I don’t mean for this to be depressing so follow along (after the jump) and see where I go with all of this. (more…)

But what else is going on out there in the Royals-verse?
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Montgomery’s a different story. After dominating at Wilmington, he’s been pitching well for Northwest Arkansas in Double A until running into some elbow soreness at the end of May. Since then, he’s made one start on a pitch count and spent time on two disabled list stints.
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He came back and made another start on June 15, throwing 3.2 innings and giving up one run, two hits and a walk along with three strikeouts.  He was held to a pitch count and left after 56 pitches.  Now today he’s back on the 7-day minor league DL with the same soreness.

Scouting reports from May 27 mentioned lower than normal velocity, which is never a good sign when an arm injury is also in the picture.  Montgomery could make his way to Kansas City by the middle of 2011 if healthy and effective, but setbacks like this can delay that progress significantly.

In ten starts in 2010, Montgomery has a 5-1 record with a 2.01 ERA through 53.2 innings pitched in both High A and Double A.  He’s struck out 9.73 per 9 innings while walking just 1.68 per 9 over that span, as well.

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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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Check in at CallToThePen.com about 3:15 pm CST for the link to the chat room. Then, starting at 5:15 pm CST, join myself, our MLB Director Wally Fish, and other columnists from the Fansided MLB Network to discuss the picks as they come in. The draft starts at 6:00 pm CST.

As Royals fans, you may want to pop in early to be sure to catch our pick at #4 overall. Reports have pointed to KC taking University of Miami catcher Yasmani Grandal, though nothing’s official until it’s announced. Others who may be selected are Manny Machado and Jameson Taillon (if they happen to slip), Drew Pomeranz and Chris Sale.

We’ll see tomorrow. Thankfully, though, with the presence of Mike Moustakas, Michael Montgomery, Eric Hosmer, John Lamb and others, whoever the Royals take this year won’t be the top prospect by default. Considering the strength of this year’s first-round options, that’s a good sign for the Royals farm system.

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.

Moustakas left after one at bat after making a play in foul territory.  The early exit was deemed precautionary and isn’t as serious on the surface as an arm issue with our top pitching prospect. There are a couple of updates regarding both situations:
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First, Mike Moustakas left the game after running into the wall making a catch in foul territory and was pulled after only one at bat. He did finish the inning after making the play, however, and the move appears to be a precaution only. There will be more information on that tomorrow.

Second, Mike Montgomery left the game after only three innings and 52 pitches.

Mike Montgomery lasted only 3 innings tonight. Velocity was 3-4 MPH below reported norms. Possible injury? He was getting hit hard. @ESaporitoPP on Twitter

Montgomery’s final line on the night was 3 IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 K but no walks. He also gave up his first homerun since Low-A Burlington. Bad outings happen and pitchers, even phenom left-handers, are prone to a bad start here and there, especially at 20 years old. The line itself isn’t too worrying, but the reported loss of velocity is a significant factor.

Lowered velocity is often a sign of an arm injury for a pitcher, and often there’s a lack of movement which makes pitches much more hittable. Considering Montgomery has rocketed through the minor leagues so far, and has been deemed by many as the top prospect in the organization, the potential for injury is scary in both the short and long term.

We’ll know more tomorrow on his status as well, but it’s not out of the question that he may miss a start or two if even if it’s nothing serious. At the minor league level, it’s not so much about winning games as developing the talent on the roster.

Until then…hold your breath.

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Clearly, he’s rebounding in a big way which presents the question – is he ready for Double A? Moreover, even if he is ready, should he be promoted?
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Yesterday’s This Week in Prospects (TWiP) column over on Call to the Pen touched on two Royals, Mike Montgomery and Kila Ka’aihue.  TWiP wasn’t the only place that Kila’s name came up recently.  Marc Hulet (FanGraphs) wrote an article today about how Ka’aihue would fit in with the Mets or Orioles.  Both articles speculate that it wouldn’t take much to pry Kila away from the Royals organization, but I completely disagree with this notion.  Clearly the Royals haven’t given him the chance that he deserves, but if Dayton Moore thought that little of Kila’s ability I think he would have already been dealt at some point in the last season or so. (more…)