3 KC Royals prospects who need a change of scenery

This former first-round pick in 2014 had a great 2017 season but has struggled while being assigned to Double-A and Triple-A the last two years.

Foster Griffin was selected by the KC Royals as an 18-year-old out of First Academy in Orlando, Florida.  He jumped right into the fray joining the Burlington Royals that summer and held his own in 11 starts with a 3.21 ERA. After struggling at Lexington in 2015 he looked good for the Legends the following year in seven starts again, but had difficulty with a promotion when he was sent to the Wilmington Blue Rocks.

2017 was easily the high water mark in Griffin’s career, as he split time between Wilmington and the Northwest Arkansas Travelers in AA.  His combined record was 15-7 with a 3.35 ERA and during his time with Blue Rocks, he had career bests in WHIP (1.11) and ERA (2.86).

It was also in 2017 that Griffin reached his highest point on the MLB KC Royals Prospect list, shooting all the way up to No. 6.  He was also named the Royals Minor League Player of the Year.  Oddly though, by the next season, he was nowhere to be found on the rankings.

Part of this could be due to the struggle with issuing free passes and that hitters in the Texas League hit .271 off of him.  They did much better in 2018, taking Griffin to the woodshed with a .315 average.  His ERA that year was 5.13.

One situation out of Griffin’s control was the draft class of 2018 that included five college pitchers who all could be part of the Royals big league squad in the next couple of years. It’s easy to see how Brady Singer, Jackson Kowar, Daniel Lynch, Kris Bubic, and Jonathan Bowlan can push you down the depth chart.

A promotion to Omaha occurred in 2019 nonetheless and once again he had difficulty getting big-league players out.  Despite an 8-6 record in 25 starts, the ERA creeped up to 5.23 and he walked 64 players in 130 2/3 innings.

Griffin did score an invite to the big league camp this spring and the results were not pretty statistically.  He had a 7.94 ERA in four games before being optioned to the minor league camp.

While the 6-foot-3 left-hander still may have a future at the big league level, with the KC Royals’ other plethora or arms quickly moving up the rankings it is probably best he get a chance with another team.

Another pitcher from the draft class of 2014 could use a fresh perspective on his career.

Six seasons in the minors seems like a long time but when you begin at the age of 18, you are still a young 24 years old at the end of that stretch.  Scott Blewett has had trouble putting together solid seasons however and perhaps another organization can help him realize his MLB dreams.

Outside of five starts with the Travelers in 2019, Blewett has never had an ERA below 4.07 with any team he has played for professionally.  Those in charge of the MLB Prospect Rankings in 2017 saw enough potential though and placed him at No. 7 that year. Another victim of the great pitching class of 2018, Blewett fell to 25th in 2018 and left the rankings in 2019.

Things looked to be taking a positive turn in the Arizona Fall League in 2018 as he went 4-0 in six starts with a 2.49 ERA.  Recording 21 strikeouts in 25 1/3 frames and a WHIP of 1.145 were all easily career highs.

The success was short-lived as a 18 appearances (16 starts) for Omaha in 2019 were disastrous.  Granted the Pacific Coast League is not pitcher-friendly, but an ERA of 8.52 and 46 free passes in 81 1/3 innings were unacceptable.  The result was a demotion back to AA where he did rebound in those five aforementioned starts.

Blewett did get his third straight taste of spring with the Royals but was optioned back to Omaha on March 7th.  He only put in three innings of work and gave up four earned runs in that time.

There are just too many other young arms dealing in the organization for Blewett to be in serious contention for a roster spot Kansas City.  A fresh start elsewhere could be a positive for this young man’s career.

The Royals are definitely not catcher-rich in their system, but keeping a player who strikes out at nearly 50 percent rate is not advisable.

Technically drafted in the first round of the 2014 draft, Chase Vallot was the 40th pick in the CBA portion. Normally I would advocate for giving a player of the caliber who is only 23 years old more of a chance…especially a catcher.  But the last two years have been brutal.

Vallot peaked at No. 12 in the 2017 MLB Prospects list for the KC Royals.  That is understandable after the best season of his pro career in 2016.  There he slashed .246/.367/.463 with 13 home runs for the Lexington Legends and was named a mid-season All-Star.

He raised his OBP by 24 points the next year, even with his average dipping by four points. In 2018 though, the wheels starting coming off.

An injury rehab assignment that sent him back to Idaho Falls that season was a nice 37 games respite from the .108/.281/.277 slash he produced in 47 games at Wilmington in 2018.  He also managed to strike out 151 times in just 293 at-bats with the Advanced-A club.

Hopefully a healthy season would see a dramatic turn in results for 2019.  Back at Single-A Lexington, Vallot did crush another 14 bombs but batted just .190 and was punched out 155 times in 279 at-bats.  He still has a good eye, able to muster a .303 OBP despite that batting average.

Vallot should still see plenty of opportunities to succeed in pro baseball but would probably be best suited with another franchise.  The Royals need to develop hitters with a focus on contact, and that is not his strong suit.