The Kansas City Royals have lost a handful of their top prospects over the last three days in trades aimed at strengthening their position as leaders of the American League Central.
None of the players lost were named Raul Adalberto Mondesi, however. The 20-year-old shortstop with the slick glove, developing bat and recognizable name is just fine with that.
Today’s game
ARKANSAS VS. NW ARKANSAS
WHEN 7:10 p.m.
WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock
RADIO KARN-AM, 920, in central Arkansas; KFAY-AM, 1030, in Springdale
WEBSITE travs.com, nwanaturals.com
PITCHERS Travelers: Kyle McGowin (RHP, 6-7, 4.91 ERA); Naturals: TBD
TICKETS Gates open one hour before first pitch. $13 box ($6 children), $7 general admission ($5 children).
PROMOTIONS $1 hot dogs
THE WEEK AHEAD
TODAY NW Arkansas, 7:10 p.m.
THURSDAY Tulsa, 7:10 p.m.
FRIDAY Tulsa, 7:10 p.m.
SATURDAY Tulsa, 5:30 p.m.
SUNDAY Tulsa, 6:10 p.m.
MONDAY at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m.
TUESDAY at NW Arkansas, 7:05 p.m.
"A lot of people say 'Am I going to be traded?'" Mondesi said before taking batting practice Tuesday. "I don't know. The big guys up there, they know what they're going to do."
Mondesi's continued presence in the Naturals' lineup is an indication of how much the Royals think of him.
The son of the 1994 National League Rookie of the Year with the same name played second base and hit second for the Naturals on Tuesday night as he continues his swift ascent through the minor leagues. He's ranked by Baseball America and MLB.com as the Royals' No. 1 overall prospect and three Baseball America analysts ranked him among the top 40 prospects in all of baseball.
"Obviously, the kid is special," Naturals Manager Vance Wilson said. "You're talking about a kid that just turned 20 [Monday]. You're going to blink, and in a year he's going to be a totally different player."
The Royals on Sunday parted with left-handed pitchers Brandon Finnegan, their No. 2 prospect, Cody Reed, who moved into their top 10 midseason, and John Lamb, for Cincinnati Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto. And Tuesday, the Royals sent pitcher Sean Manaea, ranked No. 3, in a package to the Oakland Athletics for utility player Ben Zobrist.
Mondesi is still around, working through injury and inconsistency at the plate.
He entered Tuesday's game hitting .241 with 5 home runs, 26 RBI and 8 stolen bases. But Wilson said Mondesi can't be judged solely on his batting line. He's made improvements as a defender and has only played 49 games while trying to recover from a back injury suffered in the season opener when he slid head first into third base.
Some of the categories that are harder to track -- work ethic, base running and mental approach -- are where Wilson has said Mondesi made the most progress. And even though his batting stats could be better, Wilson said he hasn't seen one situation that led him to believe Mondesi is overmatched at Class AA.
Defensively, on the bases, mental preparation, what he sees in the game," Wilsons said. "Even offensively, we've faced some unbelievable arms this year and he takes some great swings."
Part of that, Wilson said, could be attributed to Mondesi's upbringing. He was born July 27, 1995 -- his father hit a home run off Atlanta's Kent Mercker that day -- and lived in Los Angeles until he was 2 when he moved to the Dominican Republic. His father was on a Major League roster until 2005, when the younger Mondesi was 12. i
Mondesi signed with the Royals as a 16-year-old in 2011 and began playing at Rookie League Idaho Falls in 2012. He's advanced a level each season since and now he's the youngest player in the Texas League.
"I don't focus a lot on my age," he said. "If I'm here, it's because the Royals trust me and they know I can play here. So, I just focus and do my best every day."
Mondesi said he calls his father, who hit 271 home runs in 13 Major League seasons, after games every night. The elder Mondesi is mayor of San Cristobal, Dominican Republic, so the encouragement and tips have to come over the phone. Late Monday night, the younger Mondesi called to inform his father of an 0-for-4 night with three strikeouts on his 20th birthday.
"He just said that it's a normal day," Mondesi said. "Just don't put my head down and just wait for the next day and try to do my best."
Mondesi did that Tuesday as he continues his accelerated path to the Major Leagues.
There was an interview, then two hours before the first pitch, he spent about 30 minutes in the batting cage.
Not that he's in any hurry to make the big leagues.
"They know when they're going to give me the chance," Mondesi said. "I just try to do my best every day and try to do my best to get there as soon as possible."
Sports on 07/29/2015