SB Nation User Blog: adschofield

The Emergence of Mike Moustakas

adschofield — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 03:50:07 -0000

After a horrific month of April and average performances in May and June, it appears the Moose has become the prospect will all thought he was. Tonight, he continued to mash MWL pitching going 2-4 2 HR's and 4 RBI's...Over the last 3 games, he has 5 HR's, but what's more impressive is this line for his Post All-Star Break numbers:

.333/.404/.586/.990 with 11 HR's, 27 RBI's and a 22:16 K:BB

Not only did he improve every statistical category, he is showing some nice plate discipline. Discuss

Promising Tim Melville News?

adschofield — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:48:32 -0000

The St. Louis Dispatch had a website article on Tim Melville and his draft process here:

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/sports/stories.nsf/cardinals/story/FD2C05C3CD8FBFF686257460000D0D11?OpenDocument

Some interesting portions:

"It's been nerve-racking," he said. "It was unpredictable. It's a little bit disappointing because I know I'm better than the guys going before me. It's just a number. It's just a draft number. I think it's more dependent on the team. We like Kansas City. … I felt the most comfortable with them."
-Tim Melville

"We're feeling awesome," said Tim's mother, Valerie Melville. "The Royals were a team he got to know and was comfortable with. … We are thrilled."

Early indications were the Royals would discuss meeting Melville's asking price as well.

"They are in the ballpark," Valerie Melville said. "It will all come out later."

Promising news to say the least, and it's nice to know that we've developed a nice relationship with the Melville family and that we're "in the ballpark." I like the fact that Melville is a bit pissed off about being passed up.

So what do you think? Will we sign Melville?

How about a double-deal? While the Royals' interest in Eric Hosmer at No. 3 overall gets most of...

adschofield — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 23:04:35 -0000

How about a double-deal? While the Royals' interest in Eric Hosmer at No. 3 overall gets most of the attention, they might have an interest in one of Hosmer's teammates at American Heritage High School in Florida. Catcher Adrian Nieto has been on their radar for a while with later picks. The Royals have a pick in the sandwich round (36) and at the top of the second round (49) and perhaps may want to make it an American Heritage perfecta. Who knows, maybe taking Nieto will help make sure they can get the Scott Boras-advised Hosmer in the fold.

http://draft.mlblogs.com/

Burlington Bees: Pitching Report

adschofield — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 02:23:44 -0000

Alrighty, let's dive right in...

Juan Aberu, Reliever, RHP, 6'0 170 lbs

Age: 23

Background: Signed as an International Free Agent during the Baird regime in 2003...Was a starter in his first year while he posted Odalis Perez-like numbers...Converted to a reliever in 2006 when he posted a 5.00+ ERA in Idaho Falls...Struggles with his control, and walked over a batter an inning on average...However, he gets a lot of K's and doesn't give up a lot of hits.

This year: 3 IP, 12.00 ERA, 5 K's to 1 BB...Simply gave up too many hits in his only game, but his K:BB is promising even though it's an understatement to call it a small sample size.

Henry Arias, Reliever, RHP, 6'3 201 lbs

Age: 23

Background: Signed as an International Free Agent by Baird in 2003...Has been a starter his last two years in the Arizona League and Burlington...Looked promising in 2006 when he posted a 3.57 ERA with good K numbers and low hit numbers, but struggled with command...Started last year in Burlington, but posted a 6.00 ERA as his K numbers plummeted and hits numbers skyrocketed...Converted to a reliever pitcher later that year I'm assuming

This year: 2-0, 5.1 IP, 3.38 ERA, 2 K's to 2 BB's...Solid start for Arias, if he limits the hit numbers and gets more strikeouts he could be at least solid organizational filler

Joe Augustine, Starter/Reliever, RHP, 6'2 220 lbs

Age: 23

Background: Signed as an undrafted free agent...Pitcher Division III baseball...Was great in rookie-league Burlington last year, posting a 2.36 ERA with solid perphials..Might be a starter or a reliever as he has been both to start this season out, and bounced back and forth last year

This year: 1-0, 6.75 ERA, 8.0 IP, 9 K's to 4 BB's...Started out as a reliever this year and got rocked, but came back as a starter and had a solid outing...He's simply giving up too many hits, but is also getting crushed by lefties...He's given up all his runs against lefties...ouch

Anthony Bradley, Reliever, LHP, 6'3 207 lbs

Age: 22

Background: Signed as an undrafted FA last year...Dominated last year in rookie-level Burlington where he was named Pitcher of the Year...Made a relief appearence in AAA Omaha last year...His pitcher coach in college was former major leaguer, Tony Fossas...Fairly promising and it should be interesting to see what he does in more advanced leagues

This year: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.0 IP, 6 K's to 2 BB's...Great start for Bradley...not giving up a lot of hits and is keeping the ball on the ground...However, if he wants to make it in the higher levels he needs to K more.

Alexander Caldera, Starter, RHP, 6'3 200 lbs

Age: 22

Background: Selected in the 13th round in the 2007 draft...Had an overall outstanding season last year in rookie-level Burlington with a 3.40 ERA and great perphials...Had a two-hitter complete game last year...Started and also saved a couple of games last year...Fairly promising with four quality pitches and great control.

This year: 0-1, 1.74 ERA, 10.1 IP, 12 K's to 1 BB...Simply an outstanding start for Caldera...Had a 1-hitter last game with 8 K's in 5.0 IP...It should be interesting to see if he can replicate near this success throughout the season and in higher levels.

Edward Cegarra, Starter/Reliever, RHP, 5'11 175

Age: 19

Background: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2005...Flat out Dominated the Dominican League in 2006...Had the injury bug last year and struggled a bit as a result..He's got a low-90's FB with a potential plus pitcher with his slider...Should be an interesting year for Cegarra as he could really improve his stock...However, he's going to have to strikeout more batters as he only had 37 K's in 58 IP last year

This year: 10.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 8 K's to 1 BB...Great start for Cegarra, I think if KC put him at reliever and let him stay there, his K numbers would go up...Not giving a lot of hits and keeping the ball on the ground.

Daniel Gutierrez, Starter, RHP, 6'1 180

Age: 21

Background: 33rd round selection in the 2005 in draft...Signed as a draft-and-follow...Failed miserably in Idaho Falls with a 6.57 ERA in 2006...Suspended in 2007 along with prospect Jason Taylor and others at the beginning... Returned in time to show some promise with the Burlington Bees...Has a fastball that runs in the low-90s and a potentially plus curve...His development as a starter might depend on his change-up, which at this point is far behind his other pitches

This year: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 11.0 IP, 13 K's to 3 BB's...Fantastic start for Gutierrez and is really building upon the dominance that he flashed last year...He might not be on my report anymore, because Wilmington might be in his future

Yensi Lopez, Reliever, RHP 6'0 160 lbs

Age: 22

Background: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2003..Played in the Arizona League in 2006 and posted average number with a 4.99 ERA and sub-par perphials...In 2007, he played on the rookie-level Burlington team, and lowered his ERA to 3.58 and nearly doubled his strikeout numbers.

This year: 3.0 IP, 3.00 ERA, 4 K's to 3 BB's...Pretty average start for a reliever, and is pretty unrevealing...Stay tuned.

Matthew Mitchell, Starter, RHP, 6'2 200 lbs

Age: 19

Background: The Royals' 14th round pick in 2007 and even signed over-slot! He was sent to Arizona where he simply dominated with great K numbers and a 1.80 ERA...High-80's to Low-90's FB with a plus palmball changeup and a developing curveball...Struggled with keeping the ball down in the zone early in the season, but improved as the season progressed...This should be an interesting year for him because Arizona really wasn't a challenge...Probably the best pitching prospect on the team right now.

This Year: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 6 IP, 5 K's to 0 BB's...Great start for Mitchell but his problems with keeping the ball down in the zone is looking like it is still around, but nonetheless, a promising start

Eduardo Paulino, Starter/Reliever, RHP, 5'11 176 lbs

Age: 22

Background: Signed as an International Free Agent in 2006...Premiered here in the States in 2007 on the rookie-level Burlington team...He had an average season with Burlington with a 4.86 ERA, but with promising perphials...Needs to up his K's

This year: 0-2, 7.71 ERA, 7.0 IP, 8 K's to 3 BB's...Flat out horrible start for Paulino as he's giving up way to many hits.

Zach Peterson, Starter, RHP, 6'1 165 lbs

Age: 23

Background: Signed as an undrafted FA in 2007...Had a great year at Idaho Falls posting nearly 10 K's per 9 innings and a 2.86 ERA...He also kept the hits and walks down...Probably will be a reliever when the season gets into full swing.

This year: 0-1, 24.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 3 K's to 1 BB...Pretty bad start for Peterson, but nothing to go crazy over given the small sample size...Will like be a reliever later this season even though he began the season with a start.

Ben Swaggerty, Reliever, LHP, 6'1 185 lbs

Age:25

Background: Signed as a undrafted free agent in 2007...Made his debut in Idaho Falls..Posted a great performance with a 3.03 ERA with 13 K's per 9 innings and low hits and walks...Did not allow a run in his last 11 appearences.

This year: 0-0, 5.79 ERA, 4.2 IP, 4 K's to 4 BB's...Although Ben clearly didn't carry his momentum into this new season, but it's not a horrible start by any means, plus I wouldn't put much stock in the stats anyway given he's only pitched 4.2 innings

Top Performers:

Anthony Bradley

Alexander Caldera

Edward Cegarra

Matthew Mitchell

Daniel Gutierrez

There you have it...I wouldn't put too much stock in the stats themselves, I just wanted the opportunity to introduce the prospects before we got into the full swing of things. Any criticisms? Any other stats you would like included on the report?

Royals Interested in Guillen, Jenkins, and Hunter

adschofield — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 05:02:21 -0000

Per mlbtraderumors.com and Bob Dutton:

"I was waiting for someone to name a few players of interest to the Royals, and Bob Dutton came through tonight with some names.

Specifically, the team is after a run-producer, ideally a right-handed hitter. That puts Jose Guillen atop their list. Dayton Moore might need to go a little north of three years, $30MM to get him.

Failing that, the left-handed hitting Geoff Jenkins is on the radar. He'd probably go for a one-year, $6-7MM contract in my estimation.

Dutton also hints that Sammy Sosa could be a consideration for the Royals, as he does have pop if nothing else. They are one of a handful of teams with an open DH spot."

Mike Moustakas to attend USC

adschofield — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 23:02:18 -0000

I don't know if this is just posturing but it's pretty disheartening news for us Royals fans.

http://www.kansascity.com/news/breaking_news/story/233027.html

The first real bit of news about the Royals' negotiations with No. 2 overall pick Mike Moustakas come in the form of a message to The Kansas City Star from Scott Boras, who is advising Moustakas.

"As far as I understand from the family," Boras said, "he's returning to school."

Moustakas did not immediately return a phone message.

Moustakas previously signed a letter of intent with USC. If nothing is done by 10:59 tonight Kansas City time, the Royals would receive the No. 3 pick in next year's draft as compensation.

Phillippe Aumont Signs

adschofield — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 22:34:15 -0000

http://www.baseballamerica.com/blog/draft/?p=210

The trend of signing mid first-round picks to 2006 (and not 2007) MLB slot recommendations continues as the Mariners have landed No. 11 overall pick Phillippe Aumont for $1.9 million. MLB's slot for this year was $1.71 million, down 10 percent from 2006.

No. 10 pick Madison Bumgarner (Giants) and No. 14 choice Jason Heyward (Braves) recently signed deals worth exactly their 2006 slots. No. 17 pick Blake Beavan (Rangers) signed yesterday for a bonus that almost exactly split the difference between the 2006 and 2007 recommendations for his slot.

The Nos. 9 (Jarrod Parker, Diamondbacks) and 12 (Matt Dominguez, Marlins) picks are still trying to bridge the gap between the 2006 and 2007 slots. MLB values Parker's slot at $1.89 million (down from $2.1 million) and Dominguez' at $1.71 million (down from $1.9 million).

And then there were five.

Danny Duffy

adschofield — Fri, 10 Aug 2007 21:46:23 -0000

Danny Duffy, a lefty, was the 3rd round pick for the Royals this year, and he is absolutely dealing in the Arizona rookie league. Through 22.1 innings, he's got a 0.40 ERA, 39 K's!!!!, and a BAA of .173. What do you guys think about this guy? Do you think he can replicate this success or is it a fluke? Also, what do you guys think of Daniel Cortes. He came over to the Royals in the MacDougal trade. He's a 6'5" righty, he's not giving up a lot of hits, 80 hits in 94 innings, and he's got 87 K's in 94 innings, and he's only 20. Any feedback on these guys would be appreciated.

More Dotel News

adschofield — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 07:25:31 -0000

I found this very interesting:

The Royals want a righthanded-hitting center fielder in return for Octavio Dotel. Now that's a tall order. Sherman names Lastings Milledge and Carlos Gomez as two who fit the bill, but such a trade would require young talent like Zack Greinke coming back to the Mets. Just speculating, but Melky Cabrera and Reggie Willits also fit the Royals' need.

Another entry on mlbtraderumors.com: The Dodgers have jumped to the forefront on Octavio Dotel, with Takashi Saito ailing. According to Rosenthal, the Royals aren't demanding the very specific bounty Joel Sherman claimed. Instead, they just want a near MLB-ready player. Rosenthal says Tony Abreu is out of reach but Chin-Lung Hu might not be. He suggests moving Hu to second base to accomodate Tony Pena Jr., which should probably be reversed. It appears the Indians wouldn't surrender Franklin Gutierrez or Ben Francisco for Dotel. I'd give one up, personally.

Market for Dotel is heating up...

adschofield — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 17:11:18 -0000

You can add the Yankees to the growing list of teams interested in Royals' closer Octavio Dotel. According to Tyler Kepner of the New York Times, the Yankees are interested despite Dotel's inability to contribute last year. As you might expect, Kepner says Dayton Moore is still asking for too much. Prices should get reasonable in about a week.

The list of teams interested in Dotel, as far as I know: Cubs, Dodgers, Brewers, Red Sox, Rockies, Indians, Yankees. Today the Kansas City Star also mentioned the Tigers and Braves. I haven't seen the Phillies or Mariners mentioned in print yet but we'll see.

One other Royals note: according to Dayton Moore, the Cubs never called about Zack Greinke.