Mike Montgomery. (Photo: Minda Haas)

In a move that is mildly surprising but not really shocking, the Royals demoted Mike Montgomery to Double A Northwest Arkansas Wednesday morning and promoted Chris Dwyer from the Naturals to Omaha, according to Bob Dutton of the Kansas City Star.

Both left-handed pitchers have notably struggled in the last two seasons after success up to the A-ball level.

Dwyer’s been stuck in Double A since 2010, making four starts there that season, playing all of 2011 there and only recently showing any signs of consistent command. Montgomery looked good enough to make the big league club in 2011 during spring training but was sent down anyway and hasn’t been the same since the middle of 2010 when he had some arm issues that nagged him.

Dwyer has had a number of strong outings this year for the Naturals and it felt like the 24-year-old was close to at least getting bumped up from Double A for once. He threw the first seven innings of a Naturals no-hitter in May and over his last six starts, he’s thrown 31 innings with a 3.48 ERA and a 25/9 K/BB ratio.

Montgomery had two absolute bombs in his last three starts, giving up 11 runs in 1.1 innings (even though only 4 were earned) and 8 runs in his next start July 3. He had a 24/9 K/BB ratio in his last 24.1 innings, but also gave up 40 base hits in that time. There have been suggestions that his velocity may be down, too.

Ideally, this works as a wakeup call for Montgomery and he gets back to the guy who rocketed through the low levels getting everybody out. He’s competitive and maybe he’ll be pushed by this move. Aaron Crow was demoted as a starter in 2010 from Double A to High A and came back the next spring and earned a spot in the bullpen, eventually being named an All-Star.

Or, maybe Montgomery keeps languishing. He really hasn’t been sharp for a while now and while he’s just 23 years old, poor results are still poor results. He still has the stuff to be a strong starter, but the likelihood he can reach that potential is shrinking.

In 2012 for Northwest Arkansas, he threw 38 innings and struck out 47, an 11.1 K/9. He only walked 2.4 batters per nine innings.

With a 3.32 ERA, Odorizzi showed the Royals what they need to see and moved him up to Triple A Omaha.

Jake Odorizzi. Photo: Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

Odorizzi was acquired from Milwaukee in December of 2010 in the Zack Greinke deal, coming over after Baseball America had already deemed him the Brewers number one prospect. Now, he’s leapfrogged Mike Montgomery to be the top pitching prospect in the Royals system.

He made a good first impression with the Royals last year, tearing through the Carolina League in similar fashion to how he handled the Texas League this year. Lots of strikeouts, not many walks. If Odorizzi could work more ground outs (he’s at 36% for 2012), he’d be an elite prospect. As it is, he’s still a very good one anyway. Kevin Goldstein puts his ceiling as a #3 starter with a shot to be a #2.

He’s a smart pitcher who can use any of four pitches at any time. His fastball hangs around 90-94 but can hit 95 or 96 mph according to Odorizzi. His curveball and changeup are effective weapons as well and his slider is developing.

What the Royals are hoping for is a quick adjustment to Triple A. Last year, in his first look at Double A action, Odorizzi struggled at first but finished respectably. His 4.72 ERA was disappointing, but his strikeout rate was still alright and he wasn’t walking many more batters than usual. Combining his 2011 and 2012 time in Double A, Odorizzi made 19 starts for 102.1 innings and 101/32 K/BB ratio is close to his career minor league ratio of 401/112 (3.58/1).

Odorizzi may have a shot to get into the big leagues this year, especially at the rate that the Royals pitchers have been falling to injury. They’ve also been active in using players’ option years to keep fresh arms in the big leagues. If Odorizzi impresses, he may look like a more favorable alternative than Vin Mazzaro, Luis Mendoza or others who may be in the rotation. After a handful of starts, if he’s doing well, the Royals may take a look in late July (Goldstein suggests it’s still too optimistic to see him in a month’s time) to see how he reacts to the big leagues. He’s likely to be added to the 40 man roster in September anyway, as he’d be eligible for the Rule 5 draft after this year if not, as pointed out by Bob Dutton so the Royals, in knowing they’ll add him later in the year, may figure they might as well see what he can do a couple months early.

For now, though, he has the Pacific Coast League to get ready for. The Storm Chasers are waiting until Friday to make a move to fit Odorizzi on the roster and he’s likely to make his Triple A debut at home against Tacoma after that transaction is finalized. Everett Teaford was the probable starter for Friday but with his call up back to Kansas City, it’s Odorizzi’s spot with the rest of the Omaha rotation still in place.

Just in case you’re wondering, if you’re a subscriber to MILB.tv, you can see any Storm Chasers game streaming live online.

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After a rough 2011, Wil Myers drew skepticism from some about his potential as a prospect. After a season of .254/.353/.393 hitting and just eight homers in a hitter-friendly league and home stadium, the shine was off the apple.

Wil Myers takes off. Photo: Jerry Lai-US PRESSWIRE

That Myers had fought off a fluke knee injury and resulting infection and he missed a fair amount of time. He also shifted from behind the plate to the outfield full time. As a 20-year-old at the Double A level, he already had some obstacles to get around. In that light, his season was a reasonable success, just not a wild one. He was still part of the All-Star Futures Game and still a Texas League All-Star in midseason, and a .353 on base percentage at any level is good to see.

Still, when the Arizona Fall League came around, Myers had some critics to quiet.

So he did.

Myers hit .360/.481/.674 in 23 games for the Surprise Sagueros and was one of the standouts in the league. He walked more than he struck out while 14 of his 31 base hits went for extra bases.

He earned an invite to spring training where he had five singles in 18 at bats with the big league team.

Now, he’s tearing up the Texas League and is getting the call to Triple A.

His .343 batting average leads the league. His 13 homers are good for second place. Myers and Nathan Freiman are tied with 98 total bases. With an OPS of 1.146, he’s the best hitter at the Double A level.

The adjustment to right field has been better than expected to the point that the Royals have had him play center field more frequently this month and he’s even started at third base a couple of times. The Royals trust his athleticism and moving him from behind the plate may have diminished his value as a prospect (since catchers who can hit are very rare) but should make him a more valuable player overall (since he shouldn’t need as many off days in the outfield and injury isn’t as big of a concern). Before the 2009 draft, Perfect Game USA noted in his scouting report that Myers had “highest level tools and size, and they play all over the field.” So far he’s living up to that billing. His arm is strong (he threw 90 mph in high school) and he has playable speed in center.

Some have suggested that Myers could be a September call up in 2012. That may be a bit quick, despite his skills. I think he could hold his own over the course of a month in the big leagues, but the Royals aren’t a club that jumps levels often with their prospects. They follow the mantra of “better late than early”.

Regardless, Myers is ready for Omaha.

If there’s a knock on him in 2012, it’s that he’s struck out more frequently than at any other level. Through 35 games, he’s struck out 28% of the time. His strikeout rate went up a bit last year in his poor 2011, but it didn’t reach these levels. He’s clearly making hard contact, but he could be that much more productive with less strikeouts. He’s still walking more than 10% of the time, so he’s still got his trademark patience at the plate (Myers walked nearly as often as he had struck out in both levels of A ball). He’s also benefited from Arvest Ballpark, with a .271/.338/.644 to .408/.482/.831 road/home split.

That’s a sharp difference, but even on the road, Myers has been strong.

He’s ready for this new challenge.

J.J. Cooper from Baseball America noted that Mike Moustakas had similar splits in his breakout 2010 season in Northwest Arkansas and it took 66 games for him to reach Omaha. Myers, as one of the best outfield prospects in the game (and maybe the best after Bryce Harper and Mike Trout have made it to the big leagues) didn’t have a lot more to prove at Double A.

Where to fit Myers (and who to displace) is another thing. The Royals currently have Jeff Francoeur signed through 2013. Alex Gordon has signed an extension. Lorenzo Cain was penciled in as the everyday center fielder this year and Jarrod Dyson has played well, so long term, Myers may not see Kansas City until mid-2013 while the outfield gets sorted out (unless he adjusts to center field enough to hold his own).

That’s getting ahead of things. First he has to continue to rake in Omaha. In Triple A right now, David Lough and Derrick Robinson are having good years. Jason Bourgeois is struggling so far since being optioned to Omaha, so Myers will likely take at bats from him and play in right field. The Royals may want to keep Bourgeois in the lineup more often to justify the trade that brought him to Kansas City but Myers should play every day.

Wil Myers has played in 35 games. He’s gone hitless in three of them (and still walked three times in one of those).

Omaha’s the next step in his path. He’s ready.

UPDATE
Myers singled in his first at bat, which Lee Warren of Yahoo Sports recorded and shared:

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Holland started the night with three strikeouts as he makes his way back to health and the Royals bullpen.

Chris Dwyer is happy and with good reason. Photo: Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

Chris Dwyer took over and, despite struggles all year, rolled through 6.2 innings and left after 103 pitches. Brendan Lafferty finished the eighth inning for him and put the feat in the hands of Kendal Volz.

The first batter Volz faced – Jermaine Curtis – ripped a line drive but it was right at shortstop Christian Colon. Two ground outs later and the Naturals celebrated their second no-hitter in team history. The first came last year when Will Smith and Kelvin Herrera combined to shut down Memphis.

This is encouraging for Dwyer, who hasn’t had a lot of encouraging signs since hitting Double A. Coming into the game, he had a 7.46 ERA and was walking six batters per nine innings. At 24 years old, he’s running out of time to show that he can be an impact prospect anymore. Nights like tonight show that, now and then at least, he can be a dominant pitcher.

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.

The Royalman Report, LIVE Sundays at 7 pm CST

It was a lonely day for Royalman, as he was in his Studio of Solitude on Sunday, but thankfully, joining him on the phone was Greg Schaum of Pinetar Press.

Schaum covered his end of year awards for the Royals minor leagues.

Also featured were interviews conducted by Lee Warren (@OmahaBaseball) following the Omaha Storm Chasers win in the first round of the Pacific Coast League Playoffs.

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

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This year, the Naturals hope to repeat, while the Omaha Storm Chasers try to add to the success in the Pacific Coast League playoffs.  Kane County is also representing the Royals in the Midwest League.

Playoff series started yesterday.  So how did everyone do?

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• Mike Montgomery is walking 4.5 batters per nine innings with a 5.35 ERA for Triple A Omaha.
• John Lamb is out for a year or more after Tommy John surgery.
• Jake Odorizzi was dynamite in Wilmington, but his transition to Northwest Arkansas hasn’t been as seemless.
• Danny Duffy has shown flashes at the big league level but still struggles with his pitch counts and just took his lumps in a three inning, eight run debacle in which he threw 90 pitches to get nine outs.

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One night after Luis Mendoza threw a no-hitter* for Omaha in Memphis, the Northwest Arkansas Naturals joined the party.

*After the no-hitter, the official scorer reversed his decision to charge David Lough with an error, then re-reversed it to credit Mendoza with the feat.  Now, the Memphis coaching staff is appealing the ruling.  For a while, Mendoza still had credit for his second career Triple A no-hitter.  However the PCL responded to an appeal by Memphis by ruling the play a hit and taking away Mendoza’s no-hitter. 

Will Smith threw seven hitless innings and walked just two while Kelvin Herrera pitched two perfect innings to preserve a 1-0 win.  The Naturals faced the minimum 27 batters in the game, thanks to a sixth-inning triple play after Smith allowed the only baserunners of the game.

Smith was acquired last July along with Sean O’Sullivan for Alberto Callaspo.  He had a 2.80 ERA in 54.2innings for Wilmington last season and pitched in the Texas League playoffs with the Naturals.  He had a 4.20 ERA over 100.2 innings before tonight.

Herrera is having a superb season.  He played in the All-Star Futures Game last weekend and had a 2.03 ERA in 31 innings.  He has a 37/3 K/BB ratio in Double A.

Kane County threw a combined no-hitter on May 18th when Sugar Ray Marimon and Chas Byrne combined in the achievement.

Wilmington, it’s your turn…

We were also joined by Eric Edelstein, the General Manager of the Northwest Arkansas Naturals.  I want to thank Eric again for being gracious enough to join us during his busy schedule (Jake Odorizzi was making his first home start while we were talking with him).  He discussed many interesting things including the crop of prospects in Double A right now, last year’s championship run, and an interesting story about the construction of Arvest Ballpark in Springdale, Arkansas.

Eric is one of the more accessible members of the Royals organization and if you get the chance to talk with him, definitely do so.  You can follow him on Twitter at @EricBaseball.

(We also played my full – though brief – interview with Rollie Fingers from last week during our first break.  You want to check that out too.)

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

Our music this week was performed by local band “49 Stones” and you can check out more at their website: www.49Stones.net.

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. (more…)

Well this will be my last ‘Princes of Kauffman’ update as I am leaving to take over the Kansas Jayhawks blog for Fansided (if you get a chance please stop by at www.throughthephog.com).  There is one small victory here as the promotion I have been calling for for Jake Odorizzi has finally been given and he is on his way to Northwest Arkansas.  The Kane County Cougars are making many strides as they have won 6 of their last 7 and the infusion of solid talent down there is definitely encouraging.  Well I have enjoyed writing this post and I hope you have enjoyed reading it.  Wally Fish will continue the minor league updates after I am gone, so expect a new format but quality information nonetheless.  Here is where the affiliates stand:

Arizona Royals (Rookie): 2-7 (4th place)

Idaho Falls Chukars (Rookie Advanced): 6-5 (3rd place)

Burlington Royals (Rookie): 1-9 (5th place)

Kane County (A-): 6-1 (1st place)

Wilmington Blue Rocks (A+): 3-5 (3rd place)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (AA): 1-6 (4th place)

Omaha Storm Chasers (AAA): 44-37 (1st place)

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A Carolina League All-Star, Odorizzi compiled a 2.87 ERA over 78.1 High A innings and had a 103/22 K/BB ratio.  He’s been dominant all season in Wilmington, so this promotion isn’t much of a surprise.

Odorizzi, our #8 prospect entering the season, leaves the Carolina League as its leader in strikeouts on the season and was in the top 10 of ERA leaders among starters.

Of course, Odorizzi was part of the Zack Greinke trade last December and has launched himself into the spot of top pitching prospect for the Royals.  He was Milwaukee’s #1 overall prospect according to Baseball America at the time of the trade and scouts suggest his ceiling is that of a #2 starter.

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By many accounts Wil Myers is the best prospect the Royals currently have in their farm system.  Assuming that Eric Hosmer and Mike Moustakas will both lose prospect status with their time in the majors, Myers becomes the leader of the bevy of young talent the Royals have.  Myers was a special talent coming out of high school and projects to be a special talent at all levels going forward.  He got off to a slow start this year and battled some injuries, but he has picked it up in May and June and looks to be getting things back on track.  His season numbers are not that impressive but that is mostly due to a poor April that saw him only hit .261 at the plate as the battled knee injuries and finally sat out a couple of weeks to get things right.  He has looked more like the top 10 prospect we all thought he was going in to the season since returning from injury.

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royalsblog.com

Your weekly minor league update has arrived.  It will be noted that the shortened league rookie ball seasons have started and I will track their records for you all but I won’t be doing game recaps as, quite frankly, it would take more time than I am allotted for my blogging tasks.  Regardless, we have another solid week for the affiliates.  Despite a bomb of a night by Mike Montgomery, there were some good showings by some solid players and all the teams appear to be making strides heading to the midway point of the season.  Here are where they stand:

Rookie Leagues:

Burlington Royals (Rookie): 0-3 (4th place)

AZL Royals (Arizona): 1-2 (4th place)

Idaho Falls Chukars (Rookie Advanced): 2-2 (2nd Place)

Affiliates:

Kane County Cougars (Low A): 28-41 (7th place)

Wilmington Blue Rocks (High A): 1-0 (2nd place – Wilmington and the Carolina League have started their second half season)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A): 1-1 (2nd place - NWA/Texas League has started their second half season)

Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A): 41-34 (1st Place)

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Both started and Hosmer could have (should have in my opinion) been the MVP of the game, going 4-5.

Two more Royals, current Northwest Arkansas Naturals, will be playing in this year’s game in Arizona: outfielder Wil Myers and reliever Kelvin Herrera.

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 Here is your weekly minor league update.  It was a decent week for the affiliates as we are starting to see the emergence of some younger players like Yordano Ventura and Cheslor Cuthebert and the re-emergence, if you will, of Will Myers.  Here is where they stand:

Kane County – 27-39 (7th place)

Wilmington Blue Rocks – 34-31 (2nd place)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals – 32-20 (2nd place)

Omaha Storm Chasers – 37-30 (1st place)

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Your weekly minor league update returns.  It was not a good week for the minor league system.  Kane County has tried to make up some ground, but is still struggling with their young squad.  The Naturals have hit some tough times with little offense and suspect pitching, and Omaha is finally starting to feel the hit of losing some players to the big league club.  Hopefully the younger players in the leagues start to mature and get more consistent so they can move up and get these holes filled on these teams.

Here’s how the teams stand:

Kane County Cougars (Low A): 26-34 (7^th place)

Wilmington Blue Rocks (High A): 30-28 (2^nd place)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A): 26-28

Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A): 33-27 (1^st place)

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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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royalsblog.com

It’s that time again.  Your weekly minor league update has arrived and it has been a very good week for the affiliates.  Wilmington continues to dominate, Kane County is turning things around winning 6 of their last 9, and NWA and Omaha continue to do what they do.  After the Hosmer move the flood gates have opened and we have started to see alot more movement in the minor leagues between all the affiliates.  Another few weeks and we are in June, Super 2 status is no longer a concern and things will really start moving.  Should be an exciting time to be  a Royals fan, hopefully their recent slide gets turned around so they are still in contention when bringing these young ones up.

Where the affiliates stand:

Kane County Cougars (Low A): 15-26 (7th place)

Wilmington Blue Rocks (High A): 23-16 (T-1st place)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A): 20-16 (2nd place)

Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A): 23-16 (1st place)

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royalsblog.com

The weekly update of the Royals minor league system that I know you’ve all been waiting for is here.  The affiliates have come back down to Earth and normalized a little bit.  The two most talented teams, the Blue Rocks and the Storm Chasers, continue to stay in 1st place, the Naturals are hovering in second and the Cougars continue to struggle.  Once the rookie leagues start up they will no doubt reveal some talent that will move up and help the Cougars, not to mention Brett Eibner cooming back from injury.  Now, what will probably hurt the Blue Rocks will help the Naturals as Jake Odorizzi and Noel Arguelles will most likely be up there by the all star break.  Now, here is how the afiliates stand:

Kane County Cougars (Low A): 11-24 (7th place)

Wilmington Blue Rocks (High A): 18-14 (T-1st place)

Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Double A): 14-14 (2nd place)

Omaha Storm Chasers (Triple A): 19-15 (1st Place)

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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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Will Smith pitched 6.2 scoreless innings with six strikeouts to earn the clinching win.  Smith, you’ll remember, was one of the arms the Royals got from the Angels in return for Alberto Callaspo.
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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.

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.

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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