By J.J. Cooper
January 11, 2010


Baseball 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, 2009.

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TOP TEN PROSPECTS

1. Mike Montgomery, lhp 2. Aaron Crow, rhp 3. Wil Myers, c 4. Mike Moustakas, 3b 5. Eric Hosmer, 1b 6. Tim Melville, rhp 7. John Lamb, lhp 8. Danny Duffy, lhp 9. Chris Dwyer, lhp 10. David Lough, of

BEST TOOLS

Best Hitter for Average Wil Myers Best Power Hitter Mike Moustakas Best Strike-Zone Discipline Kila Ka'aihue Fastest Baserunner Jarrod Dyson Best Athlete Derrick Robinson Best Fastball Aaron Crow Best Curveball Chris Dwyer Best Slider Aaron Crow Best Changeup Edgar Osuna Best Control John Lamb Best Defensive Catcher Salvador Perez Best Defensive Infielder Mario Lisson Best Infield Arm Mike Moustakas Best Defensive Outfielder Derrick Robinson Best Outfield Arm Jordan Parraz

PROJECTED 2013 LINEUP

Catcher Wil Myers First Base Eric Hosmer Second Base Alberto Callasp Third Base Alex Gordon Shortstop Jeff Bianchi Left Field David DeJesus Center Field David Lough Right Field Mike Moustakas Designated Hitter Billy Butler No. 1 Starter Zack Greinke No. 2 Starter Mike Mongtomery No. 3 Starter Gil Meche No. 4 Starter Aaron Crow No. 5 Starter Tim Melville Closer Joakim Soria

TOP PROSPECTS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Dee Brown, of Nationals 2001 Chris George, lhp Orioles 2002 Angel Berroa, ss Mets 2003 Zack Greinke, rhp Royals 2004 Zack Greinke, rhp Royals 2005 Billy Butler, 3b Royals 2006 Alex Gordon, 3b Royals 2007 Alex Gordon, 3b Royals 2008 Mike Moustakas, 3b Royals 2009 Mike Moustakas, 3b Royals

TOP DRAFT PICKS OF THE DECADE

Year Player, Position 2009 2000 Mike Stodolka, lhp Out of baseball 2001 Colt Griffin, rhp Out of baseball 2002 Zack Greinke, rhp Royals 2003 Chris Lubanski, of Royals 2004 Billy Butler, of Royals 2005 Alex Gordon, 3b Royals 2006 Luke Hochevar, rhp Royals 2007 Mike Moustakas, 3b Royals 2008 Eric Hosmer, 1b Royals 2009 Aaron Crow, rhp Royals

LARGEST BONUSES IN CLUB HISTORY

Eric Hosmer, 2008 $6,000,000 Alex Gordon, 2005 $4,000,000 Mike Moustakas, 2007 $4,000,000 Luke Hochevar, 2006 $3,500,000 Jeff Austin, 1998 $2,700,000

ROYALS LINKS

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Every day that Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke wasn't pitching was a disaster for the 2009 Royals. There's hope for the future, but the bad news for Kansas City fans is that the club's rebuilding effort will need more time.

The Royals though they were fielding a team ready to take a significant step toward contending last season. They traded away young relievers Leo Nunez and Ramon Ramirez to acquire veterans Mike Jacobs and Coco Crisp, and signed free-agent relievers Juan Cruz and Kyle Fansworth. The result was 65 wins, which marked the seventh time in the past nine years that Kansas City has won fewer than 70 games.

At least the organization recognizes now that it's planning for the future. General manager Dayton Moore says his team now will focus on acquiring young major leaguers who are years away from free agency. That would seem to fit with the state of the farm system, which has plenty of talent but little to contribute in 2010.

The Royals at least deserve credit for trying a different approach. Unlike many smaller-revenue teams that save money by sticking to slot bonus recommendations in the draft, Kansas City has spent money to sign high-ceiling talents.

The problem is that the Royals haven't always gotten what they paid for. They gave a $4 million bonus to Alex Gordon, the No. 2 overall pick in 2005, and a $5.25 million contract to Luke Hochevar, the top choice in 2006. Gordon (.250/.331/.415 in three big league seasons) and Hochevar (13-26, 5.88 in three years) have massively underperformed, and no other player from those drafts has made the majors.

Those failed drafts have left the upper levels of the system system barren, which became a significant problem when injuries struck in 2009. When Crisp went down with a shoulder injury early in the season, the Royals were forced to get Josh Anderson from the Tigers. When Mike Aviles' arm injury ended any chance of an encore to his outstanding rookie season, they turned first to Tony Pena Jr., whom they acquired from the Braves in 2007, then traded for Yuniesky Betancourt in a deal that sent pitching prospects Daniel Cortes and Derek Saito to the Mariners.

Despite injuries to Crisp, Aviles, Gordon, Gil Meche and Joakim Soria, and a record that quickly made it clear that they were playing for the future, Kansas City had only two marginal rookies (Mitch Maier and Brayan Pena) see playing time before September because the system simply lacked prospects worth promoting.

At the lower levels, the Royals have a bounty of pitching prospects that few organizations can match, led by lefthander Mike Montgomery. Their willingness to exceed MLB's slot recommendations landed five of their 10 best prospects (catcher Wil Myers, third baseman Mike Moustakas, first baseman Eric Hosmer, righthander Tim Melville, lefty Chris Dwyer) and they gave a major league contract to a sixth (righty Aaron Crow).

Moore came to Kansas City from Atlanta, and his farm system reflects the Braves' emphasis on developing pitching. The Royals can dream of similar success, but their promising youngsters are going to need a few more years to develop.

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