May 6, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals pitcher Tommy Hottovy (46) delivers a pitch against the New York Yankees during the seventh inning at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-US PRESSWIRE

Jeffress and Hottovy were both traded on Thursday. In both cases, the Royals received cash in return – Jeffress was dealt to the Blue Jays where he’ll look to gain command of his arsenal. Hottovy was traded to the Rangers (and the Royals will also get a player to be named later for him).

In Jeffress’s case, he’s hoping a change of scenery will help him return to the form that made him one of the Brewers top prospects before they traded him to the Royals in the Zack Greinke deal. He has a huge arm and a good curveball when it’s working, but the problem is that it rarely works. He can hit triple digits on the radar gun with his fastball, but doesn’t have a lot of command with it. He’s been walk-prone through his whole pro career. He’ll be added to Toronto’s 40 man roster. This is an important point for Jeffress, as he’s failed two drug tests in his minor league career and a third would result in a lifetime ban from baseball. In the past, he’s tested positive for marijuana, but according to his agent, he hasn’t been using.

Hottovy is the home-town boy who made it to his home-town team. After attending Park Hill South High School in the Kansas City area, he then went to Wichita State before wandering the minors. He made his major league debut in 2011 for the Boston Red Sox and signed a minor league deal with the Royals last winter. In 9.1 innings in Kansas City, he had a 2.89 ERA. He threw 50 innings in Triple A, finishing with a 2.52 ERA. He’s mostly a left-handed specialist, but the Rangers are among the best at working with pitchers these days, so they may see something they can harness in him.

Jason Bourgeois, however, has not had his name come up in trade news. He may still make it through waivers and could be assigned to the minors.

via Jen Nevius

Jeffress was drafted in 2006, but is still trying to harness his fastball. His 12-to-6 curveball is another plus pitch, but he struggles to command that too. A slight tweak to his mechanics in 2011 made his curve more of an 11-to-5 and he commands it better. His pure velocity makes him a closer option, but he started in 2011 to work on his command.

Jeffress made two appearances in April with the Royals before being sent to Triple-A Omaha in 2012 for 37 games. Over 58 innings, he allowed 52 hits and 25 walks (32 earned runs). He did strike out 61.

He then spent the month of August back in the big leagues before being sent to Double-A NW Arkansas for one appearance. Then it was back to the big leagues when rosters expanded in September. He pitched well during his August with the Royals (5.2IP, 4H, 2R, 0ER, 4BB, 8K), but imploded in five games in September. Well, really his last two (both against Cleveland). He allowed ten runs (nine earned) on nine hits and four walks over just three innings. He struck out just one. 46 of his 84 pitches were strikes.

Check out this video from his time in the Arizona Fall League in 2011. In this video (by Prospect D2J), he strikes out Seattle Mariners infielder Nick Franklin (who was the MVP of the Rising Stars Game):

The Royals made a flurry of roster moves last week, including the removal of Jeffress from the 40-man roster. That means, he is now subject to the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program. If he were to test positive for drugs, he would receive a lifetime ban from baseball (he has already been suspended twice while with the Brewers). Jeffress’ struggles and removal from the 40-man roster probably means he will not be on Baseball America’s list for the 2013 season. Who knows, he may not even be a Royal by then (if he is claimed off waivers by another team).

Jul 17, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Vin Mazzaro (32) delivers a pitch in the fourth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-US PRESSWIRE

Today, they called up Vin Mazzaro from Omaha and sent Jeremy Jeffress to Northwest Arkansas in Double A. Joel Goldberg supposes that he’s going to Double A so he can be recalled earlier than the ten day rule. Since the Naturals season ends on September 3, he’ll be able to be recalled sooner when active rosters expand. Omaha is headed to the Pacific Coast League playoffs again, so their season continues.

Jeffress was called up August 1 and made six appearances and gave up only one hit up until yesterday’s game at Fenway Park. The two runs he surrendered were unearned, though, so he has the odd pitching line of a 0.00 ERA but a 2.100 WHIP in 2012. Jeffress made two appearances in late April as well.

Mazzaro has been working out of the bullpen exclusively since July, making 14 appearances and covering 20 innings of work. He’s struck out 23 batters and walked nine over that stretch, giving up only four earned runs, 18 hits, and no homers. He’s been said to hit the upper 90s out of the bullpen, so maybe short relief is the way to go with Mazzaro. He’s been tried in Kansas City as a spot starter and long relief man typically, but with a fastball/slider pitch selection, the next month could be an audition for a regular short relief role next season.

Both pitchers were acquired via trade with Mazzaro joining Justin Marks as the return for sending David DeJesus to the A’s after the 2010 season. Jeffress was, of course, one of the four players the Royals received for Zack Greinke and Yuniesky Betancourt in December 2010.

The move did leave the Royals without a designated pitcher to shut the door in the ninth – until later in the day when Ned Yost named Greg Holland the next closer.

July 8, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Greg Holland (56) pitches during the eighth inning against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-US PRESSWIRE

Holland had a great 2011 but his 2012 has been up and down. Early in the year he dealt with a rib injury that put him on the disabled list. Since returning, he’s worked his ERA down to more palatable levels, though his walk rate is higher than last year’s 2.9 BB/9 at 5.2 BB/9. He’s given up more hits, too, but after last year’s 5.6 H/9, it’s hard for any pitcher to repeat that stellar number.

He’s seemed to be the heir apparent to Broxton’s closers role since it became clear that Broxton was on the trading block. His strikeout ability should allow him to get out of jams with less panic than Broxton’s save attempts, though the peripheral numbers are still scary. What hits he has given up this year may be in part due to his inducing more ground balls (which are more likely to sneak through for hits than a fly ball). His .388 BABIP on the year supports that thought.

If Holland falters, Aaron Crow or Kelvin Herrera are favorites to step in.

Another option – though he’s a long shot – is Jeremy Jeffress, who was recalled from Omaha to fill Broxton’s roster spot. In two appearances at the big league level this year, Jeffress gave up four hits and walked two, though he managed to scatter those runners in such a way that none scored. Those appearances came in the first homestand of the year.

Since, he’s put up 58 innings in Omaha with a 4.97 ERA. He’s struck out 9.5 batters per nine innings in Triple A, which is typical for him, but his ERA is a bit deceiving, as he’s given up far less walks than is the norm. In his minor league career, Jeffress had a walk rate of 5.7 BB/9 before 2012. His current rate is 3.9 BB/9 right now, which is encouraging. He features a fastball that regularly sits in the upper 90s (and regularly hits triple digits) and a curveball that can be really nasty when he has command of it. If he can get it together, he’ll make an already solid-looking return for Zack Greinke in 2010 look that much better.

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.

How will Kansas City greet Zack Greinke Tuesday when he returns to Kauffman Stadium for the first time since being traded. Photo Credit: Benny Sieu-US PRESSWIRE

At this point many probably feel the Brewers got the better of the deal since they made the postseason with Zack and were two wins from the World Series last fall. Another reason Royals fans feel like the trade didn’t work out is because Betancourt was brought back this past offseason. It also doesn’t help that since the trade Greinke’s 23-8 during the last two seasons. During those two seasons Kansas City could’ve used a number one starter.

Saying his time in the city of fountains was up and down is an understatement because he only had two seasons with a winning record, one .500 season, lost 17-games in 2005 and dealt with a social anxiety disorder during his time in KC. As for the bright spots he did strikeout 15 Indians on August 25, 2009 which broke the team’s strikeout in a game record, previously held by Mark Gubicza.

His crowning achievement was winning the 2009 Cy Young award with a 16-8 record and 2.16 ERA for a team way removed from the postseason. That season he represented the Royals in the All-Star Game in St. Louis striking out two of the three hitters faced.

How will the crowd react Tuesday night? I expect it to be a mixture of cheers and boos when he takes the mound likely in a navy blue Brewers jersey. Royals fans never got to say goodbye and with Zack being a free agent this winter I think some people are holding out hope he returns since he and his wife still own a home in Kansas City.

When I heard that he was scheduled to pitch during this brief homestand there was no doubt that I’d drive down from Omaha to see the “return” of the former hero. I was there for the wins and losses in addition to the night where he toyed with Cleveland, I won’t boo but it will be bittersweet seeing him in another uniform.

Maybe if he’d stayed KC they’d be further in the “process” than they are now but there would also be no Alcides at short or No Odorizzi, no Cain (who could still contribute if he can stay healthy), no Jeffress (who might get back to KC at some point). In addition who knows if Greinke becomes the guy he is right now, the one who is nearly unbeatable at Miller Park and 7-2 this season. It’s possible that if he remains might of continued had he not got the change of scenery due to the struggles of 2010.

So if you’re at the K on Tuesday, it’s understandable if you root for the Royals while remembering the good times we had with number 23 throwing for Kansas City. However once Zack throws his first pitch to Alex Gordon your emotions might change a bit.

Feb 29, 2012; Surprise, AZ, USA; Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Tommy Hottovy (46) poses for a picture during the Royals photo day at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

In what should be a highlighted story tonight, Park Hill South (Kansas City) graduate Tommy Hottovy has earned a spot on the Royals 40 man roster. He’ll join the team in Cleveland tonight. He’d been pitching in Omaha after signing a minor league contract in the offseason. His major league debut came last year as a member of the Red Sox.

Jeremy Jeffress is the roster casualty, getting optioned to Omaha after just two appearances back in Kansas City. He’d allowed four hits and two walks in one inning of work, spaced over the two outings.

Hottovy had 17 strikeouts for the Storm Chasers in 10 innings of work. The Royals now have four left handed relievers in the bullpen. That’s unusual, so there may be other moves soon after Felipe Paulino and Blake Wood start to get healthy again. Greg Holland is also on the DL, while Joakim Soria is out for the year.

You can hear an interview with Hottovy on the Royalman Report. He seems like a laid back guy who’s happy for the opportunity.

Lorenzo Cain has been on fire early in spring training action. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-US PRESSWIRE

Through the first eleven games of spring, Lorenzo Cain is doing everything he can to make sure nobody ends up missing Melky Cabrera. Cain homered in the fifth inning off Sam LeClure and added a single earlier in the game. He’s 9-17 so far this spring with four doubles and three walks.

Cain will take over center field for the departed Cabrera who had over 200 hits for the Royals last year, but was traded to the Giants for Jonathan Sanchez.

Sanchez made his second start of the spring on Tuesday and struggled in his first inning of work, needing 34 pitches to get through the Reds lineup. In his first appearance as a Royal, he got one inning of work on 31 pitches. Sanchez settled down the rest of the way, pitching into the third inning. On the day he threw 51 pitches and 30 for strikes. He surrendered a homer to Jay Bruce and two inherited runners scored when Sanchez gave way to Everett Teaford in the third, but he made quick work of the Reds in the second inning, which is progress, even if slight.

Alex Gordon also homered for the second time this spring as part of a 16 hit attack by the Royals. Every player that came to the plate more than once got a hit.

Teaford didn’t have a run charged to himself, so his line looks like three scoreless innings. He got four strikeouts and three ground outs and benefited from a Gordon assist at the plate.

Jeremy Jeffress reportedly showed strong command of both his fastball and a changeup in two perfect innings. He struck out two. Jeffress is a forgotten part of what is a deep arsenal of relief pitchers in the Royals system. His stuff is impressive but he’s never had great control over it. If he’s made adjustments to harness his 99 mph fastball and a changeup that could be his better secondary pitch, according to some.

The biggest story from the game, though, was an early exit by Salvador Perez. After catching Sanchez in the first inning, Perez didn’t come out for the second inning. Reports state that he “tweaked” his knee before the game warming up Sanchez in the bullpen, and he was noticeably limping before the game. Ned Yost says he’s concerned but the Royals haven’t made any mention of Perez’s status of the extent of the injury, as they’re awaiting MRI results. The Royals are already short a catcher after Manuel Pina underwent knee surgery early in spring training. After signing a contract that could keep him in Kansas City for the majority of the next decade, it’s obvious that Perez is a key part of the Royals future. To have his first full season derailed early would be a rough blow to the organization.

There should be more information tomorrow on Perez. At best he’ll probably miss a couple of days. Mike Moustakas, who was hit by a pitch on the knee yesterday, was a late scratch as a precaution.

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

Unfortunately, it’s been downhill from there.

Jeffress spent nearly seven weeks in the majors with Kansas City, putting up a 4.70 ERA in 15.1 innings. That’s not the worst number in the world, but it’s not very good either. The Royals have certainly done worse.

The issue with Jeffress, however, has always been corralling his million dollar arm and getting him to throw strikes.

Clipped from: kingsofkauffman.com (share this clip)

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Royals prospects join those of the Rays, Braves, Marlins and Rangers to form the Surprise Saquaros.

They play their fourth game tonight after winning their first three. Not every Royal has seen action, but early on, Wil Myers has had the best showing, going 3-8 with a homer and three RBIs. He’s also walked twice.

Other Royals AFL performances:

Anthony Seratelli: 0-2 with two walks.
Christian Colon: 2-10 with a double.
Bryan Paukovits: 1 IP, 1 BB 1 K 0 ER
Brendan Lafferty: 1 IP 0 ER

Nathan Adcock and Jeremy Jeffress, the only two Royals in Surprise with major league experience, have not made it into a game.

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. 

Wil Myers, Nate Adcock, Christian Colon and Clint Robinson are the headliners, with an quirky age range of 20 years old (Myers) to Robinson (26).

They’ll be joined by pitchers Jeremy Jeffress, Bryan Paukovits and Brendan Lafferty.

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Jeremy Jeffress began the season with the big league club, but he was shipped down to Omaha to work on his control.  The Royals even toyed with the idea of giving him regular work as a starter.

Now, he’s being moved down another level to pitch for Northwest Arkansas in Double A.

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Despite scoring five runs in the last three innings, they dug a hole that was too deep to climb out of, allowing six runs in an ugly fifth inning that sent ten Rangers to the plate.

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Backed up by some great defense and working out of a couple of jams, O’Sullivan went five innings, shutting out a feeble Mariners offense.  The bullpen combo of Tim Collins, Jeremy Jeffress and Aaron Crow came in for the final four innings, striking out six and maintaining the shutout.

The Royals have now won four in a row and are 10-4.

Today, there were a lot of heroes:

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He’s still sitting on an ugly 5-32 start, but he showed better at bats on Tuesday night, working a sacrifice fly and drawing a walk.  Baby steps.  Chris Getz and Wilson Betemit continued to produce, so Aviles may still have to scrap for at bats, but Kila Ka’aihue‘s struggles against lefties might mean more DH starts for Betemit or Aviles.  Today, he was a big part to their 10-5 win over the Twins.

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There were a few surprises, though not big ones.  The Royals open camp with four rookie relief pitchers:  Tim Collins, Aaron Crow, Jeremy Jeffress and Rule 5 selection Nate Adcock.  When Robert Fish was sent back to the Angels, it left Collins as the lone lefty reliever in camp while Crow’s promotion has been debated as a good move or not.  It seems split between those who see him as a starter and think he should open up in the rotation in Double A or Triple A and those who see him as a full-time late-inning pitcher.

Then there are those who see him as a potential rotation candidate down the line while getting bullpen work to acclimate himself to the big leagues.  Crow struggled in 2009, but showed solid command in Arizona and in today’s game induced three ground ball outs in a perfect seventh inning.

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As expected, Luke Hochevar will be the opening day starter.  Whether or not he’s an ace, he gets the nod on March 31st against the Angels.  Jeff Francis, Bruce Chen and Kyle Davies round out the rotation for the first couple weeks of the season and Vin Mazzaro will be the fifth starter once the Royals need one.

That puts Sean O’Sullivan into a long-relief role to start the season.  With Joakim Soria and Robinson Tejeda as the only true locks in the bullpen, the Royals are going with a 12 man staff (according to Bob Dutton).  That leaves four spots remaining.

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With the performance of Jeremy Jeffress (3.38 ERA, 1.250 WHIP in 8 IP), Lorenzo Cain (.273/.400/.364 and some great defense in spring), Alcides Escobar (.361/.400/.528 and ONE strikeout in 36 at bats) the Royals got some good players who will contribute at the big league level at some point this summer.  That they also got a solid starting pitching prospect in Jake Odorizzi only sweetens the deal.

And yeah, there’s the rib thing.

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Nobody has been reported to be in the best shape of their life yet, but I’m sure that’s coming.  My hunch is that Brayan Pena is the first such reference when it happens (and it always happens).

But that’s not important.  Onto the news:

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Rankings:
~ Baseball America: #3 (Milwaukee)
~ Royals Review #16
~ Kevin Goldstein: #9
~ John Sickels: #8 B+

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Blake Wood, doin' his thing. (Minda Haas)

Well, it’s that time again. In the final installment, I want to just briefly touch on the major competitors for bullpen spots in Kansas City this year and who to watch for in Spring Training. The new signing of Jeff Francis has cleared up the starting corps picture a bit, so it’s easier to get a look at potential relievers with the rotation filled out.

As you might guess, there are a ton of reliever candidates that will make appearances in the Royals’ Spring Training camp. Just from a passing glance, here’s the total list:

Does that give you enough options? I’ll note that Blaine Hardy has been a partial starter with Omaha, so he might get a pass on relieving. Miner has been both a starter and a reliever with the Tigers and could be in line for a chance at a starting spot if injuries or down performances occur. Guys like Henry Barrerra, Kevin Pucetas, Danny Duffy and Gaby Hernandez might get some looks as potential relievers, at least for a short time. Nonetheless, there are a bunch of options for the bullpen. It’s nice to see so many young guys in the running for spots.
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MLBPA agent Josh Kusnick at work

It’s a 24/7 grind where he’s always on call.  Being a certified agent with the MLBPA “has nothing to do with Jerry Maguire.”

That’s the realism presented by Joshua Kusnick, the agent to two of the newest Royals, Lorenzo Cain and Jeremy Jeffress.

His involvement with the Royals is the conjunction of a few chance meetings, a break here and there, and just like in real estate, location location location.

“It’s difficult to get in,” he says.  ”I did some bird dog scouting for a team – nothing serious, just getting into the game.  Then the first guy I signed made it to the big leagues, so I got certified early.”

And from there, Kusnick has signed a collection of young talent, many of whom are starting to make their case to be future stars.  Michael Brantley, Zach Kroenke and Trayvon Robinson are a few of the other players he represents, but the Zack Greinke trade has brought Cain and Jeffress into the spotlight for the moment.

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I lived in Kansas City from day 1 to year 27 before moving to Orange County, Calif., and I’ve been a tortured Royals fan the whole way. At one point as a kid my favorite player was Kevin Kozlowski. Seriously. After graduating with a journalism degree from Park University and spending a few years as a college pitching coach, I made my move to the west coast hoping to leave my Royals sorrows behind. Alas, it didn’t work. Today I spend most of my time watching and reading all things Aaron Sorkin, and trying to find some relief for my lifetime of Royals fan heartbreak.

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Their choice is to focus on the stadium, then work their way into highlighting the prospects as they come up.

That’s probably fine for now, but what other options could they try?

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First, I want to comment on the return. Sending Yuni in any deal is instantly a positive. I cannot wait to see a Royals infield without Yuni, though seeing him on the team I grew up watching will be hard. Anyway, getting Yuni off of the roster immediately improves the infield defense. That’s a plus in my book.

Filling Yuni’s vacant crater will be Alcides Escobar, one of the most-hyped prospects of the last couple years. My friends that love the Brewers were pumped about this guy starting with the team and, I’ll have to admit, I bought into that, too. Well, Escobar had a rough year. Without going into stats, I can say that he didn’t get on base and definitely didn’t hit for any power. The bat just wasn’t there, which isn’t too much of a shock. We can only hope that it comes back. Otherwise, we’ll have a new Tony Pena Jr. on our hands.
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There are rumors that a deal has been agreed upon that will send Royals starter Zack Greinke and shortstop Yuniesky Betancourt to the Milwaukee Brewers for shortstop Alcides Escobar, outfielder Lorenzo Cain, and pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi.  All four Brewers prospects ranked in the top 25 in Baseball America’s Prospect Handbook in 2010.  Escobar was ranked as the top prospect in that publication and Cain was considered a favorite for the distinction in 2011′s handbook.

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