KC Royals: Three prospects most likely to make an impact in the majors

The KC Royals have some prospects who are ready to play at the major league level, and since the Royals are not in a position to win they should try to get some of the young guns some time in the majors.

There are a couple of Royals prospects that are ready and have already played on last year’s team, like Josh Staumont, and we should see a couple more prospects up in the majors for a while in this upcoming season.

The following prospects will have to fight for a spot in spring training, mainly for bench spots or the outfield. We should expect a reliever to fight for a spot, but with the Greg Holland signing, we won’t likely see as much of a competition in the bullpen as the battle be between some of the pitchers fighting for the fifth spot in the rotation.

I would assume most of the prospects that we will see this year will be outfielders since most of the other positions have been locked down by other players. We could see a starting pitching prospect, like Brady Singer, but all of the prospects I will list I believe will play either opening day or before the All-Star break.

At the moment the KC Royals need some bench pieces and some outfielders as I don’t think the Royals should roll out Alex Gordon in left, Whit Merrifield in center, and Hunter Dozier in right every day this season. The Royals have great depth in the outfield and need some more bench players.

The starting outfield is pretty much determined at this point, but the fourth outfield spot is up for grabs and the Royals have two players that could be the fourth outfielder for this year.

1. Nick Heath

One of the prospects is Nick Heath, the speedster who has an elite glove. That skill set may sound familiar to a former Royal who was integral to the World Series runs, Jarrod Dyson. Dyson was a speedster who had an elite glove, but he could hit and get on base to use said speed, unlike Billy Hamilton.

The main competitor with Nick Heath and my personal choice based on prospect rankings and age, Khalil Lee, but Royals manager Mike Matheny said that Heath would be a weapon to use as an everyday player.

The argument for Khalil Lee is that he is younger and according to many ready for the majors, but to counter that he is 21 years old so he can develop even further in the minors while Nick Heath gets his shot in the majors.

Nick Heath is the more ready prospect at the moment, but expect to see both Heath and Lee for an extended look this year as the Royals determine who is the future in the outfield.

One other big competition for a backup spot is at catcher since the Royals get Salvador Perez back from Tommy John surgery. The two players fighting for the spot are Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria.

2. Meibrys Viloria

I expect Viloria to win this outright, even though his stats last year were not very appealing, he had a line of .211/.259/.286 with an OPS of .544.  FanGraphs doesn’t think Viloria will do much better with a .225/.284/.322, which is better but still below league average.

Viloria is in a tough spot since Salvador Perez is the feature backstop and MJ Melendez is right behind him as the Royals top catching prospect in the system. So Viloria needs to prove to the Royals that he can be an impact bat while providing his defense.

Gallagher poses a pretty good threat to Viloria, mainly because Gallagher has been the backup for a couple of seasons and has proven to be serviceable during that time. Viloria still has a great chance to make the roster due to his potential as a good hitter and great defender.

This year is a big one for Viloria since he has to show why he was regarded as a top prospect and to show that he can be the starter if “Sal” moves to first base full time. The other reason this year is a big year for Viloria is that MJ Melendez is right behind him and he is rated higher as a prospect.

Third base looks to be locked down after the Royals signed a third baseman during the offseason, but Kelvin Gutierrez could still see some time in a backup role, or later in the season.

3A. Kelvin Gutierrez

This pick may surprise some since there is a good chance Brady Singer plays at the majors this year, but I believe Gutierrez is primed for a good second season. Gutierrez has been known as a good all-around hitter, with a plus arm and some problems in the field.

This year will be very tough for him though with the signing of Maikel Franco taking the hot corner. I believe Gutierrez will win a bench spot being the backup third baseman and if Franco gets traded mid-season, hopefully, Gutierrez will shine as an everyday player.

The main problem with this pick is that if Maikel Franco doesn’t get traded, it would make this pick irrelevant. I firmly believe that Franco will get traded for prospects or draft capital, and since his deal was a one year deal for $3 million he should be a prime target for competitive teams who need a third baseman.

For the first half of the season though Gutierrez will be riding the bench waiting for spot starts throughout the first half of the season. This year is kind of a prove-it year for Gutierrez, as he is 25 years old, to see if he can be the long term third baseman.