Kansas City Royals: Donnie Dewees is moving himself into the light

The Kansas City Royals have a lot of young prospects who want to become part of the future. Some are more well-known than others. Some are having to work harder to get their name mixed into the conversation.

Donnie Dewees is one of those players. The Kansas City Royals acquired the center fielder from the Chicago Cubs when the sent Alec Mills to Chicago.

When the Royals first got Dewees, he was a Low-A outfielder who was showing promise. He doesn’t have “over the fence” power, but he does have the ability to hit the gap. Over his first two years in A-Ball, he hit .278/.327/.405 over 195 games. During that time he also hit 39 doubles, 15 triples, and 10 home runs. Not awful, but his gap hitting ability is impressive.

When he was traded to the Royals he was promoted to Double-A. Through the year and a half he was there he hit .264/.327/.386 with 36 doubles, 11 triples, and 11 home runs over 196 games. He declined a bit when he moved up, but his extra-base hits stayed nearly identical over essentially the same number of games.

Which lead to his promotion to Triple-A this year. So far over his first five games, he has slashed a .350/.435/.650 with one double, triple, and home run. Obviously, it is too early to say what he will do in Triple-A, but it is encouraging that he is staying active at the plate.

Something else that is encouraging, even though his batting average isn’t jaw-dropping, his wRC+ is impressive. His lowest is 76 this year at Double-A, but he has been in the 100 nearly every level he’s played at.

His defense is impressive though.

Without having the ability to look at his UZR numbers, we are left with his fielding percentage and defensive errors. At his primary position, center field, he has a 9.89 fielding percentage over 2,880.2 innings and 331 games. He has also played significant time in left field, sporting a .992 fielding percentage over 513.2 innings and 62 games. Overall, his outfield fielding percentage is .989 over 3,410.1 innings and 393 games.

Of all those innings and all those games, he has only committed 11 errors. He has 20 outfield assists and has helped turn three double plays.

Not half bad.

While the 24-year-old is making noise in the system, he is being overshadowed by some.

Dewees is currently the Royals 15th ranked prospect within their system. Which for a system that is moving up the boards, that isn’t half bad. Unfortunately, he is also competing with names like Seuly Matias, Khalil Lee, and newly acquired Blake Perkins.

When you take into consideration who the Royals could have in the outfield when they hope to start contending again, Dewees may be overlooked.

If he continues to have the success he has shown as of late, I believe he should get a chance to show what he can do at the big league level. That could be this year in September, or next year after the Royals make additional moves.

We know guys like Alex Gordon, Jorge Bonifacio, and Jorge Soler are currently slated to be the 2019 outfielder. Maybe that could be the perfect opportunity for Dewees to get some big league action.

Next: The Whit Merrifield dilemma

Point is, I wouldn’t count Dewees out just yet. Pay attention to what he’s doing and who knows, maybe we will be in for quite a surprise.

What do you think Royals fans? Do you think Dewees could fit with the Royals future? Should he get a chance at the big league level soon? Or is he someone who will fall victim to the “lifetime minor league” honors? Let us know below!