to see the in-studio video stream…check it out below:

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In 2010, they used a fifth round pick on Blue Valley Northwest senior Jason Adam.

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Thursday, all three were in action again, hoping to climb a step closer to their league’s championship.

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The Royalman Report, LIVE Sundays at 7 pm CST

It’s always great to get insight from baseball players, and talking with Jason Adam on the Royalman Report last night is no exception.  He discussed his preparation, his path to the big leagues and offered his personal views on the signing period after being drafted in the fifth round in 2008.

We were also joined by Jed Marshall of 810 Sports “Three Guys in a Garage” for a segment talking about the big league begginings of Johnny Giavotella and Mike Moustakas.

Also Troy and I discussed Blog to the K in greater depth.  Check out his special edition of that event, including the “we won’t out-talent anybody” quote (and its context) by Dayton Moore.

Click the embedded player below to listen to this week’s show or you can download the mp3 here.

If you happen to be a musician and would like to have your music featured on the Royalman Report, contact us at 816-394-9578 or email info@royalmanreport.com.  Similarly, if you would like your business to be mentioned on the air to our listeners, contact the show at the same number.

If you’re the type that prefers to see the in-studio video stream…check it out below:

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Your week is complete now, the minor league update of the Royals farm system is here.  It was a mediocre week for the farm system as things have kind of normalized out and the teams are performing at the levels we would expect.  The Results are still predominantly good and even Kane County has started to turn things around with an infusion of talent.  Some injuries and underperformance have depleted the talent a bit from what it was before the season; however, some new talent has arisen and the Royals, if things continue as they are now, will still have a top 5 farm system next year.  The emergence of players like Jason Adam (see below), Yordano Ventura, Cheslor Cuthbert, David Lough and others make this farm system still one of the best in the majors.  Here are where the teams stand to this point:

Kane County Cougars (A-):  24-30 (7th place, but remember they were 15-25 at one point)

Wilmington Blue Rocks (A+): 29-23 (2nd place)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (AA): 24-23 (2nd place)

Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA): 30-24 (1st place)

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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 to look at the balance of the rankings.

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Rankings:
~ Baseball America #11
~ Royals Prospects: #25
~ Royals Review #23
~ Kevin Goldstein: #15
~ John Sickels #28 C+
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We knew that was coming back around July.

But Jim Callis responded to an interesting question, and his answer was surprising. Not in a bad way but more in that “Wow. I…can’t believe I hadn’t noticed that before” way.

First, the question itself:

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UPDATE: Bob Dutton reports a few details: The deal contains a $2.75 million signing bonus, and is not a Major League contract, so he will not be on the 40 man roster.
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