Kansas City Royals Announce Minor League Award Winners

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The Kansas City Royals announced player and pitcher of the year winners for eight minor league affiliates. The winners will be honored during Futures Night. See who earned some recognition.

With the Kansas City Royals seeing their chances of a postseason berth disappear, it’s fitting that the organization announced its minor league award winners on Tuesday.

Hitters and pitchers from each of the Royals’ eight affiliates were honored. The 16 players are scheduled to be at Futures Night on Friday at Kauffman Stadium. Although, one of the players will be in a Kansas City Royals uniform.

These are the players who will be tasked with helping rebuild a farm system that has been decimated in recent seasons.

These are the players who will be tasked with helping rebuild a farm system that has been decimated in recent seasons. Several high-profile trades have sent some of the best young players in the organization to the likes of Tampa Bay, Oakland and Cincinnati.

It’s hard to argue with the results. A pair of pennants and a World Series title are more than fair compensation. But as the current era ends, the cupboard is pretty bare.

Some of the guys on this list are among the highest-ranked prospects in the Kansas City Royals farm system. Others, particularly those in rookie ball, have too little experience to have a good grasp on what their future holds.

But any player who ends up with one of these honors is clearly showing potential. Hopefully some of them will be the next wave of talent to get the Kansas City Royals back in the postseason. Or, at least, we can hope so.

Now, let’s run down the list of honorees.

Rookie Ball — Players of the Year

Rubendy Jaquez (Dominican)

Jaquez didn’t have outstanding stats in the Dominican Summer League, but the 18-year-old did enough to lock down player of the year. He hit just .267 but 32 walks helped boost his on-base percentage almost 100 points higher than his batting average.

According to the Kansas City Royals news release, Jaquez led the team in games played, at-bats, total bases and stolen bases. Only 11 of his 56 hits went for extra bases, including just one home run. A switch-hitter, Jaquez drove in 18 runs while scoring 19.

Defensively, he split his time between first base and second base—with about two-thirds of his starts coming at second. Jaquez made just four errors during the season.

Nick Pratto (Surprise)

It’s nice to see the Kansas City Royals’ top pick in the 2017 draft have a fairly successful rookie ball season. Pratto, who was the 14th overall pick in the draft, played 52 games in the Arizona League.

Out of his 49 hits, the 18-year-old had 15 doubles, three triples and four home runs. He drove in 34 runs and slashed .247/.330/.414. The first baseman stole 10 bases in 14 tries.

According to the release, Pratto reached safely in 16 consecutive games from July 22-Aug. 13, during which time he had a .380 on-base percentage.

Michael Gigliotti (Burlington)

The Royals’ 2017 fourth-round pick out of Lipscomb, Gigliotti put together an impressive season in the Appalachian League. It earned him an All-Star nod, player of the year honors and a promotion to Single-A Lexington.

Despite the Aug. 9 promotion, Gigliotti piled up 51 hits, including 14 extra-base hits, 32 walks (to just 21 strikeouts) and 30 RBI. He has a triple-slash line of .329/.442/.477 over 42 games in the league.

The 21-year-old outfielder did pretty well after joining Lexington, too. In 22 games, Gigliotti hit .302 with eight RBI. His strikeout-to-walk ratio suffered mightily though with 20 punchouts to just eight free passes.

Robby Rinn (Idaho Falls)

After spending last season in the Arizona League, Rinn tore up the Pioneer League this summer. According to the release, the 24-year-old landed both midseason and postseason All-Star honors.

In 69 games, the first baseman slashed .355/.429/.511. A 25th-round pick by the Kansas City Royals in 2016, Rinn put together a 21-game hitting streak that stretched almost a month—from July 29-Aug. 27.

He finished the season with an even 100 hits, including 22 doubles, two triples and six home runs. Rinn scored 58 runs and drove in 59. He even walked (36) more times than he struck out (35).

Rookie Ball — Pitchers of the Year

Delvin Capellan (Dominican)

Capellan could not have pitched much better in his first professional season. The 18-year-old posted a 3-2 record with a sparkling 0.48 ERA and 0.63 WHIP over 12 games (all starts).

The right-hander added an absurd 48:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio, while allowing the opposition to hit just .164.

Capellan actually finished the year on a 27-inning scoreless streak. According to the Kansas City Royals’ release, his 0.48 ERA over 56 frames ranks as the single-season record among the franchise’s minor leaguers who threw at least 50 innings.

Charlie Neuweiler (Surprise)

A right-hander, Neuweiler made five starts among his 12 appearances in the Arizona League after being taken in the fifth round of the 2017 draft.

He finished with a 3-3 record but had an impressive 1.76 ERA over 41 innings pitched. According to the release, he might have led the league in ERA but fell four innings shy of qualifying.

The 18-year-old could have had a better strikeout-to-walk ratio (34:12), but he still managed a stellar 0.98 WHIP. Neuweiler held opponents to a .192 batting average.

Sal Biasi (Burlington)

After just four appearances with Surprise, Biasi received a promotion to Burlington. In his time in the Arizona League, Biasi had a 1-0 mark with a 2.31 ERA. During his time in the Appalachian League, the right-hander wound up 3-2 with a 2.44 ERA.

With Burlington, he started seven games and appeared in two others. An 11th-round pick this summer, Biasi had some control issues, walking 15 batters and hitting four over 44 1/3 innings. The 21-year-old did hold his opponents’ batting average to .186.

According to the release, Biasi tossed five scoreless innings—without allowing a hit or a walk—in an Aug. 18 win to earn Appalachian League Pitcher of the Week honors.

Janser Lara (Idaho Falls)

After spending last season in the Dominican Summer League, Lara came to the United States to pitch in the Pioneer League. His two professional seasons have seen the right-hander post similar statlines.

Last year, he posted a 4.09 ERA and 1.64 WHIP with a 2.14 strikeouts per walk. With Idaho Falls, Lara finished with a 4.13 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and a 1.97 strikeouts per walk. His record, though, did improve significantly from 0-1 to 4-2.

Lara’s numbers suffered a lot due to one horrendous outing. On Aug. 24, he allowed nine runs (six earned) on 13 hits in 5 2/3 innings. Take away that outing, Lara’s ERA falls to a much better 2.59.

Lexington (A) Player/Pitcher of the Year

Emmanuel Rivera

After a pair of below-average seasons in rookie ball, Rivera broke out with Lexington in 2017. The third baseman collected 144 hits, including 27 doubles, five triples and 12 home runs, to go with 60 runs and 72 RBI.

The third baseman hit .310/.364/.468. According to the release, he ranked first in batting average and hits in the South Atlantic League. Rivera also placed in the top five in on-base percentage and slugging.

They were a great improvement over the 21-year-old’s previous two seasons. In 2015, Rivera hit an atrocious .174/.317/.217 in the Arizona League. The following year, he slashed .249/.317/.373 before breaking out this season.

Jace Vines

The fifth right-hander to be honored, thus far, Vines excelled with Lexington to earn a late-season promotion to Wilmington. He even earned a start with Triple-A Omaha on Aug. 28, allowing just two runs over six innings in a no-decision.

According to the release, his 12 combined wins—nine with Lexington and three with Wilmington—ranked second among players in the Kansas City Royals farm system. Vines made 14 starts over 19 appearances at Lexington, finishing with a 9-5 record and a 3.42 ERA.

The 23-year-old was drafted in the fourth round of the 2016 draft. He struggled mightily during his time with Surprise and Idaho Falls last year, but Vines clearly seemed to turn a corner this season.

Wilmington (A+) Player/Pitcher of the Year

Nicky Lopez

Lopez finished the season with 59 appearances at Northwest Arkansas, but it’s what he accomplished in his 70 games at Wilmington that land him a player of the year honor.

The 22-year-old put together a triple-slash line of .295/.376/.407 during his time in the Carolina League. According to the Royals’ release, Lopez earned a spot on the Carolina League midseason All-Star team, and that’s after being named an Appalachian League postseason All-Star last year.

A 2016 fifth-round pick, Lopez wrapped up his season with a combined 144 hits, 68 runs and 38 RBI. The shortstop had exactly the same number of walks and strikeouts (52). Although, his ratio was much better with Wilmington (23 strikeouts to 16 walks).

Richard Lovelady

Not only is Lovelady the first left-hander to appear on this list, but also he’s the first relief pitcher honored. Like Lopez, Lovelady split his time between Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas in 2017. In fact, Lovelady made exactly 21 appearances and pitched exactly 33 1/3 innings for each team.

While in the Carolina League, the 22-year-old had a 1-0 record and seven saves in eight chances. His ERA stood at a sensational 1.08, while striking out 41 and walking just four. After his promotion to Double-A, Lovelady struggled a bit. He had a 3-2 mark with only three saves in six chances and a 2.16 ERA.

Even still, his overall numbers in 2017 were stupendous. According to the release, his cumulative 1.62 ERA placed him first among Kansas City Royals farm hands with at least 60 innings pitched. Lovelady’s 10 total saves ranked second in the system.

Northwest Arkansas (AA) Player/Pitcher of the Year

Donnie Dewees

The lone player on the list who wasn’t drafted by the Kansas City Royals, Dewees played in 126 games for the Naturals in 2017. The 23-year-old spent most of his time in center field, featuring in 107 games there, while putting up an impressive .994 fielding percentage.

Dewees finished with exactly one hit per game, while slashing .272/.340/.407. A former second-round pick of the Chicago Cubs, Dewees added 67 runs, 52 RBI and 20 stolen bases to his 39 extra-base hits in his first season in the Royals organization.

According to a Royals’ release, Dewees, who bats and throws left-handed, twice earned Texas League Player of the Week honors.

Foster Griffin

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Another player who split his time between Wilmington and Springdale, Griffin did enough after his promotion on May 30 to earn pitcher of the year for the Double-A club. His stellar season saw him named a Carolina League All-Star, but more importantly landed Griffin a spot in the Futures Game during All-Star week.

A late-first-round pick in 2014, Griffin threw 161 1/3 innings this season with 104 2/3 coming with Northwest Arkansas. With the Naturals, he put together an 11-5 record, 3.61 ERA and 1.36 WHIP across 18 starts. Understandably, his stats with Wilmington (4-2 mark, 2.86 ERA and1.11 WHIP) were even better.

The 6-foot-3 left-hander is easily one of the brightest pieces in the Kansas City Royals system. According to the release, Griffin’s 15 total wins on the season were the most by a minor leaguer in the organization since Jake Odorizzi had the same number during the 2012 season.

Omaha (AAA) Player/Pitcher of the Year

Frank Schwindel

Have the Kansas City Royals found a replacement for Eric Hosmer? No. No, they haven’t. But Schwindel has done enough to insert himself into the conversation of future (not 2018) first basemen.

In 133 games (34 in Double-A and 99 in Triple-A), Schwindel showed a lot of power. When combining his stats together, he set career-highs in doubles (43), home runs (22) and RBI (97).

Specifically with the Storm Chasers, the 25-year-old hit .321/.340/.528 with 30 doubles, 17 home runs and 72 RBI. He scored 51 runs but drew just 10 walks.

According to the Royals’ release, he had at least one hit in 47 of his final 50 games. That included three different double-digit hitting streaks. Not too shabby for a former 18th-round selection.

Jake Junis

Before he was tearing it up in the Kansas City Royals rotation—and a little bit during—Junis put up solid numbers in Omaha. He’s be one of the club’s biggest surprises this season. Apparently, he’s been the best pitcher for the Storm Chasers, too.

Ironically, Junis has a much better record in the big leagues this season (8-3 compared to 3-5). However, most of his Triple-A numbers were more impressive. He finished his 12 starts in Omaha with a 2.92 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and an 86:15 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

His areas of improvement include limiting his home runs allowed and lowering his opponents’ batting average. But Junis has shown plenty of promise—particularly for a former 29th-round pick. He’s expected to slot nicely into the rotation for 2018.

The downside to Junis getting this honor, of course, is the organization clearly doesn’t have a lot of quality arms waiting in the wings. But that’s a discussion for another day. For now, we’ll tip our caps, say congratulations and let them know we’re looking forward to their future contributions.

Next: The 10 Best Royals Outfielders of All-Time

Oh, yeah, and please hurry!

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