Kansas City Royals
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PrintBaseball America's Top 10 Prospects lists are based on projections of a player's long-term worth after discussions with scouting and player-development personnel. All players who haven't exceeded the major league rookie standards of 130 at-bats or 50 innings pitched (without regard to service time) are eligible. Ages are as of April 1, 2008.
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The Royals completed the 2007 season in the same fashion they had in 12 of the previous 13 years—with a losing record. Yet unlike years past, optimism could be found in Kansas City's 69-93 mark and fourth consecutive last-place finish in the American League Central.
That hope is tied to a restructured player-development system and draft philosophy modeled after one of baseball's most successful franchises, the Braves. It's no coincidence, seeing as general manager Dayton Moore and farm director J.J. Picollo worked for Atlanta before coming to Kansas City. Senior advisor Art Stewart, who has been with the franchise since its inception, said the team's renewed efforts to build from within under Moore reminded him of the Royals' early days, when they swiftly assembled a contender through shrewd trades and homegrown talent.
"The most important thing we have done is staff our front office and development departments with good people and a full staff," said Moore, who noted that when scouting director Deric Ladnier arrived (also from the Braves) in 2000, he had just two crosscheckers on his staff. "Certainly, scouting and player development are the most important things we can do, and it doesn't matter if it is in a small or large market."
Kansas City made clear its commitment to the future by spending $6.6 million on the 2007 draft—the seventh-biggest outlay in baseball—starting with $4 million for No. 2 overall pick Mike Moustakas, the best hitter available.
The Royals have yet to show much improvement at the big league level, but they are putting more talent on the field. Four rookies who should be cornerstones for their future successfully made the transition to the big leagues in 2007. First-round picks Billy Butler and Alex Gordon had steady debuts and should anchor the middle of the lineup for years. Brian Bannister, stolen from the Mets in a trade for Ambiorix Burgos, won 12 games, while Joakim Soria, a Rule 5 draft coup, earned 17 saves.
A couple of righthanders are nearly ready to bolster the rotation. Luke Hochevar, the No. 1 overall pick in 2006 draft, made his major league debut in September. Daniel Cortes has been a revelation after coming over from the White Sox in a deal for Mike MacDougal. But other than counting on improvement from its young big leaguers, a Royals offense that finished 13th in the AL in scoring can't count on any immediate help.
The makeup of his team spurred Moore's decision to go off the beaten path to find a replacement for manager Buddy Bell, who resigned at the end of the season. Trey Hillman takes over after five seasons in Japan managing the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, whose 2006 Japan Series title was their first championship in 25 years. In Kansas City, Hillman will try to implement many of the same values that worked with the Ham Fighters, an offensively challenged club that won with pitching, defense and fundamentals.
The Royals showed that they'll explore every avenue for talent by also going to Japan to land reliever Yasuhiko Yabuta with a two-year, $6 million contract. They've increased their efforts on the global market, opening a new academy in the Dominican Republic last year. Domestically, they increased their U.S. farm system from six to seven affiliates.
| Scouting reports for the Top 10 Prospects
(How to subscribe) |
| Pre-Order the 2008 Prospect Handbook 30 scouting reports on every team |
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