A Look Back at the Royals Top 31 Prospects: #3 Wil Myers

After a disappointing 2011 season (though he rebounded in the Arizona Fall League), Baseball America ranked outfielder Wil Myers as the Kansas City Royals third best prospect. He followed that with having one of the best (if not the best) 2012 season of ANY minor leaguer.

July 8, 2012; Kansas City, MO, USA; USA batter Wil Myers drives in a run with a fielder

EVERYONE wants to see Myers make his Major League debut after his highly successful 2012 season that saw him take every minor league award, like Baseball America’s Minor League Player of the Year Award. However, the Royals seem to want to hold him back (and now trade him for starting pitching).

Myers began the season back in Double-A, where he struggled in 2011. He hit .343 in 35 games with 13 homeruns. He moved up to Triple-A and was named to the Pacific Coast League All-Star Team (he was also a postseason all-star). He started in right right for the US team at the Futures Game and everyone wanted him to stay at Kauffman Stadium following that game (except for the Royals). Remember when he shattered the camera glass behind home plate on a nasty line drive?

With Omaha, Myers hit .304 in 99 games. He hit 24 homeruns and drove in 79 runs. He helped Omaha to their second straight PCL championship appearance. Unfortunately, the Storm Chasers lost to Reno and Myers struggled throughout the postseason.

Despite his struggles on offense in 2011, his strikeouts were not too bad (87 compared to 52 walks in 354 at-bats). With more at-bats in 2012 (522), his strikeout totals rose to 140. That could be a HUGE issue against big league pitching.

The biggest question mark (besides when he will make his debut) is what position Myers will play. He hasn’t quite adjusted to the outfield, which may be the reason the Royals have held him back. He even played some third base this season, but made two errors in just 31 chances. In the outfield, he had just one assist compared to three errors in 153 chances.

Myers is now the consensus number one prospect for the Royals.

Who knows if Myers will even be with the Royals when spring training rolls around in February? His name has been swirling all offseason in trade talks, mainly with Boston and Tampa Bay, and it will only get stronger with the Winter Meetings next week. Hopefully, he is still a Royal and is starting in the outfield when the season opens in April.