Kansas City Royals farm system offers mixed bag

The Kansas City Royals farm system is currently rated among the worst in Major League Baseball, but not everyone believes that delivers an accurate picture of the team's future.

Baseball America rates the Royals system 29th out of 30 this year. That's a stark contrast from 2011 when the publication had them No. 1.

But J.J. Picollo, the Royals vice president and assistant general manager in charge of player personnel, takes a more moderate view in both cases.

"We feel like we have a lot of depth in specific areas, especially position players, but maybe not as many pitchers," Picollo said. "We feel better about our system than maybe the industry reflects. On the other hand, when we had what was considered one of the best systems in the history of Baseball America rankings, we didn't feel like it was quite as strong as it was made out to be."

But Kansas City traded away five minor league pitching prospects in order to help the Royals win a World Series in 2015. Two more were dealt away last year for Major League talent. Pitchers Ashe Russell and Kyle Zimmer, both first-round picks, have not panned out as planned. Russell took a break from baseball last year, after struggling. Zimmer hasn't been able to stay healthy and was designated for assignment this week.

That's left the Royals without a prospect among the top 100 as rated by Baseball America.

So the next group of impact prospects -- such as Salvador Perez, Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer who helped the Royals to back-to-back World Series appearances -- could be a few years away. Four of the top six prospects are 19 years old or younger. But Picollo said Khalil Lee, a 19-year-old outfielder rated the No. 2 Royals prospect, could be in Northwest Arkansas this year.

Kansas City also has four picks among the top 40 in the 2018 draft, so they should have a chance to replenish the system with high-end prospects.

Jeffrey Flanagan, the Royals beat writer for MLB.com, agreed with Picollo that sometimes the rankings can be misleading.

"I think their lower levels are pretty good, but you have to keep in mind they did trade away seven prospects, and that certainly depleted their system," Flanagan said. "I don't know how much value those rankings have sometimes. You look at a Jake Junis. He's up here now and looks like the real deal.

"I don't think it's as bad as people think it is. They've got Nicky Lopez, who was basically MVP of the Arizona Fall League. He's really advanced defensively, and it won't be long before he's up in the big leagues, maybe next year at this pace."

First baseman Frank Schwindel is another who didn't come with a great pedigree, but has earned attention in his first major league spring training camp, Flanagan said. He hit seven home runs in his final 21 at-bats to tie for the overall lead. But he'll start the season back in Triple-A Omaha.

"He's hitting big league pitching now," Flanagan said. "He homered off Carlos Carrasco. I talked to him the other day and he's got a lot of confidence."

Lopez and first baseman Samir Duenez played in Northwest Arkansas last season, and both went up the rankings. Lopez jumped from No. 13 last year to No. 7 among Royals prospects, according to Baseball America. Duenez leaped six spots as well to No. 19.

Lopez hit just .259 in 59 games at Northwest Arkansas last season, but he turned heads against top competition in the fall league. Duenez, who is only 21, hit 17 home runs with 75 RBIs in his first full season at Double-A. He drove in 100 runs in 138 games over three levels of the minor leagues in 2016.

Both are highly valued by the Royals' organization, Picollo said.

"We feel strongly about Lopez's ability to play shortstop, and Sammy is a guy who is a run producer," Picollo said. "Our first base depth is pretty good."

The first base position appears strong with the likes of Schwindel, Duenez, Ryan O'Hearn and young Nick Pratto, rated the No. 1 prospect in the Royals' organization.

Trevor Oaks and Scott Barlow, both acquired via trades, are two pitchers that should help provide depth in the area that was depleted by trades, Picollo said. They are expected to anchor the rotation in Triple-A Omaha.

Catcher Nick Dini also earned attention after hitting .310 in 64 games in Northwest Arkansas.

"In our mind, it was a stretch to put him at Double-A, but he's a mature kid," Picollo said. "He played extremely well and he'll likely go back there as the No. 1 guy. He reminds me of a Whit Merrifield in that the more you watch him, the more you appreciate him.

"I think he's really had an impact on our organization as an example of a guy who just kept plugging away."

The Royals' front office is hopeful outfielder Elier Hernandez can pick up where he left off last season, Picollo said. He hit .317 with five home runs and 37 RBIs in 48 games between Wilmington and Northwest Arkansas. But in June he was sidelined for the remainder of the season by a groin injury.

The Royals signed Hernandez as a teenager for $3.05 million out of the Dominican Republic in 2011, but he's struggled to reach his potential until finally reaching Double-A last season.

Picollo specifically mentioned third baseman Emmanuel Rivera and second baseman Gabriel Cancel as two who aren't highly rated by some services, but highly valued by the Royals. Both had solid seasons at Class A Lexington last year.

"Rivera has a tremendous feel for hitting," Picollo said. "He's starting to separate himself. Cancel is another who has shown definite offensive potential. Those are two guys that nobody really talks about who are high on our depth chart."

Sports on 04/01/2018