I'm interested to get the community's thoughts on these two. In some ways they are very similar, but in other ways they are drastically different.

As most know by now, Bundy and Bradley are arguably the two best prep pitching prospects in the draft class this year (arguments could also be made for Taylor Guerreri and Daniel Norris). Both pitchers are from the Tulsa, OK area and have competed against each other for years. They came into the season about even in the eyes of scouts, but most believe Bundy has pulled ahead of the pack with an outstanding senior season.

Bundy is about 6'1" with a sturdy, athletic build. His velo ticked up this year, and reportedly he is now sitting 94-97 and topping out at 100. His secondary stuff is also great - he works in a plus cutter, plus curve, and average change. Most seem to think he could fly through a minor league system assuming no setbacks.

Bradley is a more projectable 6'4", and is a bit lankier than Bundy. Like Zach Lee last year, he has a commitment to play QB at a powerhouse football school (Oklahoma) that provides him some interesting leverage. He velo was at 92-95 before his senior season, but was inconsistent early on. However, he took his game up a notch as the season went on, and Jim Callis noted that he might have more helium than any other 1st round-caliber pick right now. Reports indicate he touched 101 in the state championship. He mixes in a plus curve and supposedly has nice feel for a change.

I don't really have a conclusion here, just some random thoughts:

- How likely is it that Bundy's stuff ticks down throwing 200 IP in a season? His stuff jumped up this year, but he also had a very light workload (only went over 85 pitches in two games). Recall there were some concerns about his workload last year, and it seems like his coach/family took extra precaution this year.

- If Bradley is now pumping it up into the upper 90's, why is he not at least on par with Bundy? He is more projectable and likely has greater athleticism, allowing him to more easily repeat his delivery as he goes through the minors.

- Since Bradley has only given baseball half his commitment level due to football, how much more could his game tick up by giving it his full commitment? Basically, if they are both comparable now, does Bradley's upside push him ahead?

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=Ak7itvG54LSl70KH6Ttfr9gRvLYF?slug=jp-passan_baseball_draft_bundy_bauer_long_toss_debate_051911

Bundy has reportedly told the Pirates and Royals not to draft him because he does not want his long toss program altered.

Seattle, Arizona, and Washington are all advocates of long toss.

This is a pretty interesting development IMO, and I am curious to see thoughts on this. Should the Pirates and Royals become more flexible on pitcher development? What are the real concerns with long toss? Is there evidence to support the concerns?

Another part I don't quite understand is that Royals pitchers Mike Montgomery and John Lamb both have testimonials on Jaeger's long toss website. I know the Royals and Montgomery have butted heads in the past about his long toss, so I am not sure if they have relented, if he does it in the offseason, or if he has abandoned it.

FYI Trevor Bauer is also a noted long tosser.

Just announced by Ned Yost. Kila Kaaihue will be demoted back to AAA.

I'm sure there will be criticism of the move due to Kila not getting a "full" chance, but he has been killing the Royals this year.

I'm a little surprised they didn't wait until June 1 to avoid Super Two status, but I guess it's not really that much money in the long run.

Assuming Hosmer stays up all season, any guesses on his batting line?

Royals take the top 3 spots.

1. Mike Moustakas, 3b, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals)
2. Eric Hosmer, 1b, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals)
3. Mike Montgomery, lhp, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals)
4. Wilin Rosario, c, Tulsa Drillers (Rockies)
5. Martin Perez, lhp, Frisco Roughriders (Rangers)
6. Aaron Crow, rhp, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals)
7. Jordan Lyles, rhp, Corpus Christi Hooks (Astros)
8. Simon Castro, rhp, San Antonio Missions (Padres)
9. Blake Beaven, rhp, Frisco Roughriders (Rangers)
10. Christian Friedrich, lhp, Tulsa Drillers (Rockies)
11. Cory Luebke, lhp, San Antonio Missions (Padres)
12. Jordan Walden, rhp, Arkansas Travelers (Angels)
13. James Darnell, 3b, San Antonio Missions (Padres)
14. Eduardo Sanchez, rhp, Springfield Cardinals
15. Rex Brothers, lhp, Tulsa Drillers (Rockies)
16. Louis Coleman, rhp, Northwest Arkansas Naturals (Royals)
17. Charlie Blackmon, of, Tulsa Drillers (Rockies)
18. Engel Beltre, of, Tulsa Drillers (Rangers)
19. Wynn Pelzer, rhp, San Antonio Missions (Padres)
20. Trevor Reckling, lhp, Arkansas Travelers (Angels)

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/league-top-20-prospects/2010/2610776.html

1. Julio Teheran, rhp, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Braves)
2. Eric Hosmer, 1b, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
3. John Lamb, lhp, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
4. Wil Myers, c, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
5. Devin Mesoraco, c, Lynchburg Hillcats (Reds)
6. Randall Delgado, rhp, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Braves)
7. Chris Dwyer, lhp, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
8. Oscar Tejeda, 2b, Salem Red Sox
9. Christian Colon, ss, Wilmington Blue Rocks (Royals)
10. Jason Kipnis, 2b, Kinston Indians
11. Derek Norris, c, Potomac Nationals
12. Xavier Avery, of, Frederick Keys (Orioles)
13. Will Middlebrooks, 3b, Salem Red Sox
14. Michael Burgess, of, Potomac Nationals
15. Gregory Infante, rhp, Winston Salem (White Sox)
16. J.J. Hoover, rhp, Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Braves)
17. Ryan Lavarnway, c, Salem Red Sox
18. Tyler Moore, 1b, Potomac Nationals
19. Jordan Henry, 1b, Kinston Indians
20. Santos Rodriguez, lhp, Winston-Salem Dash (White Sox)

 

http://www.baseballamerica.com/today/prospects/rankings/league-top-20-prospects/2010/2610745.html

along with Danny Duffy according to reports. What a year John Lamb is having so far, the kid just turned 20 years old and has been cruising the last few months.

 

Also, Michael Montgomery is reportedly ready to head back to Northwest Arkansas, KC's AA team. Nice to see him back, hopefully he is fully healthy now.

 

Is this now the most stacked pitching staff in the minors?

Michael Montgomery

John Lamb

Danny Duffy

Chris Dwyer

Aaron Crow

1st baseman Kila Kaiihue was promoted to Triple A Omaha yesterday by the Royals after posting a line of 314/463/624 with 26 HR, 80 BB, and 41 SO.  He's a bit old for the league at 24 years old, but it's an impressive line nonetheless.  For me, the most impressive aspect is his discipline; if the HR power isn't legit, he looks like he could at least be valuable as a high OBP guy.

What does everyone know about this guy?  Is he a legit prospect? 

Also, milb.com lists his dob as 3/29/84, exactly one year old than his brother Kala.  Is that correct, or is milb.com wrong and they're actually twins? 

According to Jonathan Mayo, the Royals are leaning towards taking Eric Hosmer at #3 despite the rumors of his bonus demands.  From reading various scouting reports, he seems to be the total package as a hitter and is a stud defender at 1st base.  I've also heard rumors that some teams may try him as a corner OF because he's actually very athletic and has some wheels for a kid of his size (16/16 on SB this season). 

PG Crosschecker wrote a glowing report on him earlier this year, comparing his bat at this stage of his development to ARod and Josh Hamilton and saying he's one of the best prep players of the last 20 years. 

http://www.pgcrosschecker.com/2007/columnists/davidrawnsley/weeklycolumn/hosmer_special_hitter.aspx

Has anyone here seen him play? 

Despite his ridiculous season, it seems as though Georgia's Gordon Beckham is still flying under the radar.  Why?

At this point, Beckham is sporting an amazing line of 412/524/874(!) with 22 HR, 36 BB, 18 SO, and 16/17 on SB attempts.  He plays at a premium position (shortstop) and can make all the plays.  He's the leading contender for the Golden Spikes Award.  So why is he not being talked about as a top three, or even top overall pick?

I've heard some doubt the power, but he had 25 HR combined during his first two years at Georgia, and led the Cape Cod League in HR and RBI last season.  Some have doubts that he will stick at SS, but at best it seems like that is a split argument, and even the doubters concede that he would have no problem moving to 2B or 3B.

I guess I just don't understand what this guy has to do to get some real respect.  I see him play and I think of Troy Tulowitzki or Evan Longoria.  What do you guys think? 

On a chat today on ESPN.com, Jim Callis presented his top ten list:

1. Jay Bruce, of, Reds
2. Clay Buchholz, rhp, Red Sox
3. Joba Chamberlain, rhp, Yankees
4. Evan Longoria, 3b, Rays
5. Clayton Kershaw, lhp, Dodgers
6. Mike Moustakas, ss, Royals
7. Colby Rasmus, of, Cardinals
8. Cameron Maybin, of, Marlins
9. Travis Snider, of, Blue Jays
10. Homer Bailey, rhp, Reds

Obviously, the outlier on this list in comparison to our list is Moustakas.  I, along with many others, were pimping Moose early but were shot down.  It will be interesting to see where BA ranks him this offseason and what he does this coming season.